Legal support direction

We began responding to requests from internally displaced persons (IDPs) and war-affected individuals who required qualified legal assistance. Many of them were unable to address issues related to property and land, had lost their documents or housing, or were unaware of their rights as IDPs.

Advocacy efforts were initiated in response to the absence of a legislative framework protecting the rights of IDPs.

The team of lawyers provided legal assistance in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, addressing issues related to payments, crossing the contact line, establishing legal facts, labor relations, housing and land matters, family relations, and banking concerns.

The East SOS legal aid centers in Kyiv, Mariupol, and Rubizhne provided free legal assistance to internally displaced persons and those affected by the conflict in eastern Ukraine. The team specialized in phone consultations and helped draft procedural documents, including applications, complaints, information requests, statements of claim, and statements recognizing legally significant facts.

On January 16, East SOS, Freedom House Ukraine, the Expert Center for Human Rights, and the Ukrainian Institute for Human Rights launched the joint initiative “Effective Cooperation of Civil Society with Security Services in Ukraine.”

The Security Dialogue serves as a platform for collaboration between the Security Service, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the State Border Guard Service with civil society organizations at both national and regional levels to safeguard human rights and freedoms.

On February 17, human rights organizations presented a report on the socio-economic rights of conflict-affected individuals. The alternative report to the UN, “Ensuring the Realization of Socio-Economic Rights of Persons Affected by the Conflict in Ukraine”, was co-authored by Donbas SOS, Crimea SOS, Right to Protection, East SOS, Civil Holding Group of Influence, Stabilization Support Services, ZMINA Human Rights Center, and the Crimean Human Rights Group.

In collaboration with NGOs and international organizations, we actively participated in discussions on developing and implementing a state program to provide housing for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and veterans.

Our team developed a comprehensive FAQ guide for internally displaced persons (IDPs) from the temporarily occupied territories (TOT). The guide addresses key issues, including crossing the contact line, fines for violations, birth and death certification in the TOT, passport issuance, pension payments, assistance for single parents, and COVID-19-related concerns. 

The guidelines also included contact details for the Centers for Administrative Services in the Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kherson regions.

Yuliia Krasilnykova, Chairperson of the Foundation’s Board, joined the humanitarian subgroup of the Ukrainian delegation to the Trilateral Contact Group on the peaceful settlement of the situation in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

The team visited Denmark, where they participated in a conference at the local parliament and held a series of meetings, including discussions with representatives of the Danish Helsinki Committee for Human Rights. They addressed the current situation in Ukraine, potential escalations, and large-scale human rights violations in the temporarily occupied territories (TOT), as well as preparations for the summit and participation in the Crimean Platform event.

After the full-scale Russian invasion began, requests from frontline and de-occupied territories surged. Our lawyers responded by providing online consultations and legal assistance in frontline communities, as well as in compact settlement areas for IDPs and evacuees.

Our specialists provided free primary and secondary consultations on housing, land, property, social benefits, pensions, labor rights, freedom of movement, and document recovery.

We also joined the Ukraine. 5AM Coalition, a network of 16 human rights organizations dedicated to documenting war crimes, protecting victims, and holding Russian leadership and perpetrators accountable.

Our representative joined the Expert Advisory Council under the Ministry for the Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories (TOT), chaired by Iryna Vereshchuk. This newly established body is focused on providing expert, advisory, and methodological support to the Ministry in the development and implementation of state policy concerning the TOT and neighboring regions.

We became members of the expert council of the Representative of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights. The council’s purpose is to analyze, propose recommendations, and improve legislation to protect victims of Russian armed aggression against Ukraine.

We took part in a roundtable at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, focused on documenting crimes committed against and involving children. The event aimed to foster improved cooperation between the court and representatives of civil society organizations.

Prosecutors from the International Criminal Court, experts in international humanitarian law, human rights defenders, and representatives of organizations from around the world discussed pressing issues and best practices for interacting with children during the recording of testimonies.

In 2023, the Foundation provided over 27,000 legal services and helped restore 159 documents for people with limited mobility.

Roundtables on “Problematic Aspects of Documenting and Compensating for Damaged or Destroyed Housing” were held in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, and Zaporizhzhia. These discussions focused on the most common challenges faced by residents of frontline and recently deoccupied territories. The issues addressed were based on research conducted by the Foundation’s lawyers during field visits to communities in Zaporizhzhia and neighboring regions.

In collaboration with human rights organizations, we outlined 10 priority steps for 2023 to strengthen human rights protection amid the full-scale war and developed recommendations for the Verkhovna Rada and the Cabinet of Ministers.

Lawyer Yuliia Matviichuk proposed measures to establish an effective evacuation mechanism for civilians affected by the war, including children in frontline areas.

The team actively advocated for the mandatory evacuation of children, leading to the Cabinet of Ministers approving a mechanism for the forced evacuation of children under 18 on March 7, 2023.

Yuliia Matviichuk was a guest on the Influential Podcast by the Public Holding Group of Influence. She discussed the Foundation’s initiatives, the evacuation of civilians from war zones, their resettlement in shelters, and the psychological and legal support provided to victims of Russian aggression in Ukraine.

We participated in the press conference “What Should the Parliament Do Now to Protect Ukrainians Affected by the War: Presentation of the Roadmap”, organized by Ukraine Media Center – Ukrinform and ZMINA.

Experts from the Coalition of Organizations Working to Protect the Rights of Victims of Russia’s Armed Aggression Against Ukraine presented a legislative roadmap outlining draft laws that should be adopted, rejected, or revised to safeguard the rights of war victims. Additionally, projects focused on the reintegration of residents from temporarily occupied territories (TOT) were introduced.

Yuliia Matviichuk participated in the “Advocacy Capacity Building at the Council of Europe” program for human rights defenders, organized by the Human Rights House Foundation as part of the international #HumanRightsHouses network. The program enhanced participants’ understanding of the Council of Europe’s tools and mechanisms while strengthening their advocacy skills.

As part of an advocacy trip to Europe, the Foundation’s representatives held several international meetings. In The Hague, they presented the Foundation’s work and highlighted urgent humanitarian needs identified during monitoring missions in frontline areas of the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions in May.

Our team also took part in the All-Ukrainian Forum of IDP Councils, which aimed to foster a shared vision among state representatives, local governments, international organizations, and NGOs on the role of IDP councils in the integration of internally displaced persons.

Over the past decade, advocacy efforts have expanded significantly. Today, a strong team of professionals provides effective support in the Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Donetsk, and Dnipro regions. Additionally, East SOS lawyers offer free legal assistance through the nationwide Safe Space for Women and Girls network.

A coalition of organizations dedicated to protecting the rights of those affected by Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine has developed 11 key steps to safeguard human rights during the full-scale war in 2024.

The Foundation’s lawyers contributed to developing a mechanism for the inventory of property designated for the temporary accommodation of IDPs. This discussion took place during a meeting of the Temporary Special Commission of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on the Protection of Property and Non-Property Rights of IDPs and Other Victims.

To strengthen legal and advocacy efforts, specialists came together to establish the East SOS Advocacy Unit. This initiative was approved at a foundation coordinators’ meeting in late July, where they defined joint activity priorities, department structure, and specialists’ responsibilities.