The regional office of the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights – the public reception office of the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights in the Kherson region may cease its activities, as can other ombudsman offices in Ukraine.
This was reported by ZMINA, citing the ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets.
At the Human Rights Committee meeting on October 9, Dmytro Lubinets noted that state funding for the ombudsman’s institution for 2026 is planned to be significantly less than actual needs, the outlet writes.
“We saw the calculations provided to our institution by the government for protected items – this is primarily salaries and payment of utilities. With a minimum need for utility payments in 2026 of 12 million hryvnias, our institution has been allocated 3.6 million hryvnias. I cannot comprehend how to maintain the institution if they provide 30% of the necessary utility payments,” Lubinets remarked.
According to him, the lack of funding could put all regional offices of the institution on the verge of closure, because it is impossible to maintain them without utility payments.
Dmytro Lubinets noted that regional offices were developed over 3 years. During this period international partners allocated 200 million hryvnias for this.
Regional centers for the protection of human rights, as well as centers for the protection of children’s rights, were renovated exclusively with international funds.
Also, at the initiative of the ombudsman’s office, regional working groups have been created to work with families of prisoners of war and missing persons.
To date such groups have been created in all regions of Ukraine – specialists meet with families daily, receive additional appeals, provide necessary assistance, the article says.
We remind that the Representative of the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights in the Kherson region is the former director of the Kherson Shipbuilding and Ship Repair Plant, Vasyl Donets.
Also earlier MOST wrote that in the winter of 2023 Russian forces sent kamikaze drones to Kherson that struck the building, where the ombudsman’s representative office for human rights was located.