In recent years, air raid sirens have sounded almost every day in Ukraine. Hundreds of Ukrainian families have suffered from enemy shelling. According to official data, the largest number of victims are in the frontline territories. Settlements in the Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, and Kherson regions are regularly shelled. However, those affected sometimes do not even go to medical facilities and do not receive proper assistance.
Lawyers from the Stabilization Support Services Charitable Foundation project explained what to do if you or your family have been affected by shelling, injured, or wounded. Are you, as a civilian, entitled to financial compensation? Where should you go and how can you get financial assistance for treatment or other needs?
According to Karina Golovachova, a lawyer with the mobile team in the Zaporizhzhia region, there is a program in place in the Zaporizhzhia region to support civilians who have suffered as a result of enemy shelling. This program provides a one-time payment of UAH 20,000 in emergency financial assistance.
“Payments from the regional budget are provided to civilians and internally displaced persons who are registered in the Zaporizhzhia region and were hospitalized after receiving injuries during shelling. Those who have suffered severe mine-blast injuries or other serious injuries, concussions, serious fractures, or other injuries that have led to a significant deterioration in health can receive an additional 30,000 hryvnia. That is, the total amount is about 50,000 hryvnias,” — emphasizes Karina Golovachova.
In addition, according to the lawyer, it is important that after discharge from the medical institution where the victim was treated, the documents clearly state the reason for hospitalization or treatment, the severity of the injury, and the cause-and-effect relationship must be indicated.
“You can apply for payment in the Zaporizhzhia region by contacting the social protection authorities at your place of residence. If a child or incapacitated person has been injured, the application for assistance is submitted by their parents or legal representatives,” — says Karina Golovachova.
Documents for supporting the civilian population affected by enemy shelling:
1. Medical certificate from the hospital clearly stating that the person was hospitalized due to mine-blast trauma, concussion, limb fractures, or other injuries that led to a significant deterioration in health.
2. Extract from the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations. It is necessary that the information about the injury be entered in the register. This confirms that the person was injured as a result of enemy attacks.
3. Copy of the passport of a citizen of Ukraine and identification code.
4. Certificate of bank details.
Currently, financial assistance for those wounded as a result of enemy shelling is also available in Kherson. As noted by Natalia Yurchenko, a lawyer with the mobile team in the Kherson region, financial assistance depends on the nature of the injury, its complexity, the methods of treatment, and the number of days the person spent in a medical facility.
“District councils in the city accept such applications from the affected population. They then forward them to a special commission set up by the city military administration for consideration. At its meeting, the commission reviews all applications and decides on the amount of assistance. Payments range from 5,000 to 50,000 hryvnia,” — says Natalia Yurchenko.
We would like to emphasize that each region has its own programs to assist the affected population after shelling. To find out which programs are currently operating and whether cash assistance payments are available in your region, please contact the Department of Social Protection of the Population.
In addition, residents of Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, and Kherson regions can receive free legal advice on any other legal issues during visits by the project’s mobile team. To make sure you don’t miss out on a visit from our Charity Fund’s experts to your town, keep an eye on announcements on social media and your community’s official pages.
The project “Lifesaving response to protection concerns and humanitarian needs of conflict affected people in the South and South-East of Ukraine” is implemented by the Stabilization Support Services Charitable Foundation in partnership with the international humanitarian organization CARE, with financial support from the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.