June 30, 2026: The Ukrainian government has persuaded Olha Reshetylova to be the ombudsman for the Ukrainian military. Before she would accept the task of being the primary promoter of soldiers’ rights in the Ukrainian military, Olha Reshetylova had to create the position herself. This came after a decade as an activist awareness of Ukrainian soldiers being mistreated while on active service. During that decade Olha made a lot of enemies in the military and government bureaucracy. Now she is part of the bureaucracy and no longer has to worry about angry officers ordering their troops to block Olha from entering a base. Olha would often brush past the soldiers pointing their weapons at her, enter the base and collect testimonials from soldiers who had suffered abuse or mistreatment by callous or corrupt officers or officials.

Any criticism of the military is a sensitive issue in Ukraine. The Ukrainian military is well respected by Ukrainians, most of whom have served, known someone who has done so, or had kinfolk who went to war. Olha has been advocating for soldiers since 2014, and most Ukrainians knew of her tireless efforts. In late 2025,  she was appointed by President Volodymyr Zelensky as the military’s first ombudsman. He had asked her to create the job as she saw fit.

Several million Ukrainians have served in the military. Her husband is fighting in the war. The couple have two sons, ages 5 and 14, who also could end up fighting if the war drags on. That possibility encourages her when she runs into problems with officers who are uneasy about her efforts. Front-line officers try to keep Olha occupied at their command posts rather than being out with the troops. Olha gently but firmly pushes past these efforts. Commanders know the Olha is popular with the troops and don’t want to get on the wrong side of that.

Olha began her advocacy career in 2014 when soldiers from her hometown reported a lack of supplies. Olha organized an effort to buy body armor for the local men. This was a widespread practice in Ukraine. Olha also co-founded the Come Back Alive movement that specializes in getting soldiers equipment they need and acting on abuses the soldiers encountered.

Olha also had to deal with the Ukrainian legislature as the laws were passed to support the efforts to aid the troops. She also kept government officials alert to the conditions soldiers were operating in, in a combat zone dominated by attack drones that went after anyone the enemy saw moving in daylight. Olha assisted in opening up communications between the troops and the senior commanders about conditions at the front. This was often about troops trapped for days or even weeks in bunkers because of the constant presence of Russian drones outside. Olha wanted the military and political leaders to know about this and do something before it became something to discuss in the past tense. Commanders began to appreciate these efforts when they noticed desertion rates declining. Gradually, commanders came to trust Olha and work with her rather than stubbornly resisting.