In Ukraine, the issue of internally displaced persons (IDPs) has assumed a high relevance amid the ongoing war and the socio-economic challenges the country is facing. Millions of people who fled their homes due to Russian invasion need not only support, but also an effective policy on the part of state authorities.
Serhii Kozyr -- member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Human Rights, De-occupation and Reintegration of Currently Russian-Occupied Parts of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts and the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol City; on Ethnic Minorities and International Relations – was commenting on this matter in an interview with Ukrinform.
The interview further covered matters related to accommodations for IDPs, implementation of the "e-oselia" and "e-recovery" programs, regulation of the domestic rental market, compensation by Russia for the war crimes it has committed since 2014, as well as the possibility of bringing military commanders to justice for criminal actions or illegal orders.
- The issue of support for internally displaced persons has been high on the agenda for two years now, and so it requires a special attention. What’s your appraisal of the policy the government is pursuing in that domain?
- The development of the government’s current policy with respect to internally displaced persons began with the inception of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Prior to 2022, this policy was only budding, with no systematic approaches being used. Because of this, at the beginning of the war, and even now, we are not keeping up with the challenges facing us. However, the fact that such a policy has begun to be developed is already a good sign. For now, there remains a need to facilitate the IDPs’ adaptation in new communities. The ultimate goal is to help citizens get back to normal life, which will mean the policy pursued by the government in this field is effective.
- What’s your assessment of the government’s policy related to the country’s domestic migration, particularly to the regions with the highest proportion of IDP populations?
- When analyzing each individual service provided, it can be said that his work is being done at the highest level possible. But we understand, however, that a lot depends on the quality of the service provision infrastructures in different communities, as well as the number and the proficiency level of the personnel providing public services to displaced persons.
Currently, the issue of personnel shortage, which precludes high-quality and fast servicing and processing of IDPs’ applications, is rising in acuteness. These applications are very diverse and are coming in daily, complicating the work for the provision of services. We receive individual appeals from displaced persons regarding the violation of their rights, particularly when it comes to the failure to provide certain public services in due time. In many cases, there is a human factor that is responsible for much of this. Many of employees at state bodies are reluctant to get fully immersed into life circumstances of these people, to understand the troubles they encounter, which causes conflicts.
IDPs also complain that government employees in the communities these persons arrived to live in do not provide them with explicit and complete information about what they need to do next, what kind of government support and services they are eligible for. As I’ve said above, such situations do happen, but not too often. There is no such thing as public services are not provided to IDPs. All the relevant mechanisms are working, and the government is doing its utmost to improve the existing mechanisms and to get more personnel employed for this work.
TWO HUNDRED GOVERNMENT-OWNED REAL ESTATE PROPERTIES ARE READY TO ACCOMMODATE IDP FAMILIES
- It has become known recently that the government is coordinating work to draw up a housing strategy for IDPs. Does this work involve parliament members? What does this document provide for?
- Housing is the main issue for IDPs. Indeed, people’s deputies are closely engaged in drawing up this strategy. In 2022, we brought together a cross-faction group in Verkhovna Rada, which works in coordination with the Ministry of Reintegration and its head Iryna Vereshchuk, as well as with Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.
In 2022, the group arranged for and held over three hundred meetings with IDPs, during which we highlighted all the global problems with IDPs and submitted them to government for consideration. Our temporary special commission in Verkhovna Rada on the protection of the rights of IDPs also deals with providing accommodations for displaced persons, and recently the parliament has given first reading to two important draft laws proposed by this cross-faction group.
- The Ukrainian parliament has recently given first reading to a draft law mandating an inventory of real estate properties of all ownership categories for providing accommodations to IDPs. What does this initiative entail?
- First and foremost, the bill mandates an audit of all government-owned and municipal properties suitable for temporary accommodation of internally displaced persons. It therefore can be said that this document lays a foundation for the mentioned strategy. This is supposed to result in the creation of an interactive map, using which displaced persons will be able to choose a place of residence they find most suitable for themselves.
- People's Deputy Ruslan Horbenko assesses that there are 2,200 such properties in Ukraine. How many IDPs can receive temporary accommodations already this year?
- A total of 2,200 real estate properties have already been audited, and that’s a lot. But what remains to be done is to verify their condition and purpose, and see whether they need repair or addition. We are currently working much on that.
We estimate that some two hundred properties are now ready to accommodate IDP families. Next, we will determine the categories of persons with urgent housing needs and compile housing-waiting lists. Not only is this about social justice, but about providing for the needs of the worst affected.
We are currently working finalizing the draft law for second reading. Awaiting the bill’s final approval in parliament, work has got underway at the Coordinating Headquarters led by Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk. Instructions have been sent to the heads of military administrations who are doing the property audits and providing feedback. It therefore can be said that the yet-to-be-adopted legislation is already working.
- Who are on the category of the worst affected? Who will be the first to get accommodations?
- Before all others, these will be persons with children, retirement-age persons, people with disabilities, large families, as well as IDP families where a member has died defending Ukraine.
- The Rada has also given the first reading to a bill that grants IDPs a priority right to a compensation for destroyed housing and lost property under the "e-recovery" program. How is the proposed legislation going to accelerate the receipt of housing certificates by IDPs?
- It’s too early so far to talk about an acceleration. In the recently approved draft legislation we propose expanding the category of those eligible for priority provision of public housing under the e-recovery and e-oselia programs to include persons catering for a child under six years of age, persons catering for two children under 14 years of age, retirement-age persons, persons with Group III disabilities, families where one parent independently caters for a child under 14 years of age, families catering for a child with a disability.
The legislation provides that the mentioned IDP categories will be eligible for priority receipt of housing certificates or for mortgage lending, but, unfortunately, we cannot make this process faster.
PARLIAMENT IS WORKING TO UPDATE AND IMPROVE E-OSELIA PROGRAM
- The e-oselia and e-recovery programs are in great favor among the Ukrainians and have proved to be effective. E-oselia, however, is little helpful to IDPs. Due to a number of restrictive criteria, as few as 193 IDPs were able to use it, amounting to just one percent of all the loans issued for home purchases. How can the program be improved to make it more helpful to IDPs?
- Currently, we are cooperating with the relevant parliamentary committee headed by Olena Shulyak, as well as with the Ministry of Reconstruction to ease the conditions imposed by this program. The main challenge is that, to ensure more IDP families are able to benefit from the program, it is necessary to ease restrictions on a building’s age, which the current rules set at three years, as well to lower the down payment on a mortgage. In some regions of the country, the number of houses no older than three years is scanty; besides, they sell at a way higher price compared to counterparts aged 10 years or less.
Another urgent issue is that the annual interest rate on the mortgage loan is excessively high, making it unaffordable for the IDPs who are just starting a new life in a new place. The current interest rate of 7 percent per annum definitely needs to be lowered. There are ideas on how this can be done, and we in parliament are working drawing up amendments to relevant legislations and on how they can be implemented.
RUSSIA MUST COMPENSATE FOR THE COST OF THE HOMES IT DESTROYED IN UKRAINE SINCE 2014
- Lots of IDPs have lost their homes located in areas currently controlled by Russia or where hostilities are ongoing. I know that people in parliament and government are working developing a mechanism to document the destruction and damage to real estate properties in these areas. Could you elaborate?
- We contacted the Ministry of Reconstruction led by the then Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov, and joined effort with with Olena Shulyak’s committee to find a solution. People whose property was left in occupied parts of the country or in active warzone often did not even have the opportunity to apply to have their losses recorded and documented, because previously they had failed to get them recorded legally, or to provide ownership documents or photo/video evidence. This has changed now. The Government simplified the procedure, having created the conditions that are already in effect in the beta version of this mechanism. Citizens will hereinafter be able to submit applications through the Diia app platform and get their losses formally registered.
- How is the government going to verify whether a property left in a currently occupied area, for example, has been destroyed actually?
- This process includes evidence obtained from satellite imagery among other sources. Currently, such an experiment is being conducted in the city of Melitopol, where the destruction of two properties has been formally registered and relevant certificates issued. Payments under these certificates, however, have not yet been made.
The procedure as such is pretty long and complicated, since it is necessary to certify that a person who fled the occupation and submitted the application was not involved in collaborative activities. Another important condition is that a person should have at hand the required package of documents. But what matters most is that people will be able to submit applications, and then the system will do the rest once all aspects are worked out and finalized. Currently, the government is developing verification methods to avoid abuses or duplicate aid. Even though damage evaluation work is not yet possible in certain locations due to hostilities, people will be able to input information on destroyed property into a centralized system, based on eyewitness from family members or neighbors. This data will be verified in the future, but for now people can get their losses formally registered, and this is going to be an important part of the country’s recovery process.
- Can such persons hope for monetary compensations?
- Regarding compensations, this is a different issue that depends on the availability of funds. That said, however, the possibility for people to get their losses registered formally and legally marks an important step forward. This is going to be a significant marker for our international partners and organizations dealing with reparation issues, helping them accurately assess the amount and scope of the losses incurred.
- In follow up to the topic of lost property and compensation: For the first time in 10 years, in early July, Ukraine unveiled a draft concept of the compensation of losses incurred in people from Russia’s war of aggression. What’s your view of this document? What does it provide for?
- This Concept is the result of joint work made by our committee and the Office of the Ombudsman. We will submit it to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine for consideration and possible approval soon. The main challenge is to set up in place a transparent and effective mechanism of loss compensation. People need to understand when and how they will receive a compensation, where the money will come from, and what they are required to do to receive it. Given the current situation, where the bulk of budgetary resources goes in funding to the needs of defense, the government alone will be unable to pay for the compensations in full. Therefore, the main hope rests on the immobilized Russian assets, reparations from Russia and financial aid from international partners.
It is critical for us that this mechanism enable people to obtain state certificates or other documents that can be used as a down payment on a house, for example, or make it possible to leave them as a legacy for descendants and paid for from potential reparations from Russia.
One more important thing is that Russia must compensate Ukraine for the war damage. So this mechanism is supposed to formalize the possibility of receiving a compensation for the destroyed or damaged properties, starting in 2014. For example, after the liberation of the city of Sloviansk in 2014, more than fifty hundred apartments and more than 10,000 private households were found destroyed in town, but no compensations have been paid ever since. And it was only in 2022 when meaningful work, sponsored by international partners, began to compensate the residents for the damages. We already have a roadmap for this process, and are planning to expand and increase the funding sources so that to move towards that end goal faster.
Incidentally, we urge our citizens to contact national and local authorities, to submit applications through Diia platform to get the destroyed or damaged properties formally registered, including broken windows or doors, destroyed houses and other damages caused by war. There is a common view that the government is not supposed to compensate for such seemingly minor damages, but this is not so. Applications even for a minor damage compensation would make up a critical step toward restoring Ukraine and receiving compensations. This will help our government and international partners quickly assess the extent of the destruction and begin the process of compensation, as well as bill the enemy, who must pay a price for all of the criminal actions it has committed against the Ukrainians and their properties.
UKRINIAN RENTAL MARKET NEEDS LEGISLATIVE REGULATION
- Since the inception of the full-scale invasion, a program titled "Shelter" has been operating in Ukraine, providing accommodations to internally displaced persons by caring Ukrainians on a rent-free basis. Recently, there have been reports circulating on various social media platforms, claiming that landlords who receive compensations from the government for accommodations they provide to displaced persons on a rent-free basis are still demanding that these persons pay rent. Are these reports true? If so, how can the government handle this?
- We are sometimes made known of such situations, but it wouldn’t be fair to say that there are many such complaints. Often, the problem is that the landlords who provide accommodations to displaced persons are reluctant to apply to authorities for utility bill compensations. They instead choose to demand the money from tenants so that to make own lives easier. And there are also those who, despite receiving compensations from the government, still demand money from IDP tenants. Overall, the "Shelter" program is not as favored now as it was at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, as very few citizens are willing to offer accommodations to displaced persons.
Currently, we are cooperating with the relevant parliamentary committee and the Ministry of Social Policy to create conditions that would make IDP tenants eligible for living subsides. The key challenge here is to make sure supportive help is provided to those who really need help paying rent. It will also encourage those who rent out housing to draw up documents, register individual entrepreneurships and thus, by paying taxes, support the government.
- In Ukraine, the rental market tends to grow, reflecting a growth in domestic migration. However, the rental market can hardly be considered sufficiently regulated. Can the government and parliament change this legislatively?
- It’s true that the housing rental market in Ukraine remains to be insufficiently regulated. Many homeowners are reluctant to declare rental income to tax authorities to avoid taxation. They are looking for different ways to hide these revenues from fiscal authorities. I know of cases where landlords are demanding that tenants pay in cash or disguise the purpose of payment in bank transfer documents as "debt repayment" or "non-refundable financial assistance". This is a serious problem, as not only does it reduce budgetary revenues, but deprives people of legal protection in the event of unforeseen circumstances.
We, in our capacity as legislators, are ready and willing to introduce changes that would tighten up liability for tax offences and create conditions encouraging landlords to legalize their rental property businesses. Changes are needed to encourage people to declare rental income, and the government, for its part, should provide additional protective mechanisms and some kind of tax benefits for those who do it voluntarily and in due time.
PREPARING PERSONNEL RESERVE AND BUILDING UP LOGISTICS ARE KEY CHALLENGES THAT NEED TO BE TACKLED PRIOR TO DEOCCUPATION AND REINTEGRATION OF PARTS OF UKRAINE CURRENTLY UNDER RUSSIAN CONTROL
- Regarding the post-war administration. What challenges will Ukraine face in terms of reintegration of territories that have long been under Russian occupation?
- First and foremost, after a territory is liberated from Russian occupation, the government must immediately take responsibility for the restoration of normal life out there. It is important that government officials in situ are prepared to act immediately after the liberation, providing support and administration. Vibrant work has got underway to form a personnel reserve for employment in all branches of the Government -- from school teachers to prosecutors and heads of military administrations. The example of the liberated part of the Kherson region reveals how critical it is to quickly bring together teams to organize the life of the region.
One more important challenge is about work with the local population. We know that Russia influences the emotional state and mood of people through propaganda in the media, imposing on them the views of the terrorist state and its leadership. The extent of the public contamination with propaganda depends on how long this or that community remained under enemy control. The government must be ready to dispatch specially trained people to the region to work with the local population and to build up an effective awareness campaign. At the same time, after liberation, lots of people are left homeless, and it is crucial that the recovery and reconstruction efforts should get underway immediately. It is also critical to set up in place a logistics infrastructure to accommodate the people who will be assigned to the region. Preparing the personnel reserve and setting up logistics are the key challenges that must be tackled today to avoid troubles in the future.
- One of the most urgent issues now is Russia’s forced imposition of its passports on Ukrainians living under its occupation. The Russian Federation exerts severe pressure on our citizens, forcing them to accept Russian citizenship. Many people refuse, but the aggressor uses brutal methods to force them to comply. What should the Ukrainian authorities do under these circumstances? How to act in a situation where a person or the whole family get their Ukrainian identification documents seized or destroyed, and Russian documents are imposed instead?
- The first and most important challenge facing our citizens living under occupation is to ensure their own safety and security, preserve life and health. People must care about their survival, even by temporarily submitting to the invader’s demands. It is important to understand that this does not mean collaboration with the enemy. The first thing to do is not to take part in propaganda events, such as fake referendums, and not to contribute to the efforts by the occupying authorities. Amid occupation, where Ukrainian passports are not recognized and access to medical care and other services is limited or denied altogether, people are often forced to obey in order to survive. Ukraine will provide transparent mechanisms for the restoration of passports and other important documents after the territories are liberated from occupation.
But we are also creating conditions for those who opt to get back to Ukraine-controlled territory. People should know that the Ukrainian government will give them support, provide protection and provide them a possibility to restore their Ukrainian ID documents. Also, it is not worth remaining under occupation because of the fear of going through a humanitarian corridor without carrying a Ukrainian passport.
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- In May, the Verkhovna Rada adopted a bill on collaborationism, which you co-authored, but it has been vetoed by President Zelensky. Why? What shortcomings did the Head of State see in this legislative initiative?
- While finalizing the bill for second reading, we added a provision that allows an employer to terminate an employment contract early if the affected employee fails to comply with the requirement to provide information about connections with individuals living in the Russian Federation or the Ukrainian areas under Russian occupation. We decided that this requirement should be made mandatory for government employers running state-owned enterprises of strategic industries and critical infrastructure companies, and optional for other employers. At the same time, an individual who returned from occupation to Ukrainian controlled territory must notify the employer about the fact of living under occupation for a certain time and provide information about family members living in occupied parts of Ukraine.
The draft legislation provided that this rule can be introduced at the employer’s discretion. The President, however, proposed additional provisions that mandate such measures for critical infrastructure companies. The employer, in the capacity of a government representative, is obliged to check employees, especially at enterprises of extremely high importance for the national economy and security. We see that, from early this year, many of our arms manufacturing enterprises have become objects of increased attention, which is not a co-incidence. After all, among the employees there may be those who could have revealed classified information or contributed to the leakage of critical data.
For now, the draft legislation has been updated to incorporate all of the President’s suggested amendments and voted for in parliament.
A MILITARY SERVICE MEMBER CAN USE A HOTLINE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT COMMANDING OFFICERS
- Certain public figures, using their social network accounts, sometimes share views claiming that problems in our military arise from the complex chain of command. Do you agree, given that you are a regular visitor to the frontline as a volunteer and can get information directly from Soldiers?
- For now, there are many people engaged with the Armed Forces of Ukraine in some way, which creates a complex hierarchy through which information can arrive with a delay. It should be noted, however, that the military leadership and the President keep the situation under control and promptly respond to problems arising.
Commanding officers should not be criticized in public for minor incidents. It is critical -- if there is a wrongdoing or a mistake by a commanding officer -- that the relevant authorities promptly investigate such situations, document them and take appropriate action. But a public discourse on these topics can be exploited by the adversary for manipulation, since it is continuously monitoring our mass media and social networks. Information must be communicated in a civilized manner in order to learn lessons and take appropriate action.
- Your fellow member of parliament, Ruslan Horbenko announced that the Rada is considering options for a draft legislation that would allow military commanders to be brought to justice. Do you consider such an initiative relevant at this time?
- A commander as an official is responsible for the orders and decisions he makes, for his subordinates, for operations conducted by a unit under his command, as well as for the fate of the country and civilian population. If he issues criminal or illegal orders, he should be prosecuted. Legislation regulating such situations will be of specific nature, since military service has its specific features that differ it from civilian jobs.
The proposed legislation is supposed to reduce the risk of abuses in the military while at the same time increasing the level of accountability and discipline. Commanders who know that their actions are being closely scrutinized will be more responsible in the performance of their duties.
In addition to this initiative, my colleagues and I are working drawing up a mechanism for monitoring and responding to such situations.
- Would you tell us more about this initiative?
- We are planning to set up a hotline which soldiers will be able to use to report their problems, particularly where it comes to wrongdoings or illegal actions by officers in command. This will help us better understand certain issues that may require legislative action to resolve.
After receiving proposals regarding the new legislation, our team will meticulously process them. There are situations that cannot be resolved by power of one single committee, especially where it comes to breaches of law or serious wrongdoings. We have access to all the necessary institutions, we will cooperate with them and are confident that this will help establish communication where it is currently lacking. Problems are not always obvious to those who are not immediately present at the scene. It is crucial that information is obtained from at least two different sources in order to prevent manipulation and to be able to objectively assess the situation.
Military service members will find the number of the hotline, in particular, on my page in social networks, as well as on the pages of the public association "IDPs of Ukraine", which takes care of displaced persons and provides assistance to the frontline.
Maryna Shykarenko, Kyiv
Photo via Oleksandr Klymenko, Ukrinform