BASIS OF LEGAL REGULATION OF SOCIAL PROTECTION OF PARTICIPANTS IN COMBAT OPERATIONS

Abstract

The article examines the legal principles of social protection of combatants (hereinafter referred to 
as the UBD) in modern Ukraine, focusing on the consequences of the full-scale aggression of the Russian 
Federation and the legal regime of martial law. The evolution of statuses (from “ATO participant” and 
“JO participant” to the expansion of the list of participants after 2022) and the impact of these changes on 
access to guarantees are considered. The normative basis is the Constitution of Ukraine, special laws on 
the status of veterans and on the social and legal protection of military personnel, including combatants, 
supplemented by by-laws, codes and local programs. The key support instruments are revealed: medical 
care and rehabilitation, housing and land mechanisms, tax benefits, employment guarantees, educational and 
f
inancial programs, and services for the families of defenders. The factors of system changes are outlined – 
digitalization of procedures, unified registers, e-certificates, interdepartmental data exchange – that reduce 
bureaucratic costs and increase targeting. At the same time, systemic flaws are identified: fragmentation 
of secondary legislation, regional disparities, uneven funding, lack of psychosocial rehabilitation, and weak 
implementation control mechanisms.
A brief comparative review of the practices of the USA, Poland, and Israel demonstrates the effectiveness 
of models that combine complexity, stable budgets, and a developed digital infrastructure for supporting 
veterans. On this basis, the codification of a “veteran” array of norms, the deployment of e-services (electronic 
certificate, veteran’s office), unified rehabilitation routes, a target support fund, and public monitoring are 
proposed. It is concluded that the transition from the logic of one-time payments to a long-term partnership 
between the state, a participant in hostilities, and the community will increase the transparency, effectiveness, 
and sustainability of reintegration policies