The Ministry of Defense explained why relatives of deceased and missing servicemen may be denied information

Families of deceased, captured, and missing Ukrainian servicemen cannot always obtain documents from military units that contain information about the circumstances of the disappearance or death of their loved ones. The reason may be the presence of restricted information in such documents.

The department noted that combat documents often contain information, the disclosure of which may pose a threat to military units and the conduct of operations.

At the same time, the legislation provides that not the entire document is subject to restriction, but only specific information that has the status of official or state secret.

What information may not be disclosed by military units

According to the Ministry of Defense, documents that may contain restricted information include:

combat logs;

combat orders and instructions;
documents containing the exact coordinates of the place of disappearance of a serviceman;
materials on evacuation measures;
information on the composition, location, and movement of military units.

Access to such data is regulated by the laws of Ukraine “On Information”, “On Access to Public Information” and “On State Secrets”, as well as relevant regulatory acts of the SBU and the Ministry of Defense.

Can relatives obtain information about a serviceman

The Ministry of Defense emphasizes that the presence of secret information in a document does not mean an automatic ban on providing any information from it.

In accordance with Part Eight of Article 6 of the Law of Ukraine “On Access to Public Information”, access to specific information is subject to restriction, and not to the document as a whole.

Thus, a military unit may remove sensitive information from a document and provide the family with information that directly concerns its loved one.

In particular, such data may be issued in the form of an extract, certificate or other written document.

How to correctly contact a military unit

Families of servicemen are recommended to specify their requests as much as possible.

In the request, it is worth indicating what circumstances need to be clarified. For example, information about the circumstances of the disappearance of a serviceman, the conduct of evacuation or documentary confirmation of an injury.

At the same time, the final decision on the possibility and form of providing information is made individually by the military unit, taking into account the content of the documents and the requirements of current legislation.

Therefore, the presence of information with limited access is not always a reason for a complete refusal to provide information to relatives. Military units should take into account the possibility of providing that part of the information, the disclosure of which does not violate the restrictions established by law.