Participants of the ATO are entitled to benefits. However, they cannot use them. This is evidenced by numerous applications filed by them to the legal affairs receptions of Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union (UHHRU).

The problems begin with attempts to obtain the status of combatants. We still do not have any information whether any special committees of the Ministries and inter-ministerial commissions have been established to provide such a status. There is no information about their contact details or how to apply to them.

In addition, there is a problem with obtainment of certificates from various military units that could confirm participation of a person in the ATO.

It is important to note that no one of the ATO fighters who appealed to the UHHRU has received the status of ATO participants yet.

To find out whether there are any commissions and if so, where they are located, the human rights defenders have prepared and sent a request to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and are awaiting a response.

Also a problem of compensation to a servicemen injured in the area of ATO may arise soon. Usually only those who either lost limbs or were very seriously injured are sent to a medical commission. The fighters with less severe injuries are not sent for examination to such a commission. This deprives them of a possibility to obtain the necessary documents for reimbursement for treatment and rehabilitation.

In general we can say that as a matter of practice the Government hinders implementation of the program of benefits granting to the ATO participants, and assume that this is done because of a trivial desire to save money.