They return from the war as true heroes, but often face indifference and oblivion. There is a whole social group in Ukraine – war veterans, which is getting bigger every year. The state even created the Ministry of Veteran Affairs of Ukraine, trying to draw attention to their needs, but the reality shows that promises regarding their rehabilitation and integration into a peaceful life remain mostly on paper. Words not backed up by concrete actions sound like empty slogans that have nothing to do with harsh reality. Bureaucracy, corruption, lack of resources and indifference become real obstacles to a dignified life for those who defend our country at the risk of their lives, who deserve help and respect.
How the state support programs for war veterans are implemented
The problem of effective assistance to veterans in our country is not new. Veterans of the Second World War and the war in Afghanistan also struggled with insufficient support from the state, and are usually remembered only on public relations holidays. Although after every war the heroism of those who defended the country is glorified in words, in reality these people are forced to struggle independently with their life difficulties, lack of medical care, housing and social protection.
Unfortunately, the number of veterans of past wars is decreasing every year. Their ranks are thinning, leaving behind only memories of heroic deeds and struggle. However, now new veterans have appeared – young modern people, whom society is not even used to calling this word yet, because it causes associations with elderly people. But today’s veterans are young men and women who have already seen combat and come home needing the support and understanding that their predecessors never fully received.
For data research of the educational and analytical department of the Ukrainian Veteran Fund of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs in partnership with the social group “Rating”, the average veteran of the Russian-Ukrainian war is, for the most part, a man of 30-40 years of working age who can work in any field of employment . It is worth noting that the number of women in the ranks of the Armed Forces is increasing. As of 2024, there are 47,200 female military personnel.
“Today there are 1,300,000 veterans and their families. Approximately 80% of all are mobilized people. These are also young people, with education, without education, middle-aged people”, – said the Deputy Minister of Veteran Affairs of Ukraine Ruslan Prykhodko.
After the end of the war, the number of veterans is expected to increase to 5-6 million people. It is obvious that war veterans can be safely singled out as a separate social group. Before mobilization, 70% of veterans were employed. This means that more than half of them will need employment after returning from the front. Only 10-15% of veterans intend to retire after being discharged from war.
With the increase in the number of veterans, the burden on the state bodies, which must take care of the full integration and rehabilitation of veterans in the civilian life of society, increases accordingly. The government has allocated UAH 13,554 billion to finance the state veteran policy. Each time, representatives of the authorities report on the funds allocated for the purchase of housing for veterans, on medical assistance and the creation of jobs. However, do all these measures really have to be implemented, or are they just accumulating as visionary plans? Do the real needs of veterans correspond to what the state offers them?
For data in an online survey of the Ukrainian Veterans Fund, respondents from among demobilized veterans indicated the following needs:
- sanatorium-resort treatment – 69.05%;
- financial support – 56.16%;
- improvement of health status – 52.44%;
- purchase of housing – 29.23%;
- improvement of living conditions – 26.65%;
- educational attainment – 26.07%;
- employment – 24.07%;
- psychological support – 22.64%;
- prosthetics – 8.02%.
To the question “Which of the received services are you most dissatisfied with?” the answers of the respondents were arranged as follows:
- medical care – 36.68%
- obtaining a land plot – 30.95%;
- amount and receipt of monetary assistance – 28.08%;
- communal subsidies – 20.63%;
- psychological rehabilitation – 20.63%;
- pensions – 17.77%.
Respondents also pointed to the fact that they were faced with a refusal of financial support (15.47%). 19.48% did not receive medical care at all, and 6.88% did not have psychological support. Many veterans do not have access to services due to banal ignorance of what the state is ready to offer them and how to register for these benefits and services.
Empty promises and real problems
The state promises a lot: medical rehabilitation, psychological support, employment and housing. But, unfortunately, many veterans face realities that are far different from the promises.
It has already been 10 years since the war, and the state is still at the stage of discussions and disputes regarding the introduction of rehabilitation programs and assistance to veterans. For example, the “Veteran+” mobile application project, which aims to provide services to veterans, wanders around officials’ offices, waiting for approval from all authorities.
Medical institutions specializing in rehabilitation are overburdened and often lack the necessary equipment or specialists. Psychological support, which is critical for those who have survived the horrors of war, is often unavailable or provided in a formal way without a real understanding of veterans’ needs.
There is a separate issue of employment. To date, the unemployment rate among Ukrainian veterans has increased to 30.95%. Many veterans face prejudice from employers who are wary of hiring people with combat experience because of possible psychological problems. Instead of supporting its heroes and using their skills for the good of society, the state often stands aside, offering no real employment opportunities. And if the veteran is also disabled, he has no chance of employment at all. After all, inclusion is only a matter of words, and all around is a hostile infrastructure with unsuitable transport, lack of ramps and unwillingness of employers to provide work and equip workplaces properly.
Among the obstacles to employment, veterans name:
- problems with physical health – 63.61%;
- prejudiced attitude on the part of society – 63.32%;
- psychological difficulties – 50.57%.
Corruption and red tape are probably a red line through every step a veteran has to take to get the benefits promised by the state. Often, those who are able to take advantage of these programs are faced with opaque procedures, the need to provide numerous references, as well as demands to pay bribes in order to receive the promised assistance. As a result, those who need help the most are left behind, while officials continue to warm their hands on the funds intended to support the heroes.
The housing problem is one of the most acute for veterans. The government regularly reports on the allocation of funds for the construction or purchase of housing for veterans, but in reality the situation looks completely different. Queues for housing stretch for years, and sometimes even decades. Veterans are forced to live in unsuitable conditions, often in temporary housing or with relatives, without the possibility of obtaining housing promised by the state.
The psychological state of veterans is another topic that the state seems to take control of, but in fact does not pay enough attention to. Injuries received in war are not only physical wounds, but also psychological ones. PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) threatens the normal lives of many veterans, but the number of psychologists who can really help is critically low. Sometimes the provided specialists are simply not able to provide the expected help due to lack of experience in similar situations. Some veterans noted that they would like to receive psychological help from a specialist who himself was at the front and knows about its horrors firsthand. Most veterans are left alone with their problems, which often leads to tragic consequences.
“As a state, we still do not understand what exactly we are doing, what is our goal in relation to these people, whom we recognize as veterans, why these people in particular,” – explains the situation the co-founder of the Veteran public organization Hub Ivona Kostina.
Points of view in society
The veterans themselves and their families actively discuss all possible steps to rehabilitation in social networks. And these comments are more like the cry of the soul than a request or statement about one’s needs. And how did it happen that people who lost their health not because of some tricks of fate, but at the call of the state, defending its borders, now have to wage an invisible war with officials and their bureaucratic inventions?
Olena Zhulavska, Facebook user:
“How to get free rehabilitation after two wars? From the year 15 of the ATO and from the beginning of the year 22 at zero – a disabled person of the II group, a veteran. How to get free decent rehabilitation in 9 years? To go to war for the third time?”.
Maria Checha, veteran of the Armed Forces, Facebook user:
“I walked on crutches for three years, which were donated by volunteers. She did not receive anything from the state. Seven hells of the circle have passed…”.
Mykhailo Mykolayovych, veteran of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Facebook user:
“It is impossible to confirm that he was injured as a result of hostilities. Total bureaucracy!”.
Liudovica Navara, Facebook user:
“Damn … how to mobilize, then “once”, .. how later, who else can be told, luckily, what is not in the grave, then rehabilitation … is walking through the “circles of hell” .. and with a lawyer in addition ….”.
Natalia Arestova, Facebook user:
“There is a big (systemic, one might say) problem with obtaining incontinence products (catheters, uridomes, ureters), which, according to the IPR and the decree of the CMU, must be issued by a family doctor. Units of wounded soldiers from the Ukrainian Armed Forces can take advantage of this opportunity in Ukraine and are forced to spend huge amounts of money every month for these needs (more than UAH 5,000)”
Valery Ratsyuk, Facebook user:
“All this should be fixed in by-laws and, if the official does not comply – prison. The proposed basis of corruption”.
Glory to Ukraine Bandera, Facebook user:
“That’s cool, the problem is that we try to introduce a veteran into society, instead of rehabilitating him and adjusting to him.”
Ankylos Dentsply Syrona Implants, Facebook user:
“There is a lot of information about how powerfully the organization is engaged in the reintegration of veterans, and forums and congresses and grants and tenders, but there is not a single word about what you offer the veteran and how he can get access to it. Because one gets the impression that all this was created for the development and dispersal of the funds of the grantors and nothing more. Where is the button “Veterans click here!” ???”.
The policy of rehabilitation and integration of veterans in the EU and the USA
In the countries of the European Union (EU), the rehabilitation and integration of military veterans into civilian life is an important priority. Each country has its own approaches to dealing with these issues, but they all aim to help veterans return to a normal life after serving in the military. In the EU, comprehensive methods are used, which include medical care, psychological support, professional training and social integration.
Many EU countries pay special attention to the medical and psychological rehabilitation of veterans. For example, the UK has a system of rehabilitation centers specializing in the treatment of both physical and psychological trauma, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Veterans can receive medical care in public medical institutions or specialized clinics, where specialists in the treatment of combat injuries work.
In Germany, a network of specialized rehabilitation centers for veterans has been created, where they can receive a full range of medical and psychological services. In addition, the German health care system provides veterans with free access to the services of psychotherapists and psychologists specializing in combat trauma.
European countries are actively developing programs aimed at the professional rehabilitation of veterans. In Italy, for example, there are training and retraining programs that help veterans acquire new professional skills or improve their qualifications to re-enter the labor market. Many courses and trainings are funded by the state or international organizations such as the European Social Fund.
France also has a developed system of employment support for veterans. Veterans have access to specialized employment services to help them find work or find a new career. Some French businesses and companies have quotas for the employment of veterans, which makes it easier to integrate them into civilian life.
Housing support is an important aspect of the integration of veterans in many EU countries. For example, Spain has social housing programs for veterans that help them find affordable housing after returning from the military. The government also provides subsidies for renting housing or buying your own home.
In Sweden, veterans have access to public housing programs that provide both temporary and permanent housing. In addition, special centers and rehabilitation residential complexes have been created for veterans who require special living conditions due to physical or psychological injuries.
EU countries also pay attention to the support of families of veterans and their social integration. In the Netherlands, there are programs that support not only veterans, but also their families, providing them with access to medical, psychological and social services. Families of veterans have the opportunity to attend special trainings and seminars that help them understand the specifics of psychological problems that their loved ones may face after returning from the war.
Belgium has social programs that include a variety of cultural and sports activities aimed at integrating veterans into society. Veterans and their families are involved in an active community life through volunteering, participation in local communities and various interest clubs.
The United States of America has a long history of supporting its war veterans. After every military conflict, the US government is faced with the challenge of rehabilitating and integrating thousands of military personnel into civilian life. This experience became a kind of laboratory for the development of comprehensive programs of assistance to veterans, which can serve as an example for other countries.
One of the most important aspects of supporting veterans in the United States is the provision of quality medical care. After World War II, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) network of hospitals was established, which today is one of the largest medical systems in the United States. This network specializes in the treatment of physical and psychological injuries sustained in combat, including PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), depression and other combat-related disorders.
Considerable attention is paid not only to physical, but also to psychological rehabilitation. PTSD is a common problem among veterans, and the United States is actively developing support programs that include individual and group therapy, specialized treatment programs, and support for veteran families.
One of the most difficult challenges for veterans is re-entering the labor market. To ease this transition, the US government has implemented several job training and employment programs. One such program is the GI Bill, which was started after World War II. This program provides veterans with the opportunity to receive an education or vocational training at the expense of the state. Thanks to the GI Bill, thousands of veterans were able to get a higher education or retrain for a new profession.
In addition, there are numerous internship and employment programs for veterans to help them integrate into the labor market and find jobs that match their skills and needs. Some private companies also actively support veterans by providing them with hiring preferences and creating specialized programs for adapting to civilian life.
The US government also offers housing support programs for veterans. The VA Home Loan Program allows veterans to obtain a home loan with low interest or no down payment. This program is designed to help veterans secure stable housing after returning from war. There are also programs for homeless veterans that provide temporary housing and employment assistance, as well as other services for those in need.
But following the experience of others, it should not be forgotten that problems such as oversaturation of the health care system, inefficient management schemes and corruption, as well as the mental health problems of veterans, which lead to dire consequences, are the shortcomings of the policies of rehabilitation and integration of veterans , which must be fought, not taken over and left as heavy accumulations.
Spending billions on war is a forced necessity. It is quite clear that now a large part of the country’s budget is spent on it, and there is no way to provide 1,300,000 veterans with all the benefits that have already been promised by the state. However, when it comes to the maintenance of people’s deputies, the sky-high salaries and pensions of top officials and judges, the money always appears. These double standards demonstrate that the priorities are not at all in favor of those who risked their lives for the sake of the country. In addition, veterans are forced to struggle not only with the consequences of war, but also with a cold, heartless bureaucracy that kills any hope for justice and a decent life. The lack of respect and basic human attitude towards them is not about money, it is about elementary humanity, which is clearly lacking in the authorities. And if this indifference continues, it will inevitably lead to a social explosion that can hit the whole country harder than any crisis or economic deficit.
