Returning from war does not mean the end of the struggle. For many Ukrainian soldiers, after the front, a new, no less exhausting stage in peaceful life begins, which often turns out to be deaf to their presence. Instead of respect, they often face indifference, contempt or outright aggression from a separate part of society. And at the same time – complex bureaucratic labyrinths when trying to register a disability, receive treatment, undergo rehabilitation or at least find out what they are entitled to according to the law. All this creates a closed circle, where instead of support, our defenders receive distrust and resistance where there should be protection and respect.
Heroes in line: how the state turns veterans into beggars
Only in 2024 to the Office of the Ombudsman turned to more than 123 thousand people, and almost a quarter of them asked for help in matters related to security and defense. Most often, families of prisoners of war and missing persons applied, which accounted for more than 27% of all applications. Many appeals were received from the military and veterans themselves. They were most concerned about status issues, payments and access to medical care. But the fact that especially many complaints (445 appeals) concerned the delay in the process of granting the status of a participant in hostilities, war disabled or a family member of the deceased is most disturbing. In most cases, it was about bureaucratic red tape and errors in documents. Although at the beginning of 2025 the state introduced the automatic assignment of UBD status through the veterans registry, the system is still not working flawlessly, and this is clearly visible in the number of people who are forced to get their way through complaints.
The war dragged on, and this is shaping a new reality today. The number of veterans is growing rapidly, and with it, the need for a systematic approach to their reintegration. Despite the common military biography, the veteran community is not homogeneous. Someone returns from the front with lost health, someone with deep psychological trauma, others try to find a way to return to a peaceful profession or start from scratch. Without taking this complexity into account, no government program will work effectively.
But the statistics leave no illusions. Only in ten months of 2022, more than 45 thousand Ukrainians received a disability, which is three times more than a year earlier. Given the large-scale demining of territories and the constant danger to civilians, this figure will continue to grow for a long time. Meanwhile, actual data on the number of veterans, people with war-related disabilities or civilian casualties remains fragmented.
The state explains this as wartime restrictions. But it seems more and more that this process simply remains uncontrolled. Before the start of the full-scale invasion, there were already more than 850,000 people in Ukraine who were subject to the Law “On the Status of War Veterans”. More than 20,000 of them were people with war-related disabilities. After February 24, 2022, thousands of military personnel joined this list. Among the most common injuries, doctors note damage to the musculoskeletal system and the brain. This means complex and long rehabilitation, and often a complete loss of professional capacity.
Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets turned attention to a serious gap in the system: people who were injured in the temporarily occupied territories are often denied disability status. And this is not just a technical problem, but a real limitation of the rights of those who find themselves in the epicenter of hostilities against their will. Although the law clearly guarantees that from February 24, 2022, the place of receiving an injury does not matter, practice shows quite the opposite. The problem arose because Cabinet Resolution No. 306. It does not recognize disability if a civilian was injured on the territory of a settlement within the limits of occupation and suffered from explosive objects. This approach not only deprives people of access to social protection, but also actually contradicts the Constitution.
The Human Rights Commissioner even suggested changing the regulatory framework to avoid legal discrimination. After discussions with deputies, ministries, and international representatives, the Ministry of Veterans Affairs developed a draft resolution that would allow establishing disability after de-occupation. But, as the Ombudsman emphasized, this is not enough. People’s rights must be protected here and now, no matter where they are affected. Such analysis of the problem by the representatives of the authorities looks somewhat cynical, because the state itself created these bureaucratic difficulties, and now, as if, it takes an active part in their elimination.
Personnel shortage versus unused potential: paradox of the Ukrainian labor market
And this is not the only test that veterans face after returning from the front. Ministry of Veterans Affairs predicts increasing to 4-5 million veterans and their family members after the end of hostilities. Many of them will not be able to return to their previous professions. But this should not mean that such a person can be “written off” like an old car for scrap metal. With the right approach, veterans, even those with disabilities, can become a key resource in rebuilding the country. And here we run into one of the pitfalls – the readiness of the labor market.
In practice, veterans often face prejudice: more than 30% of participants in the survey of the Ukrainian Veterans’ Fund indicated difficulties with employment after service, in particular due to disability. And another quarter of respondents noted that they faced similar problems at least partially. Employers admit that for most of them this is a new experience, because more than 65% have never worked with veterans. And although there is a readiness for dialogue, fears often dominate: an unstable psycho-emotional state, difficulties with discipline, the need to adapt workplaces.
However, it is employment that gives a veteran not only income, but also a sense of belonging, usefulness, and control over his own life. Ignoring this reality will be one of the causes of social tension, which can turn into a crisis. The state cannot fail to recognize the fact that Ukrainian society is rapidly changing. The number of people with military experience and war-related injuries is constantly increasing. And these transformations cannot be ignored. Professional adaptation of veterans with disabilities has long ceased to be a matter of support. This should become the basis of a new social stability, which the country should build today.
Ignoring the issue of employment of veterans with disabilities can also become a strategic threat to the economy of Ukraine. Against the background of the war, which has already undermined the financial stability of the country, the underestimation of the potential of these people only strengthens negative trends: a drop in tax revenues, an increase in the budget deficit, an increase in social costs and an imbalance in the labor market.
It should also be noted that when a disabled veteran remains out of the labor market, the state is forced to spend more without receiving anything in return. It should not be forgotten that the labor market is suffering from a shortage of workers at the same time. Against the backdrop of a shortage of qualified personnel, the number of unemployed, including among people with disabilities, is increasing. Of the 2.1 million people with disabilities of working age, only 40% work. As you can see, the country has a huge reserve that remains unrealized. To turn a challenge into a resource, not only the approach of the state is needed, but also a change in the position of business. Rapid retraining programs tailored to the capabilities and needs of veterans can close workforce gaps, reduce social burdens, and spur economic recovery. Probably, it is necessary to look at the issue from a different angle and understand that every disabled veteran who gets a job will be an investment for the state. And this is a question not only of justice, but also of the survival of the state in the new reality.
Ingratitude syndrome and its terrible consequences
In Ukraine, after returning from the front, veterans with disabilities often face a difficult period of adaptation to peaceful life. When there is no opportunity to realize oneself professionally, it not only affects the well-being of the veteran himself, but also affects his relationships with those closest to him. At the same time, the other side of the problem lies in society’s relation to them. Veterans with disabilities are often perceived through the prism of post-traumatic syndrome, as persons with a “broken psyche” or dependents. It forms a barrier between those who have been through war and those who have not. Such stigmatization leads to discrimination, mistrust and even deeper isolation of veterans. According to surveys, almost half of veterans have experienced prejudice and aggressive behavior from those they protect. Especially those who had a disability or did not work for a long time.
A vivid example that demonstrates the collision of two realities: the one that returned from the front, and the one that, it seems, did not even leave the comfort zone, became case, which took place in the Lviv branch of Oschadbank. Roman Yavorskyi, a veteran of the 103rd Defense Brigade, came to the bank to issue a disability card and instead encountered manifestations of aggression from a couple from Lviv who refused to give up their place in the queue. By the way, according to the law, he had every right not to stand in line. According to the woman, the veteran is not “disabled” enough because “his arms and legs are in place.” Together with her husband, she cursed, shouted that “muscovites should kill him” and finally spat in his direction. Unfortunately, such cases are not isolated. At the same time, the contemptuous and aggressive attitude towards our military is taking place against the background of the ongoing full-scale war. People do not understand that the manifestations of disability are not necessarily related to lost limbs. It can be a stroke, trauma, injuries that are not visible, but which deprive a person of a normal life. And most importantly, it should not be perceived as a right to pity.
In the same Lviv last year, a scandal erupted over a ramp that was installed in front of the entrance of one of the high-rise buildings. Residents were outraged not by a night club, not by a bazaar under the windows, but by a ramp for a soldier who lost both legs. Serhii Vlasov, a soldier who fought for this country and left both limbs at the front, appealed to the local administration to provide access to his own home. However, complaints from the neighbors flew in response, someone wanted to cut the ramp because it was “unsightly”.
After the story about this situation aired, public anger was not long in coming. One of the “active” neighbors, who was loudly indignant, eventually recorded it video with apologies It was presented by Andriy Zholob, head of the Lviv Center for Providing Services to Combatants. The camera is on, the words of forgiveness are said. Maybe he was sincere, or maybe he was just afraid of the public reaction.
The capital was also “distinguished” by its aggressive behavior towards veterans. Thus, in the Holosiivskyi district of Kyiv, two “daredevils”, in order not to return the money for the repair of a mutilated car, beat up serviceman, forcing them to refuse their debt. The police detained the perpetrators under Art. 208 of the CPC of Ukraine. The investigators informed them about the suspicion for h. 2 Art. 355 of the Criminal Code – coercion to non-fulfilment of civil obligations with the use of violence committed by a group of persons. For what they have committed, they face up to five years in prison.
In Chernihiv Oblast, it became known about the brutality beating a serviceman who was on leave for treatment after being wounded. A man went out to take out the garbage in the evening, where he was attacked by a group of eight minors. According to the wife’s testimony, the serviceman has serious injuries (shrapnel wounds to the buttocks, hips and feet, hemorrhagic shock of the second degree, fractures of the femur and shoulder bones, temporary impairment of the functions of the upper and lower limbs, nerve damage, severe anemia). It is clear that with such damage, a person could not attack, and could not even defend himself. A similar incident involving young people also took place in Kyiv in April this year. That time criminals provoked a conflict, attacked a military man and brutally beat him.
How did it happen that a society that lives in war increasingly looks back at its defenders not with gratitude, but with suspicion, irritation, or even open aggression? It is as if the veteran has blamed the Ukrainians for something and is perceived as “one who asks for something extra”.
The paradox is that while the front is still burning, the rear gradually devalues those who cover this rear. Instead of respect, a person in uniform hears aggressive phrases like “Why no queue?”, “Why does he have a ramp?”, “He has legs, what is he doing?”. Veterans returning from war with disabilities, with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), with trembling hands and silence in their eyes, face obstacles rather than support. And not only in the bureaucracy, but in the heads of fellow citizens. They turned “benefits” into a trigger. Any mention of the legal right of the military, and a part of society instantly goes into hysterics, as if it has completely lost conscience and empathy. Because gratitude should not be shown once a year with a post on social networks. These are everyday household things: give way in the queue, help if there is a need for it. But even this for some reason turned out to be too difficult for modern society, which is allegedly headed for Europe and continues to behave like some kind of savages.
It is interesting that the state observes such behavior, keeping passive urination. Veterans still do not receive full systemic rehabilitation. Support programs are provided in a fragmented manner, in some cases only on the initiative of volunteers. Our defenders are left alone with injuries, diagnoses, broken careers and alienation. We are used to blaming all troubles on the war, they say it changes people. But the real question is who she changed more: those who passed the front, or those who during this time never learned to look their defenders in the eyes with respect and gratitude. A society that allows itself to despise those who protect it, not only loses its human face, but is no different from the enemy from which these people defend it.
