The world is working on the needs of Ukrainian veterans who will return home after Victory. Experts from 17 different countries met in London. Among them is the team of the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine.
The organizers are holding the conference “Out Of War: Global Insights on Reintegration to Support Strategies for Ukraine’s Front-Line Returnees” to:
✅ listen to the problems and needs of Ukrainian veterans
✅ develop a basis for the veteran policy of Ukraine: recommendations that will take into account the unique Ukrainian experience
The UVF team arrived well-prepared. All that you have seen in our social networks, we use for such meetings with world experts. All-Ukrainian surveys, information, and analytical research, online surveys of veterans, and communication with veteran focus groups.
The conference officially has started. The Ukrainian delegation spoke about the needs of veterans and the efforts made by the government and public society to support the veteran community of Ukraine.
The round table was attended by:
🔷 Yuliia Kirillova, head of the department of educational and analytical work of the UVF
🔷 Kostyantyn Tatarkin, veteran, representative of IREX in Ukraine
🔷 Ganna Demydenko, representative of the Ukrainian Women Veteran Movement
🔷 the meeting was moderated by Oxford University lecturer Marnie Howlett.
Yuliia Kirillova presented the scientific basis of the Foundation’s work – analytical research. She also told how the Foundation is helping veterans now – through the Crisis Support Hotline and business financing programs for veterans and their families.
To work responsibly and do everything possible and even more. Because we, the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation, are empowering the strongest.
We are moving and working within our strategy. Nearby is the Supervisory Board. These are the people who strengthen and guide the UVF team.
All events are now more dynamic than ever. So we also have changes that we quickly share with you.
The Supervisory Board of the Foundation was replenished with a new specialist. Instead of Maksym Kushnir, Nadiya Adamenko joined. Nadiya is the Deputy Head of the Department for the Development of Information Systems and Veteran Electronic Services of the Department of Digital Development, Digital Transformations and Digitalization of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine.
Side by side, we continue our work, because changes in the country begin with each of us.
🔹How to get the status of a participant in hostilities?
🔹What documents you need to prepare to obtain the status of a person with a disability due to the war?
🔹Who should family members of a fallen (deceased) veteran or defender contact to obtain the appropriate status?
Lawyers of the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation of the Ministry of Veterans will answer all these questions. Leave an application on the website and receive a comprehensive answer and legal support for your situation: https://veteranfund.com.ua/legal_consultations/
You can get a free legal consultation free of charge and on working days from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. You will be contacted via the email or phone number you left on the form.
In Ukraine, the first mobile application was presented, which helps veterans and military personnel receive free sports rehabilitation.
TRENVET offers veterans and active military personnel fast online access to free sports rehabilitation services in all regions of Ukraine: find a coach, rehabilitation specialist and massage therapist by specialization or location, using filters and geolocation. And sports rehabilitation specialists should offer their services to veterans.
The TRENVET project was created by the NGO “Victory of the Invincible” and the NGO “Strongman Federation of Ukraine” with the support of the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation. Public organizations have been engaged in sports rehabilitation of veterans and military personnel since 2015.
“Such projects as TRENVET allow veterans to feel much better and to understand that they are cared for and respected. And all this – at the expense of state budget funds. Yes, the state provides an opportunity for veteran initiatives to determine where they should go, what they need and how to implement it. These are projects in which veterans work for veterans,” says Ruslana Velychko, Acting Executive Director of the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine.
The creators of the application emphasize: we work either at the front or for the front. And supporting veterans and involving them in sports is really important.
“Every veteran deserves the best support after returning from a combat zone. Our TRENVET app aims to facilitate the integration of veterans into civilian life through sports and sports rehabilitation. TRENVET is a story about bringing in, as automatically as possible, more trainers who feel that they can use their skills to help veterans return from war. Another target audience is veterans who, with the help of the application, can determine where the nearest specialist is located who can provide volunteer sports rehabilitation assistance, who will support him and encourage him to train regularly,” says Serhiy Konyushok, co-founder of TRENVET.
“It’s much easier to come to a gym where you have your own environment, a veteran community or coaches who are waiting for you to train, who invite you to train. We hope that the veteran will want to do physical culture and sports. We strive to attract as many veterans as possible to physical culture and sports, to a healthy lifestyle, because we believe that this industry is perhaps the best tool for veteran socialization in civilian life,” says Vasyl Virastyuk, co-founder of TRENVET.
At the presentation of the application for veterans, they did not speak without veterans. Sergeant of the 95th Separate Airborne Assault Brigade Oleksandr Shvachka was seriously wounded and lost part of his leg in the battles with the Russians in the spring of 2022 in the Kyiv region.
“I underwent long-term treatment and surgery, gradually engaged in sports, looked for ways to rehabilitate myself… Sports is one of the important levers that helps a veteran socialize and switch thoughts away from absolutely all problems, from the war, communicate more with his environment, restore his moral psychological state… I urge all veterans to join sports, because thanks to sports you become stronger not only from the outside, but also from the inside,” says the veteran, who is also a co-founder of the TRENVET app.
440 veteran businesses received financial support from the Ukrainian Veteran Foundation of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine.
In the summer of 2022, we launched the “20 thousand” microfinancing program. Applications for the first #Varto competition were opened in September 2022.
We are happy that in less than two years of operation, the Foundation managed to support veteran businesses in the amount of UAH 121.9 million as of today.
And this sum is growing every day. Almost every region of Ukraine has veteran enterprises that are growing thanks to the victory in #Varto contests and the “20 thousand” program from the UVF.
Most of them are situated in:
Kyiv and Kyiv region – 121
Lvivska – 48
Vinnytsia – 33
These are large farms and small coffee shops, agricultural drones and veteran publishing houses, eventually toy workshops, rehabilitation centers, industrial UAV production. All these businesses became the winners of our competition programs.
The Crisis Support Hotline of the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation received an award from MTEC.Rebuild as “The best program of psychological rehabilitation for military and civilians.”
We are proud of our psychologists – each and every one of them. We are grateful for the fact that you are in touch 24/7 with those who need support, and help those who so desperately need to get back on their feet here and now, endure pain or loss. We are grateful to chief psychologist, veteran Oleksandr Chamorsov for the united team of hotline specialists.
We also thank the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine and IREX in Ukraine for their support.
The Hotline 0 800 33 20 29 project became possible thanks to the Ukraine Rapid Response Fund program, implemented by IREX in Ukraine with the support of the US State
About the award:
Department.MTEC.Rebuild took place within the framework of the annual exhibition and conference of medical tourism MTEC.Kyiv — the largest and the most effective specialized event in Ukraine in the field of medical tourism.
This powerful platform for the development of medical and health tourism brings together industry specialists to share experiences and improve business efficiency.
With this competition, we supported veteran businesses related to vocational professions. The winners will receive from 500 thousand to 3 million hryvnias.
⠀ This is the third competitive program for 2023, with which the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs Affairs financially supports the businesses of veterans and families of fallen defenders.
⠀ 64 businesses have already received support. They received an opportunity to purchase new equipment, open new workplaces, and introduce themselves to customers. And the new winners will soon join them.
On September 29, in the city of Kamianske of the Dnipropetrovsk region, the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation and the Ministry of Veterans Affairs met with veterans, NGOs, and local authorities of the Dnipropetrovsk region to discuss ways of implementing veteran policy on the ground.
The event was opened by Yulia Laputina, Minister of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine. She said that Dnipropetrovsk Region was one of the first to open a structural unit for veterans’ affairs. Now the region is one of four where the pilot project — the Veteran’s Assistant Institute is being implemented.
“The Veteran’s Assistant Institute should become a basic infrastructural body that communicates with all institutions that will be useful for veterans: ministries, regional administrations, etc. At the community level, there should be a service office in which veteran’s assistants will work. These will not be office workers. These will be people with a tablet or phone that contains the contacts of veterans and those who provide them with services. Veterans can call the assistant at any time. If, for example, a veteran needs psychological support, his assistant takes a doctor or psychologist with him and goes to see him.”
Yulia Laputina emphasized that veteran policy is a change in approaches. If we do not do this, society will feel serious tension.
“We have to provide every opportunity to support the veteran. It is important that they integrate into society, become partners of the community, move into the future, and develop their own business by example. The Ukrainian Veterans Foundatiob is now helping with this. The winners of the competition programs are fantastic people.”
Karina Doroshenko, Deputy Executive Director of the UVF, congratulated the participants of the regional veterans forum:
“Today we live in a new reality where each of us is responsible for the future of veterans. The Ukrainian Veterans Foundation works to ensure that veterans get the opportunity to develop their projects, legal and psychological support, crisis support groups for veterans and their families, and educational courses. We listen to their requests, conduct analytical research, our team includes veterans and their family members, so we have a clear understanding of the challenges and offer solutions. Therefore, today’s forum is an opportunity to share experiences, to cooperate for the sake of veterans for a common future”.
Representatives of the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation also held dialogue platforms:
🔹 Together with veterans and representatives of self-government bodies, they discussed possible changes to the draft law on veteran business
🔹 held a workshop on how to fill out applications for competitive programs of the UVF
🔹 provided legal advice on participation in competitive programs of the Foundation
Veterans will return to their communities. It is important to provide them with the necessary support on the ground.
This is the first event in a series of regional veterans forums, the holding of which was announced by the Minister of Veterans Affairs, Yulia Laputina, during the Kyiv VI International Veterans Forum “Ukraine. Defenders. Future.”
The event in Kamianske was organized by the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Military Administration with the support of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs and the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation.
Education and employment of veterans is one of the conditions for their successful return. And we are actively working to prepare the basis for such reintegration projects right now. So, the other day, the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs concluded a Memorandum of Cooperation with NPC “Ukrenergo”. The priority is training and work opportunities for veterans in the field of energy.
“In the team of Ukrenergo, 250 employees are currently serving in the Defense Forces. 26 of them have already returned to work. Therefore, the development of a program for the reintegration of veterans is already in demand. We aim for an outcome that will support veterans in their return to civilian life. The best way to do this is to provide employment,”emphasizes Lyudmila Yeropkina, HR Director at NEC Ukrenergo.
On the agenda of the NEC “Ukrenergo” team is the ratio of current vacancies in the field of energy and professions that are taught in Ukrenergo divisions. We were lucky enough to attend one of them and learn more about the training model for specialists in the energy sector.
– The course provides 9 months of professional training and allows veterans to acquire a new profession with the prospect of professional growth.
– A person undergoes paid internship and industrial practice under the guidance of a professional employee.
– During the study of power engineering, all possible scenarios are worked out in a training format: from mastering substation simulators to work under the voltage of 330,000 volts.
“There are key professions at the energy company – these are electricians and drivers. This is 80% of the company’s work specialties. They are also builders, turners, millers. Workers who perform these jobs regularly pass a medical examination, because the safety and health of workers is of the highest value. Currently, it is difficult for companies to offer options for people with disabilities, because there are a number of restrictions on the part of the state and in specific specialties. But outdated rules, which can be changed, must be changed,” the company sums up.
The training program is already in effect. The team foresees the need to include in the course for veterans the topic of psychological support, the development of social and communicative skills. It is also about training teachers on how to work with veterans.
“We are glad that we found a common understanding of the challenges with the company “Ukrenergo”. In particular, our state is the largest employer, and labor specialties are those that are in high demand and can be acquired relatively quickly. We have seen one of the progressive educational complexes of the National Energy and Mineral Resources Company “Ukrenergo” and are sure that we will succeed in everything with joint efforts,” says Nataliia Kalmykova, Executive Director of the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation.
A veteran, returning from the front, reevaluates his life. NEC “Ukrenergo” is one of such value-based companies that is already working on the issue of the comfortable reintegration of veterans and the support of their families in the field of energy.
We are ready to strengthen this initiative because together we are empowering the strongest!
The team of the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation of the Ministry of Veteran Affairs together with Ukrainian veterans created recommendations for journalists “How to write about veterans”. These developments will help journalists to write, speak, and show veterans in a way that does not harm them.
The presentation of the recommendations took place on September 27 in the premises of the information partners of the UVF, Starlight Media. It was held in the training format for more than 30 journalists, guest editors, and reporters.
At the event, veterans who took part in the creation of materials played the main role: Maksym Kolesnikov – serviceman of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, employee of the Ministry of Defense Office for Support of Changes, Yuliia Kirillova – veteran, co-founder of the Women’s Veterans Movement, Andriy Bodnarchuk – veteran, commander of a volunteer formation, director of Trauma Medical Solutions. They answered all the journalists’ questions and shared their own and very different experience of communication with the media.
Growing prejudice and stereotypes against veterans in the face of a full-scale invasion is a challenge that needs to be addressed now.
Nataliya Kalmykova, Executive Director of the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs, who was present at the event, noted:
“The responsibility of the media regarding how people will perceive veterans is huge. Each message is not just words, but something that will later turn into actions of other people. First of all, we should see veterans as human beings, not stigmas, patterns, and stereotypes. And this is our joint responsibility: to emphasize humanity, gratitude, demonstrating that a veteran is an integral part of society. The part with a “plus” sign”.
Veteran Andriy Bodnarchuk said:
“We must remember that sooner or later we will all find ourselves in the place of a veteran. The war will affect all of us – this is worth realizing. And the image of a veteran that we will form will apply to most of us.”
Veteran Maksym Kolesnikov emphasized:
“I would like to address the journalists. Your weapon is significant and essential, and your contribution to victory is great. And if you make it clear to society the image of a veteran that after returning from the army, the military will meet respect and be able to realize themselves in civilian life – this will remove the anxiety and fear of veterans about returning to civilian life. It is you who can create a sense of belief that there is life after war. And for those who are afraid of mobilization and hesitate whether to join the ranks of the Defense Forces – you will help make this choice easier”.
Veteran Yulia Kirillova explained:
“According to the Constitution of Ukraine, the protection of territorial integrity and sovereignty is the duty of all citizens of Ukraine. Regardless of gender. So why should a woman in the army be some kind of “miracle”? I remember my path in the Armed Forces in 2014 – and I still understand those cliché questions of journalists during interviews, at that time, nine years ago. But why can i hear them even sound now?”
The next national survey “Image of veterans in Ukrainian society”, conducted by the sociological group “Rating” at the initiative of the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation, showed a tendency towards worsening expectations in society regarding the future of veterans of the Russian-Ukrainian war and assessments of the state’s fulfillment of its obligations to the military.
Although today 79% generally believe that there is respect for veterans in society, on the other hand, compared to the last survey, the share of those who have the opposite opinion has increased from 6% to 18%. There is also a noticeable decrease in absolute estimates: in July 2022, 55% of respondents spoke about the undeniable respect of society for veterans, while in September 2023, only 25% said so.
Growing prejudice and stereotypes against veterans in the face of a full-scale invasion is a challenge that needs to be addressed now.
After 2014, in the media, a soldier who returned from the war was demonized to the level of “atoshnik = danger to civilians”, “benefits user”, “PTSD sufferer”, “we didn’t send you there”. These generalizations ruined the lives of a huge number of veterans. Because of such prejudices, it was difficult for them to adapt in civilian life, it was difficult to find a job, it was difficult to integrate into society in general, where you are looked at with fear.
After February 24, the number of veterans increased dramatically, and after the victory, it is predicted that the veteran community, together with the families of veterans and the families of fallen defenders of Ukraine, will make up 10-15% of the entire population. So we cannot repeat the mistake of 2014.
“Journalism has a significant influence on the formation of the image of a veteran. Through media, even the seemingly smallest details affect the overall context. We invite journalists to read our recommendations, interact and work for the sake of our common future,” emphasized the co-author of the recommendations, Deputy Executive Director of the UVF Karina Doroshenko.
“In order not to make mistakes, you should just be human. Remember that we have an enemy. And we have to defend ourselves. Take care of the people around you. And which are not nearby. Asking myself what will happen after I do it. We must do everything to make veterans want to return. And they didn’t want to return to the place where they are valued,” Nataliya Kalmykova concluded.
The event was moderated by Olena Rybinska, journalist, communications specialist of the UVF and co-author of the recommendations.
Thanks to Starlight Media for the organization and support.
