Reintegrating Ukraine’s Veterans: Challenges and Policy Responses

Summary

The reintegration of the veterans of its armed forces is one of the significant challenges for Ukraine amid fighting off Russia’s full-scale invasion. Historically, the state’s approach to reintegrating them has been fragmented. The importance of addressing the needs of veterans and approaching the issue on a larger scale became more urgent with the first phase of the ongoing war that started in 2014, and it became even more pressing since 2022’s invasion. Ukraine’s ability to develop and implement a sound approach to veteran reintegration is not only a matter of giving proper recognition and support to those who fought for the country; it is also an important aspect of strengthening national defense and eventually recovery efforts.

Veteran reintegration in Ukraine encompasses several elements and faces several obstacles. Ensuring there are appropriate state capabilities remains a major challenge. When it comes to the reintegration of veterans in the economy, another challenge is the preparedness of employers to accept and welcome them. Mental and psychosocial support as well as social integration are equally important dimensions of the process that also need to be addressed. A smooth transition from military to civilian life relies on many layers of interaction with the state and with society, and in this context reintegration policies should be responsive to the diverse experiences and needs of veterans.

In recent years, government policy responses and capabilities have evolved in a positive direction, but significant shortfalls remain that must be addressed. In particular, the ability to drive and coordinate policy at the state level needs to be improved, starting with the Ministry of Veterans Affairs as the key governmental agency responsible for policy coordination. 

It is key for the state to rely on evidence-based findings regarding existing efforts at veteran reintegration as well as on extensive, reliable data about the needs of veterans. This approach requires moving away from the country’s long-established benefits-based support system for veterans and instead placing individual experiences at the center. Policy efforts should also include adopting a clear definition for who a veteran.

The new veterans policy that has been announced and is being developed must be truly comprehensive, acknowledging the growing diversity of veterans’ experiences to ensure that Ukraine’s society and economy is prepared for a situation in which there will eventually be an estimated 5-6 million former combatants. 

Within the existing work on the digitalization of state services, there should be further efforts to rely on this in delivering support and benefits to veterans. The veterans policy should also acknowledge the role of veterans’ family members and integrate their contribution to the process of reintegration. And the experiences of women serving in the armed forces should also be studied and an appropriate gender lens applied to the veterans’ policy, recognizing the particular aspects of their contribution in serving the country. 

Even with the war ongoing, Ukraine has the potential to develop policies and instruments to better address the challenges in veteran reintegration, drawing on domestic and international experiences, with support from donors and the country’s civil society organizations. 

Download the full PDF

Iryna Dobrohorska is a ReThink.CEE Fellow 2023 of the German Marshall Fund of the United States.