Key points
- The forum in Lviv marked the launch of a new communication platform for veterans and their families.
- They discussed reintegration, family support, employment and veteran policy.
- They emphasised the strategic importance of returning military personnel to civilian life.
The Lviv Officers’ House hosted a two-day All-Ukrainian Forum for Veterans and Their Families entitled “Return. Strength. Recovery.” The event brought together participants from different regions of Ukraine and marked the launch of a new communication platform for veterans and their families. The platform aims to develop a modern model for the return of military personnel to civilian life and to support families who share the experience of service.
The event was organised by the NGO “Women’s Support”, the Lviv Women’s Union and the Ukrainian Women’s Union under the patronage of the Lviv Regional State Administration. It was also supported by the Main Directorate for Psychological Support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The initiator of the forum, Olga Drozd, chairwoman of the NGO “Women’s Support,” emphasised that the return of a soldier is a continuation of a common struggle, in which the family becomes a space of support. Society must create conditions for the recovery of defenders.
Forum participants discussed the reintegration of veterans, support for families, employment for former military personnel, and vet-friendly policies at the community level. Data was presented on appeals from military families to the ombudsman and regional support programmes, which are planned to be scaled up in 2026. The experience of veterans who are already creating spaces for interaction, initiating rehabilitation programmes or working in local government was a separate focus of the event. Issues that rarely appear in the open space were also discussed — the path after captivity, the needs of families of missing servicemen, overcoming long-term tension in family relationships.
Colonel Yevhen Belyaev, representative of the Main Directorate for Psychological Support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, noted that Ukraine is entering a period when reintegration is a key area of state policy. He stressed that the support system must be based on the resilience, dignity and experience of the defender, and include modern tools for psychological support and work with the families of those killed, captured and missing in action.
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