Following the full-scale invasion, the number of veterans in Ukraine has exceeded one million and continues to grow, along with the proportion of women and military personnel from the LGBTIQ+ community. As of January 2025, more than 70,000 women (over 8% of personnel) are serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, with approximately 20,000 of them performing combat duties. At the same time, there are no official statistics on LGBTIQ+ people in the army – according to estimates by civil society organisations, they may account for between 2% and 7% of military personnel. The increase in the number of female veterans and LGBTIQ+ veterans is inevitably changing the personnel profile of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and posing new challenges for state policy on military support. In 2021, parliament even renamed Defender of Ukraine Day to Defenders of Ukraine Day – a symbol that women’s contributions are now officially recognised. According to the Ministry of Defence, more than 5,500 women are currently fighting on the front lines, and more than 20,000 have already been granted combatant status. There are also about 1,360,000 veterans in Ukraine (as of 2024), with a forecast that after the war, the total number of veterans and their families will exceed 5 million people (15% of the population).
dcaf_veteransukraine_ukrWomen and LGBTIQ+ veterans: modern realities
The real basis for these changes is statistics and the testimony of the military personnel themselves. Among women who have participated in combat operations, there are already those who have received high state honours: about 1,500 Ukrainian women have been awarded medals, and five women have been awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine (three of them posthumously). Despite these facts, programmes for reintegrating veterans into civilian life are mostly oriented towards the traditional, “masculine” image of a defender. DCAF research shows that under the existing veteran support system, women and LGBTIQ+ individuals face additional gender-based barriers that are often overlooked by the state. In other words, state programmes for veteran reintegration are formally universal, but their implementation often fails to take into account the specific needs of veteran communities arising from gender and sexual differences.
The lack of official data complicates the situation: civil society organisations estimate that between 14,000 and 50,000 military personnel currently identify as LGBTIQ+, representing 2-7% of the total personnel. Thus, every year there are more and more LGBTIQ+ veterans in Ukraine. Statistics on women in the Armed Forces of Ukraine are also dynamic: while there were fewer women at the beginning of 2021, the proportion of women in the army has now reached about 8%, and among all veterans, the proportion of women has increased from about 4% to 12% (according to various sociological studies). It is this demographic change that makes it extremely important to review veteran programmes from a gender perspective.
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Challenges of reintegration
However, in practice, the process of returning to civilian life remains difficult. Based on data from five regions (Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Khmelnytskyi, Zakarpattia, and Chernivtsi), DCAF researchers acknowledge certain achievements: developed local veteran communities and initiatives create space for mutual assistance and solidarity among veterans. However, these processes are uneven. Problems related to excessive bureaucracy and blurred lines of responsibility between state structures make it difficult for veterans to obtain the necessary status or recognition of disability due to the uncertainty of procedures. Surveys of participants also highlighted the persistent stereotypical image of the “ideal” veteran as a male soldier. This ingrained stereotype often excludes women and LGBTIQ+ people from the imagined image of a veteran and leads to an underestimation of their needs and experiences.
Experts point out that ignoring the needs of these groups not only violates their rights but also jeopardises social cohesion in society. Already, interviews and public discussions are expressing the view that the reintegration process must involve and listen primarily to those whose voices are not usually heard – female veterans, people with disabilities, and those who have experienced stigmatisation or discrimination. Members of the Bukovina-1325 coalition emphasised that more than 5,000 people in the Chernivtsi region already have veteran status, but only 2.5% of them are women, and 6.7% have injuries and disabilities, which once again demonstrates the different needs of these categories.
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Pathways to inclusive reintegration
The study’s recommendations boil down to the need for a systematic and gender-sensitive approach. Experts call for greater involvement of civil society organisations and veterans’ initiatives in the development and implementation of support programmes, particularly at the regional and community levels. As part of the five-region study, verification meetings have already been held with local activists and officials to discuss the real needs of veterans in terms of access to services (medical, psychological, social, etc.). Such cooperation helps to adapt existing veteran services to the specific needs of women and LGBTIQ+ people.
At the same time, DCAF recommends conducting a thorough gender analysis of all reintegration programmes to understand the unique needs of each group of veterans. This will ensure equal access to assistance, overcome stigmatisation and break down stereotypes. In the absence of separate state support mechanisms for female veterans or LGBT military personnel in Ukraine, apart from the current general benefits, it is important to create specific initiatives and focus groups. For example, special mentoring programmes for female veterans or LGBT-sensitive counselling centres could be introduced, and gender equality could be ensured in the personnel policies of veterans’ organisations.
Researchers warn that ignoring these needs could weaken social cohesion and devalue the role of veterans in building a peaceful future for Ukraine. A well-developed reintegration system that takes into account the interests of women and LGBT veterans, on the contrary, will help unlock their potential for sustainable social recovery.
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