Ukraine developing new veteran assistance models with partners – MP Tarasenko
Veterans are increasingly turning to psychological support, and today the state, together with international partners, is developing new models of assistance, said Member of Parliament Taras Tarasenko (Servant of the People faction) and deputy chairman of the Verkhovna Rada committee on social policy and protection of veterans’ rights.
"The Reliable Future project is currently being implemented together with British colleagues. This is actually a development of the "Keel" idea - when veterans find inner balance for three days in the circle of their comrades. A prerequisite is the participation of a psychologist who can react in a crisis situation. The first day is always distrust, and on the third day there is already gradual recovery. People are grateful, veterans are uniting, and now the program is working very well," Tarasenko said.
According to him, building small veteran communities is the future of the support system. "We simply do not have enough specialists. We must form a culture of mutual assistance among veterans. And in general, a culture of communication in society. After all, today 84% of citizens constantly communicate with veterans or families of the deceased. We must learn to keep a balance even in crisis situations - after shelling, losses, experiences - and not harm others," the MP said.
Tarasenko also drew attention to the difficult situation with the employment of veterans. "Large companies report that more than 50% of employees returning from the war are fired. And it’s not about salaries - business supported the military even during their service. But the lack of adaptation, a transitional stage leads to the fact that people cannot find themselves in new conditions," he explained.
On his Facebook page, he reported that on Tuesday he attended the presentation of the IREX study on the experience of veterans’ reintegration after 2022, carried out with the support of the US State Department. He noted that, according to the results of the study, veterans have a demand for high-quality free psychological assistance, "but there is a lack of trust and clear routes."
"We are working on the draft law "On the transition from military service to civilian life." We are creating quality standards, piloting support routes in communities, working with business to implement joint best practices for restoring human capital, scaling up peer-to-peer and creating a policy of small communities," Tarasenko said.
