Reintegration of Veterans: Employment, Social Empowerment and Advocacy
Ukraine is facing a rapidly growing and large-scale challenge in supporting the reintegration of war veterans into civilian life. As of mid-2024, more than 1.2 million individuals have official veteran status, and projections indicate that in the coming years 4–5 million people, including veterans and their family members, will require reintegration support. This represents up to 15% of the country’s population and reflects profound demographic and socio-economic changes.
The war has shaped a generation of veterans for whom returning to civilian life is particularly difficult. Many face challenges in employment, restoring psychological well-being after combat stress, and rebuilding healthy family relationships. Daily adaptation challenges, social isolation, and limited access to state and community support programs further complicate this process.
Comprehensive Support for Veterans in Ukraine
Bevar Ukraine has launched a project to support Ukrainian veterans in partnership and cooperation with the Ukrainian charitable foundation Rokada, with support from CISU, which provides funding from the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs to support civil society initiatives in the field of international development and partnerships.
The project “Reintegration of Veterans through Employment, Skills Development and Advocacy” will last 18 months and will cover the Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk regions. Its goal is to help Ukrainian veterans return to full civilian life, find employment, restore psychological well-being, and once again feel part of society.
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Key Planned Activities
During the implementation of the project, approximately 400 veterans will receive individual support. An open call for veteran organizations will also be conducted based on transparent criteria, including regional representation, experience working with veterans and their families, and readiness for development and advocacy activities.
As part of the project launch in the first quarter of 2026, workshops will be held in Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk to discuss practical issues and effective pathways for project development.
Throughout the 18-month implementation period, seminars and meetings with business representatives in Denmark and Ukraine will also be organized to discuss the challenges veterans face in the labor market, as well as advocacy activities with institutions and government agencies in Ukraine.
The main focus is on strengthening the social position of veterans.
The Rokada team, in cooperation with Bevar Ukraine, is working to ensure that state and civil society support mechanisms become more accessible and effective by providing veterans with practical assistance, training, and support at every stage of reintegration.
Key areas of work:
Assisting veterans in selecting and making use of state employment and entrepreneurship programs.
Providing individual consultations and psychosocial support to veterans and their families.
Promoting inclusive employment and creating new opportunities in the labor market.
Supporting 12 veteran organizations through training, mentoring, and advisory assistance.
Collecting practical data and advocating for policy changes in reintegration at the national and international levels, including raising awareness among Danish companies.
Contact person:
Tetiana Kobchenko
tetiana.kobchenko@bevarukraine.dk