Implementation of the government experimental project on the transition from military service to civilian life

At a round table that took place at the Interfax-Ukraine agency on Tuesday, the results were discussed of a pilot project developed in close cooperation between the Ministry of Education and Science and the Ministry of Veterans Affairs, with the active participation of the Ministry of Youth and Sports. The experiment consists in giving all war veterans the opportunity to acquire a new profession, improve their qualifications, undergo rehabilitation, and take part in sports events at higher education institutions of Ukraine.

“Because of the hostilities, Ukraine has a high likelihood of becoming the country with the largest number of male and female veterans. According to official data, as of January this year the Ukrainian army numbered about 880 thousand service members. And according to the Ministry of Veterans Affairs, the total number of war veterans, family members of the fallen, and people with war-related disabilities in Ukraine exceeds 1.3 million, and further Russian aggression may increase the veteran community,” said Artem Honcharenko, moderator of the conference and head of the Institute for Reintegration, Rehabilitation and Professional Development of Veterans “Architecture of Resilience” of KNUBA.

New challenges have created new tasks for Ukrainian higher education institutions: there is a need to create an effective model for integrating war veterans into civilian life through specialized educational, sports, and rehabilitation programs.

Through the joint efforts of the participants in the government experimental project, a number of events were held. In particular, KNUBA took on a key role in the reintegration of veterans as the country's leading specialized higher education institution. The university's experts joined in developing innovative architectural projects and creating rehabilitation centers and accessible spaces for living, education, work, and leisure. The university can become a key partner in shaping a global spatial policy that will ensure comfort, inclusiveness, and sustainable development for veterans, their families, and communities. This is an important contribution to the reconstruction of Ukraine and to creating decent working conditions for those who defend our future.

“Our university influences the market of specialists in construction and architecture, so we actively support projects and initiatives that will inspire more people to create spaces that are accessible and convenient for everyone without exception. Modern approaches to designing and building premises, structures, and spaces that take into account the principles of inclusiveness, barrier-free design, and accessibility must become the baseline for all educational institutions that train specialists in architecture, construction, and engineering. Joining forces in this direction allows us to make a significant joint contribution to social development. The university institute “Architecture of Resilience” is launching a Veteran Development Center, which will become a platform for the adaptation and support of our defenders and a space for learning, networking, and growth,” stressed Oleksii Dniprov, rector of the Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture.

Representatives of the Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture and the National University of Physical Education and Sport also took part in several stages of the inclusive recovery project for Ukraine, which was carried out by the Universal Design School of the United Nations Development Programme with financial support from the Government of Sweden. Under the project, 70 participants from across Ukraine were selected. They worked on real projects in 13 Ukrainian cities, creating a wide range of public spaces that must be accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities.

At the same time, the university began working with foreign organizations and institutions to provide medical care to war veterans and to organize specialized rehabilitation programs.

“The National University of Physical Education and Sport of Ukraine has demonstrated its capabilities in rehabilitating male and female veterans through physical education and sport. Sport for war veterans is a new phenomenon both in legislation and in our society as a whole. It requires scientific and methodological development, and our university is, in this context, one of the centers for establishing sport for war veterans and their family members,” noted Oleksandr Pyzhov, acting rector of the National University of Physical Education and Sport.

According to him, the university provides long-term rehabilitation through physical education and sport and holds sports events and training for military personnel and war veterans, which improves their reintegration into civilian life. Over the course of the year, methodological recommendations for providing rehabilitation through physical education and sport were developed, cooperation is under way with leading medical universities and hospitals in Kyiv, a multidisciplinary commission has been set up, and the systematic provision of rehabilitation services has been introduced. Meetings with representatives of the authorities at the national and local levels are held on a regular basis. The university ensures a comprehensive set of measures for social, physical, sports-based, and psychological rehabilitation. To ease war veterans' transition from military service to civilian life, the university offers formal and non-formal professional education and the award of professional qualifications. An adaptive educational infrastructure has been created, which introduces specialized teaching methods and adaptation of educational programs.

This autumn, 14 sports events were held under the project “Sport and War Veterans (UBD),” which included such sports as billiards, athletics (running and shot put), chess, sitting volleyball, futsal, wheelchair basketball, and others.

Also this year, the All-Ukrainian Veterans' Games in esports and CrossFit were held at NUFVSU. These events are aimed at the fastest possible return of war veterans to civilian life, and only by joining forces will we succeed!”.

Volodymyr Onyshchenko, rector of the Poltava Polytechnic National University named after Yurii Kondratiuk, reported that, as part of deepening cooperation between Ukraine and the European Union, on September 11, 2024 his university became the venue for an important dialogue between veterans, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and director of the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group Yevhen Zakharov, and a delegation of members of the committee of the European Union Advisory Mission for Civilian Security Sector Reform in Ukraine (EUAM Ukraine), the Delegation of the European Union (EUDEL), the Poltava Regional Military Administration, heads of territorial communities, and civil society organizations.

“Poltava Polytechnic is adapting the university's material and technical base to the requirements of an inclusive space. For example, from October to December of this year, 2090 war veterans attended a number of events at the university,” the rector added.

“During 2024, rehabilitation services were provided to 170 people affected by the war (comprehensive rehabilitation after limb amputations, after gunshot wounds, after injuries and diseases of the musculoskeletal system and the peripheral nervous system). A project for people with visual impairments was implemented. The specialists developed a tactile album-catalog of icons, ‘Seeing the Treasures Together,’ with acoustic adaptation. Overall, the implementation of the experimental project is consistent with the Plan for the Post-War Recovery of Ukraine and the Development Strategy of Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast for 2021–2027, in particular ‘Development of Social Infrastructure and Inclusion,’ and has a high priority level, since it will promote the social integration and psychophysical rehabilitation of war veterans,” stressed the rector of the Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University Ihor Tsependa.

“Physical culture, wellness, and sports activity is one of the key ways to involve war veterans in active social life and professional work. Our goal is to create conditions for their social adaptation, physical and mental recovery, and psychological rehabilitation. Since the beginning of 2024, the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, together with the All-Ukrainian Center for the Physical Health of the Population ‘Sport for All,’ has been actively implementing a new social project, ‘Aktyvni Parky – Nestrymni,’” said the Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine Serhii Tymofieiev.

The goals of the project are to restore general physical condition, strengthen mental health, foster social interaction, and unite war veterans and people with war-related disabilities into a cohesive community through physical culture and sport.

The “Aktyvni Parky – Nestrymni” project should become a new stage in the rehabilitation of our veterans. We have already created 85 adaptive clubs where everyone can find something to their liking, from fitness to rugby. The Ministry of Youth and Sports is working to expand the initiative to cover all regions of Ukraine and to give veterans access to high-quality programs of physical and mental recovery.

Also, to develop adaptive sport, twenty-six sports federations for sports recognized in Ukraine have already integrated an adaptive sport component into the rules of sports competitions.

“Involving war veterans in physical culture and sports is today an important component not only of their physical and mental recovery, but also of their social adaptation; it helps overcome barriers and restore confidence in their own abilities. This experiment at higher education institutions will help build a systemic approach to the recovery and socialization of veterans at educational institutions through sport, and to create inclusive conditions for Ukrainians with special needs, strengthening their participation in the sporting and active life of the country. In this context, the development of adaptive sport is of particular importance today, as it is meant to enable every beneficiary to feel supported, find new opportunities and return to an active life. We want every veteran to have the chance to feel supported, find new opportunities and return to an active life. Physical culture and sport help not only to restore health, but also to find new goals,” – emphasized Serhii Tymofieiev.

The Educational and Research Center for Social and Psychological Support and Resilience of the West Ukrainian National University holds psychological trainings and consultations, art therapy workshops and a variety of creative events to support emotional balance and develop resilience among veterans and their family members; it also organizes screenings of documentaries about the defenders and meetings with the veterans who are the heroes of those films, among other activities. This was reported by the university's rector Oksana Desiatniuk.

“Our university has opened Ukraine's first immersive multifunctional hub. This project is part of the National Strategy for Creating a Barrier-Free Space until 2030, initiated by Ukraine's First Lady Olena Zelenska. The hub has launched a project for the psychological rehabilitation of veterans and the physical rehabilitation of the upper limbs using Webex Hologram and Magic Leap 2 augmented reality glasses. Particular attention is paid to training staff and upgrading the qualifications of the academic and teaching staff who work with veterans,” she added.

Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Andrii Vitrenko stressed that, despite the war, the number of foreign students at Ukraine's higher education institutions remains significant. He also emphasized the need to further improve conditions for international students in Ukraine.

“The implementation of this experimental project, launched on the instructions of the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyi, has demonstrated the enormous potential of universities as leaders and reliable partners in implementing veterans policy. Five leading higher education institutions have created unique methodologies that help war veterans reintegrate into civilian life through education, sport and rehabilitation programs. This project has developed an effective methodology that must be extended to other universities. The social responsibility of higher education institutions lies in introducing such technologies and methods into their everyday work. Currently about 27,000 foreign students are studying in Ukraine; before the full-scale invasion there were about 80,000, and the peak number of foreign students reached about 100,000. In terms of price and quality, Ukrainian education ranks among the top three leaders of European countries. I am confident that after the victory we will reach the largest number of foreign students at our universities and also meet the demand of domestic students for education. I thank all participants for their dedication and their drive for change!” he said.

Development Director of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency Maksym Urakin, for his part, stressed the need to implement the results of the experiment and to establish budget funding for helping citizens adapt to peaceful life.

War veterans today are facing precisely this unique phenomenon of “job hunting” on the Ukrainian labor market. Employers today must and can provide every veteran with any work and appropriate conditions in line with their needs and physical abilities. Help for a special segment of the population – our defenders – must be unquestionable and qualified. Any support is important, especially from the state.

That is why new opportunities for veterans and their families are being actively created at educational institutions. Special courses have been developed in close cooperation with employers, civil society and representatives of veteran communities. It is a chance to gain new knowledge and skills that will help them return to their chosen profession in civilian life after coming back from the front.

Summing up the conference, the joint experimental project involving the participating universities has produced high and positive results, which means that such a project should continue, and starting next year systematic and coordinated work must be built on a permanent basis.