Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has had a devastating impact on Ukraine’s economy and society. More than 15 000 civilian fatalities and over 41 000 injured until today, millions of people displaced, and widespread destruction of infrastructure (UN Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights, 2026[1]). The war is still ongoing, but already the cost of reconstruction and recovery is estimated to amount to about three times the country’s nominal GDP (World Bank, Government of Ukraine, European Union and United Nations, 2026[2]).
Within the purview of the OECD Ukraine Country Programme, and given the rationale for the work on Social Policy (C/MIN(2023)/3[3]), this paper focusses on particular aspects of an issue that in importance and size is unparallelled in recent European history: how to provide targeted support that addresses the needs of veterans and their families? In future, this challenge will be even greater as it is estimated that up to 5.5 million Ukrainians, including family members, may hold veteran status in the years to come (EED, 2025[4]).
Different veterans have different needs. Some veterans may need limited support in order to find their way back to civilian life, but many others face a multitude of possibly interacting and complex needs. Furthermore, needs may change, and while not immediately apparent at demobilisation, issues can become more serious with time.
This policy paper focusses on a few elements of veteran support, notably the transition from military to civilian life and various aspects of mental health policies in that transition. It provides a bird’s-eye view of existing policies in Ukraine and in selected OECD countries.