We Are Putting the Draft Concept of Social Support for Military Personnel and Their Families Up for Discussion

The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, together with the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, has developed an updated concept of social support for military personnel and their families.

Now we are opening the draft concept for broad discussion in order to collect proposals from military units, support services, military families, state bodies, communities and civil society organisations.

We ask that proposals and comments be sent by 13 November 2026 inclusive to the email address: K.Skorokhod@advisor.mod.gov.ua.

“We have already presented the draft concept to those who will implement this model on the ground – civil-military cooperation specialists, in particular support services from operational commands, corps, brigades, territorial recruitment and social support centres (TCCs) and training centres. 172 representatives from the military took part in the discussion. It was important for us to hear them and take their proposals into account before finalising the concept, which will change their work. We will take everything we heard into account.” — Liubov Halan, Deputy Minister of Defence of Ukraine

After the discussion ends, the Ministry of Defence will refine the concept, which will become the basis for preparing the Strategy of Social Support.

What the updated support model proposes

At present, social support in the military is mostly focused on responding to difficult circumstances, and access to it may differ depending on the capabilities of the military unit and region.

The concept proposes changing the very approach and broadening it: every serviceman and his family will receive a guaranteed basic level of support regardless of where the serviceman serves.

In a military unit, the support service is to become a coordinator for the serviceman: to help identify the need, coordinate the work of the necessary units and see the issue through to the result. If it falls within the powers of another body or institution, specialists will help establish interaction with them.

What support for military families will look like

For families, the draft provides for Support Centres at the level of TCCs. They are to become a clear point of contact from the moment a person joins the military and throughout his service.

A family will be able to receive a consultation, find out where to go and, if necessary, get help with documents. Digital solutions and hotlines are meant to simplify access to information and services.

After service ends, support is to continue in cooperation with the civilian veteran support system. This is needed so that the transition to civilian life does not mean for a person losing contact and having to start searching for help anew on their own.

Support services are not to substitute for civilian bodies or provide services for which other institutions are responsible. Their task is to help a person find their bearings, coordinate interaction and not leave them alone with an issue. A clear standard, interaction algorithms, training of specialists and a digital system are meant to make support consistent and reduce the amount of bureaucracy.

Earlier, the Ministry of Defence reported on the development of a model under which support will be handed over from the military unit to a veteran support specialist.

We do our best to publish current news and programmes for veterans on our platform, Veterano.info.

Source: Ministry of Defence of Ukraine (mod.gov.ua), https://mod.gov.ua/news/vynosymo-na-obhovorennia-proiekt-kontseptsii-sotsialnoho-suprovodu-viiskovykh-ta-yikhnikh-rodyn

Veterano network projects

• veterano.info — information project for veterans and their families
• veterano.media — media of the Veterans Cluster of Ukraine
• events.org.ua — AGGR World / ITTA: news on the economy, defence, business and society
• nird.org.ua — National Institute for Regional Development (NIRD)
• ndi.org.ua — Research and Information-Analytical Centre “Innovations, Investments, Intellect”
• front.hospital — charitable foundation “Reconstruction and Development of Ukraine”: mobile hospitals for the Armed Forces of Ukraine
• avu.org.ua — Ukraine Reconstruction Agency
• veterano.army — recruitment agency for business: selecting able-bodied veterans
• veterano.bio — digital confirmation of veteran status and document translation
• veterano.institute — Veterans Institute “Architecture of Resilience” at KNUBA