EED-supported initiatives are helping Ukrainian veterans become architects of inclusive recovery and democratic renewal.
Ukraine is a country in a defensive war for its existence. As Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine enters its fourth year, the physical, emotional, and civic toll is enormous. But alongside frontline resilience, society in towns and cities across the country is facing real challenges as they re-integrate over a million veterans into civilian life.
Estimates suggest that up to 5–6 million Ukrainians may hold veteran status in the years to come; a number that includes affected family members. This wave will reshape every layer of society — from employment and education to local politics and public services. And how Ukraine handles this transformation will be decisive for its future as a democratic, inclusive, and stable state.
For too long, Ukraine’s veteran policy has been shaped by outdated frameworks and fragmented governance. Post-Soviet laws offer an array of guarantees on paper, but implementation is inconsistent and underfunded. There is no single state body responsible for coordinating veteran affairs, no universal reintegration strategy, and no meaningful transition support for servicemembers returning to civilian life.
At the same time veterans face legal gaps, social exclusion, and employment discrimination. Employers don’t know how to provide to adapt working conditions to provide for the needs of veterans with physical and psychological disabilities. Many veterans struggle to access healthcare, psychological support, or practical skills training. For women veterans, the challenges are multiplied by systemic gender bias.
Yet veterans also represent one of Ukraine’s greatest untapped resources — a community of disciplined, motivated, and socially committed individuals who have demonstrated exceptional service and responsibility under pressure. Their skills, experience, and networks are exactly what Ukraine needs for recovery, decentralisation, and democratic renewal.
In this crucial moment, the European Endowment for Democracy (EED) has acted as a catalytic donor — providing flexible, responsive support to a range of local initiatives working with and for veterans.
EED’s approach is demand-driven: rather than designing top-down programmes, EED listens to civil society partners, identifies what is missing, and empowers grassroots actors to take the lead.
In the veteran space, this has meant two strategic focuses:
Here are just a few examples of EED’s impact.
In 2023, EED provided start-up support to Pryncyp, a groundbreaking initiative launched by a human rights lawyer and a veteran of the war. Their aim was bold: to reimagine Ukraine’s veteran policy from the ground up.
Together with EED-supported organisations like Legal Hundred and the Ukrainian Women Veteran Movement, Pryncyp helped to lead a nationwide coalition that produced the country’s first comprehensive concept for veteran policy. This work directly informed the 2024 State Strategy on Veteran Affairs — a landmark step toward coherent, rights-based policy.
Meanwhile, Legal Hundred continues to provide a legal hotline and courtroom representation for veterans navigating issues from discharge procedures to injury compensation. Their legal experts analyse systemic flaws in regulation and feed their insights back into policy proposals, closing the loop between grassroots support and national reform.
The Ukrainian Women Veteran Movement — first supported by EED at its inception in 2020— has grown into a major civic actor at the intersection of gender and military service. In 2024, they led a national petition demanding enforcement of anti-harassment mechanisms in the Armed Forces, gathering over 25,000 signatures.
With EED’s backing, they’ve expanded their reach across the country, setting up regional centres in Vinnytsia, Volyn, Poltava, and Sumy. They also launched social enterprises, including a sewing workshop, to ensure sustainability in the wake of international donor cutbacks.
Beyond policy and rights, EED grantees are transforming the lived environment for veterans and other marginalised groups.
In Odesa, Plemya runs a civic hub where veterans can take part in leadership training, legal consulting, and cultural events. It’s become a local model for integrating veterans into community life and reshaping public perceptions.
In the Poltava region, wheelchair users from the Rehabilitation and Adaptation Institute are leading barrier-free accessibility audits — helping rebuild public spaces with the needs of all citizens in mind. Their work has already changed public transport stops and park facilities, and they are now training local authorities and businesses in accessibility standards.
And in rural communities, EED-backed initiatives like the Mobile Volunteer Group are running a “School of Civic Engagement” for veterans and their families, training them in project management and grant writing to launch and lead their own democracy-related initiatives.
These initiatives are not simply social support. They are the building blocks of a new, inclusive civic contract in Ukraine.
EED-supported groups are proving that veterans are not just beneficiaries — they are agents of change. They are shaping local policy, driving social enterprise, building community infrastructure, and holding institutions to account. And in doing so, they are modelling the kind of participatory, inclusive governance that Ukraine must strive for as it moves from wartime resilience to postwar recovery.
Yet the challenges remain vast: underfunded (legacy) state structures, mounting burnout in civil society, and an increasingly difficult security situation. The loss of USAID funding has hit many NGOs hard, prompting an urgent turn toward financial sustainability. But EED’s partners are rising to the challenge — adapting business models, expanding coalitions, and advocating not just for their rights, but for a vision of a stronger, more democratic Ukraine.
As international attention risks shifting, and new crises vie for headlines, Ukraine’s veterans and civil society deserve sustained support. They are not only recovering — they are rebuilding. And they are reminding us all that democracy is not a postwar luxury. It’s the path to peace.
