Preface
Since 2014, the Defense Forces of Ukraine have been conducting combat operations with the armed forces of the Russian Federation. At the same time, if in the period from February 20, 2014 to February 24, 2022, the borders of Russian aggression covered only the territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and certain areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, then since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, the scale of the armed conflict has become the largest in the world since World War II.
It should be noted that the intensity of hostilities between the warring parties increases every year. This has a permanent negative impact on the mental health of servicemen of the Defense Forces of Ukraine and causes:
- increased stress on the battlefield and unprecedented depletion of the mental and physical resources of military personnel due to the rapid development of the latest means of armed struggle;
- an increase in the number of cases of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among personnel;
- critical concerns for the safety and lives of relatives and friends living in regions remote from the area of hostilities, as they are under constant threat of enemy terrorist attacks;
- an increase in the number of cases of unauthorized abandonment of military units, desertion and use of psychotropic substances;
- constant attempts to demoralize personnel by spreading panic through social networks and the media;
- manifestations of suicidal behavior among personnel;
- difficulties in rebuilding the psyche from military to peaceful after discharge from military service and return of servicemen to civilian life, etc.
All this has put on the agenda the need to intensify psychological support for the personnel of the Defense Forces of Ukraine with the involvement of all available state and non-state institutions.
The History of the Project's Initiation and Implementation
Understanding this, our organization has been an active participant in organizing and conducting psychological support activities for servicemen of the Defense Forces of Ukraine since July 2014, in particular, within the framework of NATO project activities. It is especially valuable that since the full-scale invasion this activity has not only not stopped, but has also reached a new qualitative level. This confirms the intensity of the work of the NGO “League of Officers” in the Defense Forces of Ukraine during the operation of martial law:
- July 2023 - January 2024 - 65 trainings were conducted, which made it possible to cover more than 2,000 servicemen with psychological support measures for personnel;
- July 2023 - January 2024 - 65 trainings were conducted, which made it possible to cover more than 2,000 servicemen with psychological support measures for personnel;
- August 2025 - December 2026 - 286 trainings are planned, which will cover at least 8,866 military personnel.
Beneficiaries and project coordinators
The Armed Forces of Ukraine is continuing the next stage of the project on psychological support and restoration of combat readiness of military personnel, which is being implemented with the assistance of the NATO Human-Centered Approach Program within the framework of the Comprehensive Assistance Package for Ukraine.
At the same time, work in the troops (forces) is carried out within the norms of regulatory documents adopted in the Defense Forces of Ukraine under the general coordination of specialized structures/military management bodies, namely:
- Armed Forces of Ukraine – Main Department of Psychological Support for Personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (military units, institutions, establishments of the Armed Forces of Ukraine)
- The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine – the Department of Moral and Psychological Support of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (military units, institutions, institutions of the State Police of Ukraine, the National State Police and the National Police).
Regarding the instructors (coaching staff).
The training staff of the NGO consists of: 1) retired/retired operational-tactical level psychologist officers who are participants in combat operations and have significant experience in psychological support of personnel of the Defense Forces of Ukraine under any conditions; 2) holders of a scientific degree in the field of “Psychology”; 3) specialists who, since 2017, have experience in conducting reintegration activities with servicemen after their release from captivity.
NGO psychologists work according to training programs that are approved by the relevant structures/military management bodies of the Defense Forces of Ukraine and upon additional requests from commanders of military units where training takes place.
It should also be noted that the NGO “League of Officers” has a Memorandum of Cooperation with the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in the part that concerns psychological support for the personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.