How an Educator and a Veteran Guides Fellow Veterans Through Return to Civilian Life

Vinnytsia — Oleksandr Ratushniak, a 48-year-old professor with 22 years of teaching experience, transitioned into the role of a war veteran six months ago. Despite having no prior military experience, Oleksandr volunteered to join the Territorial Defence of Vinnytsia on February 23, 2022, driven by a deep concern for his family and his country. 

Now, after a year and a half of military service, Oleksandr is on the path of reintegrating into civilian life, not only navigating this transition for himself but also helping others on their journey back into civilian life.  

According to the Ministry of Veterans' Affairs of Ukraine, the number of veterans in the country has increased significantly in the nearly two years of the full-scale war. Currently, over 850,000 former combatants are on a path to reintegrate back into civilian life.   

To facilitate psychosocial support to these people and their family members, IOM together with the Ministry of Veterans’ Affairs of Ukraine, has been implementing the "Path of Resilience" project. Among other things, it provides training to veteran assistants who actively support their peers at veterans' development centres, as well as playing a crucial role in facilitating career transitions.  
 

Oleksandr gained military experience in different regions of Ukraine, initially in the Territorial Defence of Vinnytsia region and later in the Donbas. Not all his fellow soldiers survived. Oleksandr describes his state before his discharge as burnout.  

Oleksandr’s return from frontline marked a transformative period for him. Eager to resume his teaching career, he decided to become a secondary school teacher, as well as spearheading a media literacy club for young people.  

Despite the difficulties, Oleksandr has been successfully reintegrating into his new life. However, a national survey “Social Reintegration of Veterans in Ukraine” conducted by IOM revealed that not all veterans easily reconnect with their communities and return to civilian life. 
 

Almost a quarter of the 593 veterans surveyed reported difficulties reintegrating into community life, citing obstacles such as injuries, trauma that affected their physical and mental health, as well as issues with obtaining documents confirming their veteran status and finding new sources of income. 
 

Oleksandr's wife, Nataliia, played a pivotal role in facilitating his return to civilian life.  The couple took part in a retreat for veterans' families organized by IOM in Lviv, Western Ukraine. There, they had the opportunity to work on their psychological well-being, better understand each other and connect with other families.  

This event proved beneficial not only for Oleksandr but also for Nataliia. Before that, she was unaware of her own need for psychological support. 

It was during the retreat that Oleksandr decided to continue his study to become a veteran trainer and gain the necessary knowledge to help veterans like himself in the future. In addition to his main job, Oleksandr studied under the Peer-to-Peer programme, participating in the trainings and developing his skills in communicating with fellow veterans.   

"We understand these people better than anyone because we were there ourselves and came back from there, so we can help them," says Oleksandr.  

So far, 41 veterans have been trained under the peer-to-peer programme. "Many veterans don't come to traditional mental health rooms. It is much easier for them to access mental care if we have veteran leaders with their own story of recovery," said Dr Joshua Kreimeyer, PhD, keynote speaker at IOM's “Path of Resilience” trainings in Vinnytsia and Lviv. 

After completing his studies, Oleksandr is in the process of assembling a support group of veterans. "For now, I am communicating individually with the people I served with and who have returned. We provide each other with mutual support, call each other and talk. We meet for coffee, and I recommend them to go to the veteran retreats. Two of them have already attended, and two more will go in December."  

For Oleksandr, being a veteran's assistant is not a job. He views it as his personal social initiative, which he is committed to continuing.  

The “Path of Resilience” project is implemented by IOM thanks to the funding from the Federal Foreign Office of Germany.