More than half of veterans in Ukraine believe that the state does not protect their rights at all. This was announced by Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubynets in an interview with Radio NV, quoted by “Ukrainska Pravda“. There are currently over 2 million veterans in the country.
“I often see that veterans are simply treated as unnecessary people“, said Lubynets.
According to him, the conclusion was made after an analysis of the complaints received and an expert survey among more than 1,000 veterans. Over 50% of respondents stated that their rights are not just violated, but are not protected at all by the state.
The number of complaints is close to the number for the whole of 2025.
In the first eight months of 2026 alone, the Ombudsman's office received more than 1,900 signals from former military personnel. For the whole of 2025, the complaints were just over 2,000.
Most often, military personnel and families of deceased people complain about problems with obtaining financial assistance and the necessary certificates. Among the signals there are also cases related to obstacles to medical and psychological rehabilitation.
Lubinets also criticizes the bureaucratic procedures in which the military are forced to collect information from scattered and unsynchronized registers themselves. According to him, there is no effective accountability for officials who violate the rights of veterans, and official inspections for inaction often end with formal responses.
Up to 6.5 million veterans after the end of the war
The Ombudsman predicts that after the end of the war, the number of veterans in Ukraine could reach between 5 and 6.5 million. According to him, this will affect state policy in all areas over the next 30 years.
As a key change, Lubinets pointed to the creation of an effective support network in each community. Currently, psychological assistance centers have been established in 18% of the united territorial communities, and additional rehabilitation services are provided in 20% of them.
Sources: pravda.com.ua