State should develop a mechanism for returning defenders of Ukraine to civilian life: Iryna Vereshchuk

Iryna Vereshchuk, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories, chaired an interagency meeting on formulating and implementing state policy in the field of social protection of veterans.

The discussion was joined by Minister for Veterans Affairs Yulia Laputina, Minister of Social Policy Oksana Zholnovych, representatives of the Ministry of Defence and the Presidential Office.

The meeting participants agreed that the issue of veterans’ return to civilian life should be considered comprehensively. Thus, the agencies presented their own programmes to support Ukraine’s defenders. These include social adaptation, psychological rehabilitation, employment, and promotion of entrepreneurship among veterans.

The implementation of each of these programmes requires constant interagency cooperation, so today’s meeting should become a platform for further elaborations.

“Citizens who defend their homeland should be confident in the support of the state. Especially those defenders who have been injured in the fighting. They should not have to prove their status by going through numerous bureaucratic procedures. In this regard, digital tools should be introduced, and decisions should be made automatically, with minimal human intervention. These people are protecting us at the frontline, so we as a state must guarantee them social protection in civilian life,” said Iryna Vereshchuk.