The need for systemic support to Ukrainian soldiers who became disabled as a result of hostilities
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- Assembly
debate on 29 September 2026 (31st sitting) (see Doc. 16464, report
of the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development,
rapporteur: Mr Jan Filip Libicki; and Doc. 16483, opinion of the Committee
on Equality and Non-Discrimination, rapporteur: Mr Georgios Stamatis). Text
adopted by the Assembly on 29 September 2026 (31st sitting).See
also Recommendation 2312
(2026). Provisional version subject to
editorial review.
1. The Parliamentary
Assembly deplores the Russian Federation’s ongoing war of aggression
against Ukraine and highlights that one of its most dramatic and
long-term consequences is the unprecedented increase in the number
of soldiers and civilians who became disabled as a result of the
war, including through deliberate attacks on civilians and civilian
infrastructure, torture and ill-treatment of prisoners of war and
civilian detainees. The scale of this phenomenon constitutes one
of the greatest social challenges facing Ukraine today and in the
years to come, and one in which all European countries should feel
engaged. Not least because this challenge, if well addressed, may
also help to understand and develop the most forward thinking and successful
approaches to the full inclusion of persons with disabilities to
all aspects of society, on an equal basis and without any discrimination.
2. The number of persons with disabilities resulting from the
war exceeded 200 000 in 2024 and continues to rise. Between 15%
and 20% of this group may consist of persons with sensory impairments,
including hearing loss, vision loss or dual sensory disabilities.
In 2025, more than 33 000 soldiers received rehabilitation in military
medical facilities.
3. More than 435 000 people received free rehabilitation services
in 2025 under the Medical Guarantees Programme, compared with approximately
366 000 patients in 2024. In the first half of 2025 alone, 229 159 Ukrainians
received rehabilitation services through the National Health Service
of Ukraine (NHSU), including more than 89 000 in inpatient settings.
Veterans and military personnel make up a significant portion of
service recipients.
4. As there are over 75 000 women serving in the Ukrainian armed
forces, their specific needs and circumstances should be integrated
into the country’s veterans’ policy so that it fully addresses the
reintegration and rehabilitation of women veterans with disabilities.
5. With regard to prosthetic care, in 2024 Ukrainian services
provided prostheses and assistive devices to approximately 11 400
individuals, including 2 500 military personnel, while the total
number of prostheses of various types distributed reached nearly
20 000. In the first six months of 2025, 9 400 upper and lower limb prostheses
had already been provided.
6. The Assembly welcomes the measures already taken by the Ukrainian
authorities under wartime conditions, including the creation of
the Ministry of Veterans Affairs, the deployment of a network of
veteran support specialists in local communities, the digitalisation
of veteran services, the expansion of the national rehabilitation
and prosthetic network, and the development of specialised centres
such as the Superhumans Center and the Unbroken National Rehabilitation
Centre. It also welcomes the establishment, with Canada, of a new
international multi-donor fund for Ukrainian veterans and their
families, launched in September 2026, which provides an open platform
for States and other partners willing to support Ukraine’s veterans
to contribute to a common, co-ordinated effort. These achievements
demonstrate that Ukraine is building the foundations of a modern
veterans’ policy and provide a sound basis on which international
support should build.
7. The Assembly firmly reaffirms the obligations of member States
under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities and emphasises the necessity of ensuring that Ukrainian
veterans with disabilities can fully participate in social, professional,
family, and civic life.
8. It underlines that the obligation to ensure rehabilitation,
accessibility, and full social participation of persons with disabilities
derives not only from the United Nations Convention on the Rights
of Persons with Disabilities, but also from the European Convention
on Human Rights (ETS No. 5), the European Social Charter (ETS No.
35), and Council of Europe standards concerning the protection of
human dignity, non-discrimination, and social inclusion. Rehabilitation
and social reintegration of persons affected by armed conflict should
be regarded as an element of human rights protection and as an obligation
of a democratic State.
9. The Assembly recalls that the Russian Federation bears full
responsibility under international law for the injury, loss and
damage caused by its aggression, including the lifelong costs of
rehabilitation, prosthetic care and social reintegration of persons
who became disabled as a result of the war.
10. The Assembly emphasises that support for veterans cannot be
limited to hospital treatment, prosthetic care or the provision
of equipment. Rehabilitation should be understood as a continuous
process of returning to independent living, encompassing clinical
rehabilitation, adaptation of the home environment, with particular attention
to family support, mental health care, access to information, social
and professional reintegration, and professional case management.
11. The Assembly highlights the particular needs of veterans living
outside major urban centres, persons with dual sensory disabilities,
families acting as informal caregivers and unemployed veterans.
It further highlights the particular needs of women veterans, who
should be given visibility, in particular as they face gender stereotypes
concerning their role in society.
12. In light of the above, the Assembly calls on member States
to earmark at least 10% of their national funds allocated to the
reconstruction of Ukraine for the rehabilitation and social reintegration
of veterans and civilians with disabilities. Part of the frozen
Russian assets and their proceeds could be used for this purpose.
13. It urges member States that have not yet done so to sign and/or
ratify the Convention establishing an International Claims Commission
for Ukraine (CETS No. 229).
14. The Assembly also calls on the Ukrainian authorities, with
the support of Council of Europe member States and partners to:
14.1 develop a comprehensive and
coherent veterans’ policy encompassing: a single transparent pathway
for access to benefits and services (“one-stop shop”); long-term
rehabilitation; a specialised military medicine pathway; psychological
support; home-based care; adaptation of the living environment;
professional reintegration; development of veteran peer mentoring;
accessibility of public infrastructure and transport. All veterans
with disabilities should have access to all the rights, benefits and
support services included in the veterans’ policy, without discrimination
on any ground;
14.2 ensure the full participation of veterans with disabilities
in all their diversity, and the organisations that represent them,
in the development of Ukraine’s veterans’ policy;
14.3 ensure the systematic training of health professionals,
social workers and case managers specialising in disability and
veteran support, with particular attention to rural areas and outreach;
14.4 foster and enable the active inclusion of families and
informal caregivers in support programmes, with access to psychological
care, training and respite services, tailored to their specific
needs;
14.5 establish a common system for monitoring data concerning
the situation of veterans, including the number of persons receiving
rehabilitation services; waiting times for services; regional accessibility of
services; employment indicators; the situation of families; mental
health; accessibility of infrastructure; the needs of persons with
sensory disabilities. Such data should be disaggregated by sex and
regularly published and used in the planning of public policy;
14.6 implement programmes for perpetrators of domestic violence,
targeting military personnel and veterans.
15. The Assembly further encourages the use in Ukraine of the
opportunities provided by instruments of the Council of Europe Development
Bank as a source of financing for social projects with long-term
impact, including rehabilitation centres, supported housing, environmental
adaptation, family support, professional reintegration and services
accessible outside major urban areas.
