Wednesday12 February 2025
podrobnosti.org.ua

The first soldiers from 10 brigades completed training to become social support officers.

Representatives from 10 brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have completed training to become specialists in supporting military personnel and their families. This initiative is being implemented by the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Первые военнослужащие из 10 бригад прошли обучение для офицеров социального сопровождения.
This was reported to the Ukrinform correspondent by Deputy Minister of Defense, Brigadier General of Justice Serhiy Melnyk.

“The Ministry of Defense is establishing a service to support military personnel. This service aims to become an institution that assists soldiers and their families in addressing key issues related to obtaining medical, psychological, legal, and social assistance. The training project has commenced in 10 combat brigades. Specialized training for the first groups began on January 22,” – said Melnyk.

According to him, the training program lasted five days. It includes aspects of legal assistance, the basics of psychological support and rehabilitation after injuries, as well as specifics of working with the families of the deceased and missing.

Melnyk noted that the patronage services of the National Guard and the Armed Forces of Ukraine are collaborating to share experiences.

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The support services are being established based on existing units of civil-military cooperation. The military personnel who were the first to complete the training course have already been appointed to relevant positions or are candidates for these positions.

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Captain Liliya Diyanova, an officer in the civil-military cooperation unit of the 92nd separate mechanized brigade, states that the most in-demand services in the unit are documentary and psychological support.

“I have been in this position for three months. I believe that expanding our staff is very necessary and beneficial. There was a lack of certain knowledge in legal matters. The rehabilitation system is also being improved – it is essential to know everything about this. Therefore, interaction with other units and communication with mentors expands our capabilities,” – says Diyanova, who has undergone training.

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According to her, before the expansion of the support unit, only two specialists were engaged in this area within the brigade.

“Two people who were working physically could not ensure the functioning of this direction. Now we have a ‘hotline’ that military personnel or their relatives can call, and we assist them,” – says the servicewoman.

Head of the Central Office for Civil-Military Cooperation of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Kutkov notes that this represents a change in the state’s approach itself.

“A military personnel should feel that the state cares for him and his family as a whole. The experience of patronage services created within military units outside the state framework is very positive. Their constant support contributes to the mobilization of more motivated individuals into these military units. In other words, the ongoing support for the serviceman and his family impacts recruitment and boosts the combat and moral spirit of the military personnel,” – says Kutkov.

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Currently, training is being conducted under the educational course of the Kharkiv volunteer group Help Army, which has been assisting Ukrainian defenders since 2014.

“We want the structures established in the country at various levels to finally unite, reach into the army, and extend from the army to the outside. We have been heard; together with the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff, we are implementing this concept. We have made a significant leap forward,” – believes military volunteer Help Army Olena Sherzhukova.

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According to her, one of the pressing issues today is the support of military personnel receiving treatment in civilian hospitals, which is why one of the training topics was the differences in supporting the wounded in rear facilities and frontline hospitals.

The volunteer emphasized that each topic is “covered by involved experts who possess current information.”

“We are talking about structured assistance for military personnel with their social and domestic issues, as well as structured support for the wounded,” – noted Sherzhukova.

As reported, on August 20, 2024, the Cabinet of Ministers adopted a resolution “On Certain Issues of Implementing the Activities of Support Services for Military Personnel, Individuals of the Rank-and-File and Command Staff of the Civil Protection Service, Police Officers, and Their Family Members.”

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The document, developed by the Ministry of Defense in cooperation with the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, provides for the establishment of support services within military management bodies, military units, training military centers, and institutions.

Their main tasks include: supporting the wounded (in particular, assistance with issues related to referral and passage of military-medical commissions and medical-social commissions); supporting the families of the deceased (those who died), missing persons, and prisoners of war, providing them with assistance in implementing the necessary benefits and guarantees; facilitating the processing of necessary documents.