Ukraine: DRC’s legal analysis of veterans’ status, social support and benefits

Executive summary

The war in Ukraine has led to a sharp increase in the number of veterans and affected families, including many living with long-term injuries, disabilities, or health issues. While Ukraine maintains a comprehensive social protection system—covering medical care, housing, financial assistance, education, and transport—the system is complex, fragmented, and often difficult to navigate. Overlapping categories, delayed legislative changes, and inconsistent implementation create access barriers.

Veterans and their families face challenges in proving their status or securing timely benefits due to budget constraints. Humanitarian actors play a complementary role by facilitating access to services, providing legal and psychosocial support, and filling gaps in protection for discharged service members, prisoners of war, families of the missing, and volunteers whose legal status may remain uncertain.

This document aims to consolidate dispersed laws and policies on veterans’ statuses into a structured and accessible resource. By mapping entitlements, identifying how they are applied in practice, and noting areas where access is hindered, the study provides a foundation for humanitarian actors, civil society, and state partners to use in future advocacy, planning, and programme design. The purpose is not to offer immediate solutions, but to ensure that accurate, systematised information is available as a common resource that supports better coordination, evidence-driven dialogue, and informed advocacy on veterans’ rights and protections.