In brief
This piece delves into the silent crisis of suicide among Ukrainian soldiers, highlighting the painful experiences of families like Kateryna and Mariyana, who grapple with loss and stigma. Without official recognition or support, these families fight for acknowledgment and justice for their loved ones, shedding light on the urgent need for reform in how military suicides are treated in Ukraine.
This article contains distressing details and references to suicide. Some of the names have been changed to protect identities.
Kateryna cannot talk about her son, Orest, without tears. Her voice trembles with anger as she explains how she found out the news that he had died on the front line in the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine in 2023.
According to the official investigation by the army, he died by a 'self-inflicted wound', something Katernya finds hard to believe.
Orest was a quiet 25-year-old who loved books and dreamed of an academic career. His poor eyesight had made him initially unfit for service at the start of the war, his mother says. But in 2023, a recruitment patrol stopped him in the street. His eyesight was re-evaluated and he was deemed fit to fight. Not long after, he was sent to the front as a communications specialist.
While Ukraine collectively mourns the loss of more than 45,000 soldiers who have died since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, a quieter tragedy unfolds in the shadows. There are no official statistics surrounding suicide among soldiers. Officials describe them as isolated incidents. Yet human rights advocates and bereaved families believe they may be in the hundreds.
Kateryna recounts how Orest became increasingly withdrawn and depressed after being deployed near Chasiv Yar in Donetsk. She still writes letters to him every day, with her grief compounded by how Ukraine classifies suicide as a non-combat loss. Families of those who take their own lives receive no compensation, no military honors, and no public recognition.
Another mother, Mariyana, wishes to keep her identity hidden. Her husband, Anatoliy, volunteered to fight in 2022, pushed by a sense of duty. After a harrowing experience, he took his life in the hospital yard after losing part of his arm. Officially, he received no military burial – a devastating blow to Mariyana, who feels betrayed by the state.
The stigma surrounding suicides affects these families deeply. They find solidarity among each other, raising their voices for recognition and change. Activists, military chaplains, and lawmakers underscore the urgent need for a new approach to psychological support for soldiers and the families left behind.
As Ukraine's Commissioner for Veterans' Rights, Olha Reshetylova, mentions, there is a pressing need for systemic reform. They've seen hell. Even the strongest minds can break.
