The Armed Forces of Ukraine have begun implementing support services — new units designed to provide assistance to wounded servicemembers, families of missing persons, families of prisoners of war, and relatives of fallen soldiers. This was stated by Ihor Reva, co-founder of the Think Ukraine analytical center.
According to him, the “support service” is the legal name of a unit that is gradually being deployed throughout the Armed Forces system.
“The essence of this unit is to care for the most vulnerable categories: the wounded, families of missing persons, families of prisoners of war, and relatives of the fallen,” Reva noted.
He recalled that the first experience of creating such a service was gained by a team of specialists in 2024 within one of the special units of Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate.
“We were creating such a service back when the relevant regulatory framework effectively did not exist. At the same time, we relied on the experience of the ‘Angels’ patronage service, which has unique expertise in supporting military personnel and their families,” he explained.
According to the expert, practical experience proved the effectiveness of this approach, which later became the basis for scaling the initiative.
“Today, thanks to the advocacy efforts of many concerned individuals, meetings at the Office of the President, and the involvement of responsible structures within the defense sector, a decision has been made to introduce support services in all units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” Reva stated.
A separate challenge, according to him, remains the training of specialists who will work in the new units.
“The ‘Pryntsyp’ team is developing the training program. This is no longer the first iteration of the program, and each time it becomes more practical and higher quality. I also joined this work as one of the trainers,” he added.
Reva emphasized that implementing a human-centered approach is important for building trust in the Defense Forces and supporting military personnel and their families.
“The Defense Forces must build the image of an institution that protects its people and takes care of their families. This is also important for the continuation of mobilization,” the expert stressed.
He also recalled that, according to one of Think Ukraine’s studies, Ukrainians believe the country’s mobilization potential remains significant, although society expects changes in approaches to organizing military service and supporting servicemembers.