Key findings and conclusions

Communities' overall readiness for veterans' reintegration scored 3.2 out of 5 among the general population and 3.1 among veterans' family members.

The strongest areas are social support and conflict-free interaction; the weakest are accessibility, employment, and business conditions.

• Veterans receive strong support – 4.2/4.1.
• Daily interactions are generally peaceful – 4.1/3.9.
• Accessibility remains a barrier – 2.5/2.4.
• Employment opportunities are limited – 2.6/2.5.
• Business environment conditions are weak – 2.5/2.6.

Veterans and their families are most critical of local authority support (2.7), involvement in decision-making (2.7), and implementation of state veterans' policy (2.6).

Regional variation is significant: western communities score higher, while border and frontline regions score substantially lower. Urban centers offer better employment and more inclusive services, while rural communities maintain a healthier social-psychological climate. Entrepreneurs give the most critical assessments; pensioners and wage workers remain more optimistic. Veterans' family members – primarily wives – are the most vulnerable group.

Social perception of veterans

Communities generally express respect and gratitude, though indifference, contempt, and aggression also occur. Interactions are complicated by mutual misunderstanding between military and civilian populations, veterans' self-isolation, and stereotypes about instability, aggression, substance dependency, and mercenary motives.

Psychoemotional state and family reintegration

Returning veterans frequently experience emotional withdrawal, irritability, vulnerability, apathy, depression, and loss of motivation. Their families face stress from disrupted sleep and anxiety, and the possibility of PTSD, though families remain wary of psychological support.

Economic integration

Communities rate their local economies as satisfactory, yet labor shortages – particularly in skilled trades – remain acute. Business development is held back by inflation, rising utility costs, taxation, and unpredictable conditions. Although local authorities support veteran employment, barriers persist: unsuitable workplaces, veterans' health conditions, reluctance toward physically demanding roles, lower civilian wages compared with military benefits, and the need for retraining.

Infrastructure, inclusion, and access to services

Primary healthcare is generally accessible, but specialists such as rehabilitation physicians, trauma surgeons, and prosthodontists are scarce, and free imaging services involve long waits. Specialized medicine, rehabilitation, and quality psychological support exist in only half of the communities studied, and some veteran centers exist "only on paper." Despite gradual improvements, roads and public transport remain largely inaccessible for people with mobility limitations.

Veterans' policy and the role of local authorities

Local authorities try to support veterans within the limits of their resources, yet families frequently encounter formal attitudes, bureaucracy, responsibility-shifting between institutions, and a lack of individualized support. Local programs cover the main areas of support but rely solely on community budgets; the absence of state subsidies deepens the gap between wealthier and disadvantaged communities.

A proactive, cross-sectoral policy is needed: support for veterans' families, easing the financial transition, incentives for employers, state co-funding for communities, destigmatizing veterans, and involving them in community governance.

Recommendations

• Continue educational campaigns against stereotypes of "instability," and organize joint events for veterans and civilians.
• Introduce mandatory training in conflict communication, reintegration ethics, and de-escalation for transport workers, administrative centers, government agencies, and retail staff.
• Strengthen coordination between social services and police in working with veterans' families, and provide crisis and family psychotherapy.
• Expand psychological support for veterans' families, including burnout prevention and respite services.
• Recruit specialists for rural and remote communities through targeted housing and municipal supplements.
• Guarantee adequate funding for veteran hubs and resilience centers staffed by qualified professionals.
• Conduct community accessibility audits, purchase low-floor transit vehicles, and adapt key routes for people with mobility and visual impairments.
• Introduce 6–12 months of compensation for veterans moving into lower-paid civilian jobs.
• Actively inform businesses about compensation for workplace adaptation, and provide tax incentives for creating inclusive environments.
• Update retraining programs and increase funding for technology-focused and low-physical-demand professions.
• Ensure state co-financing for local veteran programs and a uniform basket of services across all communities.
• Establish unified support algorithms at administrative centers with minimal bureaucracy.

Rating Group is one of Ukraine's largest research institutions, operating since 2008. The company is registered in Ukraine and has extensive experience conducting sociological surveys in Ukraine and abroad. The group includes the Rating Sociological Group, the Rating Lab research laboratory, the Rating Online platform, and the Rating CATI Center.