When the Kremlin invaded Ukraine six years ago, tens of thousands of Ukrainians volunteered to defend their country—many of them the same revolutionaries that had just fought for freedom on the Maidan. Now, the war in the Donbas continues to rage on as Ukraine struggles to care for and reintegrate nearly 400,000 veterans and volunteer combatants. The challenge of supporting veterans poses a critical problem for Ukraine’s national security and hobbles its transition to democracy. Care and protection for Ukraine’s veterans is a matter of strategic interest for the United States, European Union, and NATO. In The trip from Donbas: Ukraine’s pressing need to defend its veterans, an upcoming report by Council Senior Fellow Dr. Lauren Van Metre and Combined Arms CEO John Boerstler, the scope of the challenges faced by Ukrainian veterans comes into the focus along with policy recommendations for developing a more comprehensive strategy to address the crises facing the veteran community today.
Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) provides welcome remarks. The authors of the report, Dr. Lauren Van Metre, Senior Fellow, Eurasia Center, Atlantic Council, and John Boerstler, CEO, Combined Arms, present their report’s key findings and policy solutions. Ella Lamakh, President, Democracy Center, Ukraine; Lesia Vasylenko, Member of Parliament, Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine; and Maksym Kozub, a Ukrainian veteran who served in the Aydar Battalion and as an APC Commander with the 30th Mechanized Brigade, join the panel and Melinda Haring, Deputy Director, Eurasia Center, Atlantic Council moderates the discussion.
The Eurasia Center’s mission is to promote policies that strengthen stability, democratic values, and prosperity in Eurasia, from Eastern Europe in the West to the Caucasus, Russia, and Central Asia in the East.