Unmet Needs and Tension Points in Veteran Policy of the Kolomyia Community – Findings of the Sociological Survey

Publication date: March 25, 2025

Author: Yuliia Bilyk, Communications Manager at Legal Development Network

In 2024, Legal Development Network, in cooperation with the humanitarian organization People in Need and with financial support from the Czech Development Agency, identified and analyzed the needs and potential for developing and implementing strategic plans and recovery plans during the war in six communities participating in the Vidnova project. The next stage involved a sociological study that assessed the capacity of communities to respond to the challenges of war. This material presents the most significant findings of the sociological survey conducted in the Kolomyia Community of Ivano-Frankivsk Region, which examined the needs of military personnel, veterans, their families, and other residents.

_{Explore the comprehensive study on the needs and potential of the Kolomyia Community}

About the Study

“Before developing a strategic plan and recovery plan in our community, we opened a veteran space, where the main veteran support activities were concentrated, bringing together various organizations and creating a platform for cooperation between civil society, local self-government bodies, and state authorities,” said Solomiia Zinets-Matsyshyn, a specialist in facilitation, event moderation, mentoring, and expertise for community development in the Vidnova project in Ivano-Frankivsk Region.

In the sociological survey, conducted from December 2 to December 10, 2024, 320 people from 6 towns and villages of the Kolomyia Community participated. The respondents included 94 relatives or close family members of combatants, 13 veterans who took part in combat operations after the full-scale invasion, and 213 community residents who are neither veterans nor family members of combatants.

The survey was conducted using a street interview method, with a questionnaire programmed for mobile devices. Some interviews with groups that were harder to reach (veterans and relatives of combatants) were conducted remotely.

Due to the small number of surveyed veterans, their responses should be considered as trends requiring further verification.

“Kolomyia Community is quite large, and a significant portion of its residents has a direct connection to military service. One of the key confirmations of the relevance of developing a high-quality veteran policy—one that takes into account needs, demands, and weak points—is the high level of engagement and interest shown by respondents during the survey. Compared to other sociological studies in different communities, this was particularly noticeable,” said Mykhailo Danyshchuk, a specialist in facilitation, event moderation, mentoring, and expertise for community development in the Vidnova project in Ivano-Frankivsk Region.

69% of respondents are willing to support military personnel and veterans, but not all veterans feel it

As expected, almost three-quarters (74%) of survey participants identified assistance to the Ukrainian Armed Forces as a priority area for funding. Additionally, 58% stated that they need information on how to communicate with people who have combat experience.

“These are the responses of community residents who do not have close family members—children, parents, or spouses—who have ever participated in combat operations. The fact that more than half of the respondents expressed a need for information on communication with people who have combat experience is a telling indicator,” noted Maryna Shpiker, sociologist and coordinator of the comprehensive research teams.

Almost unanimously—95%—of respondents agreed that traditions of honoring veterans should be introduced in the community. An overwhelming majority of respondents (94%) support the creation of subsidized educational programs for veterans and assistance in launching small businesses or self-employment initiatives.

Similarly, 69% of Kolomyia Community residents expressed willingness to support veterans and military families. Among those interested in providing assistance, 48% would like to support veterans, 45% would support families of fallen, captured, or missing service members, 41% would assist families of active military personnel, 38% would support families of veterans. Most frequently, residents stated that they could provide material assistance (58%) or engage in volunteer activities within an organization specifically focused on veteran affairs (46%). At the same time, not all veterans feel a sense of respect due to their status.

“This is not the first study on veteran policy that I have encountered or helped conduct. That is why I can say that this persistent trend of declared respect for veterans is not strongly felt by the veterans themselves—they feel that something is missing. People say: ‘Yes, let’s fund the Ukrainian Armed Forces, honor veterans, and establish traditions of commemoration.’ But when you ask the veterans themselves, many of them do not feel respected. The respect declared by ordinary residents does not manifest in a form that veterans widely recognize,” said Maryna Shpiker.

At the same time, more than half (54%) of family members of combatants tend to agree that they feel respected by other community residents due to the fact that their loved one is currently or was previously involved in defending Ukraine. Moreover, family members of military personnel were twice as likely to choose the response “yes” compared to relatives of veterans, who responded more cautiously (“rather yes”).

“The results of the sociological survey indicate that a significant portion of the community expresses a willingness to support veterans, yet veterans themselves often do not feel this support. One of the key problems is clearly the lack of understanding of specific support mechanisms and insufficient public awareness of the real needs of veterans. It is crucial to conduct systematic work within the community, particularly by establishing veteran spaces that can serve as centers for support and interaction. The Kolomyia Community already has such a space, so it is essential to consolidate efforts around it to improve communication and trust,” noted Mykhailo Danyshchuk.

The majority of residents support providing priority services to veterans and their families, while veterans prefer to receive services in separate facilities from dedicated specialists

When asked, “Which model of social support and assistance for veterans and families of combatants do you support the most?”, the majority of respondents (44%) stated that they support a model in which services for these groups are provided out of turn by specialists who work with all community residents.

At the same time, for veterans, this model ranked only third in preference. Veterans primarily prefer receiving services in separate facilities from dedicated specialists, while their second preference was receiving services from dedicated specialists within the community’s shared infrastructure. 

According to sociologist Maryna Shpiker, the responses to this question are not indicative either for Kolomyia Community or for other communities where veteran policy was studied.

“In some places, veterans say they prefer to receive services simply out of turn, while in others, they prefer to be served in separate facilities by dedicated specialists to avoid interaction with civilians. Perhaps veterans do not feel entirely comfortable in public spaces with large crowds and require greater privacy. However, this issue requires further in-depth research,” commented Maryna Shpiker.

Veterans can satisfy a minority of their needs within the community

According to veteran respondents in Kolomyia Community, their best-rated aspect of life is relationships with loved ones, with an average score of 7.7 on a 10-point scale. The most challenging areas for veterans include their economic situation, employment or business opportunities, and possibilities for self-fulfillment—most of their assessments were negative, with an average score not exceeding 5 out of 10. Among the surveyed veterans, only one is employed in wage labor, two are engaged in self-employed activities, two have irregular temporary jobs, five are unemployed, two are not working due to disability, and one is engaged in volunteer work.

According to Maryna Shpiker, the hierarchy of problematic aspects of veterans’ lives vary from community to community. While in Kolomyia Community, the economic situation and financial well-being have emerged as major pain points, in Tlumach Community of the same Ivano-Frankivsk Region, veterans rated their psychological and physical health as the most critical concern. In Bashtanka Community of Mykolaiv Region, where veteran policy was also studied as part of the Vidnova project, veterans consider both economic conditions and health status to be their most challenging aspects.

Regarding the needs of veterans in Kolomyia Community, the most frequently reported needs include medical services, social support, financial assistance, support in bureaucratic and legal matters, rehabilitation and sports programs, recreation, and wellness services. Other relatively high-demand services include psychological support, information services, educational programs and retraining courses, employment opportunities, career services, and business development assistance. Meanwhile, social events, clubs, support groups, assistance with housing issues, and transportation services are in comparatively lower demand.

Veterans say that they can meet only a minority of their needs within their community. Often, veterans who reported having specific needs believe that they cannot fully meet them anywhere. In some cases, they indicated that their needs could only be met outside the community.

The key reasons why veterans are unable to meet their needs across all services are the lack of relevant opportunities (services, jobs) within the community and the ineligibility for receiving services due to specific criteria.

It is notable that the majority of community residents (76%) place primary responsibility for financing social support measures for veterans on the state, while a minority assigns this responsibility to the local budget. According to Maryna Shpiker, these figures may indicate that people do not believe in the capacity of the local budget to meet veterans’ needs.

More than 60% of military families have not received any assistance

The majority (60%) of families of combatants (veterans, military personnel, prisoners of war, missing persons, and fallen service members) require assistance in addressing their problems. The most pressing needs include psychological support (32%), financial assistance (21%), medical treatment and wellness services (20%), support with bureaucratic and legal matters (20%). Families of military personnel report the greatest need for psychological support, while families of veterans primarily require assistance with bureaucratic and legal issues.

A minority of family members of combatants reported receiving support due to their status as relatives of military personnel. 61% of respondents did not receive any assistance, 23% received help from people (colleagues, neighbors, acquaintances, relatives), 14% received assistance from local self-government bodies, 10% from state authorities, 5% from entrepreneurs within the community, 4% from civil society organizations, 1% from other providers. None of the 22 respondents who are family members of veterans reported receiving assistance from civil society organizations.

The survey revealed that combatant families do not feel that local self-government authorities pay attention to their needs. 56% responded with a decisive “no”, 26% answered “rather no”. At the same time, the responses of veterans’ and military personnel’s family members did not show significant differences.

“This highlights the need to expand support programs and improve service accessibility for these population groups. That is why veteran policy planning has also included this group,” emphasized Mykhailo Danyshchuk.

“The majority of respondents in our survey are family members of military personnel currently serving. Based on the responses of family members of fallen, missing, and captured service members collected in other communities, I assume that local self-government authorities only take action when something irreversible happens. Military personnel and their families receive the least attention from local self-government authorities and aid providers,” noted Maryna Shpiker.

Conclusions

The survey results indicate a pressing need for comprehensive support in Kolomyia Community, covering social, infrastructural, and economic measures, with a particular focus on addressing the needs of veterans and their families, developing community infrastructure, and ensuring the community’s long-term financial stability.

“Despite the efforts of various stakeholders—local self-government authorities, civil society organizations, and volunteers—there are still unmet needs and sources of tension, particularly between military families and those with no service members. On the one hand, the community must acknowledge these challenges; on the other hand, it must set realistic goals, as certain tensions will always exist, and it is impossible to address every need. It is essential to set realistic KPIs, establish priorities, and determine what can be changed and what, unfortunately, will remain as it is,” concluded Maryna Shpiker.

“I hope that the findings of this study will contribute to the development of new initiatives in Kolomyia Community aimed at supporting veterans and their families, as well as draw attention to the importance of a systematic approach to veteran policy in other communities in the coming months, as the Vidnova project enables this opportunity in 2025,” emphasized Mykhailo Danyshchuk.

This material and the sociological survey were prepared by the Legal Development Network in cooperation with the humanitarian organization People in Need, with financial support from the Czech Development Agency. The views expressed and the interpretation of the collected information are solely those of the authors and do not reflect the views of the project’s donors and partners.

Infographics by Maryna Shpiker

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