Liubov Halan: Experience of foreign volunteer service members’ families should help improve the support system
Deputy Minister of Defence of Ukraine Liubov Halan met with the families of nine foreign volunteer service members from the United States who fell defending Ukraine. They spoke about the difficulties they faced after their loved ones fell or went missing.
The Ministry of Defence will draw on this experience in its efforts to improve support for foreign volunteer service members and their families.
They are sons of their Homeland, but in a time of hardship, they became brothers to Ukrainians and warriors of the Ukrainian army. We therefore have an obligation to ensure that their families receive proper support at every stage of their interaction with the Ukrainian state.
The meeting was held with the support of the R.T. Weatherman Foundation, which assists foreign volunteer service members and their families.
Challenges faced by families of foreign volunteer service members
After their loved ones fell or went missing, the families encountered several difficulties and misunderstandings, including:
- some families learned of a volunteer service member’s death from fellow service members or social media rather than through official channels, while information from different sources often differed significantly;
- official confirmation of death and the receipt of documents took longer than families would have wanted;
- the procedures for identifying and repatriating the remains of foreign volunteer service members are complex, as are the procedures for obtaining payments provided for by law.
Working with families, we see exactly where the system needs to change. Their stories are different, but the challenges they face are often similar. That is why it is important to us that those who are working to change the support system for foreign defenders hear about these experiences. We need to find solutions together to make this journey easier for other families.
The families also emphasized that no standardized procedure exists for interacting with foreign families. They have to deal simultaneously with military units, Ukrainian government agencies, and diplomatic missions.
What the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine is changing in its support for foreign volunteer service members
According to Liubov Halan, a working group has been operating at the Ministry of Defence since September, focusing, among other things, on the social protection of foreign volunteer service members and their families. At the same time, the Ministry is developing legislative amendments to address outstanding issues and updating its support framework for service members and their families.
Priority areas of activities:
- improving the mechanism for officially notifying families when a service member has fallen or gone missing;
- speeding up coordination between military units and government agencies;
- simplifying procedures for identification, repatriation, and obtaining payments and social guarantees.
The Ministry of Defence is also working on conditions for military service in units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This involves identifying units that can provide appropriate conditions for the training and service of foreign volunteer service members, maintain communication with them, and subsequently interact with their families.
We still have a great deal of homework to do. We are working to ensure that these volunteer service members and their families are treated with dignity.
Lauren Guillaume added that the R.T. Weatherman Foundation is ready to provide comprehensive support for these efforts.
Reference information:
The R.T. Weatherman Foundation is an organization whose work includes humanitarian assistance, support for service members on the battlefield, mental health support and rehabilitation, identification of fallen service members, and support for the families of missing and fallen defenders. The Foundation places particular emphasis on supporting foreign volunteer service members and their families.
As previously reported, the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine established an interagency working group to improve service conditions for foreign volunteer service members and address issues related to obtaining residence permits, social protection for their families, support, medical treatment for injuries, and other matters.
