Not alone: how social support groups in the Armed Forces of Ukraine assist service members and their families

Amid the full-scale war, Ukrainian defenders and their families face significant challenges in addressing social, legal, and medical issues on their own. At such moments, it is important to know that support is available and there are people ready to support and help navigate these challenges.

This is precisely why social support groups have been established within the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine explains what support these units provide and why reaching out to them is important.

What are social support groups

A social support group (also known as a social support unit or Patronage Service) is a subdivision of a military unit whose representatives provide service members and their families with assistance and consultations on legal, social and household, and medical issues.

Specialists from social support subdivisions maintain continuous communication between service members, their families, healthcare facilities, social services of local authorities, civil society organizations, and government bodies.

Since 2024, such subdivisions have been established within the official staff structure of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Previously, many such groups and subdivisions were formed through the initiative of service members, their commanders, and volunteers. In effect, they existed outside the formal structure of the military. Their experience is now being applied and scaled at the national level.

The relevant subdivisions are to be established across military command bodies, military units, healthcare facilities, military training centers, and other institutions.

Whom do social support groups assist

Social support subdivisions provide assistance to:

• wounded service members and those undergoing treatment;
• families of fallen, captured, and missing-in-action service members;
• service members released from captivity and/or participating in reintegration programs;
• service members preparing for discharge from service;
• other entities responsible for supporting service members and their families.

What issues does Support Services help address

The primary role of social support groups is to assist service members with addressing a range of social and medical issues. These include:

• supporting wounded service members, including assistance with referrals to, and assessment by, Military Medical Commissions (MMC) and the Expert Teams for Assessment of Everyday Functioning of Individuals (ETAEFI), formerly the Medical and Social Expert Commissions (MSEC), as well as maintaining communication with their family members;
• supporting family members of fallen (deceased), missing-in-action, and captured service members, and assisting them in accessing their entitled benefits and guarantees;
• support in compiling the required paperwork to acquire certificates that confirm their entitlement to benefits and compensation;
• participation in support activities for those preparing for discharge from service.

They are also responsible for maintaining communication with service members’ families.

Do social support groups provide medical treatment to wounded service members?

No. Medical treatment is provided by doctors.

At the same time, social support subdivisions accompany service members during treatment, advising them on how to undergo assessments by commissions and how to access rehabilitation, prosthetics, or medical treatment abroad.

Whom do social support groups report to

The primary structural unit within the Armed Forces of Ukraine responsible for these matters is the Central Directorate for Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC J9) of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The Directorate was established in 2014 as a pilot project, initially comprising two groups in the Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts during the Anti-Terrorist Operation. Its primary tasks included organizing coordination between the military and local authorities, businesses, and international organizations, building a positive image of the military, and facilitating humanitarian assistance.

Since 2024, social support subdivisions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have also been subordinated to the Directorate.

Information about the Central Directorate for Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC J9) activities is available on the Stay Connected website.

Why families are advised to contact military units directly

Civil-military cooperation units, including social support subdivisions, are the main point of contact for service members’ families at the military unit level. Their specialists:

• maintain ongoing communication with families;
• provide updates on the situation;
• provide support to families;
• assist with navigating documentation and administrative procedures.

These subdivisions receive information directly from military units, medical facilities, or families. Following receipt of the information, the support process for the individual or family begins.

Development prospects for social support groups

The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine outlined three key approaches to improving activities in this area:

1. Developing new and refining existing regulatory and legal frameworks governing the functioning and development of social support subdivisions within the Ministry of Defence system.
2. Balancing workloads among social support groups’ specialists in military units, military medical facilities, and Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Centers (enlistment offices) to ease the workload of combat units.
3. Enhancing the effectiveness of social support for wounded service members and assistance to the families of prisoners of war, those missing in action, and fallen service members through the implementation of the “Support” information and communication system.

These initiatives are already underway within Ukraine’s military system and are expected to substantially enhance social support for service members and their families.

Legal and regulatory framework governing this activity

The activities of social support groups (subdivisions) within the Armed Forces of Ukraine are governed by legal and regulatory acts.

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine Resolution No. 948, dated August 20, 2024, established these subdivisions within the Security and Defence Forces and set out the procedure for their organization.

Another key document is the Concept for Implementing Support for Service Members and Their Families within the Civil-Military Cooperation System of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, along with the Roadmap (approved by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on July 24, 2024).