Unseen Tragedy: The Stigma Surrounding Ukraine's Soldiers Who Suffer in Silence

Fri Dec 19 2025 16:44:55 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

This article explores the grim reality faced by families of Ukrainian soldiers who have taken their own lives amid the ongoing conflict with Russia, highlighting the lack of support and recognition for these tragedies.

As Ukraine mourns over 45,000 soldiers lost since the war began, families of those who died by suicide struggle with stigma and lack of recognition. Bereaved relatives share their heart-wrenching stories and demand reform for better mental health support and acknowledgment of their loved ones' sacrifices.

This article contains distressing details and references to suicide. Some of the names have been changed to protect identities.

Kateryna cannot talk about her son, Orest, without tears. Her voice trembles with anger as she explains how she found out the news that he had died on the front line in the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine in 2023.

According to the official investigation by the army, he died by a self-inflicted wound, something Katernya finds hard to believe.

Kateryna has asked for her and her late son to remain anonymous due to the stigma that surrounds suicide and mental health in Ukraine.

Orest was a quiet 25-year-old who loved books and dreamed of an academic career. His poor eyesight had made him initially unfit for service at the start of the war, his mother says.

But in 2023, a recruitment patrol stopped him in the street. His eyesight was re-evaluated and he was deemed fit to fight. Not long after, he was sent to the front as a communications specialist.

While Ukraine collectively mourns the loss of more than 45,000 soldiers who have died since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, a quieter tragedy unfolds in the shadows.

There are no official statistics surrounding suicide among soldiers. Officials describe them as isolated incidents. Yet human rights advocates and bereaved families believe they may be in the hundreds.

Orest became increasingly withdrawn and depressed after being deployed near Chasiv Yar in Donetsk. He was one of many whose struggles continued silently amid the ongoing war.

Families of those who took their own lives receive no compensation or recognition for their loved ones' sacrifices, fueling a sense of betrayal and stigma. In Ukraine, it's as if we've been divided, Kateryna states. Some died the right way, and others died the wrong way.

Another widow, Mariyana, shares a similar grief story, noting her husband Anatoliy's change after witnessing horrors on the battlefield. His death was met with further heartache as he was denied military honors because of the nature of his passing.

Many families, like Mariyana's, seek recognition of their loved ones as heroes. They demand changes to recognize those who have died by suicide and provide support for bereaved families.

Viktoria, another widow struggling with stigma, is fighting for her late husband's name and for justice, while helming the fight for openness surrounding their deaths.

Oksana Borkun leads a support community for military widows who have lost their husbands to suicide, voicing a united call for acknowledgment and change.

Ukraine's Commissioner for Veterans' Rights, Olha Reshetylova, acknowledges the rising suicide rates among veterans and insists on the need for systemic reform to help those left behind, stating, Families have a right to the truth. Reshetylova emphasizes the need for compassion and understanding towards returning soldiers.

Through these powerful testimonies, the article sheds light on the silent battles faced by military families in Ukraine, urging society to recognize their pain and push for reform in how such tragedies are perceived and addressed.