The conflict in Ukraine has had a negative impact on many Ukrainians, exacerbating mental health problems in a high-stress environment. This is especially true for veterans who participated in the hostilities. This was reported by the British newspaper The Guardian.
“Some suffer from anxiety or depression, others have lost limbs and are adapting to a new life with prosthetics as best they can. The hardest part is finding a reason to keep living, which is why suicide is not uncommon. It is difficult for the government to help current veterans,” writes The Guardian.
The suicide rate in Ukraine remains high. According to the newspaper, 30.6 deaths per 100,000 people were recorded in 2020 against a global average of 10.4.
Fighting in the country has also increased tensions within families and between couples. Some 4 million Ukrainians now live abroad, most of them women and children, the publication recalled. Many families are separated because the men cannot leave the country. They worry that their wives will not return, and relationships often end in divorce.
Many Ukrainians admit that they see no future for Ukraine, but they do not feel they belong in the West either, The Guardian summarises.
Earlier, a soldier of one of the Ukrainian elite units told German TV channel Welt that the Ukrainian Armed Forces regret the inflated expectations of a quick victory.