Latest news with #Olena
Time of India
20-07-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Why are mentally ill soldiers being drafted in Ukraine?
Representative Image (AI-generated) M emory lapses, disorientation, confusion about numbers and colors: These are just some of the issues that Vasyl, a 28-year-old from central Ukraine, deals with on a daily basis. In fact, he's been receiving psychiatric care for a personality disorder since 2015. But none of that prevented the man — whose real name is being withheld for privacy reasons — being drafted into the Ukrainian military. According to his partner Olena, Vasyl never really acknowledges his problems and he may well have failed to do so during the physical examination he was given before joining the military. Vasyl was found to be fit for service and recently sent to southern Ukraine for basic training. Olena tried to explain all this to Vasyl's new commanding officer. After first being understanding, he dismissed the 2015 report from a psychiatric clinic that Olena brought him, saying that it was outdated. "But how can that not be grounds for discharge, if his condition is incurable?" Olena asks. DW has seen the report, which includes a list of Vasyl's problems. When he's stressed, the symptoms get worse, Olena notes. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Seniors are going crazy for these comfy, stylish, easy-on shoes Ultra-Comfortable Shoes Undo That would make him a danger not only to himself but others. How can the mentally ill be drafted? There's a Ukrainian databank that military doctors refer to, in order to find out if potential recruits are sick in some way. It's called Helsi and on its website in English, it describes itself as "the most popular medical information system for healthcare institutions and medical portal for patients in Ukraine." But Vasyl's psychiatric diagnosis isn't in that system, says Ukrainian lawyer Yevhen Tsekhmister, because details about psychological illness can only be saved in there if the patient gives permission. If the diagnosis had been there, then according to the Ministry of Defense's Order No. 402, it would make Vasyl unfit for service. Order No. 402 determines what the military medical examination should look for and how to assess a soldier's fitness for duty. Tsekhmister explains that military doctors only trust official documentation because many men fake psychological disorders in order to avoid being drafted. "If legal counsel had been sought more quickly, and more up to date evidence had been provided, Vasyl would not have been drafted," the lawyer said. Thousands of complaints about draft: At the end of 2024, Ukrainian human rights activist Olha Reshetylova was appointed as a military ombudswoman by Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy , so that soldiers and soldiers' families had a way to report violations of their rights. Reshetylova recommends that individuals take responsibility for updating their own medical history in the Helsi system and with the military, acknowledging that recruits' mental health can deteriorate during basic training. Senior officers don't want sick individuals serving in their units anyway, which is why they will often provide treatment if needed, she told DW. Since the beginning of this year, there have been more than 2,000 complaints about human rights violations committed during mobilization, Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian parliament's commissioner for human rights, reports. In 2024, there were 3,500 such complaints in total. Although not all the complaints are justified, "we always react," he said. "There are cases where my local representatives will go to the draft board themselves to help citizens assert their rights," he told DW. "Thanks to our interventions, sick people have been discharged from the army." It's true that sick people have been drafted, Lubinets conceded, although here are no concrete numbers as to exactly how manty. "That can happen when staff ignore the medical documents or the condition of the person," Lubinets says. In general, he believes new recruits should be more carefully posted around the military. "Not every health problem automatically makes you unfit," he pointed out. "With back problems, you can't join the stormtroopers but you can work on a computer." Soldiers with 'no teeth, tuberculosis': A Ukrainian brigade commander told DW about his experiences with the recently drafted. He spoke on condition of anonymity. "I actually had the privilege of being able to choose my own men," he reported. "But some came with no teeth or they had tuberculosis — even at the training center!" Some of those men had already been offered to the brigades several times but nobody wanted them, not even to build trenches, he said. Kyrylo, whodidn't want to share his real name either, is another recent recruit who was drafted earlier this year. While at the draft board, he says he saw homeless people with swollen legs, drug addicts and alcoholics. The medical exam is often just a formality and in some places, it doesn't even happen, he says. It's not until you get to the training facility that a more thorough medical examination will be carried out. Another soldier, Oleksandr — who also didn't want to give his real name — says he even saw epileptics when he was drafted. This kind of recruitment actually led to a man with schizophrenia being assigned to a brigade of marines in 2024, after basic training, he recounts. Luckily the man's condition quickly became clear. "They didn't give him any weapons and sent him away after a few days," Oleksandr says. Tsekhmister doesn't think that sort of thing is all that uncommon. "A soldier, 1.75 meters tall, weighing 38 kilograms, with poor vision, a developmental disability and a malformed chest, can neither walk nor breathe in a bulletproof vest," the lawyer argues. "But he's been in the army since 2022. He's constantly transferred from one unit to another, or to hospitals, and he receives basic care." But since none of the various problems individually make him unfit for service, he can't be discharged on health grounds. The unit commanders can't give these kinds of soldiers "real" jobs, nor can they let them go. The situation is particularly bad among ground troops and logistics services because they've become a kind of "dumping ground" for unhealthy individuals, Tsekhmister explains. "They end up in brigades that are supposed to be building defense lines," he notes. "But they're useless there." A danger to themselves and others? Ukraine's Medical Forces Command, the service responsible for troops' medical support, insists things are being done the right way. "Military doctors' assessments are based on diagnoses made by specialists," Yuriy Podolyan, a colonel and the deputy commander of the Medical Forces, said in reply to DW's enquiries. "An assessment based on the combination of several illnesses is not provided for." Podolyan also said that the Ministry of Defense's Order No. 402 complies with local law and international standards. Military ombudswoman Reshetylova sees it differently and believes that the lack of possibility for that kind of assessment means something has gone wrong and needs review. The Ministry of Defense is apparently already working on that. As for Vasyl, his basic training is almost at an end and soon he will be assigned to a unit. Lawyer Tsekhmister is trying to organize a second psychiatric evaluation by military doctors. According to Vasyl's partner Olena, he has access to weapons. "If he ends up at the front, then he's a danger to the whole unit," Tsekhmister warns. "There's no way of predicting when his mental health will fail, or who might then be targeted."
DW
19-07-2025
- Health
- DW
Why are mentally ill soldiers being drafted in Ukraine? – DW – 07/19/2025
Reports, including from soldiers, suggest that psychologically and physically unfit men are being drafted into the Ukrainian army, where they may endanger themselves and others. How is this happening? Memory lapses, disorientation, confusion about numbers and colors: These are just some of the issues that Vasyl, a 28-year-old from central Ukraine, deals with on a daily basis. In fact, he's been receiving psychiatric care for a personality disorder since 2015. But none of that prevented the man — whose real name is being withheld for privacy reasons — being drafted into the Ukrainian military. According to his partner Olena, Vasyl never really acknowledges his problems and he may well have failed to do so during the physical examination he was given before joining the military. Vasyl was found to be fit for service and recently sent to southern Ukraine for basic training. Olena tried to explain all this to Vasyl's new commanding officer. After first being understanding, he dismissed the 2015 report from a psychiatric clinic that Olena brought him, saying that it was outdated. "But how can that not be grounds for discharge, if his condition is incurable?" Olena asks. DW has seen the report, which includes a list of Vasyl's problems. When he's stressed, the symptoms get worse, Olena notes. That would make him a danger not only to himself but others. There's a Ukrainian databank that military doctors refer to, in order to find out if potential recruits are sick in some way. It's called Helsi and on its website in English, it describes itself as "the most popular medical information system for healthcare institutions and medical portal for patients in Ukraine." But Vasyl's psychiatric diagnosis isn't in that system, says Ukrainian lawyer Yevhen Tsekhmister, because details about psychological illness can only be saved in there if the patient gives permission. If the diagnosis had been there, then according to the Ministry of Defense's Order No. 402, it would make Vasyl unfit for service. Order No. 402 determines what the military medical examination should look for and how to assess a soldier's fitness for duty. Tsekhmister explains that military doctors only trust official documentation because many men fake psychological disorders in order to avoid being drafted. "If legal counsel had been sought more quickly, and more up to date evidence had been provided, Vasyl would not have been drafted," the lawyer said. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video At the end of 2024, Ukrainian human rights activist Olha Reshetylova was appointed as a military ombudswoman by Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, so that soldiers and soldiers' families had a way to report violations of their rights. Reshetylova recommends that individuals take responsibility for updating their own medical history in the Helsi system and with the military, acknowledging that recruits' mental health can deteriorate during basic training. Senior officers don't want sick individuals serving in their units anyway, which is why they will often provide treatment if needed, she told DW. Since the beginning of this year, there have been more than 2,000 complaints about human rights violations committed during mobilization, Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian parliament's commissioner for human rights, reports. In 2024, there were 3,500 such complaints in total. Although not all the complaints are justified, "we always react," he said. "There are cases where my local representatives will go to the draft board themselves to help citizens assert their rights," he told DW. "Thanks to our interventions, sick people have been discharged from the army." It's true that sick people have been drafted, Lubinets conceded, although here are no concrete numbers as to exactly how manty. "That can happen when staff ignore the medical documents or the condition of the person," Lubinets says. In general, he believes new recruits should be more carefully posted around the military. "Not every health problem automatically makes you unfit," he pointed out. "With back problems, you can't join the stormtroopers but you can work on a computer." A Ukrainian brigade commander told DW about his experiences with the recently drafted. He spoke on condition of anonymity. "I actually had the privilege of being able to choose my own men," he reported. "But some came with no teeth or they had tuberculosis — even at the training center!" Some of those men had already been offered to the brigades several times but nobody wanted them, not even to build trenches, he said. Kyrylo, whodidn't want to share his real name either, is another recent recruit who was drafted earlier this year. While at the draft board, he says he saw homeless people with swollen legs, drug addicts and alcoholics. The medical exam is often just a formality and in some places, it doesn't even happen, he says. It's not until you get to the training facility that a more thorough medical examination will be carried out. Another soldier, Oleksandr — who also didn't want to give his real name — says he even saw epileptics when he was drafted. This kind of recruitment actually led to a man with schizophrenia being assigned to a brigade of marines in 2024, after basic training, he recounts. Luckily the man's condition quickly became clear. "They didn't give him any weapons and sent him away after a few days," Oleksandr says. Tsekhmister doesn't think that sort of thing is all that uncommon. "A soldier, 1.75 meters tall, weighing 38 kilograms, with poor vision, a developmental disability and a malformed chest, can neither walk nor breathe in a bulletproof vest," the lawyer argues. "But he's been in the army since 2022. He's constantly transferred from one unit to another, or to hospitals, and he receives basic care." But since none of the various problems individually make him unfit for service, he can't be discharged on health grounds. The unit commanders can't give these kinds of soldiers "real" jobs, nor can they let them go. The situation is particularly bad among ground troops and logistics services because they've become a kind of "dumping ground" for unhealthy individuals, Tsekhmister explains. "They end up in brigades that are supposed to be building defense lines," he notes. "But they're useless there." Ukraine's Medical Forces Command, the service responsible for troops' medical support, insists things are being done the right way. "Military doctors' assessments are based on diagnoses made by specialists," Yuriy Podolyan, a colonel and the deputy commander of the Medical Forces, said in reply to DW's enquiries. "An assessment based on the combination of several illnesses is not provided for." Podolyan also said that the Ministry of Defense's Order No. 402 complies with local law and international standards. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Military ombudswoman Reshetylova sees it differently and believes that the lack of possibility for that kind of assessment means something has gone wrong and needs review. The Ministry of Defense is apparently already working on that. As for Vasyl, his basic training is almost at an end and soon he will be assigned to a unit. Lawyer Tsekhmister is trying to organize a second psychiatric evaluation by military doctors. According to Vasyl's partner Olena, he has access to weapons. "If he ends up at the front, then he's a danger to the whole unit," Tsekhmister warns. "There's no way of predicting when his mental health will fail, or who might then be targeted."
Irish Independent
16-07-2025
- Automotive
- Irish Independent
Wicklow car crash victim with life-changing injuries makes appeal for help
Couple who fled war in Ukraine are seeking refuge in Greystones, but face steep costs during recovery from last year's crash Bray People A Ukrainian man living in Wicklow who was involved in a life-changing accident just after Christmas last year, has made an appeal for help to raise funds to pay for private care, which he hopes will help him gain more independence. In January 2024, Mykola Polishchuk was the back seat passenger in a car being driven by his wife, Olena, on the outskirts of Tinahely. Next to him, in a booster seat, was his youngest child. Through an interpreter, Mykola described the accident, a skid on an icy patch of road at low speed, with little damage sustained to the car after it had left the road and come to a sudden halt.
Sydney Morning Herald
02-07-2025
- General
- Sydney Morning Herald
As missiles and drones fly overhead, Tatyana refuses to stop planting
On a plot of land in the northern Kyiv region, she grows organic grapes and garlic with her husband, who suffered life-changing injuries as a soldier during an anti-terrorism operation in 2014. 'My goal is to produce environmentally friendly grapes, so our children can drink clean juice and eat healthy food,' Olena, 46, says. 'One of humanity's most precious assets is our children. We strive to become better for their sake.' Traditionally, Ukrainian women have played central – but often unrecognised – roles in agriculture. Now, with men conscripted, injured, or lost to war, women are stepping into roles once reserved for men, managing and commercialising farms and allotments and rebuilding infrastructure. According to a 2024 study by Organic Initiative, women now lead 27 per cent of organic farms, up from 20.8 per cent in 2021. Organic agriculture – less entrenched in generational gender norms – has become a space for innovation and female leadership. A recent UN Women report underscores the toll of war on women: of the 3.7 million people officially displaced within Ukraine, 56 per cent are women. More tellingly, women make up 93 per cent of the 4.6 million returnees – many of whom come back to ruined homes, no support networks, and no clear means of livelihood. It is in this gap – between displacement and recovery – that charities such as World Vision Australia are offering financial support for courses in sustainable agriculture, greenhouse management, and small business skills tailored to women navigating the aftermath of war. These livelihood trainings – in partnership with local institutions – not only build agricultural skills, but also foster confidence, networks, and economic independence. For many women, the land becomes both therapy and opportunity. Maryna, a nurse and mother of three, joined the program after fleeing Donetsk following her husband's sudden death in late 2023. She eventually resettled in the Taraviska community in the Kyiv region. 'I needed to find strength again – not just for myself, but for my kids,' she says. 'Learning to work the land gives me that. It gives us a future.' Though new to formal training, Maryna grew up farming with her parents on a two-hectare plot – now under occupation. They grew vegetables like cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes, pumpkin – all the ingredients to make borsch, an eastern European staple. In the larger fields, they grew corn, sunflowers, and wheat. 'Of course it's painful. But we still have hope. Maybe we can come back. Or maybe we create something here.' Her eldest son, 16, now works beside her. 'We grow together,' she says. One of the key implementing partners on the ground is the Boyarka College of Ecology and Natural Resources, where Larisa Yashchenko heads the practical training, especially in greenhouse cultivation and open-field farming. She says the partnership has transformed the college, which normally teaches teenagers. 'Now, we work with adults – many of them mothers and widows. It's not just education. It's experience-sharing. These women bring knowledge, strength, and purpose.' The benefits are mutual. 'We've improved our greenhouse, updated our equipment, and even adjusted our programming,' she says. 'This support allows us to grow – not just plants, but possibilities.' In total, 61 women enrolled, attending sessions, building business plans, and tending their land with new confidence. Some are displaced. Some live in war-damaged homes. All are cultivating more than food. 'Ukrainians can do anything,' Yashchenko says. 'We don't just need aid – we need opportunities. Let us work, and we'll rebuild ourselves.' In a country where 76 per cent of organic farms report labour shortages and 62 per cent lack skilled technical workers, women are stepping in to fill critical gaps. Yet many lack access to tools, markets, and training – especially in areas traditionally designed for men. World Vision's Ukraine Crisis Response Director Arman Grigoryan says training women on how to be successful in agriculture is quintessentially Ukrainian and helps them find their feet. 'This is just one example of how we can create a 'new normal' for families whose lives have been upended by this war,' he says. Indeed, these women are not just growing food for survival – they're creating market-ready products. Tatyana, for example, who also cares for her elderly mother, is developing a plan to grow edible flowers for use on cake decorations and in salads. 'They're expensive, they're in demand, and no one's supplying them locally,' she says. 'I already spoke with cafes–they said yes. They're ready.' Time is her only barrier. 'The training was fast – just two months instead of three. When you're not 18, it's harder to learn everything quickly,' she says with a smile. Loading Despite all her community has lost, Tatyana refuses to stop planting. She remembers the blast wave that hit her street, knocking flowers from her windows. She still hasn't repaired a window shattered by a recent hailstorm. 'Why bother?' she shrugs. 'What if a missile hits tomorrow?' But her actions speak louder than her doubts, with vegetables and flowers stretching across her modest yard. 'If we survive the night, we go to work. If not – well, we don't,' she half-jokes. 'That's our flexible schedule now.' Maryna, too, sees land as therapy. 'Before, nursing was everything,' she says. 'But now I want to create something alive.' Olena dreams of expanding their vineyard into a guest farm, where visitors from other communities – and even other countries – can taste the land's bounty and learn from their resilience. 'That's how we grow as a country,' she says. What these women are doing extends far beyond gardens or greenhouses. They are building a new social fabric – community-led, self-sufficient, and rooted in both tradition and innovation. Loading And in doing so, they are sketching a road map for Ukraine's recovery: not one of mere survival, but of flourishing through vineyards, backyard beds, and communal plots. That hope is already taking root – tended by women who, even in the shadow of war, choose to plant peace. 'We are growing not just food,' Olena says. 'We are growing hope.' The author travelled to Ukraine with the support of World Vision Australia.
The Age
02-07-2025
- General
- The Age
As missiles and drones fly overhead, Tatyana refuses to stop planting
On a plot of land in the northern Kyiv region, she grows organic grapes and garlic with her husband, who suffered life-changing injuries as a soldier during an anti-terrorism operation in 2014. 'My goal is to produce environmentally friendly grapes, so our children can drink clean juice and eat healthy food,' Olena, 46, says. 'One of humanity's most precious assets is our children. We strive to become better for their sake.' Traditionally, Ukrainian women have played central – but often unrecognised – roles in agriculture. Now, with men conscripted, injured, or lost to war, women are stepping into roles once reserved for men, managing and commercialising farms and allotments and rebuilding infrastructure. According to a 2024 study by Organic Initiative, women now lead 27 per cent of organic farms, up from 20.8 per cent in 2021. Organic agriculture – less entrenched in generational gender norms – has become a space for innovation and female leadership. A recent UN Women report underscores the toll of war on women: of the 3.7 million people officially displaced within Ukraine, 56 per cent are women. More tellingly, women make up 93 per cent of the 4.6 million returnees – many of whom come back to ruined homes, no support networks, and no clear means of livelihood. It is in this gap – between displacement and recovery – that charities such as World Vision Australia are offering financial support for courses in sustainable agriculture, greenhouse management, and small business skills tailored to women navigating the aftermath of war. These livelihood trainings – in partnership with local institutions – not only build agricultural skills, but also foster confidence, networks, and economic independence. For many women, the land becomes both therapy and opportunity. Maryna, a nurse and mother of three, joined the program after fleeing Donetsk following her husband's sudden death in late 2023. She eventually resettled in the Taraviska community in the Kyiv region. 'I needed to find strength again – not just for myself, but for my kids,' she says. 'Learning to work the land gives me that. It gives us a future.' Though new to formal training, Maryna grew up farming with her parents on a two-hectare plot – now under occupation. They grew vegetables like cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes, pumpkin – all the ingredients to make borsch, an eastern European staple. In the larger fields, they grew corn, sunflowers, and wheat. 'Of course it's painful. But we still have hope. Maybe we can come back. Or maybe we create something here.' Her eldest son, 16, now works beside her. 'We grow together,' she says. One of the key implementing partners on the ground is the Boyarka College of Ecology and Natural Resources, where Larisa Yashchenko heads the practical training, especially in greenhouse cultivation and open-field farming. She says the partnership has transformed the college, which normally teaches teenagers. 'Now, we work with adults – many of them mothers and widows. It's not just education. It's experience-sharing. These women bring knowledge, strength, and purpose.' The benefits are mutual. 'We've improved our greenhouse, updated our equipment, and even adjusted our programming,' she says. 'This support allows us to grow – not just plants, but possibilities.' In total, 61 women enrolled, attending sessions, building business plans, and tending their land with new confidence. Some are displaced. Some live in war-damaged homes. All are cultivating more than food. 'Ukrainians can do anything,' Yashchenko says. 'We don't just need aid – we need opportunities. Let us work, and we'll rebuild ourselves.' In a country where 76 per cent of organic farms report labour shortages and 62 per cent lack skilled technical workers, women are stepping in to fill critical gaps. Yet many lack access to tools, markets, and training – especially in areas traditionally designed for men. World Vision's Ukraine Crisis Response Director Arman Grigoryan says training women on how to be successful in agriculture is quintessentially Ukrainian and helps them find their feet. 'This is just one example of how we can create a 'new normal' for families whose lives have been upended by this war,' he says. Indeed, these women are not just growing food for survival – they're creating market-ready products. Tatyana, for example, who also cares for her elderly mother, is developing a plan to grow edible flowers for use on cake decorations and in salads. 'They're expensive, they're in demand, and no one's supplying them locally,' she says. 'I already spoke with cafes–they said yes. They're ready.' Time is her only barrier. 'The training was fast – just two months instead of three. When you're not 18, it's harder to learn everything quickly,' she says with a smile. Loading Despite all her community has lost, Tatyana refuses to stop planting. She remembers the blast wave that hit her street, knocking flowers from her windows. She still hasn't repaired a window shattered by a recent hailstorm. 'Why bother?' she shrugs. 'What if a missile hits tomorrow?' But her actions speak louder than her doubts, with vegetables and flowers stretching across her modest yard. 'If we survive the night, we go to work. If not – well, we don't,' she half-jokes. 'That's our flexible schedule now.' Maryna, too, sees land as therapy. 'Before, nursing was everything,' she says. 'But now I want to create something alive.' Olena dreams of expanding their vineyard into a guest farm, where visitors from other communities – and even other countries – can taste the land's bounty and learn from their resilience. 'That's how we grow as a country,' she says. What these women are doing extends far beyond gardens or greenhouses. They are building a new social fabric – community-led, self-sufficient, and rooted in both tradition and innovation. Loading And in doing so, they are sketching a road map for Ukraine's recovery: not one of mere survival, but of flourishing through vineyards, backyard beds, and communal plots. That hope is already taking root – tended by women who, even in the shadow of war, choose to plant peace. 'We are growing not just food,' Olena says. 'We are growing hope.' The author travelled to Ukraine with the support of World Vision Australia.
