Inside The Trauma Centers Treating Ukraine’s Veterans

Psychologists in Ukraine are working to change that.

In April 2015, Col. Dr. Vsevolod Stebliuk, a medical adviser for Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense, founded a center to treat physical and psychological traumas at the Irpin Military Hospital, located in a forest outside Kyiv. Stebliuk himself suffered a period of psychological trauma after working as an anesthesiologist at Ilovaysk, where over 600 people died in clashes between troops and separatists in August 2014.

“From my experience, near 50 percent of the soldiers who took part in ATO [anti-terrorist operations] need psychological help,” Stebliuk told Moldovan.

The center provides soldiers with ergotherapy, or treatment through physical efforts, as well as an Interactive Rehabilitation and Exercise System (IREX), where patients receive therapy through virtual reality and video games. The center also has a meditation room. 

Over 500 soldiers have visited the center since its founding, Moldovan said.

Similarly, the nonprofit Wounded Warriors Ukraine trains servicemen to become Combat Shock Trainers, so they can help treat both their own and their friends’ military-induced psychological shock and PTSD.

Stebliuk’s center and Wounded Warriors Ukraine are two of many Ukrainian initiatives to help soldiers with trauma. Founded in August 2015, Hero’s Companion sends dogs to Ukrainian war veterans to help them through their PTSD.

Take a look at Moldovan’s photos of Stebliuk’s team and Wounded Warriors Ukraine’s work below.

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