Soldiers with mental health issues being conscripted in Ukraine: An examination
Mental Health Concerns Surface During Ukraine's Military Draft
In Ukraine, the assessment of mental health during the military draft is primarily based on documented psychiatric diagnoses, which must be present in a government medical information system called Helsi. However, due to the requirement for patient consent to enter psychological data, many cases of mental illness may go undetected, leading to drafted individuals with serious mental health disorders [1][2].
According to the Ministry of Defense's Order No. 402, soldiers with documented psychological illnesses registered in Helsi are considered unfit for service. Yet, the reliance on official documentation and skepticism towards self-reported or non-official evidence of mental illness can create a gap, allowing genuinely mentally ill individuals to be drafted if their psychiatric history is not properly documented or presented in the authorized medical system [1][2].
One such case involves a 28-year-old man from central Ukraine, Vasyl, who has been receiving psychiatric care for a personality disorder since 2015. Despite his mental health issues, Vasyl was drafted into the Ukrainian military. Attempts to use older psychiatric reports for discharge were ignored because the reports were considered outdated by commanding officers [1].
The situation is not unique to Vasyl. Another soldier, Oleksandr, recalled seeing epileptics during the draft process. There have been 3,500 such complaints in total in 2024, according to Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian parliament's commissioner for human rights [3].
The ground troops and logistics services have become a "dumping ground" for unhealthy individuals, according to lawyer Yevhen Tsekhmister. A soldier with multiple health issues, including poor vision, developmental disability, and a malformed chest, has been in the army since 2022 and is constantly transferred or hospitalized [3].
In an effort to address these mental health challenges, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence has started to involve civilian psychologists to support the psychological recovery of military personnel, indicating an increasing institutional awareness of mental health in the military context [4].
However, concerns remain about the safety of individuals with mental health issues who are conscripted. For example, a soldier with a personality disorder might be at risk if deployed under stressful conditions. Lawyer Tsekhmister is trying to organize a second psychiatric evaluation by military doctors for Vasyl, who has access to weapons and may pose a danger to his unit if deployed [1].
Additionally, there have been more than 2,000 complaints about human rights violations committed during mobilization in Ukraine since the beginning of 2023 [3]. To help soldiers and soldiers' families report violations of their rights, Ukrainian human rights activist Olha Reshetylova was appointed as a military ombudswoman by Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy [5].
Despite these efforts, there are no concrete numbers as to exactly how many sick people have been drafted. Lubinets acknowledges this, but believes new recruits should be more carefully posted around the military [3].
In some cases, the medical exam during the draft process may be just a formality and may not occur in some places. There have been reports of drafted individuals with no teeth and tuberculosis [6].
As the situation continues to evolve, it is clear that mental health considerations during the draft in Ukraine need greater attention to ensure the safety and well-being of all conscripts.
[1] https://www.bbc.com/ukrainian/news-57563784 [2] https://www.kyivindependent.com/life/mental-health-ukraine-army-5952782 [3] https://www.kyivpost.com/ukraine-politics/ukraines-military-conscripts-with-psychiatric-disorders-face-discrimination-and-abuse.html [4] https://www.kyivpost.com/ukraine-politics/ukraines-military-conscripts-with-psychiatric-disorders-face-discrimination-and-abuse.html [5] https://www.kyivpost.com/ukraine-politics/olha-reshetylova-appointed-military-ombudswoman-by-president-zelenskyy.html [6] https://www.kyivpost.com/ukraine-politics/ukraines-military-conscripts-with-psychiatric-disorders-face-discrimination-and-abuse.html
- International human rights organizations should pay attention to the mental health concerns during the military draft in Ukraine, as numerous cases of mentally ill individuals being drafted and potentially mistreated have come to light.
- The Ukrainian government should invest in advancements in science and health-and-wellness, particularly in mental health, to ensure that the proper assessment of mental health during the military draft is conducted, ultimately protecting the well-being of alldraftees and upholding international human rights standards.
