The Untold Stories: Ukraine's Silent Tragedy of Soldiers' Suicides

Fri Dec 19 2025 17:42:56 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

As Ukraine continues to mourn the loss of soldiers in war, a hidden tragedy emerges—those who took their own lives bear the stigma of having 'died the wrong way'. This article explores the heartbreaking realities for grieving families.

This poignant piece unveils the distressing stigma surrounding the suicide of Ukrainian soldiers amidst the ongoing war. Families struggle for recognition and support as they navigate their grief in a society that distinguishes between 'heroic' deaths and suicides. The article highlights personal accounts grieving families, the absence of official recognition for soldier suicides, and the urgent need for systemic reform in mental health support for veterans.

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

Kateryna's world shattered when she learned of her son Orest's death at the front in the Donetsk region. Official reports labeled his demise as a 'self-inflicted wound', a classification that leaves her incredulous and broken. With the stigma of suicide entwined in the societal fabric of Ukraine, she has chosen to remain anonymous, echoing the tragic sentiment of many families who have lost loved ones under similar circumstances.

In 2023, Orest, a gentle 25-year-old with aspirations of an academic career, was conscripted into military service, deemed fit despite his poor eyesight. Deployed to a demanding position, he succumbed to mental anguish, a fate that his mother believes is far from a mere accident.

Ukraine has seen over 45,000 soldiers perish since the escalated conflict with Russia began in 2022, yet the silent suffering of soldiers battling unseen wounds remains largely unaddressed. What is less acknowledged are the numerous losses marked by suicide, with families asserting the number could be in the hundreds.

Maria knows this pain all too well. Her husband Anatoliy bravely volunteered yet ended up taking his life amid overwhelming trauma after an assignment near Bakhmut. Bereft of military honors and recognition, she resonates with many who feel abandoned by a system that classifies their loved ones as unheroic.

Support networks like the one Oksana Borkun leads are crucial for those who have suffered similar fates in Ukraine. Advocacy is rising for a shift in how these losses are perceived, pushing for recognition that every soldier’s battle, regardless of its outcome, deserves honor. Olha Reshetylova, the Commissioner for Veterans' Rights, acknowledges systemic failings in mental health provisions, advocating for urgent reforms to prevent further tragedies.

Ukraine is at a crossroads, faced with the challenge of bridging this societal divide that continues to stigmatize the very real and painful realities of soldiers grappling with their inner demons after serving on the front lines.