Denmark allocates €6 million for rehabilitation of Ukrainian veterans

The Danish government is allocating DKK 45 million — more than €6 million — for programmes to help Ukrainian veterans. The funding is for two years and will be aimed primarily at rehabilitation, psychological support and the return of veterans to civilian life and work.

This was announced by Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen. The information was also released by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The funds will be provided from the Danish development aid budget. They will go to the Red Cross and Mission East, which already implement veteran support projects in Ukraine.

One of the main areas will be the reintegration of former military personnel into civilian life. The programmes will cover physical and mental health, recovery from wounds and injuries, rehabilitation, as well as social adaptation.

Special attention is planned for returning veterans to the labour market. The assistance should create conditions for restoring professional activity, acquiring necessary skills and adapting to work after service.

However, the funds allocated by Denmark do not provide direct cash payments to individual veterans.

"It is not about providing benefits to Ukrainian veterans. It is about strengthening their business environment and civil society to address this challenge," — Rasmussen explained.

According to estimates cited by the Danish side, the war has already created about 1.8 million veterans in Ukraine. After the end of hostilities, the number of people who will need help with treatment, rehabilitation and return to civilian life may increase significantly.

Denmark has already funded projects for Ukrainian veterans, but the new decision should make this support more systematic. Rasmussen noted that the DKK 45 million will complement Denmark's existing programmes and assistance from other international partners.

Mission East, in particular, implements programmes in Ukraine that combine labour and social reintegration of veterans with psychological assistance and physiotherapy. In some projects, veterans participate in the restoration of war-damaged houses and other infrastructure in communities.

Based on materials from: Danish MFA, Ritzau