«They must work either on the front lines or for the front»: Mykolaiv City Council discusses support for veterans

The Mykolaiv City Council discussed support for veterans. Photo: NikVesti

On Friday, 6 March, Mykolaiv Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych met with representatives of veterans' organisations.

During the meeting, veterans talked about the newly formed Assembly of War Veterans and discussed cooperation with city authorities in the field of veteran policy, writes a correspondent for NikVesti.

In particular, Oleksandr Sienkevych stated that veterans returning to Mykolaiv need support and access to social assistance.

«Today, we must all work either on the front lines or for the front lines. A large number of people who were on the front lines are now returning to Mykolaiv. They need special attention and special conditions, primarily because they have proven that they are true citizens of this state, not just consumers of services, and have every right to call themselves citizens of Ukraine. These people did not appear in our city in 2022; I would like to remind you that the war with the Russian Federation began back in 2014. They have all made their contribution and need additional attention from the state and local government,» said Oleksandr Sienkevych.

The Mykolaiv City Council discussed support for veterans. Photo: NikVesti

According to him, the city authorities plan to make the veteran support system «more effective».

«We decided to get together, talk and listen to your suggestions. We have a veterans' support centre and a veterans' affairs department. We want to make them not just exist, but be effective. Without you, without the people who represent veterans, this cannot be achieved. This is also important because your ideas will allow us to implement both complex projects that require significant funding and small initiatives that can be implemented without large resources. And this has nothing to do with political forces or elections, it is exclusively about supporting veterans. We are all here temporarily in our positions, and we must remember that. Our task is to create a system that will work independently of individuals. We are ahead of other regions and strive to maintain our leadership. That is why today I asked you to gather and share your suggestions. This meeting is for informational purposes, and next we will discuss how to meet periodically and work together effectively,» added Oleksandr Sienkevych.

The Mykolaiv City Council discussed support for veterans. Photo: NikVesti

In turn, Mykola Linchakovskyi, representative of the public organisation Veteran Plus, spoke about the initiative to create a Veterans' Assembly.

«The activities of the Veteran Plus organisation are aimed at helping discharged military personnel adapt, assisting in socialisation, developing businesses if this is a priority for veterans, as well as obtaining grants and other support. We are a group of people who are all connected to the war: those who fought, those who helped behind the lines, and those who still work with veterans and discharged military personnel. That is why we created the Veterans' Assembly, the first step towards further improving our work with veterans and developing support for them. The next step is that we would like to participate in improving the work with veterans,» said Mykola Linchakovskyi.

The Mykolaiv City Council discussed support for veterans. Photo: NikVesti

«I fully support the fact that before the full-scale invasion, Mykolaiv was a city on the rise and was a leader among Ukrainian cities in the development of veteran policy. One of the first veteran support centres in Ukraine was established here. Thanks to this centre, veterans have been receiving and continue to receive assistance and support during our war for independence. Unfortunately, there are also, as they say, bad examples when you start to hear from some officials that veterans should not be involved in management, and they explain this by saying that veterans have PTSD, an increased sense of justice, and so on. I would like to remind these officials how they got their jobs, who they were and what they did, starting in 2014,» said Serhii Zaitsev.

Oleksandr Sienkevych also called on civil society organisations to join the new initiative.

«It is important that today we are launching this process, and it will become public. We will say this: this is a sign for everyone who wants to join. In reality, there are civil society organisations that are working, which we may simply not know about or see. In fact, such organisations exist, and they are working to join this initiative, to stand with us, because we are all doing the same thing,» added Oleksandr Sienkevych.

«A veteran is a person who combines civilian life with pre-war life. Among them are many entrepreneurs, managers, bankers, and people of various professions. Added to this is the military experience that veterans have gained, as well as the spirit of brotherhood and other very important qualities inherent in our veterans. And not to take advantage of this today, during the war, I think is, to put it mildly, very bad,» concluded Serhii Zaitsev.

The Mykolaiv City Council discussed support for veterans. Photo: NikVesti

The Mykolaiv City Council discussed support for veterans. Photo: NikVesti

The Mykolaiv City Council discussed support for veterans. Photo: NikVesti

The Mykolaiv City Council discussed support for veterans. Photo: NikVesti

The Mykolaiv City Council discussed support for veterans. Photo: NikVesti

The Mykolaiv City Council discussed support for veterans. Photo: NikVesti

The Mykolaiv City Council discussed support for veterans. Photo: NikVesti

First Deputy Mayor of Mykolaiv Vitaliy Lukov. Photo: NikVesti

The Mykolaiv City Council discussed support for veterans. Photo: NikVesti

The Mykolaiv City Council discussed support for veterans. Photo: NikVesti

The Mykolaiv City Council discussed support for veterans. Photo: NikVesti

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