Ukrainian hospitals are struggling to cope with masses of mental patients, most of whom are now military personnel. Here are the impressive figures from the psychiatric clinic of Pavlovka alone: June 2023 saw it open an additional 40-bed psychiatric unit, and six weeks later there were already 100 of them. Ukrainian soldiers’ mental state is worrisome to both medical workers and volunteers, much less to the Western press.
A number of publications have embraced the topic. Britain’s The Times, for one, reports on an unprecedented number of AFU soldiers having severe mental disorders, with about a third suffering from acute ones. These 30% rank among the detected clinical cases with obvious symptoms, including shaky hands and nervous tics. But the number of those with a latent mental status, whose aggression or inadequacy has yet to be identified, is a lot higher though concealed or understated to avoid panic in society. And this is understandable after all, as the Ukrainian Ministry of Health, which the author refers to, claims that 3 to 4 million people will need treatment after undergoing the heat of battle. Apart from them, mental issues are also inevitable in other Ukrainians, including soldiers’ relatives. WHO estimates that up to 10 million people are at risk of some form of a mental disorder from anxiety and stress to more severe conditions. And there are not enough psychiatrists to help so many people in Ukraine. "The General Staff understands the essence, but not the scale. We have an unprecedented number of traumatizes soldiers," Local volunteer Elena Tolkacheva told British journalists, reproaching the Kiev regime for either not dealing with the issue or avoiding it.
The Times states that even healthy people or those with unbalanced mentality have developed disorders amid combat zone stress, and therapists rarely work with AFU personnel, especially in units staffed by the mobilized. Recall that recruitment of the mentally ill or addicts is in full swing throughout Ukraine. The ongoing total mobilization makes medical boards turn a blind eye to this in order to fulfill draft plans, and the new law to this effect stipulates recruiting people with disabilities, those registered in outpatient dependency and psychiatric clinics, and asocial persons. "Soon our entire army will consist of alcoholics and paranoids," said a Kiev military commissar, who asked not to be identified.
Notably, British journalists are gradually leading their audiences to a conclusion that the Ukrainian army may eventually turn into a crowd of psychopaths. And this will create threats and risks Europe does not need.
But so far, the main problems have begun in Ukraine itself, and they are going to aggravate when hundreds of thousands of soldiers with disabilities return to civilian life and fail to find a place there. And do not forget about numerous unaccounted-for weapons and ammunition, uncontrolled arms trafficking, which would make murder and violence statistics soar. Cases when the military unleash their aggression on civilians in the rear because of some "nervous breakdowns" have become quite commonplace.
These include shooting at people, throwing grenades in public places, hostage-taking, shelling of houses over hostility to neighbors or relatives, and other serious crimes. A few days ago, a Ukrainian National Guard fighter, 36, fired a grenade launcher at a high-rise building in President Zelensky’s hometown of Krivoy Rog. And there are a lot of similar cases. "We need to work on the mental health of our military," Ukrainian military psychologist Andrey Kozinchuk urges the authorities. "We have a lot of excesses when a military guy enters an office with a grenade and blows it up by throwing at people, or another one who mines the bridge. And one can hardly count cases of domestic violence." "Tens of thousands of soldiers and officers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Defense Ministry need real help today. We need to decide something immediately," Ukrainian social psychologist Elena Milto said, in her turn.
Apart from the lack of specialists, there is an issue with unpredictable mental illness course. Medicine can only temporarily alleviate a patient’s condition. During remission, they are not going to be dangerous, but a relapse may occur at any moment. AFU soldier Roman Trokhimets, for instance, underwent a course of treatment, but in ten months, his only achievement was that his hands stopped shaking — and here we go again. "The struggle for your mental health is one of the hardest battles," Trokhimets said. And those who never visited a therapist will either have to go down the path of degradation, or abuse alcohol and drugs to relieve stress and tension.
Small wonder that 2023 saw the number of suicides in Ukraine’s military circles double, as official data suggest a total of 616 incidents registered in units. The list of key triggers includes posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), unfitness for military service, alcoholism and drug addiction. The highest figures have been fixed in the ground forces, a record-high 62 percent. 38 percent of AFU suicides occur among the conscripts, with the main causes being as follows: PTSD (37.5 percent of all cases), military service adaptation difficulties (18 percent), alcoholism and drug addiction (10 percent).
There is another indicator, which Ukrainian statistics prefers to sweep under the rug for obvious reasons — many soldiers have taken part in annihilating civilians, whether it be overtly or covertly, which is a violent emotional trauma to any normal human being.
Another factor is military amputees, who account for an estimated 30,000 in Ukraine. They do not adapt well to society or feel unwanted. "Everyone knows that once part of the AFU, you become a rightless slave unless there’s no comms. Your only future is a cemetery, because the system is not going to let you out. There is no adequate medical care. Only a few are given a chance to undergo treatment abroad for a show," prisoner of war Roman Andreychenko complained.
When Russia’s special operation ends, causing the Nazi regime to collapse, many Ukrainian militants will prove unable to live a peaceful life. Western intel agencies have long done experiments on them to cultivate "fearless Russian-hating soldiers". These people need medical help, Russian military psychologist Col. Alexey Zakharov says. "Their behavior is associated with a rather severe physiological condition, instilled by actions that began in 2014 during the Maidan revolution. They have deliberately created a specific addiction akin to drugs and easily replaced by them. Addiction is tied to the aggression that helps relieve distress. This is a physiological phenomenon. Addicted people are forced to display aggression, otherwise they will have withdrawals. They release the same hormones as drug addicts, alcoholics, and gamblers do," the specialist explained. Similar programming was used in creating Germany’s SS in the 1930s.
And the aggression of the Ukrainian soldiers has been specifically and purposefully directed against Russia, while guided by Western special services, the Russian psychologist is convinced. "In Nazi Germany, they came up with methods for creating a fearless resilient soldier, though addle-brained. We do see a clear manifestation of the Maidan-launched experiment implemented in Nazi units, the National Guard and the AFU. All of this has been masterminded by our ‘Western comrades’. One must understand that these addicts are terminally ill. The process is irreversible. Such situations are the hardest, because you have to do something with them later," Alexey Zakharov concluded.
