From service to leadership: CHESNO launches program to empower veteran voices in politics

Working with veterans is one of the most relevant and important issues in Ukraine today. When returning from war, men and women face great challenges: how to adapt to civilian life, how can the skills acquired during their military service help improve their personal lives and the country?

The CHESNO movement took the initiative to help those veterans who, after returning from combat, want to demonstrate their leadership skills and political ambitions in order to continue to defend Ukraine, but in the status of a national or regional politician. This is how the idea of the Veteran Leadership Program came about, which aims to create the first training for veterans in Ukraine on political and civic participation and to increase the presence and interests of veterans in Ukrainian politics. In addition, about 70% of Ukrainians have a positive attitude toward the participation of veterans of the Russian-Ukrainian war in politics and elections.

The CHESNO Movement implements the unique project “Veteran Leadership Program” in cooperation with MATRA Program 2024 from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

“Veterans should become part of the new social contract. They should be involved in policy and decision-making in the state. We strive to provide the necessary knowledge and resources for those who are ready to become the voice of veterans and represent their interests in politics and public life,” said Vita Dumanska, leader of the CHESNO Movement.

The implementation of the Veteran Leadership Program is planned to be long-term, with a large number of regional trainings in different parts of Ukraine, two large certified national-level trainings in cooperation with the UCU School of Public Administration in Lviv, as well as internships for veterans abroad. 

The first step in the project's implementation was a strategic session with organizations dealing with veterans' issues. During a closed meeting in Kyiv in September 2024, CHESNO Movement experts together with representatives of veterans' organizations discussed the main challenges and barriers that prevent veterans from more actively participating in decision-making processes at the local and national levels. As a result of the event, a memorandum of cooperation was signed between CHESNO and organizations that deal with veterans' rights. The document envisages mutual information support and coordination of efforts for the effective implementation of joint veterans' initiatives.

In October 2024, the team of the CHESNO Movement's veterans' project held the first regional training on local politics for veterans from different parts of Ukraine. During the two-day event in Kyiv, veterans listened to lectures from leading political and civic experts and completed practical tasks. The program included a lot of interaction between the speakers and participants, as the veterans showed a high level of orientation in the political and public life of Ukraine. 

“Veterans' policy is just beginning to be implemented on a large scale, and it is always difficult for the first ones,” said Mykhailo Titik, a veteran from Poltava region, ”it is better to be prepared, so training is very important, in fact. It is always important to study, but now it is especially important.”

The lecturers of the first regional training from the CHESNO Movement were: Andrii Sauk, expert of the NGO “Agency for Recovery and Development”, and Alina Zahoruyko, MP of Ukraine. A special value of this meeting for veterans was the opportunity to find a community of like-minded people, exchange contacts and build new potential cooperation. Veterans also called the training a kind of rehabilitation and treatment, as communication in a circle of fellow veterans and support for each other are very important and inspiring for them.

“I am very pleased with the communication and the lecturers, people are very accessible. God willing, the war will end soon, and I want to gain some experience, learn something, maybe improve my legal skills, and try to run for the city council at least in the next election,” says Volodymyr Kyrychok, a veteran from Kropyvnytskyi.

Already in December 2024, the team of the CHESNO Movement's veteran project, in cooperation with the UCU School of Public Administration, launched a unique training program for national-level veterans that will last four months. The intensive offline training in Lviv includes four mandatory modules three days a month. This format of the Veteran Leadership Program is aimed at a deeper understanding of state processes and decision-making mechanisms at the national level, as well as the development of leadership skills and practical tools for active participation in the political life of the country. At the end of the program, which will be completed in March 2025, the veterans will receive certificates from UCU. 

Selection for the UCU Program involved filling out a questionnaire, a motivation letter, and an interview. Out of nearly a hundred applicants, a special committee selected 25 of the most motivated veterans.

The first national Veteran Leadership Program was launched on December 6, the Day of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, at the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Center of the Ukrainian Catholic University. So far, veterans have already completed two modules on leadership, as well as on the theory of state and law and electoral law. 

“First, this initiative helps veterans integrate into civilian life by developing their leadership skills. Thanks to this, they can become active participants in social processes. Second, the program contributes to the formation of civil society. Veterans participating in the program have unique experience and motivation. They are able to become a driving force for change, influencing society through their activism and participation in political life,” said Valentyna Zasadko, director of the UCU School of Public Administration.

The lecturers of the program are UCU professors (Andriy Rozhdestvenskyy), leading experts in economics and law (Pavlo Sheremeta, Ivan Horodyskyy), and current members of the Ukrainian Parliament, including: Roman Lozynsky, Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, and Alina Zagoruyko. In addition, each module participants will have a closed off-the-record conversation with the secret guests of the Program (current and former politicians of Ukraine). The Program also included a visit to the Lviv City Council, where Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi shared his experience of implementing veterans' policy on the ground with veterans. 

 

“Veterans are the elite of Ukrainian society. The team of the CHESNO Movement believes that the representation of veterans in politics and the public sector will be the key to the success of our country. Today, veterans need quality training, new experience and motivation to ensure this representation. We believe that the Veteran Leadership Program will be a powerful start for the participants to their great political achievements, both at the national and regional levels,” said Viktoriia Oliynyk, Head of the Veteran Leadership Program.

The participants of the training, who represent different parts of Ukraine, are actively sharing their own experience of working in communities, achievements and challenges in the interaction between veterans and local authorities. The training is very interactive, as it is not enough for the participants to be just listeners - they had many burning questions for each lecturer and speaker. 

“You can never have too much education,” says Dmytro Hnatiuk, a veteran from Mykolaiv Oblast. ”When I communicate and am surrounded by veterans, I feel lighter, I even drink less painkillers, which I take on a regular basis. Plus, I want veterans not to be used. I want to use my experience to show veterans from the Mykolaiv region that we can unite and make decisions that will not affect veterans but will be directly implemented for them.”

In 2025, the team of the CHESNO Movement's veterans' project is actively planning new regional training for veterans on interaction with local politics. A big goal is also to share the experience of veterans from abroad in order to implement its best practices in Ukraine.