Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska revealed that more than 80% of Ukrainians are experiencing chronic stress and persistent emotional strain due to war.

Speaking at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome on 10 July, Zelenska painted a picture of a population ground down by sleepless nights and constant bombardment.

“Our economy continues to function thanks to millions of people who go to work after nights spent in basements,” she said. “The main emotions they experience are fatigue, tension and despair.”

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Why focus on mental health at a reconstruction conference? Zelenska’s answer was direct: “Without people, a country becomes a monument.”

The cases reveal the war’s brutality. Patients arrive with burns, blast wounds, crushed limbs from Russian strikes. “Saving their lives is not enough,” Zelenska said. “We must help them live fully.”

“Destruction is not only a physical concept, but also a social one, which manifests as difficulties, security threats, and psychological suffering,” she explained. “It can spread far beyond the battlefield and affect everyone.”

How is Ukraine building mental health infrastructure during wartime? The country established a Mental Health Coordination Center under the Cabinet of Ministers, according to Zelenska. The goal: getting mental health services into every community across Ukraine.

The challenge requires international help. “Much effort is being made to expand operations so that mental health services are available in every community, and this requires partner support,” Zelenska told conference delegates.

Ukraine now has 11,000 rehabilitation specialists—seven times more than in 2022. These professionals have treated 600,000 Ukrainians injured by combat and enemy strikes over the past 18 months.

But Ukraine isn’t just receiving expertise—it’s sharing it. “We learn from the world’s best clinics, but our own experience has also grown to such a level that we can already share it,” Zelenska said. 

Can a country rebuild while its population remains traumatized? Zelenska invited conference participants to join Ukraine’s medical partnership, suggesting the answer lies in international collaboration on both physical and mental reconstruction.

In June, Ukraine opened its first specialized mental health center in Lviv, targeting survivors of Russian captivity and torture. The Saint Leo the Great Mental Health Center offers residential care with art therapy studios and aims to treat 1,000 patients annually, including former prisoners of war. Belgium’s Flanders region funded the €1.5 million facility to address systematic torture experienced by up to 90% of returned Ukrainian POWs.

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