Mentally, many Russian soldiers in the Ukraine war are in bad shape. Ukrainians are also affected – but they know how to help themselves.
the essentials in brief
- The Ukraine war leads not only to physical, but also to psychological damage.
- That’s why Ukraine hired many psychologists.
- These teach the soldiers how to cope with stress and anxiety.
The Ukraine war has now been going on for more than a year. The morale and psyche of the Russian troops are disastrous.
But what about the Ukrainians? The mental state should be much better here. The New York Times reports how well military psychologists take care of the soldiers.
Ihor Bahniuk, a deputy battalion commander, told the newspaper: «The boys came to me from their positions and said that they (…) are under stress and need support. You can’t do it alone.” The longer the war lasted, the more help people needed.
Colonel Dombrovskyi heads a group of several dozen psychologists and trainers in the Ukrainian army. Each team conducts 60 to 90 training sessions per month, including group therapy and individual sessions.
Referring to the Ukraine war, Rodion Hryhoryan, a military psychologist, explains: “Sometimes the soldiers don’t even know what the problem is. This training will help them figure it out.” It is also about what they have to pay attention to, how they “can control their mind and their thoughts”.
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The trainers teach various breathing techniques to reduce stress. This is to prevent the soldiers from panicking in the event of an attack. Both physical and mental exercises are a topic. The opportunity to express oneself at the meetings is also very important.
“Panic spreads like infection”
«It’s not just about life and death, but also about losing your homeland, a relative… Or the city you lived in. That triggers great fears,” says trainer Oleksandr.
“When my brother panics, it rubs off on me,” he explains at a therapy session. “Subconsciously I switch to danger mode and infect my whole squad with it.” The following is a “step-by-step” guide on how soldiers can maneuver those affected out of the panic in the Ukraine war.
Soldier Konstiantyn has been at the front since November. At the end of a training session, he asks the psychologists for advice on how to prevent himself from “freezing” on the battlefield.
He complains: “I have nightmares, and sometimes I don’t even feel like sleeping.” Get his position shot at, be it like a lottery. “Will it hit you or not?”
Soldier suffers heart attack due to stress in Ukraine war
Volodymyr, another soldier, says he suffered a heart attack while on duty. He doesn’t believe that such a therapy session will take away his fear. “Imagine being surrounded by shells and explosions for two weeks straight,” he begins.
“You manage to hide, then you look up: a few meters away from you is a crater as deep as your whole body.” Anyone who has not experienced this cannot understand this.