There are no official statistics on the number of Ukrainian soldiers who have died by suicide. Kateryna can’t hold back tears whenever she talks about her son, Orest. Her voice trembles with anger, especially when explaining how she learned of his death. Orest died near the frontline in Chasiv Yar, Donetsk, Eastern Ukraine, in 2023. The official investigation by military authorities ruled the cause of death as suicide. Kateryna asked for her and her deceased son’s names to be changed to pseudonyms, fearing the stigma surrounding suicide and mental health in Ukrainian society. Orest was a quiet 25-year-old who loved reading and dreamed of becoming an academic. According to Kateryna, his eyesight was so poor that military service was impossible at the beginning of the war. However, in 2023, a conscription patrol stopped him walking on the street. A re-examination of his sight deemed him fit for combat. Soon after, he was deployed to the front as a signalman.
Ukrainian soldiers near the frontline in Chasiv Yar, Donetsk Oblast. It is difficult to accurately determine the number of fallen Ukrainian soldiers. However, earlier this year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky admitted that approximately 56,000 of his country's soldiers and officers had died, though Western experts estimate the actual number is much higher. And in this shadow, another quiet tragedy unfolds: soldiers who take their own lives, and their bereaved families left in sorrow, social stigma, and silence. There are no official statistics on the number of Ukrainian soldiers who died by suicide. Authorities classify these as individual incidents. However, human rights activists and grieving families say the number could be in the hundreds. Kateryna stressed in a pained voice, "Orest wasn't mobilized; he was captured and taken." The conscription center in their area told the BBC there was no wrongdoing, explaining that Orest was only deemed "partially fit for duty" due to his eyesight issues. According to Kateryna, Orest became increasingly introverted and depressed after being deployed near Chasiv Yar. Kateryna still writes letters to her son every day. She has written over 650 letters so far. She feels deeper sorrow over how the law defines her son's death. In Ukraine, suicide is not recognized as death in action. Families of soldiers who die by suicide receive no compensation, no military honors, and no official recognition. Kateryna said, "In Ukraine, it feels like we are split in two. Some people died correctly, and some died incorrectly." "The state took my son and sent him to the battlefield. What I got back was a body in a bag. That’s all. No help, no truth." ## The Invisible Damage Kateryna's story is one of three cases the BBC reported on from families of soldiers who died by suicide during service. They all reported agonizing psychological burnout and felt abandoned by the social system. Maryana, from the capital Kyiv, shared a similar story. Maryana also requested anonymity for herself and her deceased husband. Her husband, Anatoliy, volunteered to go to war in 2022. Maryana recalled with a faint smile that he was initially rejected because he had no military experience, but "he kept going back until they accepted him." Anatoliy was deployed as a machine gunner near Bakhmut, one of the most intense frontlines. Maryana said, "My husband once said about 50 people had died. When he returned from combat, he was a different person. He was so quiet and distant." Anatoliy, who lost part of his arm, was transferred to the hospital. One evening, after finishing a call with his wife, he ended his life in the hospital yard. Maryana wept, complaining, "The war broke him. He couldn't live with the things he had witnessed." However, because Anatoliy's cause of death was ruled suicide, authorities refused a military funeral. Maryana expressed a sense of betrayal, saying, "He was useful when he was on the front line, but now he's not a hero?" She added, "The state just dumped me on the roadside. I gave my husband, and they left me alone and empty-handed." She also mentioned feeling stigmatized even by other military families.
Maryana said she did not want to reveal her identity due to concerns about the social stigma surrounding suicide in Ukrainian society. Currently, Maryana's only support is an online community of wives whose military husbands died by suicide, just like her. They hope the government will amend the law so that bereaved families like them can enjoy the same rights and recognition as other military families. Meanwhile, Viktoria, whom the reporting team met in Lviv, was afraid to talk openly about her husband's death for fear of public criticism. Both Viktoria and her husband used pseudonyms. Her husband, Andriy, had a congenital heart condition but insisted on enlisting. He became a driver in a reconnaissance unit and witnessed some of the most intense battles, including the recapture of Kherson. In June 2023, Viktoria received a call saying her husband had taken his own life. She said she felt "the world was collapsing" at the time. Ten days later, his body was transported, but Viktoria was told she couldn't even view the body. Later, a lawyer hired by Viktoria found several inconsistencies in the investigation into Andriy's death. Viewing the scene photos made Viktoria question the official cause of death. The Ukrainian military authorities admitted mistakes and promised a reinvestigation. "I am fighting for his honor. He can no longer speak for himself. My war is not over yet." ## Social Stigma Oksana Borkun runs a support community for military families. This organization alone has about 200 families who lost a relative to suicide. Borkun said, "People say if they died by suicide, they are not a hero." She added, "Some churches refuse to officiate funerals. Some villages refuse to post photos of those who died by suicide on the memorial wall." Many families question the official causes of death. Borkun explained, "Some cases were closed too quickly." Meanwhile, military chaplain Father Borys Kutovyi stated that he witnessed at least three suicides in his unit alone since the full-scale invasion, emphasizing that even one suicide is a massive incident. "The fact that someone made that choice means we failed somewhere." Father Kutovyi believes that conscripts, unlike career soldiers, are particularly psychologically vulnerable. Both Borkun and Father Borys said that those who died by suicide should also be honored as heroes. ## A System Struggling to Find the Truth Olha Reshetylova, Ukraine's first military human rights ombudsman, admitted that action is insufficient, noting she receives at least four reports of military suicides every month. She added, "What they saw was hell. Even those with the strongest minds can break." Reshetylova told the BBC that the Ukrainian military is pursuing systematic reform. However, she explained, "It takes years just to establish a proper military psychology school." Reshetylova warned, "Families have the right to know the truth. They don't trust the investigative authorities. Some cases might be murder disguised as suicide." Reshetylova did not take a clear stance on whether all soldiers should be honored as heroes, but her mindset was clearly focused on the future. Reshetylova warned, "We must prepare now for after the war is over." "These were your neighbors and colleagues. They are the ones who walked through hell. The warmer we welcome them, the fewer tragedies there will be."
"Commenters are enraged at the systemic abandonment and disrespect shown to veterans, especially those suffering from PTSD and suicide. The discussion spans from cursing Putin to observing that soldiers globally (including in Korea) are increasingly treated as disposable, even after immense sacrifice."
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