Therapy dogs help bring respite to war veterans of Ukraine

Kiev: Ricky, a larger than life golden retriever, wags his tail as he nestles his head on Vasyl’s lap. But still the war veteran looks tense.

Then the dog throws his front paws onto the shoulders of the 47-year-old suffering from post-war trauma, and a smile forms across his face.

“This is probably the most soothing thing,” says Vasyl in the corridor of a large medical centre for veterans in Kiev.

Vasyl, who along with other interviewees declined to give his full name due to the stigma around mental health in the country, was wounded fighting Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. Now, he is one of the participants in an initiative to help soldiers overcome post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with the help of therapy dogs.

In it’s sixth year, Kiev’s conflict with separatists in the breakaway areas of Donetsk and Lugansk regions has claimed more than 13,000 lives, including 4,000 Ukranian troops. With some 10,000 soldiers injured in the conflict, one group of volunteers hopes dog therapy can be a resource for veterans whose injuries are hidden.

When war broke out in Ukraine in 2014, its military inherited from the Soviet Union was not prepared for an onslaught of veterans suffering from stress. Although some 500,000 Ukrainians have served in the military since, discussing mental health and the psychological impact of the war remains taboo.“There are positive steps from the state,” says Rodion Grigoryan, a psychologist.