My journey of military service, return to civilian life, professional development, and the launch of a pilot project for cross-sectoral cooperation
Yuriy Oleksiyovych Myroshnyk
I did not stop defending Ukraine after being discharged from military service. Only the circumstances, objectives, and instruments of my struggle have changed.
In December 2022, I completed my military service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Behind me lay combat operations, Russian captivity, enduring torture, and physical and psychological suffering. Ahead lay the return to civilian life, medical rehabilitation, and finding my place in the society for whose freedom I had fought.
Returning from war does not mean instantly returning to life as it was before. Especially when one carries the weight of captivity, pain, loss, and trials that leave an indelible mark on memory. I had to undertake my own path of recovery, re-evaluate my experiences, and learn to live with the aftermath of war. I understood firsthand how challenging the transition of a service member back into civilian life can be.
At the same time, I refused to remain detached from the defense of Ukraine. For me, defending the Homeland has never been confined strictly to military service. It also means taking responsibility for the comrades who stood shoulder to shoulder with me, for the families of fallen brothers-in-arms, for the wounded, for those returned from captivity, and for those who still need assistance.
My combat comrades approached me asking for support for themselves and their families. They knew I possessed not only military and life experience, but also formal legal education and practical knowledge. These appeals largely defined my path forward. I resolved to continue serving Ukraine in a new capacity: through professional veteran reintegration support, advocating for their legal rights, and assisting them through life’s hardships.
In 2025, I passed the state competitive selection process for the position of Veteran and Demobilized Persons Support Specialist. On June 15, 2025, I commenced my professional duties at the Bashtanka Multidisciplinary Hospital Municipal Non-Profit Enterprise (KNP) of the Bashtanka City Council. I express personal gratitude to Alla Anatoliivna Barsegyan, Director of the hospital, for providing the opportunity to initiate this specialized support service within the facility. On June 26, the hospital officially announced to the public the opening of the veteran support office and the reception of its first visitors.
For me, this was far more than just a job. I understood the hardships veterans face because I had walked that road myself: war, captivity, long-term medical care, establishing disability status, and fighting for legal rights. From the outset, I observed that even rights guaranteed by state legislation are rarely realized without friction. People arrived with issues regarding disability classification, medical provision, social security, housing rights, documentation retrieval, pensions, and interactions with state agencies.
Behind each appeal was an individual, their health, their family, and their future. Gradually, I arrived at a firm conclusion: resolving an isolated problem for an individual veteran is not enough. One must understand why the systemic bottleneck occurred, which state and local bodies must coordinate to solve it, and how to prevent identical recurrences. It was then that my concept of systematic cross-sectoral cooperation began to take shape.
In July 2025, while confirming my full professional qualification as a veteran support specialist, I reached out to my wartime brother-in-arms, Mykola Oleksandrovych Hrekov. Mykola Hrekov is a combat veteran of the Russo-Ukrainian war and the Oleksandrivsk City Mayor (Luhansk Oblast). I requested his assistance in arranging a working meeting with People’s Deputy of Ukraine Anatoliy Dmytrovych Ostapenko, Chairman of the parliamentary subcommittee on the social protection of veterans' rights.
At that point, I had already experienced the negative administrative hurdles of securing state-guaranteed benefits. I was also acutely aware of identical obstacles encountered by my comrades. I realized that a substantial portion of these issues cannot be solved solely at the municipal or single-institution level; direct coordination with legislators, legal experts, and state executive bodies was essential. Thanks to Mykola Hrekov’s facilitation, this meeting took place.
During our initial consultation with Anatoliy Ostapenko, we reviewed the fundamental challenges facing veterans and established a framework for ongoing operational communication. This represented a vital breakthrough: the ability not merely to document legal violations, but to mobilize various levels of government to resolve them.
Our partnership swiftly transitioned from discussions to tangible results. A primary case involved a veteran in the Bashtanka territorial community who had been wrongfully assigned a Category III disability rating, which failed to correspond to his actual health condition. I brought this situation to Mykola Hrekov’s attention. Within approximately ten days, facilitated by MP Anatoliy Ostapenko, his assistant Stanislav Valeriyovych Stoykov arrived in Bashtanka. A working meeting was held with the hospital leadership to address the situation properly. Following this intervention, the disability status was formally reviewed and upgraded to Category II, accurately reflecting the veteran’s medical condition.
I viewed this outcome as an important practical benchmark of collective effort. It demonstrated that active cooperation among a veteran support specialist, local administrative institutions, civic partners, and a member of parliament can resolve complex issues. Yet it also prompted fundamental questions: Why must a veteran who survived combat, injuries, or captivity expend immense personal energy just to secure statutorily guaranteed rights? Why is high-level ad hoc intervention required to carry out ordinary legal processes? Most importantly, how can we build a mechanism that solves these issues systematically, predictably, and without redundant friction?
The next milestone was an inter-agency working conference at the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration on September 22, 2025. At my request, Anatoliy Ostapenko and Mykola Hrekov traveled to Mykolaiv. MP Ostapenko chaired an on-site parliamentary working session dedicated to veterans' rights and structural support mechanisms. During this conference, I presented my proposal for a pilot cross-sectoral cooperation framework based in the Bashtanka territorial community.
The concept centered on consolidating the resources and authority of local self-government, state agencies, veteran support specialists, civil society organizations, legal scholars, private enterprise, and legislative representatives. Following substantive deliberation, the conference formally endorsed the initiative to launch this pilot project in Bashtanka. I consider this decision the foundation of what would become the "Bashtanka Model."
Following this endorsement, a protracted and demanding phase of operational implementation began. I submitted detailed cooperation proposals to the Bashtanka City Council and pressed for improved public communication regarding available veteran services. However, early efforts met administrative inertia: I received formal written refusals to cooperate and encountered persistent communication barriers.
This was difficult to accept, as our efforts were never about personal ambitions or administrative titles, but about establishing a durable safety net for veterans and their families. Despite these setbacks, I continued case management, defended veteran rights, documented inter-agency bottlenecks, and expanded our partner coalition. Real-world practice reinforced my conviction that the model must integrate not only social welfare, but also healthcare, legal defense, housing allocations, employment, business initiatives, and local economic development.
Eventually, Bashtanka City Mayor Oleksandr Anatoliyovych Berehovyi approached me directly to establish operational cooperation. I viewed this as an opening to move from dialogue to implementation. In response, I submitted formal operational proposals and assembled a multidisciplinary team to execute the pilot project.
Realizing an initiative of this scope alone was impossible; it required seasoned legal, academic, administrative, military, and economic expertise. By that time, I headed the Bashtanka Community Primary Branch of the All-Ukrainian Trade Union of Defenders of Ukraine, Athletes, and Industry Workers. Upon the recommendation of Union Deputy Chairman Yuriy Anatoliyovych Dumanskyi, I established a working partnership with Vitaliy Pylypovych Kryvoruchko, Director and Founder of the law firm "Kryvoruchko and Partners — Legal Battalion."
Recognizing his extensive legal expertise, I invited him to co-develop the initiative. Consequently, Vitaliy Pylypovych became our primary legal partner and co-author of the pilot project. Together, we designed its core concept, defined its strategic objectives, and formulated its organizational and legal implementation mechanisms.
Upon my personal invitation, Dr. Vasyl Mykolayovych Stratonov—Doctor of Juridical Sciences, Professor, Honored Jurist of Ukraine, and Professor at Kherson State University—joined our working group as an independent senior legal expert.
Senior leadership from the All-Ukrainian Trade Union also joined the core team:
- Yuriy Anatoliyovych Dumanskyi — Deputy Chairman of the Union, Lieutenant General, former Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine;
- Yevhen Deoniziyovych Skulysh — Deputy Chairman of the Union, Major General (ret.), Doctor of Juridical Sciences, Professor, former Rector of the National Academy of the Security Service of Ukraine;
- Rakhim Kudrat Ohly Babaiev — Deputy Chairman of the Union, combat veteran, Head of the NGO "Center for Veteran Business Initiatives," and Director of the Pirogov Sanatorium SE.
MP Anatoliy Ostapenko, his assistant Stanislav Stoykov, and Mayor Mykola Hrekov remained vital partners. We consolidated a coalition of professionals with diverse institutional capabilities united by a shared commitment to veterans and their families. I coordinated our strategic plan with this group and presented our unified team to the Bashtanka City Council with an explicit proposal for institutional partnership.
It was vital that the municipal council participate as a genuine institutional partner rather than an observer. A crucial milestone was the formal execution of a Memorandum of Cooperation and Partnership between the Bashtanka City Council and the Bashtanka Primary Organization of the All-Ukrainian Trade Union. This Memorandum laid the operational foundation for the pilot project: the "Bashtanka Model of Cross-Sectoral Interaction for Implementing State Veteran Policy and Community Economic Development."
To formally present the framework, I organized an inter-agency working conference via videoconference uniting the leadership of the Bashtanka City Council, Trade Union executives, members of parliament, scholars, legal counsel, veterans, and administrative stakeholders. I convened and moderated the session. Olena Volodymyrivna Pavlova—Deputy Head of our Primary Organization and a private notary of the Bashtanka district—managed secretarial and documentary duties. The conference engaged Anatoliy Ostapenko, Stanislav Stoykov, Mykola Hrekov, Vasyl Stratonov, Vitaliy Kryvoruchko, Yuriy Dumanskyi, Yevhen Skulysh, Rakhim Babaiev, Viktor Mamchur, and the municipal leadership headed by Mayor Oleksandr Berehovyi.
We mapped out core operational sectors: protecting social and housing rights, medical care, legal representation, veteran entrepreneurship, capital investment, and international partnerships. A foundational element of our concept is compiling an analytical registry of successfully resolved, anonymized legal precedents. This empirical record will serve not only to assist individual applicants, but to reform municipal administrative practices and formulate targeted legislative proposals for the national parliament.
Immediately following the November 3 conference, Vitaliy Kryvoruchko initiated the legal formalization of the permanent working body. With the assistance of municipal representative Oleksandr Valentynovych Zyuzko, he engaged the Head of the Legal Department of the Bashtanka City Council, Oksana Vitaliivna Vynohradova. This discussion revealed initial procedural friction regarding drafting responsibilities and inter-agency workflows. Consequently, Vitaliy Pylypovych set out our operational blueprint, proposing the establishment of the "Cross-Sectoral Advisory and Expert Council for Implementing the 'Bashtanka Model' Pilot Project under the Bashtanka City Council," emphasizing the necessity of solid statutory authorization.
On November 4, at 3:30 PM, an operational session was convened by Oleksandr Zyuzko involving myself, Olena Pavlova, and municipal representatives. Noting that the municipality lacked internal templates for such a comprehensive inter-agency body, municipal officials requested that our legal team ("Legal Battalion") draft the entire regulatory package for subsequent review. Vitaliy Kryvoruchko immediately commenced this work.
This friction provided a realistic test of the organizational challenges inherent in cross-sectoral collaboration. More importantly, it proved that administrative impasses can be resolved constructively through negotiation, distinct division of labor, and specialized expertise.
A subsequent issue arose regarding public reporting of the inaugural conference by the municipal press office and regional outlets. While welcoming the publication of news concerning the project's launch, I noted with regret that official press releases failed to acknowledge the initiative's origins, the conceptual authors, the event organizers, and external contributing partners.
This is an issue of principle. Behind every policy innovation stand concrete individuals: their professional networks, labor, time, and personal liability. Objective public information must accurately reflect the contributions of all participants, regardless of their rank or institutional affiliation. On November 5, I formally raised these concerns with municipal liaison Oleksandr Zyuzko, who confirmed he had forwarded my feedback to Communications Director Liubov Hryhorivna Kovalyova and Mayor Berehovyi. Professional respect for intellectual authorship, transparent partnership, and honest acknowledgment of contributions are indispensable prerequisites for public trust.
What the "Bashtanka Model" Means to Me
Reflecting on my evolution from an infantryman to a veteran support specialist and institutional coordinator, I recognize the continuity uniting every phase:
- War instilled an enduring responsibility for the welfare of my fellow soldiers.
- Captivity and torture gave me an intimate understanding of the sacred value of human dignity, justice, and human rights.
- Frontline veteran casework exposed the stark realities confronting Ukrainian defenders upon demobilization.
- Formal legal training allowed me to look beyond individual administrative failures to their root systemic causes.
- Working alongside wartime comrades, legislators, scholars, attorneys, union leaders, and local officials proved that entrenched problems can be dismantled through coordinated collective action.
That is why I created the Bashtanka Model. It is not an abstract slogan, another redundant working group, or a ceremonial document. It is a functional operational apparatus designed to ensure that no veteran is left isolated against bureaucracy, and that all relevant institutions, professionals, and civic partners work synchronously toward a solution.
My objective is to ensure that a veteran returning from combat is never again forced to wage a bureaucratic war to prove their basic right to respect, healthcare, housing, or social security. That the family of a fallen defender is never left abandoned in administrative isolation. That demobilized soldiers seeking to build private enterprises receive real, structured support. That successfully resolved legal cases serve as blueprints to improve regional administration and national legislation. That local authorities receive not merely criticism, but practical legal tools, institutional partnerships, and actionable solutions. And that the successful experience of one community can eventually serve as a reproducible template for all of Ukraine.
I have not ceased defending Ukraine. Only the terrain, the challenges, and the instruments of my service have changed. Once, I defended our sovereignty in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Today, I continue that fight as a veteran, lawyer, support specialist, civic leader, and coordinator of the "Bashtanka Model."
I express my deepest gratitude to my combat comrades who placed their trust in me and supported this mission. I thank Mykola Hrekov, Anatoliy Ostapenko, Stanislav Stoykov, Yuriy Dumanskyi, Vitaliy Kryvoruchko, Vasyl Stratonov, Yevhen Skulysh, Rakhim Babaiev, Olena Pavlova, and every collaborator engaged in this undertaking. I also value the commitment of the Bashtanka City Council to this partnership, and look forward to translating our common framework into measurable, lasting outcomes.
Substantial challenges lie ahead. There will be institutional inertia, misunderstandings, and the need to defend our core principles. But my life has taught me never to yield before obstacles. Moving from defender of the state to veteran advocate and initiator of the Bashtanka Model is simply my continued duty to Ukraine, its citizens, and those who gave their health, freedom, and lives for our independence.
If our collaborative efforts ensure that even one soldier is spared the administrative ordeal that so many of us had to endure, our labor will have been justified. But our goal is broader: to ensure that veteran welfare ceases to depend on arbitrary luck, private connections, or ad hoc interventions, and rests instead upon an equitable, dependable, and durable system that works for every single person. That is the fundamental purpose of the "Bashtanka Model."
Yuriy Oleksiyovych Myroshnyk
Combat Veteran of the Russo-Ukrainian War, Person with a Disability Resulting from War.
Veteran and Demobilized Persons Support Specialist.
Head of the Bashtanka Community Primary Organization, All-Ukrainian Trade Union of Defenders of Ukraine, Athletes, and Industry Workers.
Initiator and Coordinator of the Pilot Project "Bashtanka Model of Cross-Sectoral Interaction for the Implementation of State Veteran Policy and Community Economic Development."
November 5, 2026
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