Families of Ukrainian soldiers who died by suicide during the war face stigma and lack of recognition, raising concerns about the mental health of troops on the front lines.

Kateryna, mother of 25-year-old Orest, said her son died in Donetsk in 2023 from a “self-inflicted wound,” according to official reports. She doubts the claim and said the army had deemed him fit for service despite poor eyesight. Orest was sent to the front as a communications specialist and became increasingly withdrawn before his death.

Ukraine officially mourns more than 45,000 soldiers killed since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, but there is no formal record of suicide among soldiers. Officials call such deaths isolated, yet families and human rights groups believe the numbers could be in the hundreds.

Many families say soldiers who die by suicide are denied military honors, compensation, or public recognition. Kateryna said, “Some died the right way, and others died the wrong way. The state took my son, sent him to war, and brought me back a body in a bag.”

Mariyana, whose husband Anatoliy died by suicide after being wounded at Bakhmut, said officials refused him a military burial. She described feeling abandoned by the state and criticized the stigma from others in the community.

Viktoria from Lviv also lost her husband Andriy, a reconnaissance unit driver, to suicide in 2023. She said official investigations were inconsistent, and she continues to fight for the truth about his death.

Oksana Borkun, who runs a support group for widows of soldiers who died by suicide, said about 200 families are part of the network. She and military chaplain Father Borys Kutovyi argue that these soldiers should be recognized as heroes, noting the psychological vulnerability of many recruited troops.

Ukraine’s Commissioner for Veterans’ Rights, Olha Reshetylova, said she receives reports of up to four military suicides each month. She acknowledged the system needs reform and urged the government to provide truth and recognition to bereaved families.

The ongoing crisis highlights the hidden mental health toll of war and the need for broader support for soldiers and their families.

With inputs from BBC