Wartime digitalization: Ukrainian developers create solutions for service members and veterans

What is the problem?

After returning from war, many veterans face difficulties in adapting to civilian life. Ukrainians noticed that, especially in the first year of the war, finding information about the necessary documents, services, and support programs was not easy. This information is often scattered among different sources and is not always available in a convenient format.

What is the solution?

Creating information platforms and mobile apps for defenders can solve this problem. Ukrainians can easily make an appointment with a doctor, order food, get expert advice, open their own businesses, or even get married through their smartphones. No wonder Ukrainian IT specialists were challenged to find wartime digital solutions—specially developed applications and chatbots contribute to improving communications and rehabilitation processes, significantly saving time and making the transition to a peaceful life easier.

Rubryka collected Ukraine-made apps that help soldiers and veterans in their daily life.

How does it work?

In 2023, the Human Rights Center for Servicemen Pryncyp team created the Legal Navigator website. The tool was designed to help military personnel, veterans, and their families navigate basic legal issues, the stages of an injured person's journey, and useful contacts. The website was later turned into a convenient mobile app.

"The application was created because the phone is always at hand. It is more convenient than booklets and other pieces of paper with instructions, which eventually get lost anyway," say the creators of the Legal Navigator.

The app provides information about the military medical commission, reports, payments, other important issues, and all necessary document templates. Legal Navigator also offers a map of social service centers and medical facilities. The application works even without Internet access and has Android and IOS versions.

Baza is a Ukrainian psychological assistance service for veterans. The initiator of the development is the Free Choice NGO, which has been providing psychological support to military personnel, veterans, police officers, and their family members since 2015. The app was created to help identify veterans' feelings and states, find basic self-help tools, feel understood, and receive support from yourself. It has a set of tools for this purpose. The app contains explanatory materials about mental health, self-help exercises, and useful contacts for veterans. It provides educational materials on how to overcome the consequences of mild craniocerebral injury, bad sleep, depression, chronic pain, anxiety, and obsessive thoughts. The app also offers meditations and a mood tracker. An essential part of the application is the Stop emergency button. By clicking on it, the user will receive four exercises to help regulate the crisis when the breakdown happens here and now. Baza also allows one to write or call a psychotherapist and receive their response. The application includes the contact information of psychological support services, such as the Crisis Support Line of the Ukrainian Veteran Fund and LifeLine Ukraine. The application allows the user to remain anonymous.

The project's developers warn that Baza is not a substitute for psychotherapy, but it is a chance to better understand conditions and provide yourself with primary psychological support. The developers also point out that although they position themselves as a service for veterans, the educational materials can be useful for everyone.

Baza has iOS and Android versions.

Derm Guard is an initiative of dermatologists and venereologists who, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, and volunteer organizations, decided to help the Ukrainian military treat and prevent venereal diseases.

The project actively develops methodological materials and forms an information space where military personnel and doctors of related specialties give consultations and knowledge on treating and preventing the most common skin, hair, and nail diseases.

Doctors note that due to the stressful conditions at the front lines and the problems associated with the constant wearing of military boots and heavy clothing, more and more soldiers suffer from trench foot, psoriasis, vitiligo, and allergies.

The unique chatbot Derm Guard offers free medical care for military personnel and their families online, positively affecting the treatment process directly in the combat zone.

Video instructions on how to use the chatbot can be found here.

Another chatbot for veterans and their family members was launched by Space of Opportunities and the Coalition of Veteran Spaces.

"Thank you for your service! Ready to Help" provides legal, psychological consultations, and social support services.

The service was launched on Telegram on March 1, 2024, and has already received many applications from veterans and their families.

TRENVET is the first mobile app that helps veterans and military personnel get free sports rehabilitation. The purpose of the application is to unite the defenders of Ukraine: veterans and active servicemembers who need the help of a rehabilitation or massage therapist, want to engage in physical education with a trainer, with specialists who are ready to provide appropriate support to the military and contribute to their recovery, both physical and psychological.

"Our mission is to help veterans return to civilian life through exercise, rehabilitation, and communication," says the TRENVET team.

Ukrainian athletes Vasyl Virastyuk, Serhii Konyushok, and Oleksandr Lashyn proposed creating a fitness application for veterans and wounded service members. NGO Victory of the Invincible and Strongman Federation of Ukraine developed it with the support of the Ukrainian Veterans Fund.

"It is much easier to come to a gym where you have your environment, a veteran community, or coaches waiting for you to train. We hope the veteran will want to engage in physical education and sports. We strive to attract as many veterans as possible to physical culture and sports, to a healthy lifestyle, because we believe that this industry is perhaps the best tool for the socialization of a veteran in civilian life," commented Vasyl Virastyuk, one of its initiators, at the presentation of the application.

The app offers many exercises and tips on how to stay physically fit and help your muscles adapt faster after an injury. Veterans and active military personnel can quickly find a coach in their city and undergo sports rehabilitation. At the same time, one can choose a trainer from another city for online classes. Veterans can choose from 19 sports, such as badminton, football, volleyball, table tennis, etc. It also offers massage appointments.

TRENVET is available for download on iOS and Android platforms and is free for users.

The program was developed by the Ukrainian fitness app BetterMe, bionic prostheses Esper Bionics manufacturer, and the charity fund Future For Ukraine.

The BetterMe app offers over 200 unique video exercises for people with amputations. The complex includes training before and after the installation of the prosthesis. The average duration of each training session is 25 minutes.

The training program focuses on four aspects:

• Strengthening of the muscles of the stump and cortex to normalize gait;
• Supporting joint mobility and prevention of muscle stiffness with the help of flexibility exercises;
• Increasing endurance with the help of cardio training;
• Promoting stability and overall balance through balance exercises.
• The application also contains exercises for those who use a wheelchair.

The BetterMe: Health Coaching app can be downloaded on iOS and Android.

War has divided many families, creating another stress trigger for Ukrainians. Developers have created the Dobre app to help find information about relatives from occupied or dangerous territories. It works even with a weak signal from the operator's network, which is common in frontline and occupied territories. 

In the application, the subscriber creates a database of contacts to whom they transfer their status — green shows that the person is doing well, and red signals danger and the need for help. 

The user can independently configure the periods when notifications about the status of contacts will be received. However, if no updates are received within the set interval, all contacts will be notified about a possible problem.

The app is available for Android and iOS users.

Even more useful solutions!

In February 2024, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine announced the development of the Army+ application, which will provide access to documents and services for active military personnel.

In particular, military personnel will have standardized report templates that can be signed and sent in a few clicks online.

"I often hear complaints from soldiers about excessive paperwork — filling out paper journals, endless reports. Our solution is to digitize everything as much as possible," wrote the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Rustem Umerov on Facebook.

In addition, the Army+ application will include the defender's electronic ID, which simplifies access to e-services and combat systems, a comprehensive knowledge base, which is a source of verified information on the service, and feedback forms — so that the state can quickly respond to challenges, based on actual data, and online training courses for self-development.

"Every day, the military spends a lot of time filing reports and other paperwork. Thanks to the application, reports will become automatic and convenient. We create a system that hears everyone. Our vision is a combat-ready army thanks to mutual trust and innovations," emphasized Kateryna Chernohorenko, Deputy Minister of Defense for Digital Development, Digital Transformations, and Digitalization.

The launch is expected in the summer.