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VOA新闻杂志2023--Ukraine's Army Struggles with Mental Effects of Combat

时间:2024-01-02 01:21:55

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Ukraine's Army Struggles with Mental Effects of Combat

Mental health expert Oleh Hukovskyi recently stood in a temporary classroom in eastern Ukraine speaking to a group of soldiers. They were attending a class on how to deal with the stress of war.

Hukovskyi is one of hundreds of professionals and volunteers across Ukraine treating soldiers for mental health problems. It is a growing issue for an army facing fatigue1 as soldiers fight a larger enemy.

Reuters news agency spoke2 to 13 people involved in supporting troops and four soldiers undergoing treatment. The treatment can last for a few days to several weeks in more serious cases. It also includes soldiers who have lost arms or legs and who are learning to live with their injuries.

Soldiers spoke of stress, anxiety, fear, guilt3 and being extremely tired. But they also spoke of friendship, a sense of obligation to hurry back to their units and a strong desire to repel4 the enemy.

Hukovskyi is one of the soldiers Reuters spoke to. He is a former psychiatrist5. He joined the armed forces about six months after Russia launched an invasion in February 2022.

Now, he runs a mental health support group attached to the 67th Separate Mechanized Brigade. The brigade is in the area of Lyman, a town heavily damaged by the war.

"They have obligations and have to return to the front line," Hukovskyi said of the troops.

Some of the soldiers are being treated for light wounds and battle stress at a medical aid center.

Hukovskyi said Ukrainian soldiers were not given enough breaks from fighting.

"Forty-five days is a critical period when soldiers can stay and...have a chance to stay mentally healthy," he said. He added that in some situations they might remain in battle longer. When that happens, they experience more head injuries and more battle fatigue.

Citizen soldiers

Many of those fighting joined as volunteers. They had little, if any, preparation for sometimes fierce combat conditions.

The soldiers attending the class answer questions and suggestions. However, Hukovskyi knows there are limitations. Soon, the soldiers will have to return to fighting.

"Ukraine has an army of mobilized citizens who just yesterday were teachers, artists, poets, IT specialists, or workers," said Dana Vynohradova. He is deputy brigade commander for mental health support.

Nightmares and fear

"DJ" attended Hukovskyi's class last month. Before the war, he was a factory worker from central Ukraine. Like most other soldiers, he goes by his call sign, DJ.

"I have nightmares and they exhaust me. When I get some time to rest, I don't sleep at all," DJ told the group. Later, the 50-year-old explained that he was not prepared for the fierce combat.

DJ said his position near the front line was under continuous attack by Russian forces. Like others, he said he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder6 (PTSD) and a concussion7.

On a rainy November day in a nearby village, Dmytro, a 24-year-old soldier, talks with his unit's stress control group leader. He is a man named Serhii Rostikov. The Russians occupied the village in 2022. The two men walk and talk among damaged houses.

Rostikov said soldiers decide for themselves whether to seek mental health support. However, other specialists said unit commanders could make recommendations if they see signs for concern.

"After the artillery8 shelling, I developed a fear of going back to (combat) positions," said Dmytro. He is with the 21st Separate Mechanized Brigade.

He told Reuters that he reached out to his former group leader Rostikov for help. After working together, Rostikov sent Dmytro to rehabilitation9. Dmytro said, "...I have no fear now and can easily go back to a combat position. I think we need psychologists, because soldiers suffer from a lot of stress."

Many soldiers who seek psychological support return to battle after short breaks. Some more serious cases are sent away from the front for more treatment.

DJ later said he had been kept away from combat for further treatment. Dmytro has rejoined his unit.

The Ukrainian military has tried to recruit more people for psychological support.

Ukraine's armed forces declined to answer questions about efforts to get support workers. It also did not release how many soldiers had been treated for psychological conditions since the start of the invasion. Such details are often treated as military secrets.

Words in This Story

stress –n. a state of mental tension

fatigue –n. a condition of being very tired

anxiety –n. fear or worry about something

obligation –n. the feeling of having a responsibility to do something

psychiatrist –n. a medical doctor who deals with mental health

critical –adj. very important

mobilize –v. (military) to organize and use people and resources for war

call sign –n. a set of letters or numbers that is used to identify a person on radio or for special purposes

nightmare –n. a frightening dream

concussion –n. an injury that results from a blow to the head

rehabilitation –n. treatment for an injury that is physical or mental that aims to return the patient back to normal life

psychologist –n. a health worker who deals with mental health but is not a doctor and cannot order the use of medication


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1 fatigue PhVzV     
n.疲劳,劳累
参考例句:
  • The old lady can't bear the fatigue of a long journey.这位老妇人不能忍受长途旅行的疲劳。
  • I have got over my weakness and fatigue.我已从虚弱和疲劳中恢复过来了。
2 spoke XryyC     
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
3 guilt 9e6xr     
n.犯罪;内疚;过失,罪责
参考例句:
  • She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
  • Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。
4 repel 1BHzf     
v.击退,抵制,拒绝,排斥
参考例句:
  • A country must have the will to repel any invader.一个国家得有决心击退任何入侵者。
  • Particles with similar electric charges repel each other.电荷同性的分子互相排斥。
5 psychiatrist F0qzf     
n.精神病专家;精神病医师
参考例句:
  • He went to a psychiatrist about his compulsive gambling.他去看精神科医生治疗不能自拔的赌瘾。
  • The psychiatrist corrected him gently.精神病医师彬彬有礼地纠正他。
6 disorder Et1x4     
n.紊乱,混乱;骚动,骚乱;疾病,失调
参考例句:
  • When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后,他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
  • It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。
7 concussion 5YDys     
n.脑震荡;震动
参考例句:
  • He was carried off the field with slight concussion.他因轻微脑震荡给抬离了现场。
  • She suffers from brain concussion.她得了脑震荡。
8 artillery 5vmzA     
n.(军)火炮,大炮;炮兵(部队)
参考例句:
  • This is a heavy artillery piece.这是一门重炮。
  • The artillery has more firepower than the infantry.炮兵火力比步兵大。
9 rehabilitation 8Vcxv     
n.康复,悔过自新,修复,复兴,复职,复位
参考例句:
  • He's booked himself into a rehabilitation clinic.他自己联系了一家康复诊所。
  • No one can really make me rehabilitation of injuries.已经没有人可以真正令我的伤康复了。

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