The forum participants included Serhii Zhadan, Vakhtang Kipiani, Vasyl Shkliar, Yana Zinkevych, Vladyslav Dutchak, Yuliia “Taira” Paievska, Oleksandr Aronets, Vladlen Maraiev, representatives of Azov, volunteer organizations, and businesses.
The forum was made possible thanks to the organizational efforts of the Poltava Regional Military Administration and comprehensive support from the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Veterans Fund, and the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory.
The event combined a wide range of activities: panel discussions, a round table, lectures, workshops, author readings, book presentations, documentary film screenings, and charitable fundraising for wounded soldiers. Its key objective was to form a community in which the word, tempered by the front line, becomes a weapon of national resilience and a tool for shaping the new Ukrainian reality. Here, war is comprehended as a profound cultural and ideological phenomenon that demands new responsibility from society. It is a fundamental rupture that reshapes culture, the economy, and social relations.
The forum was opened with a panel discussion titled “Authorities, Veterans, Culture: How a Word Becomes a Weapon.” The speakers included Taras Tarasenko, Member of Parliament of Ukraine; Anton Chubenko, Deputy Head of the Poltava Regional Military Administration; Anastasiia Rashchenko, Deputy Executive Director of the Ukrainian Veterans Fund; Kyrylo Dorolenko, representative of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs; writers and public figures Vasyl Shkliar and Serhii Zhadan; Volodymyr Onyshchenko, President of National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic”; Kostiantyn Kolesnykov, officer of the Khorunzhyi Service of the 12th Azov Brigade; Daniil “Kultura” Mireshkin, press officer of the Azov Brigade; Anastasiia Shyrchenko, press officer of the 427th Separate Unmanned Systems Regiment “Raroh”; and Olha “Oliana” Vus, Head of the Socialization and Readaptation Department of the Support Service of the 12th Azov Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine.
The honored guests discussed key issues, including support for veteran literature, assistance to service members in returning to civilian life, improvement of legislation on medical and material support, guidance and education, as well as support in starting one’s own business for those who defended Ukraine and lost their health.
Taking part in the panel discussion, Volodymyr Onyshchenko, President of Poltava Polytechnic, emphasized the decisive role of higher education institutions in fostering patriotism and social resilience among young people. A key aspect in this regard was that, with the support of the Poltava Regional Military Administration and the Ministry of Veterans Affairs, the Veteran Development Center was established at the University in October 2023. Its primary objectives include veteran adaptation, retraining, and advanced training in specialties demanded by the labor market. The University provides defenders with the opportunity to obtain a second degree, master new professions, and establish their own businesses.
Importantly, Poltava Polytechnic has become one of five higher education institutions in Ukraine implementing an experimental state project to support veterans’ transition from military service to civilian life, approved by Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 104 of January 30, 2024. By organizing various events and meetings with veterans at rehabilitation centers, University representatives approach the reintegration process more professionally. Preferential education is also provided for veterans of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and their children: currently, 82 veterans are pursuing education at the University.
Since the first days of the full-scale invasion, a student volunteer hub has been operating at Poltava Polytechnic, supporting internally displaced persons and assisting the army. All University initiatives are aimed at strengthening the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Volodymyr Onyshchenko noted that Poltava Polytechnic team advocates for preserving human capital in Ukraine, reducing educational losses, and creating all conditions for young people to remain in the country.
The “Steel Word” forum delivered an important message: military culture is not about weapons or uniforms. It is a culture of responsibility, mutual support, and memory.
The “Steel Word” forum became not merely a cultural event but a platform for developing the veteran community, searching for meanings, and creating a new Ukrainian military culture that defines our present and future – strong, responsible, and unbreakable.
