The ways state and business are shaping the future together with veterans of the special military operation discussed at the National Centre RUSSIA

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The panel discussion "Returning Home and Rebuilding Life: Employment and Adaptation of Participants of the Special Military Operation After the Frontline" was held on 10 December at the National Centre RUSSIA. Participants examined issues related to the employment and adaptation of veterans returning to civilian life and shared regional experience in implementing state support programmes. The event formed part of the business programme of the "Together We Will Prevail" forum – a key platform for dialogue and the development of joint solutions to support veterans in their return to civilian life and to assist their families.

Employment for veterans returning to peaceful life is a major area of work for the Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation. More than 16,500 heroes of the special military operation have contacted the foundation’s regional branches, and around 55% of them have already secured jobs with fair levels of pay.

Minister of Transport Andrei Nikitin outlined how the ministry supports veterans of the special military operation, helps them integrate into civilian life and acquire new professions.

"Participants of the special military operation possess exceptional inner strength and energy; they are focused on creation and are ready to work to transform life in their home villages and towns. It is therefore essential to help them realise their potential, to create conditions that allow them to adapt quickly, retrain and continue their professional path. Both the state and the private sector, the entire national transport system, are involved in this process," the minister stressed.

Andrei Nikitin added that the transport sector is creating high-technology jobs to increase labour productivity. "For example, at the 'Road' exposition in Mineralnye Vody, it was demonstrated how unmanned technologies can be used to lay asphalt. Training takes only ten days. The construction machinery was remotely operated by Yury Osolodkov – a veteran and recipient of the Order of Courage, who sustained serious injuries during the special military operation," the minister noted.

Together with the Federal Air Transport Agency, work is underway to simplify access to unmanned aerial systems for veterans of the special military operation. This includes changing health requirements for external pilots. "The main priority in this work is to ensure the high-quality and safe performance of tasks," the minister stated.

Job fairs have also proved highly effective in supporting the employment of veterans of the special military operation, with thousands of veterans across the country taking part. As a result of these fairs, more than 2,500 veterans and members of their families have secured jobs.

"Our heroes return home after the most severe trials – and it is our duty as a state, as an industry and as a society to help veterans find a new point of stability and a new trajectory in peaceful life. In 2025 alone, following the job fairs that we organised together with the Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation, 688 veterans of the special military operation were employed at enterprises of the fuel and energy complex. The Ministry of Energy of Russia faces a strategic task: to resolve the staffing shortage and at the same time ensure the successful adaptation and employment of participants of the special military operation in civilian life," said Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation Sergei Tsivilev.

The minister stressed that the ministry aims to ensure a steady inflow of veterans into the fuel and energy sector and to create conditions enabling them to realise their potential and continue serving the country in a peaceful profession.

Creating the right conditions for veterans returning to civilian life is of fundamental importance. "Adaptation is a multifaceted task: in addition to medical rehabilitation and psychological support, a key role is played not merely by the return of participants of the special military operation to civilian life, but by their active involvement in building an inclusive society. When veterans become mentors, a source of support for young people and equal co-authors of social change, together we create an environment in which every person feels accepted, respected and valued," noted Pavel Yakushev, recipient of the Order of Courage, adviser to the Deputy Director General for Human Resources on patriotic education at the Rosatom State Corporation and participant of the "Time of Heroes" programme.

The "Together We Will Prevail" forum is a key platform for dialogue, experience sharing and the development of joint solutions to support the integration of veterans into peaceful life and to assist their families. This year the forum is being held for the third time. Among its participants are veterans of the special military operation and other conflicts, participants of the "Time of Heroes" personnel programme and regional programmes for defenders, as well as members of defenders’ families.

The organisers of the forum are the Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation, the Russian society Znanie, the Association of Veterans of the Special Military Operation and the Committee of Families of the Fatherland’s Warriors.