On November 10, 2025, a lecture by Alexander Karayani, Professor of the Military Academy of the National Guard of the Russian Federation, Corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Education, was held at the XII General Church Congress on Social Service. It was attended by the coordinators of the diocesan services for those who returned from the front and their families. The lecture discussed the diagnosis and manifestation of post-traumatic stress disorder.
"The symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder appear within a month. They prevent a person from living, working, and building healthy relationships. A person fully feels himself in the situation that traumatized him, and relives it again," said Alexander Karayani.
During the lecture, Alexander Karayani spoke about the categories of veterans of his military, methods of treating post-traumatic stress disorder.
The lecture participants also discussed the physiological and psychological changes in a person during severe stress, the difficulties of returning to a peaceful life, and the need to adapt those who returned from the front.
The Synodal Department for Church Charity and Social Service has established a pastoral care service for those who returned from the front and their families. Since 2024, the dioceses have appointed coordinators who provide humanitarian and spiritual support to such families.
In February 2025, with the support of the Presidential Grants Fund, the "Return" project was launched, which aims to organize the Church's work on socio-psychological assistance and spiritual support to veterans of the SVR and their family members. You can ask for help around the clock by calling the hotline of the Synodal Department for Charity at 8 800 70 70 222.