Healing Ukrainian Soldiers With Psychedelics

As the war in Ukraine enters its third year, the emotional and psychological cost of sustained conflict is becoming increasingly visible. Faced with a surge in cases of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety and traumatic brain injury (TBI), Ukrainian clinicians are adopting bold new approaches to psychological care — ones that rely on substances long considered taboo or illegal in much of the world.

At the forefront of this shift is psychedelic-assisted therapy, particularly the use of ketamine and the more controversial ibogaine, to treat mental trauma among both active-duty soldiers and veterans. In many cases, these therapies are delivering results faster and more effectively than traditional methods. It has become a critical factor in a country where many soldiers are expected to return to combat.

Ketamine Therapy Offers Rapid Relief

Dr. Vladislav Matrenitsky, a Kyiv-based psychedelic therapist, is among the leading voices in Ukraine’s ketamine-assisted therapy movement. Since the onset of the war, he has treated hundreds of patients, many of them military personnel struggling with trauma. According to Dr. Matrenitsky, approximately one-third of his patients experience “extremely good” results, while another third see “reasonably good” outcomes. Adverse reactions such as panic attacks, are rare and are immediately addressed by stopping the ketamine infusion.

He further added, “It’s unlike many other medications for mental health in that we actually know why it works in terms of brain chemistry and physiology,” he says. “It has the effect of restoring neural functioning, and thereby allows the patient to better process their traumas and emotions.”

The science behind ketamine’s success in PTSD treatment is grounded in how it disrupts the trauma feedback loop between the hippocampus (the brain’s memory center), the amygdala (which governs threat responses), and the prefrontal cortex (which provides rational context). PTSD sufferers often endure chronic hyper-vigilance, exaggerated threat perception, and cognitive deterioration. “It can feel like being a ghost — or living in irrational agony,” said Dr. Matrenitsky.

In institutions across the country, clinicians are seeing firsthand how ketamine can help. Therapists have now treated more than 1,000 former prisoners of war, many of whom were subjected to torture while held in Russian captivity.

Revolutionary Results for Former POWs

At Lisova Polyana, one of Ukraine’s primary military rehabilitation centers, neurologist Dr. Kseniia Vosnitsyna is leading a government-backed program using ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. “Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can take two, three, even five years,” Dr. Vosnitsyna explained. “We are constantly searching for more tools that can be used. That’s why we’re interested in psychedelic therapy — it gives faster results. And we need it, because we need to get people back to the front line faster.”

The urgency is not just medical, but strategic. Ukraine is running low on soldiers. Up to 80 percent of those who pass through Lisova Polyana eventually return to active duty. Ketamine, doctors believe, could dramatically shorten recovery times and bolster the country’s defense capabilities.

The appeal of ketamine therapy lies in its accessibility. Unlike other psychedelics, it does not require special licensing in Ukraine. Patients are treated in controlled clinical environments and receive intense therapeutic guidance before, during, and after each ketamine session. Sessions often involve patients wearing blindfolds and noise-canceling headphones playing calming music, helping them enter a state of introspective consciousness where the therapeutic work takes place.

“This experience may be painful,” said Iryna Feofanova, a ketamine therapist at Forest Glade, a rehabilitation facility where silent, shell-shocked soldiers pace wooded grounds or play quiet games of pool in dim, echoing halls. “It’s not a euphoric trip. Mostly it’s a painful, prickly experience. But it’s a very important one. From what I hear from my patients, it’s bearable. It’s painful, but it’s something you can get through — feel through.”

There is growing scientific support for the idea that psychedelic therapies like ketamine can help rewire the brain’s damaged neural pathways, offering a kind of “reset” to burned-out or trauma-stricken circuits.

Heal Ukraine Trauma (HUT) is an international NGO led by U.S.-based Executive Director Elise Wilson. The organization recently completed the training of eight Ukrainian psychologists and psychiatrists in delivering ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) in a group therapy format. This comprehensive training included online instruction, hands-on experiential learning, and supervised clinical practice.

With this newly developed capacity, HUT is now equipped to provide group KAP sessions for up to 372 Ukrainian veterans annually, with each therapy group consisting of eight participants.

“The group therapy model not only allows more individuals to receive treatment compared to traditional one-on-one therapy, but it also cultivates shared experiences and a sense of community among veterans—creating a supportive network that continues beyond the therapy sessions,” Wilson explained.

Looking ahead, HUT aims to train an additional 64 Ukrainian mental health practitioners in 2025, expanding the organization’s annual treatment capacity to serve up to 9,600 veterans.

“Ukraine presents a unique environment for ketamine research and offers a significant opportunity to explore how ketamine can be applied to large-scale treatment for post-traumatic stress,” Wilson added.

“It’s important to manage expectations. HUT does not believe or promote that ketamine is a ‘silver bullet,’” Wilson said. “Ketamine can be a powerful tool, but it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution and it should not be used for everyone. It is most effective when integrated into a broader therapeutic framework that includes psychotherapy, long-term support, and comprehensive care.”

Enter Ibogaine: A Riskier, But Promising Alternative

While ketamine is already being administered across the country, a smaller and more experimental initiative is focusing on ibogaine, a powerful psychoactive compound derived from the root bark of the Tabernanthe iboga shrub, native to West Central Africa. Traditionally used in spiritual ceremonies, ibogaine is known for its intense, dream-like hallucinations at high doses and its potential to combat addiction, especially opioid dependency.

In Ukraine, ibogaine is now being tested for a new purpose: to treat TBI and enhance battle readiness. Unlike ketamine, ibogaine remains illegal in many parts of the world, including the United States, where it is classified as a Schedule I substance. Nevertheless, a bold new partnership is underway between Ukrainian researchers and Irvin Dana Beal, a veteran psychedelic activist and one of the founders of the 1960s Yippie movement. Beal recently traveled to Ukraine to help launch the initiative.

“These guys need something for traumatic brain injury,” Beal said. “But nobody else is willing to fucking go into a war zone with ibogaine but me, apparently.”

Beal and Ukrainian military researchers believe that ibogaine may offer critical benefits in restoring cognitive function and neurological health in soldiers exposed to repeated blast trauma. “We really need as much ibogaine as possible,” said Skyrtach, a military researcher involved in the project. “Even if the war ends now, we’ll have too many ‘Rambos’ to come back home from the frontline. It’ll be a much more serious problem than the U.S. faced when thousands of veterans came home from the Vietnam war.”

Beal is also in talks with a Ukrainian company to give Ukraine the process to make completely synthetic cGMP ibogaine in a production-sharing arrangement with his Israeli affiliate Ibogacine.”

Backed by Science and Global Advocates

Beal’s confidence is supported by recent scientific findings. A landmark study published in Nature Medicine by Stanford researchers found that a single dose of ibogaine led to a “remarkable reduction” in symptoms associated with chronic TBI including memory dysfunction, decision-making difficulties, and emotional instability. The study’s lead author, Dr. Nolan Williams, emphasized the unprecedented nature of the results.

“No other drug has ever been able to alleviate the functional and neuropsychiatric symptoms of traumatic brain injury like this,” Williams said. “The results are dramatic, and we intend to study this compound further. I think this may emerge as a broader neuro-rehab drug. It targets a whole host of different brain areas and can help us better understand how to treat other forms of PTSD, anxiety, and depression that aren’t necessarily linked to TBI.”

Ukrainian military officials also hope ibogaine could serve as a safer replacement for the amphetamines commonly used to boost combat performance. “We urgently need a battlefield energy supplement other than amphetamine, which promotes premature aging,” said Skyrtach. “We need something that acts as a neurotrophigen and rejuvenant instead.”

Historically, militaries have relied on amphetamines to keep soldiers alert and aggressive — from Nazi Germany in World War II to Russian forces today, who are reportedly using Captagon, a low-grade stimulant produced in Syria. However, the long-term consequences of amphetamine use which include addiction, paranoia, and mental breakdown have led Ukrainian researchers to search for less destructive alternatives.

Support from the Psychedelic Therapy Community

The nonprofit Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), the world’s leading organization advancing therapeutic psychedelic use, has stepped in to support the Ukrainian ibogaine project. MAPS has helped fund the acquisition of medical-grade ibogaine from Africa and is training Ukrainian and Polish therapists in its application.

Because MDMA — another promising psychedelic for PTSD — is banned even for research purposes in Ukraine, MAPS has focused on educating refugee therapists in Poland, with the long-term goal of expanding treatment into Ukraine if and when legal reforms allow it.

“Our goal is to help Ukrainian refugees and veterans now in Poland,” said MAPS founder Rick Doblin. “If legal restrictions change in Ukraine, we hope to expand these treatments there.”

A War-Torn Nation as a Global Psychedelic Frontier

Ukraine’s rapidly evolving use of psychedelic-assisted therapies represents more than just a response to war trauma — it’s emerging as a blueprint for what mental health care could look like in the future. While much of the world remains locked in regulatory debates over the medical use of psychedelics, Ukraine is moving ahead out of necessity. With limited time, a dire shortage of soldiers, and a mental health crisis intensifying by the day, the country is rewriting the rules of psychiatric intervention in real time.

What makes Ukraine unique is the convergence of factors driving innovation: a wartime population in psychological crisis, open-minded clinicians with government backing, and a growing global network of psychedelic researchers eager to contribute. In the absence of rigid pharmaceutical regulations like those in the U.S. or Western Europe, Ukrainian doctors are creating an agile, data-driven ecosystem where results — not red tape — determine the course of treatment.

“It’s not about being trendy,” said Dr. Vosnitsyna. “It’s about survival. We can’t afford to wait ten years for Western clinical trials to finish. People need help now. We’re trying to save lives and rebuild minds — fast.”

The implications of this experimental environment are massive. If Ukraine’s efforts continue to yield results — especially in treating PTSD and TBI among frontline soldiers — it could provide the strongest case yet for integrating psychedelics into mainstream medicine. Already, the data from ketamine use in war-torn settings, the early promise of ibogaine for brain injuries, and international collaborations with organizations like MAPS suggest that Ukraine might soon lead the world in trauma therapy innovation.

Oleh Orlov, Chair of the Ukrainian Psychedelic Research Association, recently told the media he believes that “psychedelic-assisted therapy [is] a beacon of hope for a nation grappling with the scars of war.”

“This innovative approach to mental health is not just about healing. For Ukraine, where the collective psyche bears the heavy burden of war and related traumas, this represents not just a medical advancement, but a crucial step towards national recovery and emotional resilience.”

What’s happening in Ukraine could transform how the world treats not only the psychological wounds of war but also civilian trauma, addiction, and mental illness on a broader scale. From war hospitals and forest clinics, to refugee shelters and underground research hubs, a new paradigm is taking root — one where psychedelic medicine is not a last resort, but a frontline solution.

As the world watches Ukraine’s resilience on the battlefield, another kind of revolution is quietly unfolding — a mental health revolution that may ultimately help heal not only its soldiers but the global understanding of trauma itself.