Informal learning

AZOV.Care’s informal learning department ensures access to informal education for the brigade’s service members during military service, treatment, and rehabilitation.

Our core understanding is that competency development is part of holistic recovery and return to service. This is why learning is a systemic component of AZOV.Care rather than an additional option.

Our aim is to provide every service member with tools for professional and personal growth: from refresher training during service to requalification and integration into civilian life.

This area of work is implemented through two key components:
  1. Ensuring access to learning programs provided by partner organizations, including educational platforms, schools, universities, and businesses that open their courses to the brigade’s service members.
  2. Creating unique educational formats based on fighters’ requests and needs, including standalone lectures, webinars, consultations, and educational groups.

Why is this important?

War changes the trajectory of life and forces individuals to start from scratch. Injury, captivity, or the end of military service is not just about physical and psychological recovery, but also about the search for a new place within one’s unit, occupation, and life.
Access to learning opportunities at each of these stages provides service members with practical tools, allowing them to maintain a sense of progress, restore their professional identity, and prepare for the next step — returning to service, moving to a new position, or transitioning into civilian life.

For service members who sustained injuries or were released from captivity, learning is part of recovery: it structures time, sustains cognitive activity, and restores a sense of purpose. The new specialty gained during rehabilitation can serve as a basis for returning to a non-combat position within the brigade, retaining an experienced fighter and maintaining the individual’s sense of role and belonging.

For active-duty service members, learning is an investment in effectiveness. The modern battlefield requires continuous training in new technologies, tactics, and communications. Fighters who consistently develop their skills become stronger and more reliable team members.

We view learning as part of continuous support — as integral as medical care or psychological assistance.

Who can benefit from AZOV.Care’s learning opportunities?

Active-duty service members

We create systemic opportunities for professional development during military service, including learning programs, high-intensity educational courses, and online training tailored to modern tasks and requirements. This approach allows service members to perform their duties more effectively, as well as develop leadership and analytical skills.

Injured service members

Rehabilitation time provides opportunities to gain new knowledge and explore new career pathways. For many, learning becomes a chance for requalification and return to a non-combat position within the brigade, preserving experience and maintaining a sense of belonging to the unit.

Service members released from captivity

Captivity deprives prisoners of war of a significant part of their resources, creating gaps in skills and knowledge. We offer an individual approach, providing consultations and access to programs that help restore knowledge, return to learning, and define a future career path.

Veterans

We support veterans through career guidance, requalification, and preparation for civilian careers: from identifying strengths and providing career counseling to developing practical skills and confidence in a new environment.

Learning support principles

This area of work is based on several fundamental principles:
Quality
Programs and partnerships are selected based on practicality and relevance. The knowledge gained can be directly applied in military service or future careers.
Accessibility
Learning opportunities are accessible regardless of geographical location. Online learning allows fighters on the frontline, injured service members undergoing rehabilitation, and veterans from various regions to join educational programs no matter where they are based.
Systemic approach
Learning is not a one-off activity but a continuous process. We support individuals across all stages — from military service to full integration into civilian life.
Respect
Every service member has a unique experience and a distinct professional and life journey. We consider all relevant factors to ensure maximum relevance and benefit of learning.
Support
Learning is also about restoring confidence and a sense of personal value. We create a safe and supportive environment where every individual can grow.

Learning opportunities by domain

Foreign languages
Language skills are practical tools in everyday military life, allowing service members to liaise with international partners and allies, communicate with foreign volunteers, and study abroad. After military service, language skills provide access to new professional opportunities and the international community.
ІТ
Digital skills boost efficiency on the modern battlefield — from command-and-control systems to cybersecurity and data processing. After military service, IT specialties provide stable career opportunities, including remote work options.
Creative areas
Media, photography and videography, design, and marketing are skills that can be directly applied during military service — from content creation to managing the brigade’s media channels and enhancing the unit’s image. After returning to civilian life, these skills serve as an entry point into creative industries with high demand for trained professionals.
Humanities
History, psychology, rhetoric, and financial literacy are areas of knowledge that shape individuals both as service members and as people. They foster critical thinking, self-reflection, and confidence, proving valuable in everyday life.
Military training
OSINT, UAV operation, modern technologies, leadership, and teamwork. These programs develop both technical preparedness and the ability to make quick decisions and support team resilience in high-responsibility situations.

Service members’ feedback

The words of those who have already completed this journey are the most honest proof that learning works. Each of these fighters had different learning conditions: some studied between combat missions, some during rehabilitation, and some while trying to rebuild their lives after a difficult period. However, all were united by a common goal — a desire to move forward.
“I need English in my everyday life to communicate with foreign units and delegations. I find this approach the most valuable: my teacher adapts to my level, doesn’t rush results, and introduces speaking practice from the very first class. I make mistakes, but I see progress. Additionally, it’s really valuable to see a civilian genuinely wanting to help you improve — this is what motivates me.”
“McTavish” on learning English with a volunteer teacher
“English is just the first step that opens a whole new range of opportunities. The learning process expands understanding, boosts confidence, and helps find common ground with soldiers from other countries. For those who think, ‘It’s too late for me,’ you can always start, no matter how difficult it may seem at first.”
“Morgue” on learning English at the London School of English
“I felt a strong need for intellectual activity and growth, which became my main motivation. I chose information analytics because I’ve been interested in recognizing patterns since childhood. Learning shifts the focus toward growth, which provides relief. For me, it’s about expanding my mindset and seeing new prospects. I’ve already recommended GoIT to some of my brothers-in-arms as a chance to master a new profession.”
“Torf” on studying at GoIT

Informal learning partners

Learning opportunities for the brigade’s service members became a reality thanks to organizations that decided to take action — educational platforms, schools, academies, and businesses providing free access to their programs for our fighters. Each partner contributes in its own way: course access, in-person classes, mentorship, or targeted joint programs. We are grateful to everyone who has made supporting military service members a personal priority, enabling our fighters to access high-quality educational opportunities regardless of their circumstances.

How to become a partner?

We are open to cooperation with organizations and experts who share our approach to the systematic development of competencies and professional skills.
Socially responsible businesses, educational institutions, and professional communities can contribute by granting access to educational products, providing expert consultation, or implementing joint educational projects.

If your organization is ready to provide educational opportunities for the brigade’s service members, we would be happy to hear from you.
Contact the Head of the Department, Natalia, by sending an email to:
nataliia.kalantaienko@azov.care
Providing continuous support to released and wounded servicemen to accelerate their recovery
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FAQ

What is the Care Service of the 12th Azov Brigade?

AZOV.Care is a non-governmental organization and part of the Medical Service of the 12th Special Forces Brigade Azov of the National Guard of Ukraine. Its primary function is to provide continuous support and comprehensive care for the brigade’s service members following injury or release from captivity, with an emphasis on long-term recovery, preserving functionality, and returning to active life.

Azov became the first brigade to implement the necessary changes to its organizational structure. It was a matter of principle to logically position the Care Service within the brigade’s organizational framework, which is why it became part of Azov’s Medical Service. This allows us to ensure continuity of care throughout every stage of a service member’s treatment, rehabilitation, recovery, and reintegration. This approach creates a unified care system focused not only on treating trauma, but also on preserving human potential, professional expertise, and service members’ roles in society.

Is AZOV.Care the patronage service of the Azov Brigade?

Unlike patronage services, the 12th Azov Brigade’s Care Service covers a much broader range of support for Azov fighters who have sustained injuries or been released from captivity. Our fighters do not require "patronage"; instead, they need to learn to live independently with their new experiences. The Care Service’s mission is to help fighters focus on their recovery while the AZOV.Care team addresses other challenges and provides support.
For this reason, the unit is more accurately described as a care service rather than a patronage service.

What does AZOV.Care do?

The primary mission of the Care Service is to provide continuous support and comprehensive care for brigade service members who have sustained injuries or been released from captivity. AZOV.Care coordinates treatment and rehabilitation, supports service members’ physical and mental health, provides medical assistance to fighters released from captivity, and helps the brigade’s veterans with readaptation, resocialization, and professional reintegration.

AZOV.Care is a unique system that provides a complete cycle of care for service members — from the moment of injury or release from captivity through functional recovery, return to active life, and reintegration into society. The service brings together medical, psychological, social, and reintegration support within a single care system aimed not only at treating the consequences of trauma, but also at preserving long-term human potential, professional experience, and quality of life.

At the heart of AZOV.Care’s approach is the understanding that fighters with injuries, as well as those released from captivity, need more than fragmented assistance. They require continuous, comprehensive recovery, in which every stage — treatment, rehabilitation, psychological support, training, and adaptation — is part of a unified process focused on restoring functionality and enabling full participation in society.

When and why was AZOV.Care created?

The AZOV.Care service was established in September 2024 in response to a challenge faced by every military during an ongoing war: how to preserve its most valuable asset — its people.

The key catalyst for the establishment of the Care Service was the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 948, "On Certain Matters Relevant to the Introduction of Care Services for Military Personnel, Civil Protection Service Personnel and Officials, Police Officers, and Their Families," adopted on August 20, 2024.

AZOV.Care became the first — and one of the most comprehensive — services of its kind within the National Guard of Ukraine.

Its work began by supporting Azov service members released from Russian captivity on August 24, 2024. Since then, we have continuously expanded the care system, broadened our areas of support, and developed a network of partners to provide service members with assistance at every recovery stage — from treatment and rehabilitation to their return to active life.

Several months after the service was established, the AZOV.Care non-governmental organization was founded to develop partnerships and exploit additional opportunities for the long-term support of service members and former prisoners of war.

We firmly believe that people are not a resource, but the nation's most valuable asset. Supporting service members' recovery is not only about caring for individuals — it is about preserving the strength of the unit, strengthening society's resilience, and securing Ukraine's future.

Who can contact the Care Service of the 12th Azov Brigade?

1. Service members of the 12th Azov Brigade who have sustained injuries or been released from captivity.
Brigade service members can rely on support throughout every stage of treatment, rehabilitation, and recovery. The Care Service helps coordinate medical treatment, rehabilitation, prosthetic care, psychological support, education, and career guidance. We are committed to making the recovery process as effective, systematic, and humane as possible.

2. Active-duty service members of the 12th Azov Brigade.
Active-duty service members can contact the Care Service for support with treatment for physical illnesses, psychological and psychiatric care, rehabilitation, education, leisure activities, and professional development. We strive to ensure our service members have access to high-quality care and support throughout both active service and recovery.

3. Veterans of the 12th Azov Brigade.
We work with educational programs and partner organizations to support our veterans as they transition to civilian life. We provide educational opportunities, retraining, employment assistance, psychological support, and adaptive sports programs. We also place a strong emphasis on veterans' social integration and active participation in civilian society.

4. Families of service members of the 12th Azov Brigade.
Spouses, children, and parents of service members may apply for psychological support, learning assistance, and participation in support groups. We understand how difficult it is to wait for a loved one while coping with the challenges of wartime, and we strive to make that journey less lonely and more supportive.

Comprehensive support for service members of the 12th Azov Brigade throughout their journey from injury or release from captivity to their return to active life.