Warwick Business School welcomes Ukrainian veterans to shape nation's civic future

Warwick Business School has welcomed 15 Ukrainian combat veterans to its second annual Veteran Leadership Programme, an intensive week-long initiative that treats veterans not as potential beneficiaries of post-war recovery, but as architects of Ukraine's civic, political and economic future.

Running across Warwick Business School's Coventry campus and WBS in London at The Shard, the programme is delivered in partnership with Ukrainian civic movement CHESNO. Recognised among the International Renaissance Foundation's top 25 projects of 2025, it is built on the belief that veterans can play a leading role in rebuilding Ukraine's democratic institutions and public life.

Among the participants is Dmytro 'Liber' Zhluktenko, a Junior Sergeant and Lessons Learned Analyst with Ukraine's 413th Unmanned Systems Regiment 'RAID'.

"It's not only us who are learning here, but also people here at Warwick and the UK vets," he said. "Some of the challenges that we are going through are extraordinary, they are unique, and the solutions that we have already found to them are worth studying."

A software engineer by background, Mr Zhluktenko founded the defence charity Dzyga's Paw in 2022, helping raise more than $6 million for military technology before deploying to Donetsk Oblast as a drone pilot. He now works in military analysis, helping to develop standards and share Ukraine's battlefield experience with allied nations.

Coventry: city of peace and reconciliation

The choice of Coventry as the programme's home is significant. Welcoming the cohort, Dr Chris Twine, the University of Warwick's Chief Operating Officer and University Secretary, drew parallels between the city's history and Ukraine's experience of destruction and renewal.

"Coventry is not an ordinary place," he told the veterans. "It is a city that knows what it means to be targeted, to suffer destruction, and to rebuild."

He recalled the Coventry Blitz of November 1940, when German bombing raids devastated much of the city and destroyed its medieval cathedral. Today, the ruins stand alongside the modern cathedral as a symbol of peace, reconciliation and renewal.

"Ukraine's veterans are the future architects of your democracy," said Dr Twine. "You have defended your country's freedom. Now you are preparing to build it."

Commitment to public service

The veterans were selected from more than 350 applicants competing for just 15 places.

They include Stanislav Ryzhenkov, defender of Mariupol, former prisoner of war, and Commissioner for War Veterans' Rights for Kyiv City Council; Andrii Pentsak, a former combat medic and evacuation paramedic who has twice received Ukraine's Order "For Courage"; Anton Itkin, an economist and former IT leader who spent more than two years in Russian captivity; and Maryna Khromykh, a veteran, anti-corruption advocate and civil society leader focused on strengthening the representation of women veterans in public life.

Following welcome addresses from Dr Twine and Professor Andy Lockett, Dean of Warwick Business School, participants launched straight into their academic schedule with an opening workshop on Veterans in Politics, led by British Army veteran, Invictus Games medallist, and Managing Director of Mission Community, Jonny Ball.

Sessions throughout the week cover human-centred innovation, career transition, strategic communication, public engagement and policymaking, with contributions from Warwick Business School academics and external experts including Associate Professor Dr Bo Kelestyn, Dr Derin Kent, Major General Professor Tim Hodgetts, Dr Haley Beer, and Jay Singh-Sohal OBE.

Participants will also engage with representatives from 159 Regiment Royal Logistics Corps, Jaguar Land Rover, and the UK Parliament, as well as meeting former Minister for Veterans' Affairs Johnny Mercer.

Bo Kelestyn, Associate Professor at Warwick Business School and Academic Director of the programme, said:

"Working in partnership with CHESNO, we developed this programme to encourage veterans to continue serving their country in new ways. These are people with exceptional leadership experience, resilience and commitment to public service.

"Our aim is to help them apply those skills to the challenges Ukraine will face during reconstruction and democratic renewal."

She noted that demand for the programme continues to grow, with more than 25 applicants competing for every available place. Its success has also attracted international attention, with Harvard consulting the Warwick team on similar initiatives and Yale developing a comparable programme inspired by the WBS model.

Building a network for Ukraine's future

For Mr Zhluktenko, one of the programme's most valuable outcomes is the network being created among veterans, academics and international partners.

"In such an unstable security situation in the world right now, it's quite likely that many countries will need a lot of Ukrainian experience when it comes to veterans and fighting war itself," he said.

"The network that is being built here is instrumental for future projects and collaboration between veterans."

The initiative forms part of the University of Warwick's wider support for Ukraine, which includes sanctuary posts for displaced academics, fully funded Master's scholarships for Ukrainian educational leaders, and participation in the UK Ministry of Defence's Defence Universities Alliance.

Closing the opening event, Dr Twine encouraged participants to make the most of the week.

"The people in this room hold a depth of lived experience, professional knowledge and moral clarity that most academic spaces never see," he said. "Be curious. Challenge your speakers. Challenge each other. Challenge us. Use it."

Discover more about the School’s Change Makers.