The message reads, in part:
“You have devoted yourselves to a noble and generous cause which requires professional knowledge, as well as a special character, empathy and warmth. After all, people who come to you face challenging situations and badly need your help and support: retirees and people with disabilities, low-income families and children left without parents. They look up to you as people they can rely on, their helpers, someone kind-hearted who can really relate to the issues they face.
Orphanages and veterans’ homes, medical and social facilities employ competent specialists. It is so great that more and more volunteers, NGOs and businesses have joined state institutions in providing social services over the past years.
Of course, catering to all the needs of those involved in the special military operation and their families is one of our primary and most urgent tasks today. It is for this purpose that the Defenders of the Fatherland State Foundation has been established and is beginning to operate across the country. Together with other organisations and people who care, it will focus on the medical and psychological rehabilitation of veterans, as well as support them in their efforts to get an education, find a job or acquire new skills.
I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to all social workers for their important and selfless work, for your generosity and dedication.”