Media Center Ukraine Producer Department

A solemn ceremony to lay a coin of St. Nicholas under the mast step for Ukraine’s first inclusive sailing boat, Illia, will take place on December 6 in the Lviv region. The boat is named in honor of fallen soldier Illia Rudnikovych. The coin-laying ritual, an ancient tradition dating back to the time of ancient mariners, has always symbolized protection, good luck, and a safe return home.

Ukraine’s first inclusive boat is a project aimed at adapting sailing for people with disabilities. All those affected by the war, who require not only physical but also psychological rehabilitation, will be able to join this active form of recreation.

The boat’s design is based on the blueprints of the French sailing boat Bac à Voile. The 12-meter-long, 3.5-meter-wide boat has a completely flat deck to allow for easy and safe movement of the crew. Furthermore, the boat’s structure will allow it to approach any shore and facilitate the boarding and disembarkation of people with disabilities.

The boat is scheduled to launch in April or May of 2026.

Journalists will have the opportunity to see the boat and speak with those involved in its construction in the Lviv region by prior arrangement.

For reference: The Galician Sailing Federation and Inclusive Sailing of Ukraine are constructing the inclusive sailing boat at the Kitva Shipyard.

• culture
• Lviv

If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.

Currently, several hundred animals are being cared for at the Bat Rehabilitation Center in Kharkiv. However, volunteers explain that this is only the beginning of the winter season, and they expect to take in several thousand bats under their care, as they did last year. The bats are brought to the Center from various Ukrainian cities.

There, specialists help the animals survive the winter, a time when bats become vulnerable and require special conditions. Animals needing extra care are fed and treated.

Due to blackouts, the center purchased a generator and an EcoFlow unit because the refrigerators where the bats are kept require constant power.

Since the full-scale war began, the rehabilitation center has increased its operations. Specialists are now focused on bat conservation and scientific research.

Journalists can speak with the Bat Rehabilitation Center coordinator, biologist Alona Shulenko, online or in person in Kharkiv by prior arrangement.

• animals
• blackout
• volunteers
• Kharkiv

If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.

The public organization Civilians in Captivity, along with families of civilian hostages, activists, and concerned Ukrainians, will hold a peaceful rally titled “Let’s make a wish: For everyone to return home”. The rally is dedicated to raising awareness about russia’s illegal detention of civilian captives. The event will take place in Kyiv on December 13.

The rally aims to draw the attention of the international community and Ukrainian authorities to the urgent need to immediately release all citizens unlawfully detained by russia.

The rally’s central element will be an artistic performance visualizing the tragedy of separation.

• prisoners
• Kyiv

If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.

Participants:

– Anastasiia Morozova, Program Manager, Reskilling Ukraine;

– Iryna Movchan, Program Administrator, Reskilling Ukraine;

– Viktoriia Posieva, Communications Lead, Reskilling Ukraine (online);

– Hanna Anishyna, Category C Truck Driver, project graduate;

– Anastasiia Dovbnia, CNC Operator, project graduate.

Key topics:

– Women in gender-imbalanced professions: How has the Ukrainian labor market changed since the full-scale invasion, and what opportunities have emerged?

– Free support and training programs for women in traditionally “male” professions, from truck driver to welder;

– Real-life case studies of the successful integration of women into technical and driving positions: motivation, challenges, and results.

Background: The full-scale war has significantly altered the structure of the Ukrainian labor market. Demand for technical and logistics specialties has increased, as has the need to engage women in professions that were previously hardly considered “female”. An increasing number of Ukrainian women are undergoing specialized training and retraining and are successfully working in fields that have traditionally been dominated by men.

The Reskilling Ukraine project is being implemented in Ukraine by the Swedish nonprofit organization Beredskaplsyftet. The project helps women overcome professional barriers by offering modern educational programs and opportunities to quickly master in-demand professions. Real-life stories of graduates demonstrate that women are not only mastering technical and highly skilled specialties, but also becoming drivers of the country’s economy during the war and beyond.

• women
• Kyiv

If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.