Media Center Ukraine Producer Department

Mykhailo Varvarych joined the Ukrainian military in 2016. He served in the 80th Separate Air Assault Brigade, defending eastern Ukraine. He was supposed to return to civilian life in February 2022, but due to the start of the full-scale invasion, he continued his service.

On May 29, 2022, while on a combat mission in the Luhansk oblast, Mykhailo sustained severe injuries, losing both legs and severely damaging his arm. After treatment and rehabilitation, the veteran learned to use prosthetics and married his fiancée, Iryna. The couple faced profound joy and tragedy when their daughter, Martusia, was born in December 2024, only to pass away three months later in March 2025.

Now, Mykhailo and Iryna share their ongoing journey through social media, offering an intimate look at their life, their struggles, and their hard-won perspective on maintaining hope.

You can connect with Mykhailo and Iryna Varvarych online or in person in Lviv by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• military
• Lviv

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

Yevhen Tkachov manages the Proliska humanitarian center in Donetsk Oblast. A veterinarian by trade and a volunteer by calling, he has spent 11 years evacuating civilians from towns on the front lines. His mission intensified after russia’s full-scale invasion, and he worked in Bakhmut, Siversk, and Soledar. He delivers aid and provides care for people and animals affected by the conflict.

Yevhen continues these evacuations today, facing challenges like russian drone attacks and the aggressor country’s blatant disregard for humanitarian law. According to Yevhen, evacuations are also hindered by the people themselves, who are difficult to persuade to leave despite all the dangers.

Years before the full-scale war, Yevhen established a hospice for the elderly in Chasiv Yar, Donetsk oblast. It was destroyed by russian forces in 2022, forcing the relocation of its patients to the Khmelnytskyi oblast. His family, including his son, now helps sustain this vital work.

Yevhen Tkachov is available for interviews online or in person by appointment.

• animals
• casualties
• volunteers
• evacuation

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

Amidst the energy state of emergency declared by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and persistent blackouts that have left thousands of Kyiv residents without heating in freezing weather, World Central Kitchen is deploying urgent support for the capital’s inhabitants.

WCK is opening Bograch stations in Kyiv — locations where people can receive a warm bowl of bograch, a hearty traditional dish especially important on cold days. These stations will operate in various city districts to ensure maximum accessibility.

Daily, WCK plans to provide thousands of hot meals and is ready to expand the program if the power supply situation does not improve. Meals are also being served in the Invincibility Carriages, which are currently operating in Fastiv, Brovary, Boryspil, and Vasylkiv.

Journalists are invited to cover this initiative and observe the Bograch stations in operation. The WCK team is available to answer questions and can help organize filming on location.

• blackout
• food
• Kyiv

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

The documentary “CAPTAIN. STORIES OF THE ‘AZOV’ TANK CREWS” will premiere in the capital on January 21. The event will include appearances by the creative team and the heroes featured in the film.

The film aims to showcase the characters and humanity of the men who honorably defended their country. It chronicles pivotal moments in the brigade’s history, including the Pavlopil-Shyrokyne operation, the defense of Mariupol and Azovstal, captivity, the return to service, and battles on the war’s most critical fronts. The story is told from the perspective of the tank crews who experienced it firsthand.

Directed and written by Kostiantyn Konovalov, director of the films Dovzhenko, The Story of Two Photographs, The Last Fortress: Hacibey, and screenwriter of Kruty 1918, and Firecrosser.

Produced by Maksym Movchan, producer of Blood Brothers and Operative on Call.

Background: The film was created with the support of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine.

• culture
• Kyiv

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