Media Center Ukraine Producer Department

Oleksandr Tereshchenko is a Ukrainian Armed Forces veteran who helped defend Donetsk Airport in 2015. He sustained severe injuries in combat and lost his right arm and the hand on his left arm.

Tereshchenko later wrote the book “Life After 16:30,” reflecting on his experiences during prosthetic treatment and rehabilitation. He also launched the project “I Did It — And You Can Too,” a series of 12 video guides offering practical advice on everyday life for people living with amputations. Using his own experience as an example, Tereshchenko demonstrates what to do and how to adapt to daily challenges.

The project is aimed at servicemen and veterans who have recently lost limbs and are still learning how to cope with the changes in their lives.

The veteran is also launching five-day retreats for veterans with bilateral upper-limb amputations and their families. During the retreats, participants will practice essential daily living skills. The nearest sessions are scheduled for May.

Oleksandr Tereshchenko is available for interviews both online and in person in Mykolaiv by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• military
• Mykolaiv

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

Peaceful rallies aimed at drawing attention to the defenders of Azovstal and other Ukrainian servicemen still held in russian captivity are scheduled to take place in 27 cities across Ukraine.

On May 9, rallies will be held in Okhtyrka, Chernihiv, Vinnytsia, Pavlysh, Zaporizhzhia, Shpola, Volochysk, Bila Tserkva, Dnipro, Pavlohrad and Lviv.

On May 10, events are planned in Kyiv, Krolevets, Pivdennoukrainsk, Kremenchuk, Uman, Mykolaiv, Korosten, Obukhiv, Ovruch, Rivne, Dolynska, Cherkasy, Lozova, Kovel, Uzhhorod, Berdychiv, Kropyvnytskyi, Chernivtsi, Poltava and Odesa.

The events are organized by the families of prisoners of war from the Mariupol garrison. Ukrainians who have themselves returned from captivity also frequently take part in the rallies.

• prisoners

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

On May 9-10, Kyiv will host the premiere of the Veterans Theater production “Wake Up, Head” (“Razduplis, Galava”).

The sound therapy performance, based on the play “Razduplis, Galava,” tells a story of personal transformation possible only on the edge of life and death. It explores the search for inner support when all external sources of stability have become too fragile to rely on. The production also reflects on what a person turns to and longs for when both their inner and outer worlds descend into chaos — and on the path toward the divine.

The sound therapy and meditative performance seeks to immerse the audience in an open state of consciousness and reach the deepest corners of the soul through words and sound. The sound healing practice used in the production employs instruments that directly interact with the nervous system and can significantly improve emotional well-being. In times of war, healing and recovery have become necessities that should not be neglected.

The production was created by Dmytro Susiekov, Velimir Horyslavets, Mykyta Poliakov and Alia Kholba.

Background: Veterans Theater is a social and artistic project launched through a collaboration between the Communications Service of the Command of Ukraine’s Territorial Defense Forces (TDF Media) and the Theater of Playwrights.

The idea for Veterans Theater emerged in response to the urgent need for therapeutic support for veterans of russia’s war against Ukraine returning from the front line. The project combines art therapy and theater, serving as a platform for creativity, recovery and dialogue, where participants use dramaturgy and acting to speak about their experiences and transform them into art. It brings together veterans, their loved ones and civilians who have lived through traumatic experiences.

• culture
• Kyiv

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