Media Center Ukraine Producer Department

Maksym Maksymenko is a veteran of the russo-Ukrainian War and a participant in the Revolution of Dignity. While still a student in 2014, Maksym and his friends traveled to Maidan Square and joined the protests. He served as a “sotnyk”, or unit commander, on the Maidan. With the start of the russian occupation of Crimea and attack on eastern Ukraine, he joined the Azov unit.

In 2016, Maksym returned to civilian life. He recalls this period as a time of self-discovery, during which he volunteered, engaged in civic activism, and started a small business.

When the full-scale invasion began, Maksym immediately returned to the military. Several months later, he was wounded and had to leave the army again. However, he adapted more quickly this time, as he had his beloved wife to support him.

While shopping for gifts, Maksym and his wife noticed a lack of websites in Ukraine dedicated exclusively to handmade products. This inspired the idea for Create4Me, an online marketplace that connects Ukrainian artisans, including veterans and volunteers. The Ukrainian Veteran Fund helped bring the project to life. Maksym believes that Ukrainian artisans create items that can captivate the entire world.

Maksym Maksymenko is available for interviews, both online and in person in Ternopil, by prior arrangement.

• culture
• military
• Ternopil

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

Oleksii Polukhin is a resident of Kherson and an open representative of the LGBTQ+ community. In the first days of the russian occupation, the 21-year-old Oleksii joined the resistance movement in Kherson and began establishing contact with the Security Service of Ukraine, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and intelligence units.

By May 2022, Oleksii was gathering information in the city that was crucial for Ukrainian special services. On May 9, during one of his missions, he encountered a new enemy checkpoint. He is certain someone had informed the russians about his activities, as they were already waiting for him at the checkpoint. The occupiers took his phone and passport and forced him to undress. They then blindfolded him, put him in a car, and drove him around the city for several hours before taking him to a pre-trial detention center (SIZO), where interrogations continued.

When the occupiers learned that Oleksii was queer, they forced him to wear a dress. He was denied showers, prohibited from going outside, and was provided with no medical or legal assistance. While his captors did not use physical violence, they subjected him to constant psychological pressure. Oleksii was released after two months of this psychological torture. Despite this, he remained in Kherson for a long time afterward and only left his hometown after its liberation. Oleksii is currently receiving psychological support and continues to volunteer in support of the Ukrainian military.

Oleksii Polukhin is available for interviews, both online and in person in Lviv, by prior arrangement.

Background: Kherson was occupied by russian forces at the beginning of the full-scale invasion (March 1, 2022). The Armed Forces of Ukraine liberated the city from russian troops on November 11, 2022. The occupiers continue to shell the city regularly.

• occupation
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Lviv
• LGBT

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

Leonid Kondratskyi is 66 years old. He is a resident of Nova Kakhovka, a town in the Kherson oblast that russian forces occupied on the first day of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Prior to the war, Leonid was a pensioner who worked as the deputy head of the municipal guard for the Nova Kakhovka town council. During the occupation, he provided assistance to civilians in Beryslav, a nearby town.

The russians detained Leonid several times. On October 7, 2022, russian soldiers came to his home in Nova Kakhovka, took him away, and transported him to an unknown location. It was later revealed that Leonid had been taken to Crimea. He is currently being held in a pretrial detention center (SIZO) in Kamyshin, a village in the Volgograd region of russia.

The International Committee of the Red Cross has confirmed that Leonid is being held captive. In total, he has been held captive for over three years.

By prior arrangement, journalists can speak with Leonid’s daughter, Iryna, online.

• occupation
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Kherson

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

A peaceful march titled “Our People Are Not Home Yet” will take place in Kyiv on November 8. The march is organized by the families of missing and captured military personnel from the 32nd Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The march aims to raise awareness about the fate of Ukrainian defenders who are missing or in captivity, and to draw attention to their situation among society, state institutions, and the international community.

Around 500 people, including family members of the missing and captured, government officials, fellow soldiers, volunteers, civic activists, and concerned citizens, will march through central Kyiv. They want to remind everyone that the fight for freedom continues not only on the front lines but also in the hearts of those waiting for their loved ones.

The march will go through the central streets of Kyiv.

Objectives of the event:

• To publicly acknowledge that thousands of Ukrainian soldiers are still in captivity and that tens of thousands are missing.
• To support families who have lived in uncertainty for years while waiting.
• To call for active state and international efforts to bring every defender home.
• The event will demonstrate society’s unity around the goal of ensuring that no hero is forgotten.

The organizers invite representatives of Ukrainian and international media outlets to cover the “Our People Are Not Home Yet” march.

• prisoners
• Kyiv

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