Media Center Ukraine Producer Department

On May 8, 2022, Maryna Aleksiuk, a repair workshop technician of an anti-aircraft missile division, was killed at Azovstal. She had been defending Ukraine since 2015. Her daughters — 14-year-old Olena and 11-year-old Oleksandra — were left without their mother.

Mykola Ivanchenko has been fighting since 2014, when russia first launched its aggression against Ukraine, serving in the “Azov” regiment.

He met Maryna in December 2018. Both were divorced at the time. When they began living together, Maryna’s daughters did not immediately accept him. Over time, however, he earned their trust.

The family initially lived in Mariupol and moved to Berdiansk in the Zaporizhzhia region in 2021. That is where the full-scale war found them.

On February 24, 2022, Maryna left for Azovstal with her unit as part of the “Azov” regiment. Mykola arranged with his command to remain in Berdiansk with the children, waiting for his wife’s return. When russian forces occupied the city, he and the girls spent a month under occupation. Only by a miracle were they able to safely evacuate to Ukrainian-controlled territory.

After receiving news of Maryna’s death, Mykola took Olena and Oleksandra under his guardianship. They now live together in the Kyiv region. The girls are in the 9th and 6th grades. Olena is interested in Korean culture and music, while Oleksandra enjoys painting by numbers.

Journalists can access Mykola’s full story and schedule an interview with him.

• children
• dead
• military

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

On February 14 and 15, Ukrzaliznytsia will launch Romantic Express trains for Valentine’s Day. They will traditionally operate in Kyiv and Lviv.

Tickets for the Romantic Express can be purchased via the Ukrzaliznytsia app. For military personnel, tickets are also available through the Army+ app.

The Romantic Express trains will depart twice a day. The journey will last more than two hours and will begin and end at the Central Railway Station. The train will be led by a real steam locomotive. Couples will spend their time in a brand-new luxury carriage, in a private compartment for two, accompanied by romantic music.

• culture
• Kyiv
• Lviv

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

On February 12, a press conference dedicated to the Day of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes — commemorated annually on February 20 — will take place in Kyiv.

February 20, 2026 marks 12 years since the mass shootings of the Heavenly Hundred on the Maidan. It also marks 12 years since the beginning of russian aggression.

The National Museum of the Revolution of Dignity, together with its partners, will present this year’s program of commemorative events and a social awareness campaign.

Participants:
– Oleksandr Alfiorov, Head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory;
– Ivan Verbytskyi, Deputy Minister of Culture of Ukraine;
– Ihor Poshyvailo, General Director of the National Memorial Complex of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes – Museum of the Revolution of Dignity;
– Nataliia Dyhdalovych, Head of the NGO “Family of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes”;
– Anzhelika Rudnytska, Art Agency “Territory A”;
– Artem Mykolaichuk, Chairman of the Board of the Pylyp Orlyk Foundation.

Materials and the full program will be published after the press conference on the website of the National Museum of the Revolution of Dignity.

Journalists are required to register in advance.

• dead
• Kyiv

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

Participants:

– Oleh Korikov, Head of Ukraine’s State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate and Chief State Inspector for Nuclear and Radiation Safety.

Key topics:

– Protection of nuclear power plants;

– Results of the work of the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate for 2025 and plans for the next year.

• Kyiv

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

Participants:

– Kyrylo Nevdokha, Head of the DIiMO Office at the Ministry of Social Policy, Family, and Unity of Ukraine;

– Iryna Yeremenko, National Consultant, UNICEF Ukraine;

– Olena Shulyak, Member of Parliament of Ukraine;

– Vitaliy Bodnya, Leading Specialist, Youth Center Development Department, State Institution “All-Ukrainian Youth Center”

Key topics:

– Presentation of the guidebook “How to involve children and young people with life experience in decisions that affect them”;

– Changes at the state policy level to enable young people to influence decision-making;

– Practical examples of real youth involvement in decision-making.

• children
• Kyiv

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