Media Center Ukraine Producer Department

For the past three years, the InNikos canine therapy center in Kyiv has provided a unique form of support, bringing together therapy dogs, professional dog trainers, psychologists, and rehabilitation specialists to aid in the mental and physical recovery of those impacted by Russia’s war.

The center serves a wide range of clients, including active-duty military personnel, families of service members, internally displaced persons, children who endured occupation, and others affected by the conflict. All sessions are offered free of charge, available either in group settings or one-on-one.

Six therapy dogs currently work at the facility. The most experienced are Chelsea, a mixed breed, and Freya, a miniature schnauzer, both 11 years old. The youngest is Sunny, a two-year-old Australian shepherd. Two Belgian shepherds, set to turn one in February, are now in training and preparing for certification.

Similar canine therapy programs are also up and running in Rivne, Chernivtsi, and Myrhorod.

Journalists interested in covering the center’s work in the capital are welcome by prior arrangement.

The InNikos center operates with support from the Royal Canin Foundation.

• animals
• casualties
• psychological support
• Kyiv

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

On January 23, the Fight For Right NGO, which advocates for the rights of people with disabilities in Ukraine, will present its latest research, titled “Not My Choice: Institutionalization and Restriction of Legal Capacity of Individuals with Disabilities in Ukraine.”

The presentation will highlight the organization’s findings from a year-long study into the institutionalization of people with disabilities across Ukraine, as well as the outlook for deinstitutionalization amid the government’s stated commitment to reforms that would enable everyone to exercise their right to independent living.

Fight For Right aims to spotlight the need for real progress in this area among Ukrainian policymakers, civil society, and the media. The new research includes three key sections:

– In the labyrinth of “care”: how the system channels people with disabilities into boarding schools in Ukraine.

– The legal capacity regime in Ukraine: a systemic failure in upholding the rights of people with disabilities.

– Ukraine’s deinstitutionalization strategy: caught between European integration demands and preserving the status quo.

In 2026, deinstitutionalization stands as both a major requirement for Ukraine’s European integration and a pressing domestic priority, especially as the war continues to drive up the number of people living with disabilities.

Registration is required to attend. Registered participants will receive the event address and a link to the online broadcast.

For reference: The event is organized by the NGO Fight For Right with support from the International Renaissance Foundation through the projects “Creating the preconditions for an independent and dignified life for all” and “Strengthening the community of people with disabilities for equal participation in the negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the EU,” as well as backing from the European Union under the joint initiative “Joining the EU Together” and the Norwegian-Swedish Askold and Dir Fund. It is administered by ISAR Ednannia as part of the project “Strong Civil Society of Ukraine – a Driver Towards Reforms and Democracy Project,” funded by Norway and Sweden.

• Kyiv

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

Against the backdrop of Ukraine’s declared energy emergency and widespread, prolonged blackouts that have left thousands of Kyiv residents without heat during the bitter cold, World Central Kitchen has stepped in with emergency food aid for the capital.

The WCK team has set up hot meal stations throughout the city, serving hearty bowls of bograch and borscht. The stations are positioned in various neighborhoods to ensure the help reaches as many people as possible. At present, 50 such bograch-and-borscht stations are up and running.

Meals are also being distributed from WCK’s Invincibility Train Cars.

Journalists are welcome to cover the initiative and observe the stations in operation. The World Central Kitchen team is available for interviews and can help arrange filming at the sites.

• 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 VETERANKA movement is set to host a large-scale forum on the culture of memory, dubbed “Polis of Memory,” in collaboration with the Kyiv School of Economics. 

On January 23, the VETERANKA movement, a united community of women with combat experience will convene Ukraine’s largest forum dedicated to the culture of memory, titled “Polis of Memory.” The event aims to foster a space for connections and candid discussions on how remembrance culture is taking shape today: from the roles of the state and communities, to interactions among diverse groups and institutions, as well as how varied wartime experiences share the public sphere and what emerging practices in remembrance look like.

“Polis of Memory” is a one-day gathering for experts, initiative representatives, activists, researchers, and anyone invested in how contemporary war remembrance is evolving. The name draws deliberately from the ancient Greek city-states, or polis, evoking collaborative creation and shared decision-making.

The forum will tackle the challenges and responsibilities confronting central and local authorities in preserving memory, along with memory conflicts and problematic memorialization practices. Representatives from various initiatives will share their forward-looking visions and approaches to community engagement, while experts offer deeper insights into the trajectory of Ukraine’s remembrance culture.

Speakers include: 

– Nataliia Kryvda, Doctor of Philosophy, Professor at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Chair of the Supervisory Board of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation (UCF), Academic Director of the Edinburgh Business School in Kyiv; 

– Yuliia Hnatiuk, First Deputy Head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance; 

– Iryna Hoi, 12th Special Forces Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine “Azov”, Head of Azov Patronage Medical Service;

– Anton Drobovych, Philosopher, Lawyer, Public and State Figure, Head of the Center for Human Rights and War Memorialization at the Kyiv School of Economics; 

– Kateryna Semeniuk, Cultural Manager, Curator, Co-founder of the Past/Future/Art cultural Memory Platform, Head of the Cultural Practices NGO; 

– Hanna Bondar, Architect, Member of the Ukrainian Parliament; 

– Katia Datsenko, Co-founder of the NGO “Moment of Honor”; 

– Gandzia Morozova, Executive Director of the Maksym Kryvtsov Foundation, Military Officer, Sister of the VETERANKA Movement; 

– Mykhailo Alekseenko, Artist, Curator.

Journalists can review the detailed program for the event. Registration is required to attend.

For reference: The event is organized by the VETERANKA movement in partnership with the Center for Human Rights and War Memorialization; the Master’s program “Memory Studies and Public History” at the Faculty of Social Sciences at the Kyiv School of Economics. The forum is being held with the support of the European Union and the International Renaissance Foundation as part of the joint initiative “Joining the EU Together.”

• culture

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