Themes by tag: casualties

Hailing from the Volyn oblast, Mykhailo Grysevych dreamed of a military career from a young age. At 17, he successfully completed a rigorous, NATO-standard selection process to join the Rubizh Brigade. At 18, during the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) in Ukraine, he was officially enlisted into its ranks. On December 23, 2018, his life changed forever. Mykhailo was severely injured when he left his trench to replace a tripwire and came under enemy fire.

Mykhailo sustained injuries to all his limbs, yet he remained conscious. The subsequent amputation of his leg, along with the necessary treatment and recovery, was a long and arduous process. It took him four months to sit up for the first time, and six months to take his first step with a prosthetic. To this day, he has limited feeling in his left arm.

During his recovery, Mykhailo began visiting the Bez Obmezhen (Without Limits) Prosthetics Center to have his prosthesis adjusted. There, he learned about an opening for a prosthetist’s assistant and decided to take on the new challenge. The center provided him with comprehensive training and supported his advanced studies in Germany and the United States.

Today, Mykhailo uses his hard-won experience to help wounded soldiers learn to use their prostheses. He has progressed to designing and manufacturing prostheses himself.

Mykhailo Grysevych is available for conversations, both online and in person, by prior arrangement.

Background: The Bez Obmezhen Prosthetics Center is a leading prosthetic and orthopedic enterprise in Ukraine. For over 12 years, it has been a key partner in implementing state programs that provide prostheses and orthoses to people with disabilities, combat veterans, and those affected by the russo-Ukrainian War. The center has locations in nine cities across Ukraine.

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Edward, a British volunteer who was severely injured in Pokrovsk, has started treatment to be fitted with a prosthetic arm at the Superhumans Center in Lviv. He has already received a lower limb prosthetic and has recently joined the center’s staff.

Edward came to Ukraine at the start of russia’s full-scale invasion, volunteering to help evacuate civilians from the Donetsk region. In January 2025, a russian drone struck an evacuation vehicle in Pokrovsk while he was driving. The attack left him critically injured, and doctors were forced to amputate both an arm and a leg.

• casualties
• russian crimes
• volunteers
• Lviv

Andrii Prots knew the path he wanted to follow from an early age. Inspired by his grandfather, a skilled carpenter, he took up woodworking himself and eventually built a business producing cabinets, kitchens, and commercial furnishings for shops and offices. His dream was to grow into a mass manufacturer – until russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine forced him to put everything on hold.

When the war broke out, Prots mobilized with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He carried out combat missions in the Serebrianskyi Forest, Torske, Zarichne, and near Lyman. It was while serving on the front line that he learned his wife had given birth to their daughter. He still recalls returning home on leave, dirty and exhausted, straight from the forest, to meet his newborn child.

By 2023, Prots decided to leave the military for family reasons and turn back to civilian life. Almost immediately, he began rebuilding his business. He repaired his workshop, which had been damaged in an enemy strike, and reopened his furniture factory, which he fittingly named “Combatant.”

Over time, Prots realized he wanted his work to serve a greater purpose. He has invested his savings and secured a grant from the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation to buy land and build a barrier-free production facility for veterans with disabilities. He aims to complete construction by the end of 2025 and create a workplace where veterans feel safe, valued and comfortable.

Those who wish to meet with Andrii Prots can do so either online or in person in Lviv, by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• Lviv

One of the Danish Refugee Council’s (DRC) key missions in Ukraine is conducting civilian humanitarian operations of non-technical surveys and clearing explosive ordnance. The organization also trains State Emergency Service of Ukraine specialists and educates civilians on how to identify dangerous devices.

On September 4, 2025, a DRC team came under rocket fire while conducting purely civilian humanitarian activities – working to clear landmines and explosive remnants of war to protect communities and enable safe access to essential infrastructure, farmland, and homes. The attack killed two deminers and left eight others injured.

The Danish Refugee Council has reaffirmed its commitment to its mission. Despite the risks and challenges, our demining teams undertake this vital work to prevent further loss of life from landmines and unexploded ordnance. 

The DRC team is available for conversations online and in person by appointment.

• casualties
• dead
• russian crimes
• demining

HAB | Lviv Habilitation Center is Ukraine’s first habilitation facility dedicated to veterans, their families, and civilians affected by the war. Its mission is to provide a recovery environment that blends physical rehabilitation, psychological support, creative activities, and community engagement. Here, individuals can not only regain physical strength but also discover inner resilience, motivation, and new opportunities for life.

The center features eight fully accessible rooms designed for people in wheelchairs and their families. It also offers five sports programs: swimming, CrossFit, jiu-jitsu, archery, and yoga. HAB functions as a community hub, where veterans, their families, and civilians can connect, share experiences, and support one another. Over the past two years, the center has assisted more than 800 residents.

Journalists can visit HAB | Lviv Habilitation Center by prior arrangement and, when possible, speak with residents and specialists about their work and experiences.

For reference: Habilitation follows treatment and standard physical or mental rehabilitation. Its primary goal is to help individuals with amputations, complex injuries, or disabilities adapt to new circumstances, develop independence, and practice essential self-sufficiency skills.

• casualties
• military
• Lviv

At the end of September, a team of three Ukrainian veterans who have undergone amputations will attempt to swim across the Strait of Bonifacio. This narrow channel between southern Corsica, France, and northern Sardinia, Italy, is known for its challenging currents, shallow areas, and sudden wind shifts. At its narrowest point, the strait spans 11 kilometers, with a maximum depth of about 100 meters.

Each participant is a war veteran with their own recovery story. Demian Dudlia is a fire safety engineer. He voluntarily joined the National Guard at the start of the full-scale invasion and served as a grenade launcher operator and AGS-17 gunner. In April 2023, he sustained severe injuries resulting in an above-the-knee amputation of his leg.

Maksym Hrinchenko was injured in October 2022 during one of the missile attacks on Kyiv. Prior to 2022, he worked in construction. In February 2022, he voluntarily enlisted in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, later training as a sapper. He also underwent an above-the-knee amputation.

Ihor Oliinyk has pursued various interests, ranging from photography and the restaurant industry to military service and sports. In 2023, he was injured by shelling in the Serebrianske Forestry and lost an arm and an eye.

This trio will be the first team with disabilities to attempt this distance, starting and finishing together.

Journalists can cover the veterans’ training in Kyiv by prior arrangement. There will also be opportunities to interview participants online or in person in Italy.

Background: The veterans are members of the ONE TEAM FORCES community, which provides personalized and coordinated support to help injured service members fully recover — from initial rehabilitation to long-term social integration.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• Kyiv

Serhii Railian, a sergeant in Ukraine’s Air Assault Forces from Mykolaiv, carries the scars of war both seen and unseen. At 28, with three military contracts behind him, he has endured profound loss and emerged with a story of resilience.

In 2014, Serhii enrolled in university, aspiring to a career as a programmer. But a year later, at 18, he signed his first military contract and was sent to the front lines.

By late 2021, Serhii had married and was preparing to leave military service. Those plans were shattered when russia launched a full-blown war. He first encountered the intensity of the renewed conflict near Shchastia in Luhansk. In November of that year, while serving in Donetsk, an anti-tank mine claimed both his legs and his eyesight. Serhii survived a coma, but doctors were unable to restore his vision.

Recently, Serhii graduated from the Pottery in the Dark project at the EthnoChary art space in Vinnytsia. The program brought together ten participants from across Ukraine, offering them the chance to learn the fundamentals of pottery. Beyond teaching a craft, the project aims to empower participants to continue working with clay independently. Every graduate received a junior pottery wheel, along with a complete set of tools and materials to pursue their work at home. For Serhii, this has sparked the idea of launching his own pottery business.

Journalists can arrange interviews with Serhii either offline or online in Kyiv. Viktoriia Nikolaieva, a mentor for the Pottery in the Dark project in Vinnytsia, is also available for comment. An exhibition featuring pottery by blind veterans is scheduled in Vinnytsia at the end of September.

The Pottery in the Dark project was organized by the Center for Socially Inclusive Partnership in collaboration with EthnoChary, as part of the Enhanced Partnership for Sustainable Recovery (EPSR) initiative. The project is funded by the Swedish government through the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and implemented in Ukraine by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

• casualties
• culture
• military
• Kyiv
• Vinnytsia

On September 2, the Media Center Ukraine will host a briefing “No roof over their heads: Ukraine’s freed civilians face housing crisis despite legal rights”

Participants:

• Ihor Kotelianets, Head of the Association of Relatives of Political Prisoners of the Kremlin;
• Svitlana Odintsova, Legal Analyst at the Association of Relatives of Political Prisoners of the Kremlin;
• Serhii Davydiuk, Recently Released from Illegal Detention;
• Representative of the Ministry of Social Policy, Family and Unity of Ukraine;
• Representative of the Zaporizhia Oblast Military Administration (online);
• Representative of the Bucha City Council in the Kyiv region (online). 

Key topics:

• Do freed civilians receive state-provided housing?
• Gaps in legislation and local enforcement;
• How state decisions translate into action at the community level;
• What must change to guarantee housing rights after release?

Registration is required to attend the event.

• casualties
• Kyiv

Maksym Kolesnykov defended Ukraine during the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) when russia first attacked the East and occupied Crimea. On February 24, 2022, he joined the Ukrainian military once again. Alongside his fellow soldiers, he guarded a facility in Hostomel, Kyiv Oblast. In March 2022, Russians captured Maksym and held him captive for 10 months. He says that during his imprisonment, he endured starvation and torture.

Maksym returned to his homeland on February 4, 2023. A photo was taken during the prisoner exchange of Maksym gazing at an apple — a poignant moment, as he had not seen fresh fruit or vegetables during his captivity. This image quickly spread across the media and social networks.

After rehabilitation, he decided to return to service. Now, in collaboration with the charity foundation Vesta, Maksym gives lectures to social workers who assist veterans on how to communicate with former prisoners of war. The primary goal is to improve interactions with former captives and prevent retraumatization.

Interviews with Maksym Kolesnykov can be arranged online or in person in Kyiv with prior agreement.

• casualties
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

Andrii Khomiak served on the front lines from 2015 to 2018, defending Ukraine after russia’s initial assault. Once his contract ended, he returned to civilian life. But when the full-scale war broke out, he rejoined the military. Khomiak served in the artillery, where he also trained combat crews.

On March 22, 2022, during the defense of Kyiv, Khomiak was caught in enemy fire. A mine explosion tore off one of his legs, and doctors were forced to amputate the other. He later underwent months of rehabilitation and prosthetic treatment in Israel.

Using the compensation he received for his injuries, Khomiak invested in building a woodworking shop of his own. Today, he and his team craft decorative pieces from thermally treated wood. Looking ahead, he hopes to expand production to provide stable jobs for other veterans wounded in the war.

Khomiak can be reached for meetings both online and in person in Zhytomyr, by appointment.

• casualties
• military
• Zhytomyr