Themes by tag: casualties

Five Ukrainian veterans will participate in the international open-water swimming competition Oceanman Lago d’Orta (Italy). They will compete in the 2 km and 5.5 km distances.

All members of the team are veterans with amputations and severe injuries. Each has gone through war, prolonged medical treatment, and rehabilitation. They are currently preparing for the international competition and train four times a week.

Team Members:

• Ivan Khalupa — veteran of the 10th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade. He lost a leg in combat. Swimming became part of his systematic rehabilitation. He has experience in international competitions.

• Ihor Oliinyk — veteran of the 67th Separate Mechanized Brigade. He began swimming after being wounded to restore psychological balance.

• Serhii Khrapko — lost an arm and a leg in 2015. Participant of the Invictus Games and Warrior Games. Has extensive experience in sports rehabilitation.

• Volodymyr Shanayda — was wounded in 2023. After a year of treatment, he began swimming. Oceanman will be his first international competition.

• Ihor Bystryi — combat veteran since 2016. He was wounded in 2022 by a cluster munition. After rehabilitation, he continues his sports training.

The project aims to support veterans’ participation in an international sporting event and highlight the role of sport in physical and psychological rehabilitation. It promotes the development of veteran sports and raises awareness of recovery through sport.

By prior arrangement, journalists may cover training sessions in Kyiv.

Background: The project is implemented by the charitable foundation YANKO Fund. Logistical support is provided by the concierge service FlyPoint. The team trains under the supervision of medical specialists, coaches, and rehabilitation professionals. The Oceanman organizing committee has provided the athletes with complimentary entry passes for the competition.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• Kyiv

Dmytro Kanupier was serving in the 12th Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine “Azov” in Mariupol when the full-scale invasion began. In April 2022, he sustained two shrapnel wounds. Together with his fellow soldiers, he defended the Azovstal steel plant.

Dmytro and his comrades discussed various possible outcomes of the battle in Mariupol, including suicide. Ultimately, in late May 2022, the fighters received orders to surrender and entered russian captivity.

Until September 26, 2022, Dmytro was held in a penal colony in Olenivka in the occupied part of Donetsk region. He was later transferred to Taganrog, russia. There, according to the serviceman, prisoners were subjected to severe beatings and torture in order to extract so-called “confessions” to fabricated crimes.

While in captivity, Dmytro was sentenced to 29 years in a high-security penal colony for a war crime he did not commit. He returned to Ukraine on October 18, 2024, as part of a prisoner exchange.

Since then, he has undergone rehabilitation, taken up sports, returned to service with Azov, and continues to speak publicly about captivity and those who remain imprisoned.

Interviews with Dmytro Kanupier are available online or in person by prior arrangement and coordination with the press service.

• casualties
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes

Before the full-scale invasion, Artem Sokolov worked as an assistant locomotive driver at Ukrzaliznytsia, and his passion was sport motorcycles.

With the start of the full-scale war, he joined the Territorial Defense Forces and later volunteered for the police assault brigade “Liut” (“Fury”). Artem was deployed to Donetsk region after nine months of basic military training and unit coordination. In October 2023, he went on his first combat mission. An enemy drone spotted the group, and a mine exploded near him. Artem sustained severe injuries and could only be evacuated several hours later. Doctors had to amputate both of his legs.

Artem underwent prosthetic fitting and rehabilitation. The first thing he did after returning home was get behind the wheel of a car. Later, he tried riding a friend’s motorcycle. Realizing he could successfully control it even with prosthetics, he soon bought his own bike. Today, the veteran is looking for a position within the military, as despite his disability he is determined to return to service.

Interviews with Artem Sokolov are available both online and offline in Poltava by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• military
• Poltava

Participants:
Ihor Kotelyanets, head of the NGO “Association of Relatives of Kremlin Political Prisoners”;
Tetiana Maletska, clinical psychologist at the “Lisova Polyana” Center for Mental Health and Rehabilitation;
Azat Azatian, founder of a rehabilitation center in Zaporizhzhia, former political prisoner;
Yurii Shapovalov, released from unlawful imprisonment, representative of the NGO “29 December.”

Discussion topics:
– a real, rather than formal, rehabilitation system for people returning from unlawful detention;
– what state policy in the field of rehabilitation of released civilians should look like.

Background: Thousands of Ukrainians who have experienced unlawful imprisonment face new challenges after their release — from health problems and psychological consequences of torture to complex bureaucratic procedures. Activists have analyzed current legislation and its implementation and propose a vision for how state policy on the rehabilitation of released civilians should be structured, as well as specific decisions and steps that need to be taken immediately.

• casualties
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

Before the full-scale invasion, Yaroslav Vinnichenko specialized in removing unwanted tattoos. His practice also included treating the consequences of firework explosions and removing foreign particles embedded under the skin after бытов injuries. So when, in May 2022, a woman approached him with injuries caused by a landmine explosion, he agreed to help.

Since then, Yaroslav has decided to work on such cases free of charge. He encourages his students and colleagues to join the initiative and help those who have suffered and received traumatic “tattoos.”

Today, this assistance is available free of charge in every region of Ukraine. To receive help, a person affected must contact Yaroslav directly — he will refer them to the nearest specialist.

Interviews with Yaroslav Vinnichenko are available both online and offline in Kharkiv by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• volunteers
• Kharkiv

In the city of Boryslav, Lviv region, Ukraine’s first winter adaptive sports center for male and female war veterans with lower-limb amputations has begun operating at the Bukovytsia ski resort.

During the first open training sessions, veterans learned the Three-Track Skiing technique — skiing on one ski using two outriggers — under the guidance of alpine skiing instructors, physical therapists, and veterans who completed certified training in the United States.

Going forward, within the Hub, veterans will receive ongoing free access to the Bukovytsia ski infrastructure, modern adaptive equipment, adaptive skiing lessons from professional instructors, and peer-to-peer mentorship.

According to Oleksandr Shvachka, veteran and president of the Alliance of Veterans organization, the creation of the Hub at the Bukovytsia ski complex is one of the stages in developing a large-scale infrastructure for the physical and psychological rehabilitation of Ukrainian veterans through adaptive alpine skiing.

By prior arrangement, journalists may cover the activities of the hub.

For reference: The Hub was initiated by the public organization “Alliance of Veterans” as part of the Adaptive Skiing for Veterans project, with the support of the Bukovytsia ski resort, the charitable foundation Razom for Ukraine, and the Boryslav City Council.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• Lviv

Oleh Symoroz joined the Defense Forces at the start of the full-scale invasion. He defended Kyiv region as part of the Territorial Defense Forces and later deployed east with his unit. In October 2022, during a combat mission, his vehicle hit an enemy mine.

Both of his legs were amputated above the knee — one of the most challenging types of amputation for further prosthetic fitting. Oleh committed himself to rehabilitation and successfully adapted to prosthetic limbs. He later returned to civilian life, purchased a home, and joined the team of Protez Foundation, where he now serves as Head of Development and Reform of the Prosthetics System.

The veteran and the Protez Foundation team were invited to take part in the filming of the Ukrainian series “Return.” He plays a soldier who lost his legs on the front line — a role that echoes his real-life story. Protez Foundation supported the project: some scenes were filmed at the prosthetics center itself, prosthetists consulted the crew, provided technical assistance, and supplied prosthetic components for filming. The series will consist of eight episodes. The lead roles were performed by Yevhen Hryhoriev, a fighter of the “Wolves of Da Vinci” battalion, and actor Oleksandr Rudynskyi.

Journalists may speak with Oleh Symoroz both online and offline in Kyiv by prior arrangement.

For reference: Protez Foundation is a U.S.-based charitable organization that provides free prosthetic treatment and rehabilitation to Ukrainians who have lost limbs as a result of the war. Its mission is to help Ukrainian children, civilians, and service members receive high-quality prosthetics in the United States free of charge.

• casualties
• military
• Kyiv

Before the full-scale invasion, Nataliia and Vadym Kovpak lived in Berdiansk, Zaporizhzhia region (the city has been under russian occupation since February 27, 2022).

On February 24, 2022, the family moved to Khmelnytskyi region, where they rebuilt their lives from scratch. Vadym decided to join the Ukrainian Armed Forces and continues to serve. After he was wounded, the family encountered indifference from the management of some institutions that were supposed to assist with soldiers’ rehabilitation. As a result, Nataliia decided to establish her own rehabilitation center for service members.

In 2023, she opened the “Postava” center. The initiative was supported by the Ukrainian Veterans Fund. Most services for military personnel at the center are free of charge, and Nataliia says she helps other soldiers the same way she would help her own husband.

Journalists can speak with Nataliia Kovpak both online and offline in Kamianets-Podilskyi after March 5, 2026.

• casualties
• military
• volunteers
• women
• Khmelnytskyi

Before the full-scale invasion, Yana Zalevska had never considered military service. But after spending a month and a half in occupied Kherson, she decided to enlist. Even the fact that her husband — a Canadian citizen — was waiting for her abroad did not stop her.

Yana joined the 59th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade named after Yakiv Handziuk, where she served as a military journalist and later as a combat medic. She subsequently completed training and continued her service as a drone operator. In 2024, she was wounded, underwent eight surgeries, and faced a long and difficult rehabilitation.

After recovering, Yana returned to service — this time with the 141st Separate Mechanized Brigade, which is currently holding the defense line in the Pokrovsk direction. Alongside combat drone missions, she trains new specialists for the all-women UAV operators platoon known as “Amazonky Banshi.”

Journalists may arrange an online interview with Yana Zalevska by prior agreement.

• casualties
• military
• women

Together with international partners, temporary housing has been arranged in Lviv for internally displaced people who require special services and care. The facility is designed to accommodate 70 residents.

The building includes 17 rooms, three kitchens, two children’s playrooms, accessible shower rooms, and a laundry room. It is also equipped with an elevator to allow movement between floors. The housing operates on a dormitory-style model, with individual rooms for each family and shared kitchen and bathroom facilities.

The premises have been renovated in line with the highest standards of accessibility and inclusivity, including accessible bathrooms and ramps. Work on improving the surrounding outdoor area is still ongoing.

Currently, 21 residents have already moved in, including five children and 10 people with disabilities, among them a veteran who uses a wheelchair. The residents are displaced persons from the Donetsk region — Bakhmut, Chasiv Yar, Horlivka, and Avdiivka; from the Dnipropetrovsk region — Nikopol; from the Zaporizhzhia region — Polohy; as well as from Mykolaiv and Kharkiv.

• casualties
• Lviv