Themes by tag: casualties
Oleksii Prytula is a veterinarian from Odesa. During the full-scale invasion by russia, he defended the country. In September 2022, he sustained severe injuries and lost both legs. He received prosthetics and underwent rehabilitation at the Superhumans Center in Lviv. Subsequently, he returned to work as a veterinarian in Odesa.
Oleksiy joined the national team that represented Ukraine this year at the first-ever Winter Hybrid Invictus Games in Canada (disciplines: curling, skeleton, alpine skiing, rowing on simulators). He also participated in the All-Ukrainian wheelchair rugby competitions. Additionally, he practices archery and wheelchair basketball.
Upon prior arrangement, journalists can speak with Oleksii in person in Odesa or online.
Oleksandr Shvetsov, a Ukrainian army veteran who lost a leg in combat and later his home to russian shelling, has given away money raised for his recovery to help neighbors left with nothing.
Shvetsov has been serving since 2014. He was seriously wounded near Luhansk, where he lost his leg. After returning from the front, he went through a personal crisis, struggling to adapt to life with a prosthetic, refusing rehabilitation, and turning to alcohol and drugs. Over time, he overcame those struggles, broke free from addiction, and, after time abroad, learned to manage severe panic attacks.
Driven to help others, he started the “Hero Bus” initiative, which gave dozens of fellow veterans the chance to travel to France and Poland.
On the night of Sept. 10, 2025, a russian strike hit his home and car in Ukraine’s Zhytomyr region. A rocket landed just 20 meters from the house, heavily damaging the property but sparing his life. He managed to escape unharmed and saved his animals.
After sharing photos of the destruction online and appealing for help, Shvetsov received more than one million hryvnias in donations within two days. Instead of using the money to rebuild his place, he gave it all to neighbors whose homes were destroyed in the same attack and had received no help.
Shvetsov is available for interviews, either online or in person in Zhytomyr, by prior arrangement.
On September 26, the Media Center Ukraine will host the presentation of a research entitled “The role of adaptive sports in the rehabilitation of service members and veterans”.
Participants:
– Hanna Bielorusova, Director at the Centre for Strategic Communications StratCom Ukraine;
– Iryna Pykalo, researcher;
– Alina Sarnatska, researcher;
– Ihor Salii, Veteran, participant in international adaptive sports competitions;
– Vitalina Pushkar, representative of Lisova Poliana Mental Health and Rehabilitation Center for Veterans;
– Oksana Horbach, Director of Invictus Games Ukraine NGO, officer in the Armed Forces of Ukraine (online);
– Oleh Duchyminskyi, archery coach (online);
– Kateryna Zahorodnia, head of the Center for Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Council Regional Clinical Hospital (online).
Key topics:
– The research objectives and what makes it unique in Ukraine;
– Challenges of integrating adaptive sports into the state rehabilitation system;
– The effects of adaptive sports on symptoms of PTSD and depression;
– Expanding access to adaptive sports beyond rehabilitation centers;
– Scaling the research findings nationwide.
Background: This is Ukraine’s first scientific research examining how adaptive sports combined with rehabilitation can help veterans restore physical health, reduce symptoms of depression and PTSD, improve social integration, and return to active daily life.
Adaptive sports offer veterans new opportunities for recovery by combining physical, psychological, and social rehabilitation. The research shows that sports are an effective tool for helping military personnel transition back to civilian life.
Registration is required to attend the event.
On October 2 in Kyiv, as part of the 16th Odesa International Film Festival, the documentary Children in the Fire (Ukraine, USA, and the Czech Republic; directed by Evgeny Afineevsky) will premiere. The film documents crimes committed against Ukrainian children during the war, including abduction, deportation, and attempts at forced assimilation.
Subjects include Valeriia Sydorova, from Nova Kakhovka, who survived russian occupation and deportation to Crimea; Yana Stepanenko, who lost her legs in a russian missile attack on the Kramatorsk railway station; and Vladislav Buryak, who endured russian captivity. You can read the children’s detailed stories here.
Despite their traumatic experiences, the eight young protagonists continue to believe in the future and are pursuing careers as athletes, artists, and civil servants.
The film has already been screened at festivals in Monte Carlo, Raindance, and Documentaries Without Borders.
Journalists will have the opportunity to speak with the children featured in the film and the creative team. Registration is required to attend the event.
Oleksandr Ivanko, a retired captain of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and an aircraft engine engineer, has transformed tragedy into creativity. He joined the military in 2012 and first faced the realities of full-scale conflict during a UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Upon returning to Ukraine, Ivanko immediately enlisted to defend his country.
His service came at a high cost. Ivanko was severely wounded when a Kh-59 missile struck a helicopter, resulting in the amputation of his leg.
Afterward, he underwent prosthetic surgery at the Superhumans Center in Lviv. During his rehabilitation, Ivanko discovered a passion for music. He completed DJing courses and now performs sets while also playing bass guitar in the center’s therapeutic band.
His performances have reached distinguished audiences, including Ukraine’s presidential couple, Volodymyr and Olena Zelenskyy, and Prince Harry during his visit to Ukraine. Ivanko has also shared the stage with prominent Ukrainian acts such as Zhadan i Sobaky, Druga Rika, Tin Sontsya, and the Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Lviv National Philharmonic.
Expanding his pursuits beyond music, Ivanko started his own business – an online store offering products for meditation and spiritual practices.
Journalists can arrange interviews with Ivanko in Lviv or online, by prior arrangement.
An open training session titled “A Run with the Strong” will be held in Kyiv on September 27. All are invited to join veterans from the “Strong 300” running club for a community run. This event brings veterans and civilians together to run at the same pace.
There will be a distance suitable for any fitness level. Participants can also look forward to making new connections and hearing inspiring stories of resilience from people who have persevered after the war.
Background:
Organizer: Union of Wounded Military of Ukraine “Strong 300”.
Partner: The Ukrainian Athletic Federation.
The swim was part of the annual international project Neda el Món, which brings together athletes from around the world.
The Ukrainian team, consisting of Ihor Oliinyk, Demian Dudlia, and Maksym Hrinchenko, joined 24 other swimmers in conquering one of the most challenging and unpredictable routes. Despite squalling rain, thunder, and rough waves at dawn, the team persevered. They covered 12.8 kilometers in an impressive 4 hours and 50 minutes.
The veterans are returning to Ukraine on September 26. Journalists can meet with them in Kyiv to hear their thoughts upon arrival. Separate interviews with the participants can be arranged in Kyiv, Dnipro, or online.
Journalists can request photo and video materials of the swim.
More information about the participants is available here.
Background: The Ukrainian team’s preparation was facilitated by the public organization “One Team Force” – a community dedicated to finding effective ways to provide personalized support for the comprehensive recovery of injured soldiers, from initial rehabilitation to long-term social integration.
When russia launched its full-scale invasion, Anton Bohach traded the driver’s seat of his truck for a rifle. Now, after losing his sight on the battlefield, he has found a new sense of purpose at a pottery wheel.
Bohach, a native of Kropyvnytskyi, had long been drawn to the restaurant business. He trained as a food production technologist but ended up making a living as a truck driver before buying his own vehicle and running a small transport business.
That all changed on February 26, 2022, when he volunteered to defend Ukraine. He joined the newly formed 71st Air Assault Brigade. Like most of his fellow recruits, he had never held a weapon before, but he shared their determination to stand against the invasion. Within two weeks, he was deployed to the Kharkiv region, where he fought in some of the war’s earliest heavy battles.
For more than a year, Bohach held defensive positions along shifting frontlines. On September 15, 2023, his service came to a halt when he was gravely wounded. The injuries cost him his eyesight and nearly his life. He spent four months bedridden.
Faced with the darkness ahead, Bohach searched for new ways to rebuild his life. He tried IT courses but found the high-level English proficiency required a barrier. Undeterred, he retrained as a massage therapist, opened a small practice, and then discovered Pottery in the Dark, a program for blind veterans and civilians.
Pottery quickly became his passion. At his home in Kropyvnytskyi, he has set up a small workshop and ordered a kiln. His shelves now hold cups, plates, jugs, and bottles shaped from clay. He also shares his journey with more than 5,000 followers on TikTok.
Bohach’s work will soon reach a wider audience. On September 26, the city of Vinnytsia will host the opening of Art in the Dark, an exhibition showcasing pieces by 14 blind artists studying pottery under instructor Victoriia Nikolaieva. Alongside Bohach, the exhibit will feature works by Ivan Shostak, Serhii Railian, Anton Kuzio, Andrii Kozyrenko, Oleh Derecha, Ruslan Ryzhko, Mykola Kaziuk, Oleh Avtomenko, Andrii Lemak, Nazar Kostetskyi, Diana Kalyna, Ihor Kushniriov, and Denys Zakharko.
Visitors will be able to view the artwork, meet the artists, hear their stories, and purchase their creations.
Bohach says he is eager to talk about his journey, whether in person in Kropyvnytskyi or through online interviews. For him, pottery is not only a craft but also a way to reclaim independence and rebuild a life after war.
Last week, 16 children were rescued from an occupied area as part of the Bring Kids Back UA initiative, which was launched by the President of Ukraine and carried out with the help of the Save Ukraine team.
- 17-year-old Milana had to wait for her mother, who was held captive in a basement for three days without food or water — simply because the girl’s father is a Ukrainian soldier. She endured searches, polygraph tests, and humiliation, and was threatened with being “dumped in the Dnipro River.” Milana lived in constant fear that her mother would disappear forever.
- 17-year-old Mark went to school and was registered for military conscription. After a “psychological test”, russian soldiers took him and some of his classmates to a military enlistment office without parental consent. The boy nearly became an orphan when a drone hit his parents’ car — they survived by a miracle.
- 2-year-old Solomiia also miraculously survived the occupation. When the girl woke up at night with a fever of 40°C, her mother, Olena, unable to call an ambulance, decided to drive her daughter to the hospital herself. However, russian soldiers refused to let their car cross the bridge, threatening to smash the windows. Olena then carried Solomiia across a pontoon bridge in the darkness.
- The family of 14-yearian Alina barely managed to flee the occupation in time to avoid being left homeless. The occupying authorities threatened to seize their apartment. They were initially refused passage at the checkpoint until the girl deleted all Ukrainian channels from her phone.
Today, they are all safe. They are undergoing rehabilitation, recovering documents, and receiving psychological support and assistance with housing. They now have a roof over their heads and ongoing support.
Journalists may speak with Save Ukraine representatives by prior arrangement.
On September 17, Ukraine will witness a new attempt to set the national record for the “Most unsupported one-leg squats in one minute” near Odesa. The record attempt will be made by 34-year-old war veteran and assault pilot Oleksandr Revtiukh of the 47th Mechanized Brigade ‘Magura’, who has endured the loss of both an arm and a leg.
In 2023, during a Ukrainian counteroffensive in the Zaporizhia region, Revtiukh and his unit entered a minefield. A mine first took his leg, and as he attempted to crawl to safety in a state of shock, another mine detonated just a meter away, claiming his arm and injuring his torso. Despite the field being heavily mined, his comrades were able to evacuate him.
Last year, Revtiukh set a national record by completing 34 unsupported sit-ups on one leg within a minute. This year, he is aiming to surpass his own achievement.
The event is open to accredited media only. For security reasons, the precise location will be shared exclusively with credentialed journalists.
