Themes by tag: casualties

Vladyslav and Stanislav Chuhuienko are twin brothers from Zaporizhzhia. From an early age, Stanislav dreamed of becoming a soldier, and his brother supported his decision. Together, they entered the Hetman Petro Sahaidachnyi National Army Academy in Lviv and later joined the Ukrainian Marine Corps.

The Chuhuienko brothers fought in the Donetsk sector and were in Mariupol at the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion. During one of the missions, Vladyslav sustained shrapnel wounds to his legs. He was evacuated to a hospital and later transferred to the Illich Iron and Steel Works in Mariupol, where the brigade command was stationed.

On April 4, 2022, Vladyslav and Stanislav were taken prisoner. At first, they were held together, but were later separated. In captivity, Vladyslav was subjected to torture, beatings, and electric shocks. He was returned to Ukraine during a prisoner exchange on August 14, 2025. While in captivity, he believed his brother had already returned home. Only after his release did he learn that Stanislav remains in russian captivity. Vladyslav now takes part in rallies supporting prisoners of war and missing persons and is waiting for the return of his closest person.

Vladyslav Chuhuienko can be contacted both online and in person in Lviv by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Lviv

Since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, Franky and Сoen — two Dutch entrepreneurs — have been continuously providing humanitarian assistance across Ukraine. What began as a small initiative at the Polish border, where they distributed free French fries to refugees, has grown into a large-scale humanitarian effort spanning the country, including frontline areas.

Today, their work includes:

• distributing hundreds of thousands of hot meals;
• evacuating people and animals from frontline areas;
• delivering medical supplies, food, and humanitarian aid;
• providing financial support to vulnerable families;
• operating a shelter for internally displaced people in Dnipro (Holland House); a second Holland House is set to open in western Ukraine in the coming months, expanding support capacity for more than 100 additional people;
• organizing recovery trips for children affected by the war.

The volunteers are well known in the Netherlands not only for their work in Ukraine but also for how they communicate it. Through social media, documentaries, and national television, they bring the reality of the war directly into Dutch homes.

Franky and Сoen experienced the reality of war firsthand while dining at the Ria Pizza restaurant in Kramatorsk. On June 27, 2023, a russian missile strike hit the city center, killing 13 people and injuring 64 others, including the Dutch volunteers.

By prior arrangement, journalists can meet Franky and Сoen in Kyiv (April 15), Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, and the Donbas region. Online interviews are also available.

• casualties
• food
• russian crimes
• volunteers
• Kyiv
• evacuation

Before the full-scale invasion, 29-year-old Mykola Petrovskyi lived with his father and grandmother in Kherson. Mykola is disabled — after a car accident, part of his left foot was amputated and he now wears a prosthesis.

When Kherson was occupied by russian forces, Mykola became a volunteer, helping people in the city. One day, russian security forces abducted him from his home.

In September 2023, the so-called “Supreme Court of Crimea” sentenced Mykola Petrovskyi to 16 years in a maximum-security penal colony, falsely accusing him of “espionage”.

Letters from Mykola reveal that he was tortured in captivity, beaten, denied proper medical care, which is crucial for a person with a disability, and starved. According to the Center for Civil Liberties, Mykola’s health condition has deteriorated.

Read his full story here.

Journalists can arrange interviews with Mykola’s mother (online) and with his lawyer and human rights experts in Kyiv (in person).

• casualties
• occupation
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

Halyna Hlobchasta is the head of the villages of Makiivka and Hrekivka in the Luhansk region. For more than 30 years, she worked as a teacher of mathematics and physics in her hometown of Makiivka. She later became the village head.

On March 3, 2022, russian forces occupied her village. Halyna categorically refused to cooperate with the occupiers. In mid-April of the same year, russian forces abducted her. She was interrogated and brutally tortured. In her yard, the occupiers found a hiding place with Ukrainian flags and blue-and-yellow ribbons. During one of the interrogations, they brought in her husband and ordered them to say goodbye.

Eventually, the couple was released, and they decided to flee the occupation. They managed to reach the Kharkiv region, where they met Ukrainian soldiers.

Journalists can arrange to speak with Halyna Hlobchasta both online and offline in Lviv, by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• occupation
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• women
• Lviv

Oleksii Botsula is originally from the village of Marianivka in Kyiv region. From 2015 to 2018, he fought in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, including at the Svitlodarsk salient. After completing his contract, he returned to civilian life.

Following the start of russia’s full-scale invasion, Oleksii joined one of the brigades and took part in battles in Kyiv region. He later served in various directions. In September 2023, he was wounded during a combat mission in Kharkiv region.

His rehabilitation and treatment lasted about a year. During this time, he applied for a grant from the Ukrainian Veterans Fund, and his project “Farmer Shepherd” (Ferma Pastukha) was selected as a winner. The project involves the reconstruction and modernization of a pig farm, including the renovation of facilities, process automation, and expansion of production capacity.

Currently, the farm houses around 200 pigs. Oleksii is developing the production of canned and smoked products, and provides part of his output free of charge to fellow soldiers on the front line.

Journalists can arrange interviews with Oleksii Botsula both online and offline in Kyiv region by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• Kyiv

On April 5, journalists are invited to attend the Ukrainian premiere of “SANCTUS VERITAS” performed by the National Academic Symphonic Band of Ukraine. The concert will be conducted by Honored Artist of Ukraine Olha Rukavishnikova and conductor Ivan Stetskyi, featuring works by European composers.

For Olha Rukavishnikova, this performance marks a return to civilian life after four years of service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. She joined Ukraine’s Defense Forces on February 24, 2022. Her primary weapon was an RPG-7 anti-tank grenade launcher, and she is also trained to operate a sniper rifle, automatic grenade launcher, machine gun, and mortar.

During one of the combat missions, she was thrown several meters by a blast wave, and a fragment fractured her cervical spine. As a result of the same injury, she lost her left eye.

Background: The first part of “SANCTUS VERITAS” will feature the dramatic biblical work Adam and Eve by Hugo Chinesta and the large-scale symphonic piece Noah’s Ark by Óscar Navarro. The second part will include the deeply emotional symphonic poem Abraham by Ferrer Ferran and Byzantine Mosaics by Franco Cesarini — a musical symbol of spiritual grandeur and the light associated with the birth of Christ.
Journalists can review the full program in advance. Accreditation is required.
Interviews with Olha Rukavishnikova are available upon request.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• women
• Kyiv

Oleh Bykov is a volunteer and activist from Kremenchuk in Ukraine’s Poltava region. Since the start of russia’s full-scale invasion, he and his team have been working to find ways  to make it easier for medics to deal with shell fragments left in the bodies of wounded soldiers.

The team has developed a series of magnetic devices named “Edelweiss,” “White Angel,” “Prometheus,” “Hydra,” and “Bucephalus.” These devices help doctors detect metal fragments in wounded patients and safely extract them.

A new device, “Sherlock,” is expected to join this lineup soon, once volunteers receive final feedback from medical professionals who are already awaiting its deployment. In particular, surgeons at the Shalimov National Institute of Surgery and Transplantology and the Amosov National Institute of Cardiovascular Surgery are preparing to use the device. Doctors at these institutions already rely on earlier inventions created by the team.

Over the past four years, Oleh Bykov and his team have produced and delivered more than 4,000 devices to medical professionals free of charge. The team is also developing another type of magnetic extractor called “Lilith.”

Journalists can arrange interviews with Oleh Bykov both online and offline in Kyiv by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• doctors
• volunteers
• Kyiv

In 2023, the UNBROKEN Centre, together with the UNBROKEN Charitable Foundation and L’Oréal Ukraine, launched the joint social project “(Not) Up For Beauty.” Its goal is to help women affected by russian aggression overcome the physical effects of war, restore their appearance, and regain self-confidence.

What support do participants receive within the project?

– Consultations with qualified specialists in plastic surgery, aesthetic medicine, and other medical professionals if needed;

– Individual treatment plans depending on the consequences of injuries, including surgeries, cosmetic procedures, and CO₂ laser scar resurfacing;

– Sessions of body-oriented psychotherapy and counseling.

Over more than two years since its launch, 61 women have received assistance. All services within the project are provided free of charge.

By prior arrangement, journalists can speak with the project’s specialists and, where appropriate, with participants.

• casualties
• doctors
• women

The international humanitarian organization World Central Kitchen invites journalists to attend seed kit distributions as part of its “Seeds of Hope” program. In 2026, the initiative will cover frontline and war-affected communities, including those in the Mykolaiv, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy, Chernihiv, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Khmelnytskyi regions. In total, around 45,000 seed kits are expected to be distributed to households, alongside the development of community greenhouses and shared farming plots.

Each kit is tailored to local conditions and includes seeds for vegetables and herbs commonly used in Ukrainian cuisine, such as cabbage, zucchini, dill, radish, tomatoes, beetroot, parsley, sweet peppers, cucumbers, and carrots.

Journalists are welcome to attend field distributions, visit community fields or greenhouses in the regions, and speak with program participants and local teams. Available formats include on-site visits, as well as online and in-person interviews, and photo and video coverage of distribution and planting.

• casualties
• food

From March 22 to 28, Ukraine will host the sixth Face to Face humanitarian mission. A team of American reconstructive facial surgeons will work in Lviv for a week.

Doctors will provide assistance to patients with facial nerve palsy, bone loss in the face, eyelid and orbital injuries, and soft tissue deformities. Both military personnel and civilians injured as a result of the war can apply, and all surgeries will be provided free of charge.

Journalists can arrange interviews with the medical team both online and in person in Lviv, by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• doctors
• Lviv