Themes by tag: casualties

Mariia Vasylchenko, a 42-year-old from Sloviansk in the Donetsk oblast, worked as a shop assistant in the nearby town of Lyman. On May 29 this year, she was at work when russia launched a missile and bomb attack on the town. Mariia remembers seeing blood and rubble all around her and trying to stand up, but not being able to. Ukrainian soldiers pulled her from the rubble and took her to the hospital.

Glass shards had cut her entire body, requiring 80 stitches. A large piece of metal pierced her chest, leaving a significant wound that was difficult for doctors to heal. The injury left a massive 7×3 cm scar on her chest. For a month, Mariia avoided looking at herself in the mirror.

Now, specialists at the UNBROKEN Center in Lviv are helping her regain her confidence. As part of a joint social project with the L’Oréal Group called “(Un)Broken Beauty”, Lviv surgeons have performed several plastic surgeries to gradually erase the scars of war from her face and body.

Journalists can arrange to speak with Mariia, who is currently in Sloviansk.

Background: Any Ukrainian woman injured by the war can participate in the social project “(Un)Broken Beauty”. All assistance is provided completely free of charge.

• casualties
• russian crimes
• women

Anna Shchetinina has been with the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (DSNS) for 15 years. Based in the Dnipropetrovsk oblast, she now works as a psychologist with operational rescue teams responding to emergencies, including missile strikes. According to Anna, the most challenging part of her work is seeing people anxiously waiting for news of loved ones trapped under the rubble. “When you’re providing psychological support and then the body of a deceased relative is recovered – especially if it’s a child – it’s really heartbreaking because I’m a mother myself,” says Anna.

• casualties
• psychological support
• women
• Dnipro

The Kyiv Regional State Administration’s Department of Youth and Sports has launched several initiatives to support veterans through sports and recreational programs. A key focus is on adaptive sports clubs designed to aid the rehabilitation of veterans, active-duty military personnel, individuals with disabilities, and their families. Six such clubs, known as “Active Parks — Unstoppable” program, are currently operating across the Kyiv region.

These clubs provide visitors with access to specialized equipment and certified trainers skilled in working with diverse groups. Participants can engage in activities like swimming, fitness, jiu-jitsu, general physical training, and archery.

Over the past year, more than 500 veterans have received rehabilitation services at these adaptive sports clubs in the Kyiv region, highlighting their growing impact on the community.

• casualties
• military
• Kyiv

Before russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, 22-year-old Danylo and his father, Serhii, lived in Kryvyi Rih, working as truck drivers. But their lives changed drastically in June 2022 when Serhii was mobilized into the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Not long after, Danylo began volunteering alongside his father’s unit in the Kherson region.

By March 2023, Danylo decided to officially enlist, choosing to serve in his father’s unit to remain by his side. Now, the two work together as part of an evacuation crew, risking their lives to transport wounded soldiers from the front lines. Serhii says having his son with him provides the strength he needs to stay in the fight until Ukraine secures victory.

Looking ahead, Serhii hopes to return to his life as a truck driver, while Danylo dreams of launching his own business after the war.

Interviews with Danylo and Serhii are available both online and in person, pending prior approval from the press officer. Journalists must hold accreditation from Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense.

• casualties
• military
• evacuation

World Central Kitchen (WCK) has launched a new winter initiative to aid Ukrainian communities impacted by the ongoing war. The organization is distributing vegetable parcels to frontline areas, helping families navigate the challenges of the colder months.  

Every week, 8,550 vegetable packages are delivered to regions including Kherson, Mykolaiv, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, and Zaporizhia. Each parcel weighs 9 kilograms and includes staples essential for preparing traditional Ukrainian dishes—beets, cabbage, carrots, onions, potatoes, and garlic.  

WCK emphasized that winter presents significant hardships for many Ukrainians, particularly those in areas where food supplies have been disrupted or where access to essential goods is severely restricted.  

For reference: World Central Kitchen is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing meals to people affected by disasters and crises. Founded in 2010 by renowned chef José Andrés, WCK gained global recognition for its work in Haiti following the catastrophic earthquake that year. The group continues to support communities in need with on-the-ground food relief efforts.

• casualties
• food
• volunteers

Yuliia Dudysheva, a displaced resident from Crimea, has spent the past year and a half transforming the lives of fellow internally displaced persons by repairing and restoring homes. Before russia’s full-scale invasion, Yuliia lived and worked in the Chernihiv region, where she specialized in advertising and occasionally helped friends with home repairs. But after the region’s liberation in spring 2022, she decided to leave her job and embark on a new path.

In June 2023, Yuliia launched her efforts to renovate and decorate homes for those displaced by the war. Her first project was helping friends who allowed her to redecorate their dwelling. Word spread, and soon she met another family in need of assistance. Over the next 18 months, Yuliia established the initiative Comfort for IDPs, completing repairs and restorations on eight homes for families forced to flee due to the invasion. Her most recent project, in Ternopil, involved preparing a house for a family from Enerhodar, a city in the occupied Zaporizhia region.

Yuliia actively shares her renovation journey on social media, where her followers rally behind her mission. Many support the Comfort for IDPs project by contributing funds and materials for her work. Currently based in the Chernihiv region, Yuliia is planning her next renovation for displaced families.

Those wishing to connect with Yuliia Dudysheva can schedule a meeting with her, either online or in person.

• casualties
• culture
• reconstruction
• women
• Chernihiv

Yulian Pylypei, a seasoned Ukrainian Marine, endured unimaginable hardships during his more than two years in captivity. A professional soldier since 2013, Pylypei joined the Marines in 2017, serving in Mariupol. When russia launched its full-scale invasion, he was leading a mortar battery in the 36th Marine Brigade of the Ukrainian Navy.

On April 14, 2022, Pylypei and his comrades were captured while attempting to break through to Azovstal. His family learned of his capture through a text sent in russian from his phone. Over the next two years and five months, he was moved through several detention facilities, including Sartana, Olenivka, Taganrog, Novozybkov, Kursk, and Mordovia, before returning to Novozybkov. Each location brought its own trials, which Pylypei recounts in harrowing detail.

Twice accused and tried by his captors, Pylypei suffered relentless abuse. He was beaten for refusing to confess to ordering attacks on civilians, starved, and subjected to torture, including an attempt to burn off his tattoo of the Ukrainian coat of arms with a stun gun. In his prayers, Pylypei asked for the strength to remain sane amid the torment.

When he was taken from his cell with his belongings, Pylypei assumed he was being transferred to another prison. He could hardly believe it when he was informed he was part of a prisoner exchange. On September 13, 2024, after 29 months in captivity, Pylypei finally returned home to Ukraine.

Those wishing to meet or speak with Yulian Pylypei, either online or in person in Kyiv, can arrange it in advance.

• casualties
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

From December 6 to 8, journalists are invited to witness the final stage of the all-Ukrainian sports competition, Veterans Games. Organized by the Ministry of Veterans Affairs, the event is part of Ukraine’s National Strategy for Creating a Barrier-Free Space, aimed at fostering inclusion and rehabilitation.  

Military personnel and veterans who triumphed in regional competitions will compete in the finals, showcasing their skills in CrossFit and eSports. The primary goal of the Veterans Games is to aid in the physical and mental recovery of servicemen and veterans, providing them with an outlet for strength, resilience, and camaraderie.  

Key attendees will include:
– Natalia Kalmykova, Minister of Veterans Affairs,
– Tetiana Lomakina, Presidential Commissioner for Accessibility,
– representatives from various organizations focused on veteran support and rehabilitation.  

Accreditation is required to attend the event.

• casualties
• military

On December 7, Lviv will witness the grand opening of Vrazhaye (“Amaze”) café, a heartfelt venture launched by veteran Serhii Petchenko and his wife, Anna. Their young son has become the symbolic face of the café, which aims to inspire resilience and hope.

Serhii’s military journey began during the ATO, where he sustained his first injury in 2015. When the full-scale invasion erupted, he volunteered again, defending Ukraine in high-risk areas. Tragedy struck on June 10, 2023, when Serhii boarded a train from Kyiv to Kharkiv. Hours later, he was discovered on the tracks, having been run over by the train. The incident left him without both arms and part of his foot. His family suspects he may have been drugged, as Serhii has no memory of the horrific events of that night.

Journalists can schedule interviews with Serhii and Anna by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• military
• Lviv

Volunteers with the St. Nicholas Reindeer Project have already received more than 2,000 letters from children all over Ukraine. Among other things, children are asking Saint Nicholas for toys, sweets and the popular “Cat Paw” stress-relief balls. This year, many children are also asking for peace and an end to the war. Some have asked for their fathers to return from the front lines, or for their relatives to be released from captivity. Among those who wrote to St. Nicholas were children whose homes were destroyed by the war.

As part of this charitable initiative, anyone can choose a child’s letter and fulfill a wish. The volunteers will then deliver the gifts, organize a celebration and provide a photo report. They plan to visit de-occupied areas of the Kharkiv oblast, as well as communities in the Kyiv and Donetsk oblasts, working in more than 50 localities across various regions.

Journalists can talk to the organizers in Kharkiv and, if possible, cover the distribution of gifts by volunteers in different regions.

For reference: The St. Nicholas Reindeer project was established in 2016 in Kharkiv to support children in frontline communities.

• casualties
• children
• Kharkiv