Themes by tag: casualties

Olha Rukavishnikova is a violinist and athlete. The veteran began studying music at the age of four, and by eighth grade she had taken up conducting. She performed, among other venues, at the Mykolaiv Philharmonic and the Grand Hall of the Kyiv Conservatory. Olha also dedicated 10 years of her life to sports, which earned her the military call sign “Karatyst”.

At 8 a.m. on Feb. 24, 2022, Olha was already standing in line at her local military enlistment office. By the evening, she had received a weapon, and the following day she used it against the enemy for the first time. Olha served in the ranks of Ukraine’s Armed Forces for four years. Her primary weapon was the RPG-7 rocket-propelled grenade launcher, although she is also trained to operate a sniper rifle, an automatic grenade launcher, a machine gun and a mortar.

During one combat mission, an explosion threw Olha several metres through the air, and one of the fragments, according to the servicewoman, fractured a cervical vertebra. As a result of the same injury, she lost her left eye.

Olha returned to her unit relatively quickly and continued her service. However, she recently left the military due to health reasons. She is now gradually readjusting to civilian life.

Olha Rukavishnikova is available for interviews with journalists, both online and in person, by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• women

Nazari Krasovskyi signed a contract with the 12th Azov Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine in 2020. The soldier was in Mariupol when the full-scale invasion began; he defended Azovstal and, alongside his brothers-in-arms, followed command orders and surrendered into captivity in May 2022.

Nazari spent 3.5 years in captivity. To keep his spirits up, the serviceman wrote poems, scratching the lines onto a piece of soap, and whenever the opportunity arose, he transferred the texts onto scraps of paper. He was returned home in August 2025 during a prisoner exchange.

Since then, Nazari has been undergoing rehabilitation at the UNBROKEN National Rehabilitation Center in Lviv. The soldier suffered a severe spinal injury while in captivity.

The serviceman shared that Ilona had been his friend for 15 years. During his rehabilitation, she immediately came to visit Nazari, and he realized he wanted to marry her. Ilona said yes to his proposal.

Interviews with Nazari Krasovskyi can be arranged either online or offline in Lviv by prior agreement. Photo and video materials of the marriage proposal moment are available for journalists upon request.

• casualties
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Lviv

Olena Velychenko is the founder of the Grand Dog canine training center in Kherson. Together with her team, she taught dog owners how to build connections with their pets, while training dogs to assist people.

However, everything changed after the start of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. For some time, Olena remained under occupation together with the dogs, even though her center had been destroyed by russian forces. Following the liberation of the city, she relocated to Odesa, where she began rebuilding her life’s work.

Today, the Grand Dog canine training center also operates in Odesa, providing support to children, internally displaced people, veterans, and individuals going through difficult periods in their lives. Velychenko conducts classes for children free of charge.

Olena Velychenko is available for interviews both online and in person in Odesa by prior arrangement.

• animals
• casualties
• occupation
• women
• Odesa

Media accreditation is now open for the 3rd round of the 2026 Ukrainian Amputee Football Super League, which will take place in Lviv. The event will be held on June 13–14.

Reference: Amputee football is a modification of association football designed for players with an amputated limb or a limb function impairment.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• Lviv

Alla and Oleksiy began building their life together in 2021. As a serviceman in the “Azov” Regiment, Oleksiy was frequently deployed on missions.

On the night of February 24, 2022, the couple was scheduled to fly abroad for a vacation. However, just a day prior, the fighter was urgently deployed to Mariupol. It was there that Oleksiy witnessed the beginning of the full-scale invasion, and in May 2022, he and his fellow brothers-in-arms entered captivity following orders to leave the Azovstal steelworks.

Since then, Alla, who never had the chance to officially become Oleksiy’s wife, has been fighting for his freedom and return to Ukraine. For four years now, alongside Oleksiy’s mother, Oksana, she has been anxiously awaiting every prisoner exchange. In 2024, alongside other relatives of captured Azov fighters, Alla traveled to the Vatican, where she met with Pope Francis. The young woman continuously initiates meetings with the Coordinating Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, the National Guard (NSU) command, and representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Currently, Oleksiy remains illegally sentenced in russia to 29 years in a maximum-security prison. He faces fabricated charges of shooting a civilian woman in Mariupol and committing acts of terrorism.

Interviews with Alla can be arranged by prior agreement, either online or in person within the Kyiv region.

• casualties
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• women
• Kyiv

Five Ukrainian veterans with amputations and severe combat injuries will compete in the international Oceanman Lago d’Orta swimming event in Italy. On June 13 and 14, they will take on 2-kilometer and 5.5-kilometer open-water distances alongside participants from around the world, without a separate category or special conditions. An open-water training session will take place in Kyiv region on June 6.

The team’s preparation for the competition is led by Serhii Kostenko, founder and head coach of the K-TEAM Swimming Club and co-founder of the NGO Impossible Is Possible, which promotes adaptive and veteran sports in Ukraine. According to the coach, open-water swimming presents a completely different challenge from training in a pool.

The training program focuses on balance, stroke technique, breathing, navigation, and interaction with the water environment. In addition to physical preparation, psychological adaptation is a key component.

During training sessions, the veterans learn to work as a team, navigate using buoys, manage their energy, and cope with the stress factors typical of open-water competitions.

Journalists can attend and cover the open-water training session by prior arrangement.

Background: The IRON WARRIORS project is implemented by the YANKO Fund charitable foundation in partnership with IRON WARRIORS SPORT HUB and FlyPoint, which also serves as the project’s logistics partner.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• Kyiv

The De-occupation Shop (Lavka Deokupatsii) is a volunteer initiative operating in Kharkiv that sells vegetables and other products grown by residents of liberated communities in the Kharkiv region.

The project’s main goal is to help restore local farming and create economic independence for residents of Studenok village in Izium district. Located near the border of the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions, the village spent more than three months under russian occupation after May 31, 2022.

The initiative assists residents with purchasing seeds, building and maintaining greenhouses, and marketing their harvests in Kharkiv. A retail outlet in the city offers cucumbers, green onions, young garlic, carrots, zucchini, new potatoes, artisanal seasoned salt and fresh honey produced by local farmers. Customers can also purchase preserved vegetables, jams and cheeses made in the liberated village of Khotimlia.

Products are also available through partner fairs and online sales. The project has developed a B2B sales channel and cooperates with restaurants and food-service businesses across Ukraine.

In addition, products from the De-occupation Shop have been ordered from the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Poland, Sweden, Germany, Croatia, the United States, Finland, Lithuania, Hungary and Belgium.

By prior arrangement, journalists can visit and report on the initiative in Kharkiv.

Background: The De-occupation Shop is a project of the charitable foundation Volonterska.

• casualties
• occupation
• volunteers
• Kharkiv

The United Nations has for the first time added russia and Israel to its annual blacklist of parties responsible for conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV). The organization documented 310 verified cases of CRSV involving prisoners of war and civilian detainees in russia and in russian-occupied territories of Ukraine. Most victims were men.

Since late 2024, the Alumni (Graduates) network — which unites men who survived captivity and torture, alongside groups such as SEMA-Ukraine, 29 December, and Numo, Sestry! — had been advocating for the decision. Oleksii Sivak, founder of the NGO Alumni, says the move is only the beginning of a long path toward real justice and accountability for russia.

Interviews with Oleksii can be arranged in Kyiv, Kherson or online by prior appointment.

Background: Oleksii Sivak is from Kherson, a city that was under russian occupation. A former sailor, he survived captivity and torture. He currently heads the NGO Alumni, which was created to support Ukrainians affected by russian aggression, particularly survivors of torture and conflict-related sexual violence. The organization focuses specifically on supporting civilian men.

• casualties
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Kherson
• Kyiv

Oleksandr Hurzhov, a resident of Mariupol, signed a contract with Ukraine’s Defense Forces in 2020. He was in his hometown when russia launched its full-scale invasion. Within days, he was wounded and later taken captive. russian forces repeatedly transferred him between detention sites, subjected him to torture and deprived him of food. After three years in captivity, Hurzhov weighed just 45 kilograms.

On May 25, 2025, Hurzhov returned home as part of a prisoner exchange. He recalls being struck by the appearance of russian prisoners of war, who “looked like normal people,” while Ukrainians returned from russian captivity as “living skeletons.” One of the first comforts he remembers after the exchange was taking a hot shower. In the prison colony, detainees had to wash themselves in the toilet using a 1.5-liter bottle of water.

Even before his captivity, Hurzhov loved music and enjoyed singing karaoke. Since returning home, he says he has attended more concerts than during the rest of his life combined.

Oleksandr Hurzhov is available for interviews both online and in person in Kyiv by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

Participants:

– Oleksandra Romantsova, Executive Director of the Center for Civil Liberties;

– Kateryna Rashevska, Expert on International Justice and Legal Analysis at the Regional Center for Human Rights;

– Roman Koval, Head of Research at the non-governmental organization Truth Hounds;

– Hanna Rassakhamina, Head of the “War and Justice” Department at the Media Initiative for Human Rights.

Moderator:

– Scott Jacobsen, independent reporter.

Topics for discussion:

– Documentary evidence of human rights violations;

– Promising avenues for implementing reparations;

– Victim-centered justice: civilians, prisoners of war, torture victims, missing persons, deported children;

– Key areas of cooperation between institutions on human rights issues.

• casualties
• Kyiv