Themes by tag: casualties

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

At the start of the full-scale invasion, Dmytro Kanupier was serving in the 12th Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine “Azov” in Mariupol. In April 2022, he sustained two shrapnel wounds. Together with his comrades, the serviceman defended “Azovstal.” Ultimately, at the end of May 2022, the fighters were ordered to go into russian captivity.

Until September 26, 2022, Dmytro was held in a penal colony in Olenivka in the occupied part of Donetsk region, and later he was transferred to Taganrog in russia. There, according to the serviceman, prisoners were beaten and subjected to severe torture in order to obtain so-called confessions under duress to fabricated crimes. He was later sentenced to 29 years in a maximum-security penal colony for a war crime he did not commit.

Dmytro returned to Ukraine on October 18, 2024, during a prisoner exchange. After rehabilitation, he decided to return to military service, and recently published his book titled “Okraiets,” in which he describes in detail what he endured in captivity. The book serves as testimony to the crimes committed by russians against him over 886 days. The fighter says writing was extremely difficult, as he had to relive painful memories.

It is possible to meet Dmytro Kanupier online or in person by prior arrangement and coordination with his press service.

• casualties
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes

Sofia and Volodymyr met through sports. Sofia came to a gym in Kyiv where her future husband worked as a coach. She is a trained teacher of Ukrainian language, literature, and history, while Volodymyr is a professional CrossFit athlete and coach with 15 years of experience.

The couple decided to open their own gym. That is how the T11CF sports space was established in Kyiv.

On March 4, 2022, Volodymyr joined a combat unit of the National Guard of Ukraine. He took part in the battles for the village of Moshchun in Kyiv region, the liberation of the Kyiv region, and later fought on the Zaporizhzhia front.

During that time, the project was put on hold. The gym eventually opened in September 2024. Later, thanks to a grant from the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation, the sports space expanded into a network of two locations.

Today, T11CF is not only about sports, but also about community. Soldiers, veterans, professional athletes, and people with disabilities train there.

Interviews with Sofia and Volodymyr can be arranged both online and in person in Kyiv by prior appointment.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• Kyiv

Oleksandr Tereshchenko is a Ukrainian Armed Forces veteran who helped defend Donetsk Airport in 2015. He sustained severe injuries in combat and lost his right arm and the hand on his left arm.

Tereshchenko later wrote the book “Life After 16:30,” reflecting on his experiences during prosthetic treatment and rehabilitation. He also launched the project “I Did It — And You Can Too,” a series of 12 video guides offering practical advice on everyday life for people living with amputations. Using his own experience as an example, Tereshchenko demonstrates what to do and how to adapt to daily challenges.

The project is aimed at servicemen and veterans who have recently lost limbs and are still learning how to cope with the changes in their lives.

The veteran is also launching five-day retreats for veterans with bilateral upper-limb amputations and their families. During the retreats, participants will practice essential daily living skills. The nearest sessions are scheduled for May.

Oleksandr Tereshchenko is available for interviews both online and in person in Mykolaiv by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• military
• Mykolaiv

Medical Center Orthotics & Prosthetics (MCOP) has provided high-tech prosthetics and rehabilitation services for people with amputations of varying severity for more than 20 years. For 17 years, the center served as an official partner of the U.S. Department of Defense in providing prosthetic care for military personnel involved in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Since March 2025, MCOP has been operating in Kyiv. Thanks to advanced prosthetics and rehabilitation programs provided by the center, more than 100 Ukrainian veterans have already been able to return to civilian life, resume hobbies, find employment, and start families.

The center provides free prosthetic programs under Ukrainian government resolutions No. 321 and No. 518, as well as within the framework of the $11.6 million grant project “Iceland Supports Mobility in Ukraine” and a joint project with Razom for Ukraine focused on bionic upper-limb prosthetics.

Media representatives are invited to visit MCOP Ukraine in Kyiv, where they will have an opportunity to speak with the founders and staff of the center, as well as veterans undergoing prosthetic treatment. Visits and interviews are arranged individually with the center’s press office.

• casualties
• doctors
• Kyiv

On May 7, Ivan Roman, a patient at the UNBROKEN rehabilitation center in Lviv, will open his own business — an archery sports club — together with his wife, Larysa. Roman lost a leg, an arm and part of his eyesight in the war.

The 38-year-old from the Mykolaiv region first joined Ukraine’s defense back in 2014. In January 2024, he was serving as a driver in an aerial reconnaissance unit. He was transporting fellow soldiers to positions when an enemy FPV drone struck the windshield.

Despite severe injuries, during rehabilitation he tried archery and became passionate about the sport. He learned to draw the bowstring with his teeth and to shoot accurately. The veteran now actively competes and aims to join Ukraine’s national Paralympic team.

The idea to open the club was sparked by Roman’s participation in the ReStart program, “From Idea to Veteran Business” — a free business course for patients of the UNBROKEN Center. The course teaches participants how to develop a business plan, understand finance and taxation, explore grant opportunities, and build communication skills.

After completing the course, Ivan and Larysa applied for a grant, won the competition, and secured funding for equipment.

At their club, the Romans plan to develop adaptive sports, working with veterans and also creating a separate section for visually impaired people.

Journalists are invited to attend the opening, where they will have an opportunity to speak with the founders, tour the new inclusive sports space, and see Ivan demonstrate his archery skills.

Media accreditation is required.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• Lviv