Themes by tag: casualties

The sixth Face to Face humanitarian mission will take place in Ukraine from March 22 to 28. A team of American facial reconstructive surgeons will work in Lviv for a week.

The doctors will help those with facial paralysis, facial bone loss, eyelid and eye socket injuries, and facial tissue deformities. Military personnel and civilians who have been wounded in the war can apply — all operations will be free of charge.

You can communicate with the team of doctors both online and offline in Lviv, by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• doctors
• Lviv

In Lviv, the UNBROKEN rehabilitation center has begun manufacturing prosthetic eyes, noses, and ears for patients who have lost part of their face in war, as a result of an accident, or due to illness. Exoprosthetist Taisiya Yarova creates special overlays that attach to the skin and mimic a natural appearance.

In total, the center has already made 20 eyeball prostheses, one exoprosthesis overlay for the face, and one exoprosthesis for a finger (a new direction).

A facial exoprosthesis is a prosthesis that attaches to the skin and mimics the natural appearance of lost parts. The process of manufacturing prostheses is extremely complex. First, the prosthetist takes a cast of the patient’s face, performs a 3D scan, and manually forms a prototype from plasticine based on the digital model. Then they make a wax model that reproduces the texture and color of the skin, wrinkles, and the smallest anatomical details. After that, the specialist casts the model from medical silicone and paints it by hand.

By prior arrangement, journalists can learn more about exoprosthetics at the UNBROKEN center in Lviv and talk to exoprosthetist Taisiya Yarova.

• casualties
• doctors
• Lviv

Nazarі Krasovsky signed a contract with the 12th Azov Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine in 2020. The soldier encountered a full-scale invasion in Mariupol, defended Azovstal, and, together with his comrades, carried out the command’s order and surrendered in May 2022.

Nazari spent 3.5 years in captivity. To keep himself going, the soldier wrote poems, scratched lines on a bar of soap, and when the opportunity arose, transferred the texts to scraps of paper. The man was returned home in August 2025 during a prisoner exchange.

Since then, Nazarі has been undergoing rehabilitation at the UNBROKEN center in Lviv. The soldier has a serious spinal injury, which he sustained while in captivity. The soldier said that he had long wanted to sing with Khristina Soloviy. During a gala evening organized by the rehabilitation center, Nazarі managed to fulfill this dream. On stage, they performed the song “Who, if not you?”, and the audience gave them a standing ovation.

You can speak with Nazari Krasovskyi both online and in person in Lviv or Kyiv by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Kyiv
• Lviv

Yuriy Shapovalov is 61 years old. He is a neurophysiologist from Donetsk with 30 years of experience. He was also the head of a local cactus club and had a large collection of these plants.

After the russian occupation began in 2014, Yuriy did not leave the city and, under the pseudonym “Zalyshenets Donetskyi,” reported on Twitter about how Donetsk was changing. In January 2018, when he was returning home from work, he was detained by security forces of the so-called “Ministry of State Security of the DPR.” Yuriy was accused of “spying” for Ukraine and ‘sentenced’ to 13 years in prison.

In particular, he spent 100 days in the “Izolyatsia” prison in occupied Donetsk, where he was beaten, intimidated, and tortured.

In total, he spent 7 years, 7 months, and 3 days in enemy captivity and was released on August 14, 2025, during a prisoner exchange.

By prior arrangement, journalists can talk to Yuriy in Kyiv.

• casualties
• occupation
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

Maria Gvasalia has been volunteering since 2014. One of her latest projects is creating adaptive tableware for veterans and civilians to make it easier for them to eat and serve themselves after injuries.

The unique feature of adaptive plates is that they have fastening elements that make it easier for people with injuries or amputations to eat. To start manufacturing such tableware, Maria learned from Ukrainian craftsmen and consulted with specialists at medical centers that specialize in military rehabilitation.

It takes about two weeks to make one batch of plates. Currently, all products are already reserved, so Maria’s team is working on the next batch of plates. Volunteers deliver the tableware to rehabilitation centers free of charge.

Journalists can speak with Maria Gvasalia online or in person in Cherkasy by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• volunteers
• women
• Cherkasy

On March 8, the Center for Civil Liberties will join the Women’s Rights March in Kyiv.

“We stand up for women who are currently serving on the front lines and fighting alongside men. Female military personnel must be provided with everything necessary for service and safety, have equal access to positions and opportunities, and be protected from discrimination, sexual harassment, and violence.

We stand up for women—military and civilian—who are in russian captivity. For those who are tortured, raped, starved, kept in complete isolation—without communication, without information, without the right to a voice,” say representatives of the Women’s March.

Violence against women in this war is a weapon that russia deliberately uses to humiliate, intimidate, destroy human dignity, and silence.

That is why the Center for Civil Liberties is marching with the following demands:

• to take immediate and systematic action to return women from russian captivity;
• to increase international pressure on the aggressor state;
• to provide full support for those who have returned — psychological, medical, social, and legal.

Women should not disappear behind prison walls, in statistics, or in public silence. Our task is to talk about them and together demand justice.

A separate set of demands of the March concerns legislative changes. These are drafts of the new Civil Code, which contain provisions that could narrow women’s rights and contradict the principle of equality.

• casualties
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• women
• Kyiv

Nadiya Zharkikh is a coffee art teacher. She moved to Kherson with her family from Mykolaiv. This happened two months before the start of the full-scale russian invasion. Nadiya wanted to open a barista school in the city. The official opening was scheduled for February 26, 2022, but the war changed everything.

When Kherson was occupied by russia, Nadiya started working at her friend’s coffee shop and volunteered, in particular, preparing food. When threats from the occupiers began to pour in, she decided to flee. She had to pass through 70 checkpoints. From Zaporizhzhia, she went to Kyiv, where she started all over again. On August 7, 2023, on the anniversary of her departure from the occupation, she was able to open a coffee shop near Kyiv with the help of a state grant.

Today, the Navzayem coffee shop continues to operate and develop, despite all the challenges of full-scale war. As a result of the russian attack on September 28, 2025, the windows of the establishment were blown out. The coffee shop team supported the residents by treating the people who had suffered. They also provided a place to stay overnight. During power outages, the establishment operates with the help of a generator.

In general, Navzayem operates in several areas:

• as a coffee shop that supports the local community;
• as a barista school — teaching adults and children the art of coffee and the basics of entrepreneurship;
• as a social support space for IDPs, military families, children, and people in need;
• as a platform for master classes in the Kyiv region (including mobile ones), in cooperation with inclusive branches, schools, orphanages, and community initiatives.

On March 9, the coffee shop will host a master class called “Little Barista” for children with special educational needs.

In addition, Nadiya and her close circle have created a charitable foundation in Mykolaiv called “Welcome to Ukraine,” which supports military personnel and civilians. It currently operates throughout Ukraine. In particular, it helps with the reconstruction of damaged and destroyed housing.

By prior arrangement, journalists can talk to Nadiya in the Kyiv region.

For reference: On the night of September 28, 2025, russia launched a massive strike on the Kyiv region (three dozen victims) and Kyiv (four people were killed, including a child. More than 10 people were injured. One woman also died of stress in a shelter).

The russians occupied Kherson at the beginning of the full-scale invasion (March 1, 2022). The Armed Forces of Ukraine liberated the city from russian troops on November 11, 2022. The occupiers continue to shell the city regularly.

• casualties
• occupation
• russian crimes
• volunteers
• women
• Kyiv

Before the full-scale invasion, Volodymyr Savelyev worked in 3D design. After the war began, he started volunteering, and in the summer of 2023, he signed a contract and became a combat medic. Later, he became the commander of a reconnaissance platoon in one of the rifle battalions of the 116th Separate Mechanized Brigade.

While carrying out a mission in Donetsk Oblast, Volodymyr stepped on a mine and was seriously wounded. Volodymyr lost both legs, underwent 12 operations, but rehabilitated himself and mastered prosthetics.

After returning to civilian life, he started doing 3D design again. This job involves sitting in front of a monitor for hours, so the veteran missed live communication. He found few inclusive places for veterans, so he decided to create his own. This is how the Bereg coworking space appeared in Lviv, where veterans can work and socialize. The space is inclusive and suitable for people with injuries.

Journalists can arrange an interview with Volodymyr Saveliev either online or in person in Lviv, by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• military
• Lviv

Valeriia Vershynina was born and raised in Donetsk. In 2014, when russia first attacked Ukraine and occupied her hometown, she and her family evacuated to Kyiv.

In the capital, Valeriia joined the Charitable Foundation “Stabilization Support Services”, which supports internally displaced persons. She worked in a group that developed legislation concerning IDPs. In 2024, Valeriia became the head of the foundation. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the foundation has restored 1,964 facilities damaged by the war and provided legal and social assistance to more than 216,000 people.

In 2025, “Stabilization Support Services” faced challenges due to the suspension of funding from American donors. However, the team managed to secure support and continue its work. The foundation’s current priority is to find partners to support people affected by russia’s aggression. For example, over two years the team has completed 350 light repairs of homes damaged during hostilities in the Kherson and Mykolaiv regions.

Interviews with Valeriia Vershynina can be arranged online or offline in Kyiv by prior arrangement.

Background: The Charitable Foundation “Stabilization Support Services” is a Ukrainian charitable organisation that, since 2016, has been addressing the social consequences of war and providing comprehensive support to internally displaced persons. The foundation delivers humanitarian and legal assistance, repairs damaged housing, strengthens the social protection system and develops the network of IDP Councils established by the foundation in 2019–2020. The foundation operates nationwide, focusing on the recovery of affected communities and improving access to social services for the most vulnerable groups.

• casualties
• occupation
• reconstruction
• women
• Kyiv

Veterans with musculoskeletal injuries or limb amputations can take part in the “Drivers” project. The initiative aims to provide veterans with disabilities the opportunity to acquire driving skills to ensure their mobility. It also creates opportunities for employment or for using these skills in their own business or civic activities. The project was launched in June 2024 and is implemented by the NGO “Employment Center of Free People”.

The second phase of the project started this February. Around 20 veterans will join the initiative. The programme begins with theoretical classes, followed by practical training.

By prior arrangement, journalists may cover the training in Kyiv or the Kyiv region.

• casualties
• military
• Kyiv