Themes by tag: casualties

Maksym Kolesnykov defended Ukraine during the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) when russia first attacked the East and occupied Crimea. On February 24, 2022, he joined the Ukrainian military once again. Alongside his fellow soldiers, he guarded a facility in Hostomel, Kyiv Oblast. In March 2022, Russians captured Maksym and held him captive for 10 months. He says that during his imprisonment, he endured starvation and torture.

Maksym returned to his homeland on February 4, 2023. A photo was taken during the prisoner exchange of Maksym gazing at an apple — a poignant moment, as he had not seen fresh fruit or vegetables during his captivity. This image quickly spread across the media and social networks.

After rehabilitation, he decided to return to service. Now, in collaboration with the charity foundation Vesta, Maksym gives lectures to social workers who assist veterans on how to communicate with former prisoners of war. The primary goal is to improve interactions with former captives and prevent retraumatization.

Interviews with Maksym Kolesnykov can be arranged online or in person in Kyiv with prior agreement.

• casualties
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

Andrii Khomiak served on the front lines from 2015 to 2018, defending Ukraine after russia’s initial assault. Once his contract ended, he returned to civilian life. But when the full-scale war broke out, he rejoined the military. Khomiak served in the artillery, where he also trained combat crews.

On March 22, 2022, during the defense of Kyiv, Khomiak was caught in enemy fire. A mine explosion tore off one of his legs, and doctors were forced to amputate the other. He later underwent months of rehabilitation and prosthetic treatment in Israel.

Using the compensation he received for his injuries, Khomiak invested in building a woodworking shop of his own. Today, he and his team craft decorative pieces from thermally treated wood. Looking ahead, he hopes to expand production to provide stable jobs for other veterans wounded in the war.

Khomiak can be reached for meetings both online and in person in Zhytomyr, by appointment.

• casualties
• military
• Zhytomyr

For the first time in the history of Ukrainian football, the Ukrainian Association of Football (UAF) is launching the Ukrainian Amputee Football Championship — a major event in adaptive sports. (Amputee football is a sport for individuals with limb amputations or congenital limb deficiencies).

The championship will run from September to December and will be held in Kyiv, Kyiv Oblast, Lviv, Cherkasy, and Ivano-Frankivsk. The first gathering round will take place from August 29 to 31 in Kyiv. The champion will represent Ukraine in the EAFF (European Amputee Football Federation) Champions League in 2026.

Participating teams from across Ukraine include MSC Dnipro (Cherkasy), Pokrova AMP (Lviv), Shakhtar Stalevi (Donetsk), Burevii (Kyiv oblast), Hrestonosci (Lutsk), Vinnytsia AMP (Vinnytsia), Nezlamni (Kharkiv), Tytany (Zhytomyr), FC Bartka (Ivano-Frankivsk), Vikinhy (Ternopil).

Background: The tournament is organized with the support of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and the Agency for Mass Sports of Ukraine.

One of the key strategic priorities of the Ukrainian Association of Football (UAF) is the development of social projects that transform society and create opportunities for everyone. The project for the development of amputee football is one such initiative, as there are over 100,000 individuals with limb amputations in Ukraine.

• casualties
• military
• Kyiv

A driving school tailored for people with disabilities operates at the Lviv State University of Internal Affairs. Since the launch of the Without Barriers project, 33 students, including 11 Ukrainian veterans, have obtained driver’s licenses.

In September 2024, the program expanded to train people with hearing and speech impairments. Students attend theory classes with the assistance of sign language interpreters, and practical driving lessons are also conducted with interpreter support.

Participants and instructors from the driving school for people with disabilities are available for interviews both online and in person in Lviv, by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• military
• Lviv

Konstantin Kartavtsev has been on the front lines defending Ukraine since June 2022. Over that time, he has suffered multiple injuries and concussions. On April 16, 2023, while pulling fellow soldiers out of danger, he lost a leg. After months of rehabilitation, Kartavtsev returned to duty in December as a sergeant in the 95th Separate Air Assault Brigade.

Despite his injuries, Kartavtsev found a new passion. In August 2023, still adjusting to a temporary prosthetic, he took up golf. He joined United by Golf, an adaptive sports club that helps service members, veterans, their families, and people with disabilities through the game. Since its launch, the initiative has brought more than 800 veterans into rehabilitation programs, with 55 vets training regularly.

Kartavtsev quickly excelled. Last year, he competed in the International Championship for Golfers with Disabilities in Germany, finishing among the top 10 players in the final standings. Golf has since become his favorite pastime.

On August 19 this year, during a meeting in Washington, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented Donald Trump with a golf putter on Kartavtsev’s behalf. The U.S. president accepted the gift and later recorded a video message thanking the Ukrainian soldier.

By prior arrangement, journalists may meet Kartavtsev in Kyiv.

• casualties
• military
• Kyiv

Before the full-scale invasion, Tymur ran his own business selling sauna accessories.

In the first month of the great war, he baked bread for the troops. By December 2022, he joined the 1st Separate Assault Battalion named after Dmytro Kotsiubailo and served in the Dyke Pole reconnaissance company. In September 2023, near Bakhmut, Tymur stepped on a landmine and lost his leg. 

After evacuation, treatment, and rehabilitation, he has been confidently using a prosthetic limb for eight months. He recently underwent another surgery and is currently continuing his recovery.

Tymur is available for interviews online or in-person in Zaporizhzhia, by prior arrangement. On August 24, he will participate in “MOVE ON SPORT: Sunset Swim”, a charity swimming event at a lake near Lviv.

• casualties
• military
• Lviv
• Zaporizhzhia

When russia launched its full-scale invasion, Nazar Bokii enlisted in the Ukrainian army. He served as an infantryman with the 135th Battalion before taking command of a UAV strike team.

In May 2025, a russian drone strike left him gravely wounded. The attack cost him both arms and an eye. Evacuated from the battlefield, he spent weeks in intensive care before beginning a long course of rehabilitation.

Today, Bokii is learning to use prosthetic limbs, supported every step of the way by his wife. He has also launched a blog, sharing his experiences of life after injury and the challenges of recovery.

Nazar Bokii is available for in-person or online conversations in Kyiv by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• military
• Kyiv

Kyrylo, 32, from Kryvyi Rih, and Svitlana, 27, from Zakarpattia, are both volunteers. They met during the first year of the full-scale invasion while traveling to a training ground. “She came up and asked if there was a seat on the bus. For a girl like that, there’s always a spot,” Kyrylo recalls about the beginning of their story.

Both ended up in the 63rd Separate Mechanized Brigade. She served as a combat medic, he as an infantry company commander. Together, they went through a lot — fighting in Mykolaiv, Kherson, and Donetsk oblasts. Kyrylo was on the front lines, while Svitlana was on combat duty and evacuations. That’s how they started dating.

The proposal also happened at the front — on the Lyman axis in 2023. Kyrylo decided there was no point waiting for the “right moment” because, in war, anything can happen. The couple got matching tattoos of the same yellow bus where they first met, with the inscription “Love your fate”. They got married and continued serving as a military couple.

Kyrylo suffered a severe injury this May in Donetsk oblast — he stepped on an explosive device and lost his left leg. Now, he is undergoing rehabilitation and prosthetic treatment at the UNBROKEN Center. For the past two months, he has been working with physical therapists, learning to use his new “iron leg”. After completing rehab, he dreams of starting a veteran-owned business with Svitlana.

• casualties
• military
• women
• Lviv

Mac Hughes, a Canadian from Calgary, arrived in Ukraine with his father, Paul Hughes, shortly after the start of the full-scale russian invasion. The pair began volunteering and founding a Kharkiv-based NGO called H.U.G.S. – Helping Ukraine – Grassroots Support.

Over the next three years, father and son evacuated civilians from frontline towns, repaired military vehicles, and delivered humanitarian aid to communities under fire. Mac spent more than eight months in the Kherson region, providing critical supplies to residents in need.

In March 2024, Mac enlisted in the Ukrainian army, serving alongside Ukrainian soldiers in their war against russian invaders with his unit in the Zaporizhia sector. Four months later, in July 2025, he sustained severe injuries when 30% of his body was burned. Following the evacuation, he was treated in four different hospitals and is now recovering in Kyiv, where Paul continues to care for him.

Mac and Paul are available for interviews in Kyiv, either in person or online, by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• military
• volunteers
• Kyiv

Before the full-scale invasion, Oleksandr Honcharenko repaired sports equipment. When the war began, he started volunteering — delivering humanitarian aid across Kharkiv and the surrounding region. Later, he joined the military.

In the fall of 2022, Oleksandr suffered a severe arm wound when his crew came under enemy fire. After multiple surgeries, doctors managed to save his arm.

During rehabilitation, Oleksandr began developing a special training device for wounded soldiers. His invention resembles a treadmill with an overhead frame featuring support straps for arms and legs — essentially an adult walker. This machine helps injured soldiers regain independence, allowing them to walk without external assistance. Oleksandr is now working to patent his invention and plans to increase production in the future.

You can speak with Oleksandr Honcharenko online or in person in Kharkiv by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• military
• Kharkiv