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In the Lviv Oblast, soldiers with amputations are taking part in a specialized cycling rehabilitation program. This initiative offers the defenders a unique opportunity to reintegrate into active life, regain their physical fitness, and experience the freedom of movement once again.

The sessions are led by a physical therapist, and the bicycles used in the program were generously donated by benefactors from the Netherlands. The inaugural class saw 10 participants, including veterans with both upper and lower limb amputations, many of whom use prosthetics.

The next cycling rehabilitation session is scheduled for Saturday, March 29, in Lviv.

Journalists interested in covering the sessions are invited to attend by prior arrangement.

The program is being carried out through a collaboration between the “With an Angel on A Shoulder” Charitable Fund, the NGO “Sports Club Power of the Nation,” the State Noncommercial Enterprise “Center of Complex Rehabilitation ‘Halychyna’,” and the Lviv Municipal Art Center.

• casualties
• military
• Lviv

Vitalii Lykhobytskyi, 38 is originally from Volyn, but has been living in the capital for the past 13 years. Before the full-scale invasion, he was running his own business related to construction equipment. 

On February 24, 2022, Vitalii took his family to Volyn and soon mobilized for territorial defense. He fought in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, in particular, near Serebryansky Forest and Kreminna.

On May 2, 2023, Vitalii was seriously wounded—an enemy sniper hit the thermal imager the soldier was holding. The soldier lost his eye and was most worried about how his family would react to the injury and whether his little girl would be scared. 

Vitalii was enrolled in the Neopalymi rehabilitation program. The veteran underwent eye surgery, was fitted with a prosthesis, and underwent laser grinding of the sutures. The man says that now people do not immediately notice his injury.

You can talk to Vitalii Lykhobytskyi both online and offline by appointment. 

For reference: Neopalymi (Unburnt) is a national program for the external rehabilitation of war-affected individuals. As part of the project, anyone who needs it can receive free treatment for burns or scars of a non-domestic nature.

• casualties
• military
• Kyiv

Viktoriia Didovets, a charge nurse in the Intensive and Efferent Therapy Department for Acute Intoxication at the National Children’s Hospital Okhmatdyt, was injured during a missile strike on the hospital on July 8, 2024. As the attack unfolded, she was evacuating children on dialysis to a shelter when a missile struck the building.

By the time Viktoriia was rushed to the operating room, her pulse was barely detectable. She was diagnosed with a fractured pelvis, an open hip fracture, a ruptured liver, and injuries to her face and ear. For more than eight months, she has been undergoing treatment, determined to regain a full life.

By prior arrangement, Viktoriia is available for interviews in Kyiv or online.

Background: On July 8, 2024, a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile struck Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital. At the time of the attack, 627 children were inside.

The strike killed two people—a doctor and a patient’s relative—while injuring 35 others, including nine children. On July 10, a boy who had been in critical condition in intensive care at the time of the attack succumbed to his injuries in a Kyiv hospital.

• casualties
• children
• doctors
• russian crimes
• women
• Kyiv

Peaceful gatherings will take place in 24 cities to draw attention to the defenders of Azovstal and other military personnel still held in enemy captivity.

On March 22, rallies will be held in Okhtyrka, Chernihiv, Arbuzynka, Vinnytsia, Irpin, Svitlovodsk, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Pavlohrad, and Obukhiv.

On March 23, events are planned in Kyiv, Pivdennoukrainsk, Uman, Krolevets, Korop, Ovruch, Kremenchuk, Cherkasy, Mykolaiv, Pryluky, Dolynske, Ostroh, Shostka, Odesa, Brovary, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi, Korosten, Uzhhorod, Kharkiv, Lozova, Poltava, Berdychiv, and Kropyvnytskyi.

The rallies are organized by the families of prisoners of war from the Mariupol garrison, with former captives often taking part in the events.

• casualties
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

Dr. Serhii Baksheiev is a gynecologist, obstetrician, reproductive specialist, general practitioner, and a medical volunteer with a PhD in medicine. Since the early days of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he has been treating women and assisting with deliveries, all while under fire.

In late 2022, Baksheiev launched his own initiative, which he named the ‘Feminine Shuttle’. This specialized mobile unit is designed for gynecological exams in de-occupied and frontline regions. The vehicle is outfitted with a gynecological chair and all the necessary equipment for thorough examinations.

In a challenging turn of events, Baksheiev was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He underwent surgery and chemotherapy in September 2024. Despite his health battle, he has continued his mission to help those in need. Even while recovering from surgery, he joined FRIDA Ukraine’s volunteer medics on a mission to the Sumy region.

Journalists wishing to speak with Dr. Baksheiev can arrange interviews with him either in Kyiv or during his field missions.

For reference: FRIDA Ukraine is a Ukrainian-Israeli medical volunteer mission focused on providing high-quality care to war-affected civilians.

• casualties
• doctors
• volunteers
• women
• Kyiv

Hennadii Stukalo is an anesthesiologist and head of the anesthesiology department at the Chernihiv regional hospital. From the very beginning of the full-scale russian invasion, he stayed at the hospital around the clock.

During the most intense days of the encirclement, more than 50 wounded patients arrived within an hour, all requiring urgent surgery. With no electricity, heating or water, and under constant shelling and airstrikes, Stukalo and his team worked tirelessly to save lives, even performing complex surgical procedures under extreme conditions.

Due to frequent power outages, the doctors had to illuminate the operating room with headlamps, flashlights and cell phones. To keep patients warm, they used plastic bottles filled with hot water.

Journalists have the opportunity to interview Dr. Stukalo both online and in person.

Background: On April 6, 2022, the Ukrainian Defense Forces completely liberated Chernihiv oblast from russian occupation

• casualties
• doctors
• russian crimes
• Chernihiv

The sledge hockey team consists of 11 veterans with lower limb amputations. They practice four times a week at an ice rink in the Lviv oblast. This summer, the team will decide whether to compete in the 2026 World Championship.

Journalists can cover the team’s training sessions by prior arrangement.

Background: Sledge hockey, also known as Sled hockey, was developed in Sweden in the early 1960s specifically for people with physical disabilities. It became a Paralympic sport in 1994.

• casualties
• military
• Lviv

In frontline communities, even daily routines become a challenge. The lack of a centralized water supply in Sviatohirsk means that something as simple as doing laundry or taking a shower is a struggle. However, the local community has come up with a solution.

In early 2023, the town’s first sanitation module was installed. The facility includes a 1,200-liter water tank, a toilet, two washing machines, and three shower stalls. The module can operate without electricity thanks to a generator, and it also has the option of using firewood for heating.

There are currently two such sanitation modules in the community, with a third planned for this year. In addition, a social laundry service is operating in the town with the support of the Shoulder to Shoulder: United Communities project.

Journalists can pre-arrange to cover the work of the sanitation modules and the social laundry. Online commentary is also available upon request.

Background: On June 5, 2022, russian forces occupied part of Sviatohirsk in the Donetsk oblast. In September of the same year, Ukrainian forces liberated the town. After the liberation, Sviatohirsk was left without a centralized water supply, as the system had been damaged during the fighting.

• casualties
• occupation

World Central Kitchen (WCK) continues to support Ukrainian communities through its annual Seeds of Hope program. This initiative helps people grow their own vegetables, improving access to food during times of war. This year, the organization will distribute 50,000 seed kits to the most affected regions of Ukraine to help people secure fresh produce and strengthen food security.

The seed kits will be delivered to ten oblasts: Donetsk, Zaporizhia, Mykolaiv, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, Kyiv and Khmelnytskyi.

Each kit contains seeds for cabbage, zucchini, dill, radishes, tomatoes, beets, parsley, peppers, cucumbers, and carrots. This will enable families to grow fresh vegetables and become partially self-sufficient. In addition to private households, the program will also support internally displaced persons living in modular housing settlements.

This initiative is already underway. Journalists are welcome to cover the seed distribution process by appointment.

The Seeds of Hope program was launched in 2022 in response to food supply disruptions caused by active hostilities.

Background: World Central Kitchen is a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization that provides food aid to people affected by natural disasters and crises. WCK was founded in 2010 by renowned chef José Andrés, who, along with his team, prepared meals in Haiti after the devastating earthquake.

• casualties
• food

Twelve years ago, Ihor Tsyba and his family turned their backyard into an ostrich farm. Over time, their farm in the village of Verkhnia Syrovatka, Sumy Oblast, grew to house more than 50 species of birds.

When russia launched its all-out war against Ukraine, the village was occupied, putting the animals in grave danger. In early March 2022, heavy shelling shook the area, injuring many birds in their enclosures. Three ostriches suffered wounds so severe that they had to be euthanized.

Following the village’s liberation, the farm took on a new role—rehabilitating injured wild animals. Among its rescues was a roe deer that lost a leg after being struck by a combine harvester and a swan found trapped in the ice with its wings severed. Tsyba funds the farm’s operations himself, dedicating his resources to caring for the animals.

For reference: Ihor Tsyba, based in Sumy Oblast, is available for interviews with journalists both online and in person by prior arrangement.

By April 11, 2022, Ukrainian forces had liberated Sumy and restored control over the state border in Sumy Oblast.

• animals
• casualties
• occupation
• Sumy