Daria-Olha, a resident of Mariupol, was 15 when she tried boxing for the first time. The girl learnt fast: just 3 months after starting she participated in an all-Ukrainian competition. In 2022, 18-year-old Daria-Olha was supposed to go to the European Championship, but russia launched its full-scale invasion, and enemy troops surrounded Mariupol. At first, the athlete’s family was hoping to wait out the russian shelling in an apartment together with friends. Later they had to relocate to the basement. At this time, the city had already been cut from communication, gas and electricity. Even in such conditions, Daria continued training to keep herself in shape. The family managed to leave the besieged Mariupol in a truck with strangers, and the road to Zaporizhia took more than a day, because they had to go through russian checkpoints. Already in the Ukraine-controlled territory, Daria-Olha found out that her coach had left for Ivano-Frankivsk, so she went to him. There, the girl entered the Carpathian National University’s Faculty of Physical Education and Sports, because she dreams of becoming a trainer. In May 2022, Daria-Olha won bronze at the International Boxing Tournament in Sweden in the category of up to 52 kilograms. Currently, the Ukrainian boxer is training to win gold at the Olympics.

For reference: the defense of Mariupol lasted 86 days. On May 20, 2022, Mariupol was occupied by the russians. According to the estimates of the human rights organization Human Rights Watch at least 8,000 people were killed in russian shelling of civilians in Mariupol. Thousands of people were injured: they lost limbs, sight, hearing and memory, particularly, as a result of craniocerebral injuries caused by the explosions. Also, according to Human Rights Watch estimates, from the pre-war population of 540,000 people, about 400,000 residents had fled Mariupol by mid-May 2022.

• casualties
• occupation
• russian crimes
• women
• Ivano-Frankivsk
• Mariupol

Maryna Shazhko began taking care of homeless animals more than 10 years ago. When city services started shooting stray dogs and cats in Bakhmut, Donetsk region, a woman brought a stray animal home for the first time to save it. Later, together with a team of volunteers, Maryna started the Bakhmut Animal Protection Society “Lada” NGO. On February 24, 2022, Maryna, shelter volunteers and 160 dogs were in Bakhmut. At first, the woman did not even think about moving, she hoped that the war would bypass the city. However, in August 2022, after the second explosion near the shelter and the death of one of her dogs, Maryna started the evacuation. All the animals had to be transported at once, the cages barely fit in the cars. They decided to take the dogs to Dnipropetrovsk region, where they had to pay a huge rent for a new place.

Meanwhile, animals from hotspots are still being brought to the shelter. The number of rescued pets has already reached 200, including dogs from Chasiv Yar, Krasnohorivka and Marinka. Every day, Maryna has to wake up at 5 in the morning, walk her own dogs, buy food for the animals of the shelter and go there to take care of the animals in the shelter. In addition, the woman did stop working as a teacher.

• animals
• casualties
• occupation
• volunteers
• Dnipro

The Rehabilitation Department in the Lozova community has 20 beds. The uninterrupted work of the institution is ensured by a multidisciplinary team of 20 specialists. The facility operates in the premises of the Lozova Territorial Medical Association and provides assistance to residents of the local community, nearby settlements and IDPs.

UAH 7 million from the budget of the Territorial Medical Association was spent to repair and purchase medical equipment and furniture. And thanks to cooperation with the Patients of Ukraine charitable foundation, the center also received modern equipment worth UAH 2.2 million. In addition, the “Early rehabilitation Leads to a Full Life” project for the needs of the department helped to purchase a lot of specialized equipment worth almost UAH 1 million, which came from the regional budget.

• casualties
• Kharkiv

On February 24, 2022, as the invasion surged, Pavlo Ponomarenko persisted in his studio, passionately painting for four consecutive days. Tragically, his creations vanished amidst the russian occupation of Mariupol.

In the ensuing days, the Ponomarenko family adapted to survival tactics like cooking over open flames, sourcing water, and melting snow, all while bearing witness to russian assaults and pillaging. Eventually, they managed to reach occupied Berdiansk in the Zaporizhia region. Initially, Pavlo’s wife led the way with their younger daughters, followed by Pavlo and their eldest daughter. After a stint in Berdiansk, they embarked on an 11-hour bus journey to reach the government-controlled zone in Zaporizhia. Along the route, they endured relentless scrutiny at checkpoints, enduring intrusive searches and questioning. In Zaporizhia, their eldest daughter underwent surgery for appendicitis. 

Presently, Pavlo resides in Lviv, continuing his work as an artist, while his wife and children have sought refuge in Belgium.

• casualties
• occupation
• russian crimes
• Lviv
• Mariupol

At the briefing, among other things, the participants will discuss how to rescue the fighters of the “Azov” brigade from captivity: what is already being done, and what still needs doing. In particular, they will talk about the prisoners of war who were injured during the terrorist attack in Olenivka, because their fate still remains unknown, and the Day of Remembrance for the defenders killed in Olenivka has not been officially allocated yet.

Participants:

Maria Alieksieievych — representative “Olenivka Families Community” NGO, wife of a twice-wounded defender of Mariupol;

Hanna Lobova — representative “Olenivka Families Community” NGO, the wife of a twice-wounded defender of Mariupol;

Anastasia Hondiul — representative “Olenivka Families Community” NGO “, the wife of a twice-wounded defender of Mariupol;

Tetiana Katrychenko — representative of the Media Initiative for Human Rights (MIHR),

Andrii Yakovlev — MIHR representative.

• casualties
• military
• prisoners
• Kyiv

On May 6, veteran Serhii Khrapko, who was seriously injured in 2015 when he lost his left arm and left leg, will go on a one-day walking marathon from Kyiv to Boryspil using a prosthesis. The goal is to raise funds to pay for the continuation of the rehabilitation of Oleksandr Nadtochyi, who was seriously injured in 2022 near Bakhmut. The required amount is UAH 650,000.

Serhii believes that he will be able to collect the required amount on the way to Boryspil, if not, he will be forced to make the return journey.

For reference: This is not Serhii Khrapko’s first walking marathon. In May 2023, together with his brother Oleksandr Shvetsov (a veteran with a prosthetic leg), they walked the distance from Zhytomyr to Kyiv to collect money for a gastroscope for the reception department of a Kyiv hospital. They were awarded by the National Register of Records of Ukraine for this achievement.

• casualties
• military
• Kyiv

From now on, employees of the kitchen train are making food for the Kharkiv Psychiatric Hospital. The facility was damaged by russian missiles on the night of April 27 this year. At the time of the attack, there were 60 patients and 5 doctors in it. While the hospital’s canteen and other utility premises are under restoration, the kitchen train of Ukrzaliznytsia will take care of food for the patients.

For reference: In September 2023, Ukrzaliznytsia created the world’s first autonomous kitchen train called Food Train. Such a train is capable of providing more than 10,000 meals per day anywhere and anytime. Food Train can work autonomously for 5-7 days, and the equipment allows cooking such meals as soups, porridges, salads and meat.

Since its launch, the kitchen train team has already made 350,000 meals, of which 265,000 were made for the residents of Kharkiv oblast affected over the past month. Food purchases and the operation of the train are funded by the Howard G. Buffett Foundation.

• casualties
• food
• russian crimes
• Kharkiv

Camp Maximum NGO together with an American team created the Opportunities Camp Program for Amputee Women. This year, about 20 women will take part in the camp (including veterans and civilians who lost their limbs during the full-scale war). The camp starts on May 5 in Cherkasy.

While women are staying in the camp, international-level rehabilitation coaches will conduct soccer training. Participants will have the opportunity to represent Ukraine at international levels and achieve recognition in sports.

For example, women will be able to participate in the World Championship 2024. (Ukraine’s women’s national team consisting of players with limb amputations will play at the World Championship, which will be held in Barranquilla, Colombia, from November 2 to 11, 2024).

In addition to football lessons, camp participants will have the opportunity to take part in other activities.

• casualties
• women
• Cherkasy

Anatolii Levchenko, a prominent figure in Mariupol’s theater scene, who in 2015 spearheaded a new era of contemporary Ukrainian theater at the city’s renowned theater, previously labeled as a “russian” theater. Levchenko, along with his wife Hanna, cared for their non-verbal autistic son and his wife’s 90-year-old mother. When russian forces launched an offensive on Mariupol, the Levchenko family found themselves unable to evacuate promptly. While they successfully arranged their release in May 2022, Anatolii’s freedom was short-lived. He was apprehended by russian authorities the day prior, following betrayal by former colleagues turned collaborators.

Initially left in the dark about her husband’s whereabouts, Hanna later discovered he had been charged with extremism and transferred to occupied Donetsk. Over more than 10 grueling months, she tirelessly sent clothing, medications, and messages to the detention center. Occasionally, Anatolii would manage to call her, often in the dead of night. Throughout this ordeal, Hanna single-handedly cared for their autistic son, scrounging for food and water, and cooking meals over an open fire with the help of neighbors.

On March 9, 2023, Hanna’s phone finally rang with news of Anatolii’s impending release. However, his nearly year-long confinement had taken a toll on his health. In the summer of 2023, the family seized the opportunity to flee to Ukrainian-controlled territory, finding refuge in Kropyvnytskyi, Kirovohrad region. Despite the hardships, Anatolii resumed his theater work.

For reference: The battle for Mariupol raged on for 86 harrowing days until May 20, 2022, when russian forces seized control of the city. Human Rights Watch’s grim assessment puts the civilian death toll from russian shelling at a staggering 8,000, with thousands more left maimed and traumatized. Many suffered life-altering injuries, including loss of limbs, sight, hearing, or memory, often due to traumatic brain injuries inflicted by relentless explosions. By mid-May 2022, an estimated 400,000 residents, out of a pre-war population of 540,000, had fled Mariupol in search of safety.

• casualties
• culture
• occupation
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Mariupol

The family of Maryna Shvets from Chernihiv region appealed to the volunteers of Dobrobat. After their house was destroyed in a russian shelling, the family was forced to live in a shed. After her house burned down, Maryna did not give up: she helped the Ukrainian military and her fellow villagers, baked bread and shared homemade products.

Currently, Dobrobat volunteers have started building a new two-story building with two entrances for Maryna’s family. Volunteers have already laid the foundation and the first AAC blocks. Dobrobat volunteers actively involve the local population in the construction process. According to their calculations, Maryna’s family will be able to move into a new home as soon as this summer.

For reference: “Dobrobat” is a volunteer building division that helps those in need to urgently restore housing and social infrastructure facilities in the de-occupied territories.

• casualties
• reconstruction
• volunteers
• Chernihiv