Themes by tag: casualties
Serhii Shpanko is 46 years old. The man joined the ranks of the Defense Forces back in 2014, when russia first attacked Ukraine. Since then, Serhii served in many positions in the army, until he was discharged and became a teacher at the Military Institute of Telecommunications and Information Technology. On February 24, 2022, Serhii was in the capital, and together with the cadets he organized the evacuation of the population from Kyiv region, in particular, Bucha and Irpin. At the end of March of the same year, Serhii returned to the Armed Forces, less than a month later, he found himself in the Avdiivka sector. During one of the missions, his car came under enemy fire. Serhii’s next memory after being wounded is the hospital. The soldier received numerous facial injuries, his facial nerve was severed, his ear was torn off and his eye was damaged. Serhii has undergone many surgeries. A team of reconstructive surgeons from Canada, the U.S. and Ukraine decided to restore the functions and symmetry of his face as part of the “Face the Future” international mission. Nowadays Serhii can smile and close his eyelid. The man returned to the Institute, and now teaches cadets to use small arms.
For reference: “Face the future Ukraine” is a mission of Canadian and American reconstructive surgeons, which brings together world experts and their Ukrainian counterparts to restore physical health and aesthetic beauty of people injured in enemy shelling. They also work with servicemen who have suffered face and neck injuries on the front line.
For the second year in a row, FRIDA Ukraine, the largest medical volunteer mission in Ukraine, continues to travel to the frontline and de-occupied regions to deploy field clinics and provide specialized medical assistance on the ground.
Thus, a team of 30 doctors will work in Donetsk region. The team will consist of a surgeon, a physiotherapist, a cardiologist, a therapist, an ENT specialist, a neurologist and other specialists. The mission doctors plan to provide more than 1,500 services (ultrasound, ECG, consultations, field surgeries, etc.).
Also, medical volunteers go to orphanages in different parts of the country. For example, a team of specialists will work in the Zhytomyr regional specialized children’s home, where about 50 children need medical examination. The team consists of 18 doctors, including: a pediatrician, an ultrasound specialist, an ENT specialist, a neurologist, a psychiatrist, a surgeon and an ophthalmologist.
Journalists have the opportunity to join field missions.
Vladyslav Molodykh is a serviceman of the 71st Jaeger Brigade. The occupiers stormed the dugout, where Vladyslav and his brother in arms had been staying for 3 days. During the assault, Vladyslav Molodykh eliminated at least 6 russian invaders. Then the russians blocked the exit from the dugout with the Ukrainians. Also, the debris from a nearby house collapsed into their dugout.
The soldiers, who found themselves under the rubble, ate dry rations until they ran out. The fighters had to survive at sub-zero temperatures without food and water. They melted the snow to quench their thirst at least a little.
Later, the Ukrainians managed to make a small hole in the pile of the debris, through which Vladyslav’s brother in arms climbed out. Other defenders found him with the help of a drone. Vladyslav remained in the dugout for another two weeks. In total, he stayed underground for 41 days. In the end, the man was saved by soldiers who were looking for Vladyslav. Currently, the military man is undergoing rehabilitation in Vinnytsia region.
Additionally: Vladyslav Molodykh is ready to communicate with journalists, both online and offline, by prior agreement.
Maryna and Mykola are both military, they met in 2019 in the army. The woman had two daughters from a previous marriage — Olena and Oleksandra. Mykola also has a daughter named Milana. At first, the family lived in Mariupol, Donetsk region (now the city is occupied), then they moved to Berdiansk, Zaporizhia region (now the city is occupied).
The couple served in the Azov brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine. In 2020, Mykola resigned from the Azov and joined the marines. Maryna’s contract ended in November 2021, but she did not want to leave her brothers in arms.
When the full-scale invasion began, Maryna, along with other Azov defenders of Mariupol ended up at the Azovstal plant (i.e. Iron and Steel Works where fierce battles with the enemy took place in the spring of 2022). Mykola wanted to switch with Marina and go to Azovstal instead of her. The woman persuaded him not to do this, because at the checkpoint the russians shot three guys who were on the way to meet their girlfriends, and many others who broke through to the plant went missing. Even then Maryna understood that she and other military personnel were unlikely to get out of the Azovstal alive. And she asked her husband to take care of her daughters. On May 8, 2022, the woman died in a fire at the Azovstal.
Now Mykola is fighting for the right to adopt his deceased wife’s daughters and give them a happy future. He is purchasing a three-room apartment for the girls in Kyiv region so they could live together as a family.
With the help of the Children of Heroes Fund, Maryna’s daughters received gifts and visited a rehabilitation camp, which helped them to distract themselves from terrible memories and disturbing thoughts.
For reference: the defense of Mariupol lasted 86 days. Following the order of the command, the Ukrainian defenders stopped putting up the defense, left Azovstal and surrendered to the enemy. On May 20, 2022, Mariupol was occupied by russia.
The Children of Heroes Charity Fund supports children who have lost one or both parents due to russia’s full-scale invasion. The fund offers financial aid as well as psychological and legal support. The organization helps these children with education and development until they reach adulthood.
As of the beginning of February, 7,889 wards are under the care of the Fund. Of them, 1,062 are IDPs, 151 children have lost their mother and father, 177 are children with disabilities, 970 are children from large families. Every week about 80 children are included into the list of the recipients of the fund’s help. Among the fund’s children, 88% are kids of military personnel, while the remaining 12% are civilians.
On the morning of February 24, just as two years ago, the Irpin city council will hold a session. Just as then, the session will be short. The only issue on the agenda is the allocation of additional aid for the military.
A moment of silence will be observed in the city. Later, everyone will gather on the “Road of Life” – Romanivka Bridge to express gratitude to those who helped save thousands of citizens, defended the hero city of Irpin, and to commemorate those who gave their lives for Ukraine.
Journalists can find out more about the start time of the events.
For reference: in February-March 2022, the city of Irpin, Kyiv region, became a battlefield in the russian offensive on Kyiv. One third of Irpin was occupied, and it was here that the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Territorial Defense Forces managed to stop the russians.
In the first days of the full-scale invasion, the civilians of Irpin were being evacuated through the Romanivka bridge. Then the russian army attacked the bridge, which made evacuation even more difficult. The Romanivka bridge was restored in November 2023, and opened for all types of transport.
The reconstruction of Irpin is still ongoing.
In 2014, the ensemble of the Luhansk Regional Philharmonic confronted the initial onslaught of Russian aggression. As Luhansk, a city in eastern Ukraine where the musicians resided and operated, fell under Russian occupation, they were forced to abandon their belongings and relocate to Sievierodonetsk, situated in the government-controlled sector of the Luhansk region. Compounded by the director’s collaboration with the occupiers, they left behind not only musical instruments but also a crucial accumulation of musical notations and documents. Nevertheless, the Philharmonic persisted in its endeavors at the new locale, embarking on extensive tours across Ukraine and abroad.
Fast forward to February 2022, the specter of evacuation loomed once more as the Russian military encroached upon Sievierodonetsk. This time, the musicians sought refuge in Lviv, where they commenced a series of charitable performances in solidarity with the Armed Forces, subsequently resuming their musical engagements. Presently, the 50-member ensemble delivers 6-7 concerts per month, anticipating future tours. Yet, their ultimate aspiration remains to stage a performance in the liberated confines of Ukrainian Luhansk.
For reference: Following months of clashes, Russian forces seized Sievierodonetsk in June 2022. The city, ravaged by Russian shelling, sustained extensive damage, compelling the majority of its inhabitants to flee.
Antonina Demydenko lived with her son in Vuhledar, Donetsk region. (Her son was disabled, so Antonina took care of him).
On May 13, 2022, the enemy shell hit her apartment resulting in Antonina’s son’s death. The woman lost a leg and an arm.
Antonina is currently undergoing rehabilitation in the ergonomic therapeutic kitchen in the Superhumans Center in Lviv. She makes cookies and buns with one hand, then she treats the team with them.
Superhumans plans to publish a book of Antonina’s recipes in the near future (the initiative is implemented in cooperation with famous chef Olga Martynovska). Royalties from sales of this book will go to Antonina.
Meanwhile, the woman dreams of returning to Vuhledar to rebury her son, whose body was buried near the entrance to their building.
For reference: Vuhledar is a small mining town in Donetsk region that had about 15,000 residents before russia’s full-scale invasion. For a year and a half, the russian army continuously tried to capture the city. There is not a single building left standing in Vuhledar anymore.
In Mezhyhirya, Kyiv region, Anteus canine center has been training guide dogs as well as preparing dogs to work in combat zones for more than 10 years. Until 2014, the center had been an elite kennel club located on the grounds of the mansion belonging to fugitive president Viktor Yanukovych.
After the Revolution of Dignity, the Ukrainian military began to turn to the center’s canine experts, as the servicemen needed dogs who could work at the front. In particular, to help clear mines, as well as participate in search and rescue operations. Such requests kept on coming during the full-scale invasion as well. In addition to training four-legged friends to work in combat zones, specialists train guide dogs to care for civilians and soldiers who have lost their sight. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the canine center has raised 5 guide dogs, all of whom received the necessary certification abroad and went on to take care of their owners.
“Let’s See the Victory” charity foundation, which was founded by the veteran of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Vladyslav Yeshchenko, pledged to support the canine center to enable training of more guide dogs. Employees of the center say that it is not easy to maintain such an organization, in particular, without state funding. After all, it takes more than UAH 200,000 to raise and train one dog that can work with the wounded.
Bakhmut resident Kateryna Arisoi is Head of Pluriton NGO: since the beginning of the full-scale war, the organization’s volunteers provided assistance in hot spots near the front. In particular, they were involved in the evacuation of people and animals.
While doing their work, part of the team was captured by the enemy in Lysychansk, Luhansk region. It was possible to return the volunteers home only after seven months. Kateryna met with the freed team members in Sumy oblast — at the only checkpoint on the border with russia. That’s when she saw that people after crossing the border have nowhere to rest or get help. A week later, the woman, together with other activists of the organization, returned to Sumy oblast with the necessary things and created an Assistance Center that could receive up to 20 people a day (March 2023). In addition, the NGO paid for a carrier who took refugees to Sumy or Kharkiv free of charge. The number of people grew, so the Center was repeatedly relocated to larger buildings. And recently, due to russian shelling near the border, the center was moved to Sumy.
In total, since the beginning of its work, the Atmosphere Assistance Center has received almost 19,000 people. Here the displaced people can eat and take a shower. There is a “mother and child” room. The center also helps people with limited mobility. In addition, all visitors can receive free psychological and legal assistance. People continue receiving support even after leaving the Center.
Journalists need to obtain a permit from the Sumy operational-tactical group in order to cover the activity of the Center.
Viacheslav Levytskyi, a 40-year-old native of the Odesa region, led a quiet life as a delivery driver before he joined the country’s defense at the outbreak of a full-blown war.
In the Donetsk region near Avdiivka, Levytskyi sustained severe injuries as bullets tore through his legs and torso. Despite his wounds, he spent seven days navigating the treacherous gray zone. But his ordeal was far from over. Captured by Russian forces and their collaborators, Levytskyi endured three days without any medical assistance in the occupied areas of Donetsk. From there, he was whisked away by Chechen captors to Grozny, where the extent of his injuries became tragically apparent. Gangrene had ravaged his legs, while his hands bore the cruel scars of frostbite, necessitating their amputation.
For three and a half months, Levytskyi languished in captivity, his whereabouts unknown to his worried mother. But against all odds, he was eventually exchanged. He is now at the Superhumans center in Lviv, Levytskyi is undergoing intensive rehabilitation. With prosthetic legs affixed, he’s learning to walk anew, while preparations are underway for prosthetic arms.
