Themes by tag: casualties

Before russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine, Mykola Hradnyi-Savytskyi worked in theater and film. He calls meeting his wife, Kateryna—also part of the arts community—a gift of fate. In April 2022, he decided to enlist, visiting multiple recruitment offices before finally joining a National Guard unit in Chernihiv.

Determined to serve in a combat role, Mykola soon transferred to the National Guard of Ukraine’s 12th Special Forces Brigade Azov, where he became a UAV operator. In March 2024, while operating near the Serebrianskyi Forest in Luhansk Oblast, he and his unit were caught under a collapsing concrete slab.

For four hours, his comrades worked to pull him from the rubble under enemy fire. Once freed, they waited another two hours for evacuation. Doctors had no choice but to amputate both of his legs. Throughout his treatment, rehabilitation, and prosthetic fitting, Kateryna remained by his side. She says the injury was not a tragedy for them—they always understood the risks of military service.

Mykola is now undergoing rehabilitation at the Superhumans Center in Lviv Oblast. 

The Hradnov-Savytskyi family is available for interviews both online and in person by appointment through their press officer.

• casualties
• military
• Lviv

Researchers from the Chernihiv historical museum named after V. Tarnovskyi travel to the village of Yahidne, Chernihiv oblast, to collect eyewitness testimony. (In the spring of 2022, russian occupiers detained over 300 local residents in inhumane conditions in the basement of the school for almost a month).

Since September 2023, historians have been documenting historical artifacts in Yahidne. They have examined and described over 1,000 objects, including clothing, shoes, personal items, backpacks, books, empty russian military ration boxes, antiseptic tubes, russian newspapers, wooden pallets used for sitting and sleeping, plastic water bottles used as makeshift toilets. Experts recorded descriptions of all basement rooms and photographed artifacts found throughout the village, including remnants of enemy equipment, uniforms and ammunition boxes.

At the request of the regional authorities, copies of occupation documents found in Yahidne have been turned over to the museum.

All documented artifacts will remain in place. There are plans to create a memorial complex in Yahidne, including the school basement where civilians were imprisoned.

Journalists can learn more, join researchers on the ground, and see the historical artifacts firsthand.

Background: Yahidne is a village near Chernihiv. At the beginning of the full-scale russian invasion, the occupying forces set up their headquarters in the local school. In its basement they imprisoned 299 adults and 67 children – almost the entire population of the village. The basement was only 197 square meters, forcing people to sleep sitting up, with limited oxygen. Ten people died as a result of the horrific conditions.

In February 2023, a photograph of the Yahidne basement appeared on the cover of TIME magazine.

• casualties
• dead
• occupation
• russian crimes
• Chernihiv

Maryna Kotlobai is a dermatologist who began her journey as a volunteer doctor with FRIDA, the Ukrainian-Israeli mission of medical volunteers. Today she is one of the captains of its field missions.

Maryna is from the town of Khrustalnyi in the Luhansk oblast (occupied since spring 2014). After 2014, she was forced to move to Kharkiv, and later to Siverskodonetsk, Luhansk oblast (occupied since June 2022). When the full-scale invasion began, she had to leave her home again – this time she and her parents fled abroad. But just a few months later, she returned to Ukraine to start a new life in the capital.

Journalists can speak with Maryna in Kyiv, online or during FRIDA’s field missions.

Background: FRIDA Ukraine is a Ukrainian-Israeli mission of medical volunteers dedicated to helping civilians. Volunteer doctors provide quality medical care to Ukrainians affected by the war.

• casualties
• doctors
• occupation
• volunteers
• Kyiv

Oksana Starodub, a mother of two from Chernihiv, faced unthinkable challenges after deciding to stay in her hometown when the war began. Her husband, Mykola, joined the territorial defense forces on the second day of the all-out invasion, determined to protect his family and city. On March 6, 2022, russian mortars struck Oksana’s home, leaving her severely injured and unable to move. Her teenage son bandaged her wounds as they awaited help, but continued shelling prevented an ambulance from reaching them. Eventually, Mykola and his unit managed to return home, where a military medic applied a tactical tourniquet to Oksana’s leg before she was taken to a hospital. The hospital, overwhelmed with wounded, was operating under dire conditions. Power was down due to nearby shelling, staff was stretched thin, and resources were scarce. Drinking water arrived only once daily, and food for both patients and doctors was cooked outdoors over an open flame. Oksana later traveled to Vinnytsia for multiple surgeries and, by September 2022, was able to walk on her own again. 

Meanwhile, Mykola continued defending the Chernihiv region until his battalion was deployed to Donetsk. On June 17, 2024, during a combat mission, Mykola sustained fatal wounds, leaving Oksana a widow.

The Children of Heroes charity foundation is currently supporting the family. Dedicated to aiding children who have lost one or both parents due to russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the foundation offers financial assistance, psychological counseling, legal aid, and educational support to help these children grow and thrive until adulthood.

• casualties
• dead
• military
• russian crimes
• women
• Chernihiv

In the Lviv Oblast, mountain hiking trips are being organized for defenders undergoing rehabilitation, including veterans with prosthetic limbs. These therapeutic hikes are arranged by the charity foundation With an Angel on a Shoulder.

Recently, the defenders climbed Mount Makovytsia and Mount Smerichok in the Ivano-Frankivsk region. The next hike is planned for mid-April.

Journalists can cover the mountain therapy by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• Lviv

Ivona Kostyna has been working with military personnel and veterans since 2015. Initially, she and the Pobratymy Foundation organized trips for psychologists to the front lines to provide mental health support to Ukrainian defenders. Over time, Ivona realized that soldiers would need continued care long after leaving the service.

Determined to address this, she collaborated with specialists to develop psychosocial adaptation programs. Soon after, she and her partners launched the first Veteran Hub in Kyiv—a space where service members and their families can access legal assistance, psychological counseling, and guidance on employment, education, and grant opportunities.

Within two years, the team expanded, opening another Veteran Hub location in Vinnytsia. To ensure equal access to services regardless of a veteran’s location or mobility, the organization also launched mobile offices in Kyiv, Vinnytsia, and Dnipro in 2020, bringing support directly to those in need.

Since 2018, Ukraine’s Veteran Hub has operated without public fundraising. However, in January 2025, after the U.S. Department of State suspended funding for international assistance programs, the organization was forced to close its Vinnytsia branch and its Support Helpline. For the first time, the team publicly appealed for donations from the community and businesses.

Thanks to the support of Ukrainian businesses and the community in Vinnytsia, the team has raised over UAH 9 million, ensuring the continued operation of the organization’s services for at least three months.

The Veteran Hub team is now seeking regular donors to sustain their support for soldiers and their families.

Ivona Kostyna is available for meetings in Kyiv, both online and offline, by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• military
• psychological support
• women
• Kyiv

Serhii Pryschepa considers March 14, 2022, his second birthday. That day, he and his family attempted to escape from russian-occupied territory in Chernihiv Oblast but were caught in an attack. Their car was engulfed in flames, burning to the ground. Miraculously, he survived.

Serhii has been undergoing rehabilitation for over a year. The recovery process has been grueling and slow, yet he remains resolute. Not only has he regained his strength, but he has also grown even stronger—thanks to relentless training, he can now lift more weight than he could before his injury.

Background: Serhii Pryschepa is a participant in the Neopalymi (Unburnt) program, a national initiative providing free external rehabilitation and treatment for war-related injuries, burns, and scars. By April 6, 2022, Ukrainian defense forces had fully liberated Chernihiv Oblast from russian occupation.

• casualties
• dead
• doctors
• occupation
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

On March 14, the Ukrainian Volunteer Day, the First Chernihiv Veterans Theatre will perform the play “Hospital Rhapsody”. The author of the play is Yurii Vietkin, a veteran of the russian-Ukrainian war who lost his leg during an enemy shelling. The play is based on real events that took place in a ward of the Chernihiv military hospital in March 2022.

The premiere of “Hospital Rhapsody”, staged by the Chernihiv Veterans Theatre “Sercevir”, took place at the end of February. The cast consists entirely of veterans and military personnel — three of the actors are amputees, while two others have experienced post-traumatic stress disorder. Widows of fallen soldiers and director Anastasiia Kuzyk, the wife of a serving soldier, also took part in the performance.

The lead role is played by veteran Ruslan Ivanov, who has an amputated arm. Before the full-scale invasion, he worked as a production designer in a movie studio. He volunteered to defend Ukraine, fought in the Kyiv oblast and was wounded near Bakhmut in October 2023.

Guests from Poltava — partners involved in supporting veterans through the “Shoulder to Shoulder: United Communities” project — attended the performance alongside Chernihiv residents. Poltava and Chernihiv had previously launched a joint initiative, the “Veteran Spaces Opportunity Map”, which helps returning soldiers find the psychological, legal, and social support they need.

Journalists will have the opportunity to interview the cast, attend the dress rehearsal, and cover the performance of “Hospital Rhapsody” on March 14.

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

• casualties
• culture
• military
• Chernihiv

At the UNBROKEN Center in Lviv, defenders recovering from serious injuries are exploring a new form of rehabilitation—golf.

Participants have already completed three training sessions under the guidance of Volodymyr Shevchun, a certified trainer and rehabilitation specialist. Shevchun is actively developing this approach as a method of both physical and psychological recovery in Ukraine. He explains that golf engages various muscle groups while also helping to relieve stress, promote relaxation, and provide a mental escape.

The coach sees significant potential in golf as a rehabilitation tool for veterans. To expand the program, he is currently training three specialists at the UNBROKEN Center, preparing them to lead similar sessions for patients in the future.

• casualties
• military
• Lviv

Peaceful rallies will be held in 24 cities to remind the world of the defenders of Azovstal and other soldiers still held in enemy captivity.

On March 8, rallies will be held in Okhtyrka, Chernihiv, Arbuzynka, Vinnytsia, Irpin, Zaporizhia, Zhytomyr, Pavlohrad and Obukhiv.

On March 9, events are planned in Kyiv, Pivdennoukrainsk, Uman, Krolevets, Korop, Ovruch, Kremenchuk, Cherkasy, Korosten, Uzhhorod, Kharkiv, Lozova, Poltava, Berdychiv, and Kropyvnytskyi.

The rallies are organized by families of POWs from the Mariupol garrison, with former POWs often attending to share their experiences.

• casualties
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Kyiv