Themes by tag: casualties

Anatolii Mytskan joined the Defense Forces with the beginning of the full-scale invasion. And already in April 2022, together with his brothers in arms, he defended the Zaporizhia direction. The veteran was on the front line for more than a year. During this time, he got numerous concussions, which eventually led to a stroke. Anatolii explains that he was lucky, because the stroke did not happen at the frontline.

Currently, the man is in Ivano-Frankivsk and is rehabilitating with the help of drawing. The theme of his paintings is war. In mid-June, Anatolii will bring 15 of his works to Lviv to hold a personal exhibition. He plans to buy drones and EW equipment for the army with the money he will get from the sale of paintings.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• Ivano-Frankivsk

FRIDA Ukraine medical volunteer mission implemented the Mobile Dentistry project with the support of United Help Ukraine, one of the largest Ukrainian charitable initiatives in the United States. On May 25-26, the mobile clinic together with a team of volunteer doctors embarked on its first mission to Kherson region. Within two days, the team managed to examine, consult and help 27 patients.

The mobile clinic is equipped with a dental unit, which includes: a compressor, a suction unit, a portable X-ray machine, a photopolymer lamp, etc. The Mobile Dentistry project can provide a full range of therapeutic, outpatient surgical, orthopedic and orthodontic dental services.

The mobile clinic is gearing up for its next mission as it prepares to see patients in the Sumy region on June 8-9.

Journalists are invited to cover the work of the Mobile Dentistry project on-site and learn more about the opportunities that such mobile clinics open up for doctors in places where it is not possible to conduct specialized examinations.

• casualties
• doctors

Anastasia Astafieva is one of the best tattoo artists and tattoo removal specialists in the capital. After the start of the full-scale invasion, Anastasia was approached by a military man who wanted to have his tattoo removed. There was gunpowder residue embedded into the skin of his face after an explosion. Anastasia tried to remove these specks with a laser, because her device can also be used for such tasks. The result became noticeable after the first session. And after a few procedures, Anastasia completely restored the soldier’s skin. He, in turn, told his brothers in arms about the tattoo artist. This is how the woman obtained her first clients with injuries from explosives. Nowadays, in addition to gunpowder residue Anastasia also removes pieces of soot and earth from people’s faces, as they also get under the skin during an explosion. Anastasia doesn’t charge military and civilians who have suffered as a result of the war.

• casualties
• volunteers
• women
• Kyiv

Launched in the summer of 2023, the spiritual recovery program at Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, known in English as the Monastery of the Caves has seen participation from 700 soldiers and 20 chaplains. Set within the historic confines of the reserve, the initiative aims to rejuvenate soldiers by immersing them in Ukraine’s rich cultural, historical, and spiritual heritage.

The program unfolds in two stages. The first stage is a 10-day program where military personnel engage in activities such as archaeological excavations of ancient walls and a glassmaking workshop dating back to the 11th and 12th centuries. They also visit exhibitions at the Treasury of the National Museum of History and the Museum of Books and Printing, participate in an icon painting master class, explore the Upper and Lower Lavra, and join in worship services. The second stage, titled “Day at the Lavra for Military,” involves groups of veterans spending a day at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra with a lecturer-guide. They explore the grounds, take guided tours, participate in reserve activities, and visit local shrines. Additionally, the program offers support for the families of active duty servicemen and prisoners of war.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• religion
• Kyiv

Dmytro Mazurov joined the ranks of the National Police in 2018. Currently, the policeman serves in the “White Angels” group, which evacuates people from hot spots on the frontline. Dmytro mostly works in six settlements near the front line: Torske, Zarichne, Yampolivka, Terny, Kolodiazi, and Ivanivka.

When most of these villages and towns were occupied in April 2022, and there was one kilometer of land between the enemy and Zarichne, more than fifty people gathered in one spot waiting for evacuation. It took Dmitry 8 trips to take everyone to a safe place. Then he learned that two more women managed to get out of occupied Torske (Dmytro’s native village), and they were on their way to Zarichne. The policeman went to pick them up and evacuated the women under artillery fire.

Dmytro returned to service immediately after the liberation of the district in 2022. The “White Angels” deliver necessities including food and medicine to the de-occupied villages and towns. Also, the police work together with the rescuers, dismantle the rubble after enemy strikes, rescue the wounded and dead, and take care of those who refuse to leave. According to Dmytro, over the past year, the “White Angels” managed to evacuate all the children who lived near the line of fire in the policeman’s area of responsibility. He saved a total of 32 children.

For reference: Dmytro Mazurov is in the Donetsk sector. The policeman is ready to communicate with journalists, both online and offline, by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• evacuation

“Place of Strength,” a free space for supporting children and teenagers who suffered from the war, works in Kyiv. This is a project of the “Dobrodiy Club” charitable foundation.

The space has 3 floors and an equipped shelter. There are separate zones for creative activities, lectures, training and sessions with a psychologist. So, for example, various creative master classes and art therapy classes (ranging from drawing and compositing to creating affirmation paintings) are held in the art zone. Among other things, the space has an interactive theater, a film club, reading and discussion clubs. Famous guests are invited to certain events.

In total, within 5 months of operation, the space opened its doors to 5,400 visitors with more than 600 different events taking place during this time.

By prior agreement, journalists can visit the space and talk with visitors and organizers.

For reference: June 1 marks International Children’s Day in Ukraine. The Prosecutor General’s Office reports that more than 1,899 children were injured in Ukraine as a result of russia’s full-scale armed aggression. According to juvenile prosecutors’ reports, 548 children died and more than 1,351 received injuries of various degrees of severity as of the morning of May 27, 2024.

• casualties
• children
• Kyiv

Olga Abdalla, Tetiana Shcherbak and Elena Ernandes-Rodriges are volunteers and founders of the Bez.Doma charity initiative. In 2014, when russia first attacked Ukraine, the women came together, brought food for wounded soldiers in a hospital in Kyiv, and later began assisting children’s shelters. In the winter of 2017, Olga, Tetiana and Elena thought about how to support the homeless. Then the women decided to join the Help the Homeless initiative, came to the capital’s Podil and distributed more than a hundred sandwiches to those in need, particularly, the homeless, as well as the elderly. The team that worked in Podil took the next step and started taking care of those in need at the capital’s railway station.

On February 24, 2022, the Bez.Doma initiative announced a break, and volunteers responded to the requests of the military. Food, generators, and charging stations were sent to the soldiers. After three months, the team decided to resume the activity of the initiative, however, they had to start from scratch. After all, most people went abroad. 150 people came to the first distribution of food, later this number increased to 400. Internally displaced persons who needed support joined the homeless. Every Saturday, volunteers distribute food, basic necessities and medicine. In addition, last year Bez.Doma together with the Help the Homeless initiative created a shelter for those in need. The shelter is designed for 40 people, and it currently houses 25 people.

• casualties
• volunteers

The Media Initiative for Human Rights examined the circumstances surrounding the disappearance, capture, and death of soldiers from various units, including the 57th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade. Between April and June 2022, these soldiers were involved in intense battles near Novotoshkivske and Toshkivka in the Sievierodonetsk district of the Luhansk region. They later participated in the defense of the Kherson and Donetsk regions. The team spoke with relatives of the missing and deceased soldiers, as well as soldiers who directly took part in these events.

Participants:

– Maria Klymyk, MIHR journalist, author of the article “Missing from the 57th Brigade: heavy fighting, deaths, captivity, and search”;

– Olena Zavalna, daughter of Oleh Khodak, who went missing during the battle for Bohdanivka, Donetsk region;

– Mariia Plaksii, representative of the initiative group of the NGO “Find and Return. 57/34”, whose brother was released from captivity in January 2024;

– Liliia Lukianiuk, representative of the NGO “Wives of Toshkivka prisoners”;

– Valentyn Zabolotnyi, deputy commander for moral and psychological support, 57th Brigade. 

• casualties
• military
• prisoners

On May 31, the Center for Civil Liberties and the Kateryna Osadcha Foundation, in collaboration with the XII International Book Arsenal Festival, will host a poetry reading focused on themes of captivity. 

“Hold on! I’m holding on!” is more than a slogan—it’s a heartfelt message from prisoners to their families, friends, and the broader community. The poster for the event features an illustration by Serhii Ofitserov, a Kherson resident captured in his parent’s apartment and currently detained at the Lefortovo detention center on false terrorism charges.

The event will showcase works by renowned Ukrainian poets including Serhii Zhadan, Tetiana Vlasova, Tonia Kornuta, Natalka Heiman, Yuliia Musakovska, Anna Malihon, Maryna Ponomarenko, and Oksana Stomina, whose husband remains in captivity. Contributions from prisoners such as Serhii Tsyhipa, founder of the Tavrian Games, Nariman Dzhelialov, Deputy Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, and Andrii Holubiev, a trainer from Melitopol, will also be featured. Their works will be brought to life by actors Akhtem Seitablaev, Kateryna Vyshneva, and Roman Yasinovskyi, along with human rights activist Oleksandra Matviichuk. The event will be hosted by Kateryna Osadcha.

Journalists wishing to attend must apply for accreditation by May 27.

• casualties
• culture
• prisoners
• Kyiv

Since the start of the all-out russian invasion, hostilities have impacted 20% of Ukraine’s territory, leading to the capture or deportation of hundreds of thousands of civilians. Their homes have been looted and destroyed, and liberated lands have been left heavily mined. The exact number of civilian prisoners and deportees remains unknown, and there are no established legal mechanisms for their return.

Ukrainian authorities, in collaboration with European institutions, are actively seeking ways to bring back Ukrainians who were forcibly deported to russia and belarus.

List of participants and speakers:  

• Iryna Korobko, spokesperson for the EU Advisory Mission Ukraine;
• Maria Mezentseva, Member of the Verkhovna Rada, Head of the Permanent Delegation of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe;
• Oleksandr Tolokonnikov, Head of Internal and Information Policy Department of Kherson Regional Military Administration (online);
• Oleksandr Baulin, Head of Kurylivka Village Military Administration, Kupiansk District, Kharkiv Region (online);
• Khrystyna Shkudor, “Where Are Our People?” campaign advocacy manager, PR Army NGO;
• Yuliia Khrypun, co-founder of the NGO “Civilians in captivity”;
• Oleksandra Romantsova, Executive Director of the Center for Civil Liberties.

Prior accreditation is required.

• casualties
• prisoners
• russian crimes