Themes by tag: casualties

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

The Drivers Project is open to veterans with musculoskeletal injuries or amputations. The goal of the initiative is to provide disabled veterans with the opportunity to learn driving skills so that they can be mobile. It also gives them the opportunity to find a job or use these skills in their own business or social activities. 

The project was launched in June 2024 and is implemented by the NGO “Free People Employment Center”. A total of 51 veterans have joined so far, with 21 currently taking the theoretical course and 17 undergoing practical driving training.

Journalists can cover the project’s work in Kyiv and the Kyiv oblast by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• military
• Kyiv

A veteran of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and instructor of the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade, known by the call sign “Student,” joined the military in February 2022. Initially, as part of a territorial defense unit, he was involved in the evacuation of civilians from Irpin, Kyiv oblast. Later he was transferred to another unit and sent to Donetsk, where he was wounded and survived two clinical deaths.

His rehabilitation lasted a year. Realizing that he could no longer serve on the front lines, “Student” decided to use his combat experience to train those preparing to join the military. He joined the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade as an instructor, believing that proper training is the key to saving lives on the battlefield.

Journalists wishing to speak with “Student” can do so online or in person in Kyiv by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• military
• Kyiv