Themes by tag: casualties

The Military Sewing Company is a voluntary association of people who volunteer to sew adaptive clothing for wounded soldiers: pants, shorts, underpants, T-shirts, etc. The adaptive clothing with Velcro, ties, or buttons is designed so injured defenders can put it on comfortably and painlessly. 

The Military Sewing Company has already produced over 30,000 pieces of such clothing. They are sent to more than 50 medical institutions across Ukraine, as well as to soldiers in need of such garments.

The Military Sewing Company was founded in Dnipro. People who have joined the initiative and sew clothes (in workshops, sewing shops, or home-based ones) are located in Kyiv, Dnipro, Rivne, Poltava, Zhytomyr, and Lviv. Some seamstresses are actively involved in sewing while residing in Norway, Germany, and Canada.

• casualties
• military
• volunteers
• Dnipro
• Kyiv
• Lviv
• Poltava
• Zhytomyr
• Rivne

Joe is 61 years old. Twenty years ago, he served at New York City Police Department and later trained police paramedics. But Joe has been in Ukraine for almost a year now: he joined the Ukrainian-Israeli medical volunteer mission FRIDA.  As a paramedic (sometimes as an ECG technician), he travels with specialists to the de-occupied and frontline regions to help people. For example, the man had to help patients in bomb shelters. And also in settlements where no doctors were left due to the full-scale invasion of Russia.

For reference: FRIDA Ukraine, the Ukrainian-Israeli medical volunteer charitable mission, has been helping civilians since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In particular, they counsel people, operate, evacuate and distribute medicines. Volunteer doctors (of various medical specialties) travel to the regions (for example, Kharkiv, Kherson, or Donetsk) to help local residents with health issues. 

• casualties
• doctors
• volunteers

The preparation of Ukraine’s national team for the Invictus Games continues. This year the competition will be held in the German city of Düsseldorf (September 9-16).

Ukraine will be represented by a team of 24 athletes. These are servicemen and veterans of the russo-Ukrainian war, who were injured during or as a result of performing official duties in the combat zone.

They will participate in archery, athletics, cycling, powerlifting, indoor rowing competitions, etc.

For reference: the Invictus Games is an international Paralympic sports competition. It was founded by British Prince Harry in 2014.

• casualties
• military

Canine specialists of Base 4.5.0. the Center for Innovative Military Rehabilitation will hold canine therapy sessions in the capital. Several trained dogs were chosen for therapy: Welsh corgi Foksi and Laisve, German boxer Linda, and Yorkshire terrier Shusha. The center experts say that during their first sessions they worked with the children who had stopped speaking after the beginning of russia’s invasion. However, after working with animals, the children started talking again. Canine therapists say that working with dogs normalizes the work of the nervous system, reduces stress, conflict and anxiety.

For reference: Canine therapy is a method of positive psychosocial and physical rehabilitation influence on people with the help of specially trained dogs. It is one of the methods of zootherapy.

• animals
• casualties
• children
• psychological support
• Kyiv

One of Save Ukraine’s centers, the Good Samaritan House of Mercy, operates in the Lviv region. It takes care of people with limited mobility who suffered due to Russian aggression. Most of them are older adults unable to take care of themselves.

The Save Ukraine team evacuated these people from the dangerous area in time, and now they are safe and well-housed. 

• casualties
• russian crimes
• Lviv

The Strongman Federation of Ukraine continues to implement a project for the sports rehabilitation of war veterans and bringing them to civilian life through sports. A sports event for veterans is scheduled to take place in Kyiv on July 8. The competition program will include crossfit, bench press, and rowing.

The program is adapted to different categories of wounds suffered by the defenders. Honored athletes and coaches of Ukraine will be the competition’s judges: Serhii Konyushok, Oleksandr Lashyn, and Vasyl Virastyuk.

• casualties
• military
• Kyiv

After being drafted into the army on February 25 last year, Oksana’s husband, Andrii Hankevych, became a combat medic. The Last time Oksana had a telephone conversation with her husband was at 11 p.m. on July 5, 2022, and at 1 a.m., he died. That time, her husband told Oksana: “You are strong. You will succeed no matter what happens to me.” These words enabled Oksana to move on, seek support, and raise her three children. The woman calls the Office of Support for Military Families in Lviv her second home. Thanks to the people at the Office, Oksana was able to create her own project, “Keep on Living.” And she is now trying to help the wives and mothers of soldiers who have been killed, gone missing, or captured. The project consists of several parts, including a photo shoot for women. The project’s author is convinced that positive emotions are the medicine that gives military families the strength to persevere in difficult times.

• casualties
• dead
• prisoners
• women

On the first day of the full-scale war, Andrii went to the army recruiting office and enlisted in the army to defend the country. At the time, he was 18 years old. In October last year, an enemy mine injured his leg. He was talking on the phone with his mother, who heard the explosion and how her son was applying a tourniquet to his leg. Andrii was admitted to the Superhumans Center in Lviv. This year in June, a few days after his discharge, Andrii rode 100 km on a bicycle with a prosthetic left leg.

Last year, the man proposed to his beloved. He made an engagement ring out of a shell casing. The couple paints paintings together and puts them up for charity auction, and donates the proceeds to the needs of the military.

• casualties
• doctors
• military

A mentoring program has been launched at NEZLAMNI National Rehabilitation Center with the goal to help patients adapt to trauma and return to living independently outside of a medical facility. This model of social support is called “peer-to-peer.” According to it, former patients, who themselves have gone through a difficult path to recovery and rehabilitation, share their experience and help current patients of the Center to cope with new circumstances.

Mentors are already counseling men and women affected by the war.

Currently, there are three mentors working in the NEZLAMNI team.

Victoriia. A Lviv resident. She was hit by a bus at the crosswalk. The girl lost her leg. In the NEZLAMNI Center, Victoria underwent rehabilitation and received a prosthesis.

Mykhailo. Paratrooper He lost his left arm and right leg when he was running to save his brothers in arms during the battles for Izyum. He got a bionic prosthetic hand at the NEZLAMNI Center.

Pavlo. Athlete. He has been in a wheelchair since the age of 12. He was injured as a result of falling from a tree. Despite this, he continued to do sports and became the champion of Ukraine and Europe in powerlifting. 

• casualties
• doctors
• Lviv

Stefan was born and raised in the USA, where his family emigrated at one time. Parents raised him to love Ukraine, Ukrainian customs and culture. Stefan arrived in Lviv in April 2023. He says that he had a rough idea of what was waiting for him, because his relatives stayed here and told him about the situation in the country. Stefan has already joined the work of several organizations that send humanitarian aid to the east of Ukraine, and in addition, the young man devotes his time to volunteering at the Lviv railway station.

• casualties
• volunteers
• Lviv