Themes by tag: casualties

In the Rivne region, within the Sarny community, a social project called “Veteran for an Hour” is operating. It was launched by a group of five veterans. As part of the initiative, former service members provide assistance with repair and household tasks, including furniture and plumbing installation, as well as electrical work.

The initiative has been active since early January. During this time, more than 40 service calls have been completed. Assistance is provided free of charge to socially vulnerable groups, while others may access the services on a paid basis.

The team includes two veterans with amputations, as well as a soldier who lost the ability to speak as a result of injuries sustained in combat.

By prior arrangement, journalists may cover the initiative either offline in the Rivne region or online.

For reference: The initiative is implemented by the NGO “Code of Veterans’ Strength.”

• casualties
• culture
• military
• Rivne

A servicemember with the call sign “Student” is mastering his third specialty in the military. He began his service in an infantry unit, but was soon offered to become a UAV operator. He went on to operate reconnaissance drones and carry out ammunition drops on enemy positions.

During one of the combat operations, “Student” sustained severe injuries as a result of a strike by an enemy drone. After evacuation, treatment, and rehabilitation, he had the option to leave the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as he was no longer able to perform combat tasks. However, “Student” wanted to return to service and to his comrades. As a result, his commander offered him the opportunity to join a reconnaissance platoon, where he detects enemy UAVs and relays information so they can be neutralized in time.

Journalists may speak with “Student” online by prior arrangement and with approval from the press officer.

• casualties
• military

On February 7, Bucha will host the support event “Light of Hope” for missing persons and prisoners. The event is initiated by families of those who have not yet returned home.

Nataliia Illiina, who has been waiting for her husband Mykola Illiin, a Defender of Ukraine, since February 2025, shares:
“Today I set the table again. I placed a plate for him. I left his chair empty. Just like yesterday. Just like the day before. Just like every day for a year now… More than 100 families in Bucha do the same. They set the table. Leave a place. Wait… We will stand in a circle. We will raise lanterns into the sky. We will create a lighted path home. In the center of the circle there will be that same table. That same empty chair. The bandura will be played.”

Residents of the Bucha community are encouraged to come with flashlights and join the event to draw public attention to the fate of missing persons and prisoners and to support their families.

• casualties
• prisoners
• Kyiv

On February 10, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, together with the Center for Civil Liberties, invite journalists to the premiere of the documentary film “Give Me Back My Name”, dedicated to people who have gone missing as a result of russia’s war against Ukraine.

The film tells the story of soldiers of this war who bear the status “missing in action,” the process of returning the bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers, their identification, and the restoration of their names — as well as the families who have spent years living in search and uncertainty.

The event will open with remarks by Oleksandra Matviichuk, Head of the Center for Civil Liberties — an organization awarded the Nobel Peace Prize — and Stephen Capus, President and CEO of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

The screening will be followed by a discussion with the film’s author, Maryan Kushnir, a frontline correspondent for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, who has been covering russia’s war against Ukraine since 2015. In January 2026, he rescued a young girl by carrying her out of an apartment that was struck by a russian drone in the Kyiv region, for which he was awarded the Order “For Courage.”

Journalists need to register for the event. The organizers reserve the right to deny participation for security reasons.

For reference: The film “Give Me Back My Name” was produced with the support of the Pulitzer Center. The European Union funds the event.

• casualties
• dead
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

In Kyiv, a unique rehabilitation project is helping military personnel recover through archery, including those who have lost limbs. The initiative welcomes veterans, active-duty soldiers, and their families, offering free daily training sessions.  

Leading the effort is Dmytro Lvovskyi, an international master of sports and founder and Board Chair of the “Ukrainian Archery Space” NGO. Since 2014, he has funded archery training for wounded soldiers, including veterans of the ATO service, using his own resources. His work expanded with support from the Kyiv City Center for Physical Culture and Sports for Persons with Disabilities “Invasport” and the All-Ukrainian Center for Physical Health “Sport for All,” as part of the Ministry of Youth and Sports’ “Active Parks — Unstoppable” program.  

Archery is accessible to all, even those with severe injuries. Participants missing legs train from wheelchairs, while those without arms can draw the bowstring with their teeth. Even individuals who are completely blind can take part, using specialized techniques tailored for visually impaired archers.  

Journalists can arrange to visit and cover the training sessions in Kyiv by appointment.

• casualties
• military
• Kyiv

Serhii Zhukovskyi, 43, hails from the Zaporizhia region. Despite his childhood dream of becoming a soldier, he initially faced hurdles when got a medical certificate determining his unfitness for military service. However, when his hometown faced a full-blown invasion, Zhukovskyi and his family evacuated before it was occupied. In the Lviv region, he eventually enlisted with the 80th separate airborne assault brigade after encountering delays at the military enlistment office. His first injury occurred during the storming of Serebryany Forest, where shrapnel lodged near his spine. Despite medics’ unsuccessful attempts to remove a dangerous object from his body, the man persevered and returned to the front line after his wound healed. In the summer of 2023, serving with the 82nd Brigade, he sustained severe injuries from a mine explosion, resulting in the loss of both arms. His wife took on the task of finding the top rehabilitation centers in Ukraine, eventually leading him to the Halychyna and the Superhumans rehabilitation centers in the Lviv region. Following his prosthetic journey, the veteran received training in launching veteran-owned businesses, to which Serhii readily agreed. Subsequently, he successfully brought to fruition an idea conceived during his time on the front lines: crafting jerkies, pre-marinated and dried slices of meat. The business, named Sushena Radist (Dried Joy), was coined by Serhii’s eldest son, Ivan. It’s not just a veteran’s enterprise but also a family affair, with his wife, Daryna, handling the bulk of the work. 

Reporters welcome to seize the chance to interview Serhii Zhukovskyi in Lviv.

For context: The Sushena Radist veteran-owned enterprise emerged as a facet of the initiative “Reintegration of War Veterans through the Creation of Educational Opportunities,” spearheaded by DVV International in Ukraine and backed financially by the German Federal Foreign Office.

• casualties
• military
• Lviv

On February 3, a screening and discussion of the documentary film “Fight and Dance” will be held in the capital. The film is about strength, pain, and hope. It is about childhood under the air raid sirens. It is about living — despite the war.

In April 2025, russian forces fired two Iskander missiles into the center of Sumy. Viktoriia Rudyka was riding scooters with her daughters when the blast wave hit them. After undergoing treatment and losing their father in the war, the family chose to stay in Sumy. The girls returned to ballet, and Viktoriia plans to join the Armed Forces of Ukraine. On the same day, 13-year-old Kyrylo Illiashenko opened the door of a burning bus and rescued his mother and the other passengers. A month later, he won a silver medal at the European Beach Wrestling Championships.

After the screening, there will be a conversation with the people who lived and created this story:

• Hanna Mamontova and Anna Tsyhyma, the film’s authors;
• Viktoriia Rudykha, a protagonist in the film;
• Kyrylo Illiashenko, a protagonist in the film.

Moderator: Natalka Humeniuk, executive director of the Public Interest Journalism Lab.

Advance registration is required.

The event will feature photography and filming, as well as a live online broadcast on the Maidan Museum Information and Exhibition Center’s Facebook page.

For reference: The event is organized by the National Museum of the Revolution of Dignity and the Public Interest Journalism Lab NGO.

• casualties
• children
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

Before the russian aggression began, Natalia Lishchyshyna lived in the Luhansk region. When russia first attacked Ukraine in 2014, she began volunteering and providing support to the military.

In 2021, Natalia signed a contract with the 80th Separate Air Assault Brigade. Her husband supported this decision. She met the beginning of the full-scale invasion in the Mykolaiv region, where her unit was based.

In 2024, Natalia became seriously ill and was diagnosed with Mintz’s disease, which involves the formation of intraductal papillomas in the mammary glands.

Natalia underwent three surgeries, including a complete bilateral mastectomy (removal of both breasts). She is the only female veteran in Ukraine who has succeeded in proving that her condition was caused by the prolonged wearing of body armor.

Natalia has begun working as an expert supporting war veterans and demobilized military personnel. She is also studying in veteran programs, including the Tribe Project by Amnesty International Ukraine. She is also trying to draw the authorities’ attention to the problem of injuries sustained by women in military service.

Natalia Lishchyshyna is available for interviews, both online and in person in the Vinnytsia region, by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• military
• women
• Vinnytsia

Khrystyna Drahomaretska, a 28-year-old trained architect, has stepped away from her profession to rescue animals amid Ukraine’s war, where she works as a stray animal catcher and evacuates pets from active combat areas.

She carries on despite constant danger from enemy shelling. In Toretsk in the Donetsk region, three russian guided aerial bombs detonated near her. In Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region, she sustained shrapnel wounds while rescuing animals as russian forces hammered the area with mortar fire.

Originally focused on sterilization missions, Khrystyna has spent the past year leading evacuation efforts, pulling abandoned and stray animals out of frontline zones and finding them foster or permanent homes.

She also founded a shelter in the Odesa region, where many of the evacuated animals are taken for treatment, socialization, and rehoming, about 70 percent eventually find adoptive families abroad. The facility currently houses around 250 dogs.

Journalists interested in learning more about her work or arranging an interview can reach out to speak with her online or in person in Odesa, Kyiv, or Kharkiv, by appointment.

For reference: Khrystyna Drahomaretska conducts her rescue operations in partnership with the 12 Vartovykh Charitable Foundation and Animal Rescue Kharkiv. She is also part of the UAnimals rescue mission.

• animals
• casualties
• women
• Kharkiv
• Kyiv
• Odesa
• evacuation

For the past three years, the InNikos canine therapy center in Kyiv has provided a unique form of support, bringing together therapy dogs, professional dog trainers, psychologists, and rehabilitation specialists to aid in the mental and physical recovery of those impacted by Russia’s war.

The center serves a wide range of clients, including active-duty military personnel, families of service members, internally displaced persons, children who endured occupation, and others affected by the conflict. All sessions are offered free of charge, available either in group settings or one-on-one.

Six therapy dogs currently work at the facility. The most experienced are Chelsea, a mixed breed, and Freya, a miniature schnauzer, both 11 years old. The youngest is Sunny, a two-year-old Australian shepherd. Two Belgian shepherds, set to turn one in February, are now in training and preparing for certification.

Similar canine therapy programs are also up and running in Rivne, Chernivtsi, and Myrhorod.

Journalists interested in covering the center’s work in the capital are welcome by prior arrangement.

The InNikos center operates with support from the Royal Canin Foundation.

• animals
• casualties
• psychological support
• Kyiv