Themes by tag: casualties

Before russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Viacheslav Kut’in was living and working abroad. When the war began, he returned home and was mobilized into the Ukrainian Armed Forces. He served on the front lines, including in the defense of Zaporizhia.

During a combat mission near the village of Robotyne in the Zaporizhia region, Viacheslav sustained severe leg injuries and was captured by russian forces. He spent over a year in captivity before being released and brought home on January 15, 2025.

Since his return, he has undergone intensive treatment and rehabilitation. Now adapting to life with prosthetic legs, Viacheslav has already made remarkable progress. On the day he was discharged from the rehabilitation center, he proposed to his longtime partner – the woman who had waited for him through his captivity and stood by him during his recovery.

Viacheslav Kut’in is available for interviews both online and in person in Kharkiv by appointment.

• casualties
• military
• prisoners
• Kharkiv

After the beginning of the full-scale war, Viktoriia lost her job and turned to working with clay. The young woman created numerous pieces, including tableware. Her work caught the attention of a company that was looking for a craftswoman to make platters. The key feature of these plates is their pins, which help to secure food so that it can be cut with just one hand.

Viktoriia studied the necessary information, consulted with an occupational therapist, and created her first inclusive plate. Today, she donates her creations to restaurants, hospitals, and veterans who have lost an arm in combat. She doesn’t charge the military for her work – instead, her social media followers cover the cost.

You can contact Viktoriia Beliavska online or in person in Kyiv by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• women
• Kyiv

The Contemporary View NGO has been organizing rehabilitation camps for wounded soldiers who have lost their vision for the past seven years. 

These two-week social adaptation camps are designed for servicemen blinded in combat. Trainers take an individualized approach with each veteran. Participants learn how to navigate their surroundings, cook, use digital devices, exercise at the gym, and swim. They also receive psychological support, massage therapy, and sessions in a salt room.

The camp is made possible through the support of donors and philanthropists. The next session is scheduled to begin on May 20 in Vinnytsia.

Interviews with the camp’s director, Olesia Perepechenko, and participating veterans can be arranged in advance for both online and in-person formats.

For reference: The All-Ukrainian League of Blind and Partially Sighted People Organizations – Contemporary View has been working with military personnel for several years. The first group of soldiers who lost their sight in the war joined the program in 2019. After the full-scale invasion began, the camp continued its work, actively seeking new ways to support service members.

• casualties
• military

When russia first attacked Ukraine in 2014, Viktor-Mykola Havryliuk was a student and an active member of Plast (a Ukrainian scout organization). He was offered the chance to mobilize into the “Harpun” unit, where many fellow Plast members were already serving.

When the full-scale invasion began in 2022, Viktor-Mykola was in a Plast camp. He immediately rejoined his former unit and fought first in the Kyiv oblast and then went to defend Ukraine in the east. In July 2023, he suffered a mine injury – an enemy drone strike tore the muscle in his leg. Thanks to the efforts of surgeons, his limb was saved.

After his injury, however, the veteran spent some time in a wheelchair. That’s when he realized how difficult it would be to leave the hospital unassisted – his hometown of Lutsk simply wasn’t designed for people with disabilities.

Later, BusMarket Group reached out to Viktor-Mykola to learn about his experiences navigating the city. Their goal was to create an accessibility map and develop the Better Mobility app, which highlights wheelchair-friendly establishments.

Today, the app is expanding, and volunteers are encouraged to photograph buildings so that people with disabilities can assess accessibility beforehand.

Viktor-Mykola can be contacted both online and offline by appointment.

• casualties
• military
• Lutsk

Roman Kashpur joined the Right Sector Ukrainian Volunteer Corps while still a student. Training to become a rehabilitation specialist, he also attended volunteer military camps and was first deployed to the front lines in 2016. Later, he was transferred to a reconnaissance battalion and served in some of the most dangerous combat zones.

In 2019, in the Donetsk oblast, Roman stepped on a PFM-1 mine and lost his leg. After receiving a prosthesis, he participated in the Games of Heroes project and won twice. In December 2021, Roman pulled a 16-ton An-26 aircraft for 6 meters and 40 centimeters; this record was registered in the National Register of Records of Ukraine.

When russia launched its full-scale invasion, Roman spent the first six weeks fighting with a special swimming prosthesis. He was about to undergo a prosthetic exchange and receive a different limb, but couldn’t because of the russian offensive. Despite the unsuitable prosthesis, he trained new recruits and even participated in assaults.

Later, Roman started preparing for marathons. In April 2023, he completed the 43rd London Marathon, followed by the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C., then races in New York, Berlin, Chicago, and Tokyo. Most recently, he conquered the 129th Boston Marathon. He dedicates his accomplishments to his daughter, Victoria, and has no plans to stop as he prepares for Ironman, the world’s toughest triathlon.

To get in touch with Roman Kashpur, you can contact him online or arrange a personal meeting in Vinnytsia oblast.

• casualties
• military
• Vinnytsia

Until 2015, Artem Dubyna worked as a journalist in Nikopol, in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region. After the Revolution of Dignity and the onset of russian aggression in eastern Ukraine, he joined the military and served with the Azov regiment. Several years later, Artem left the service and was preparing for his wedding.

When russia launched its full-scale invasion, he immediately returned to his unit – the 12th Brigade of the Azov National Guard. He was first deployed to defend the airport in Zaporizhia but was soon transferred to Mariupol. On February 26, 2022, Artem and his comrades took up positions at the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works. During one of the missions, he was struck by a sniper’s bullet. The round pierced his temple and exited through his neck. Against all odds, he survived.

In May 2022, Artem and his fellow soldiers were ordered to surrender and were taken captive. He was first held in a penal colony in Olenivka, in the occupied Donetsk region, before being transferred to Taganrog, russia. While in captivity, Artem endured torture. He returned home only after two years and four months, during a recent prisoner exchange.

Interviews with Artem Dubyna are possible both online and in person, by prior arrangement through the press officer.

For reference: The defense of Mariupol lasted 86 days. On May 20, 2022, the city fell under russian occupation. According to Human Rights Watch, an estimated 8,000 civilians were killed during the russian assault. Out of Mariupol’s pre-war population of 540,000, approximately 400,000 had fled by mid-May 2022.

On the night of July 29, 2022, russia carried out a terrorist attack by detonating explosives inside a barracks at the Olenivka penal colony, where Ukrainian prisoners of war were being held. At least 50 Azovstal defenders were killed, and more than 100 others were injured.

• casualties
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes

TMS HUB is a sports facility where servicemen and veterans with amputations or injuries can practice Brazilian jiu-jitsu free of charge. The project promotes the physical rehabilitation and social reintegration of military personnel.

The initiative is led by Artem Kuzmich, a veteran of the Ukrainian Special Forces. Originally from Belarus, Kuzmich has been defending Ukraine since 2014. In 2019, he stepped on an enemy mine and lost a leg. Despite this, he became a champion in Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitions held in Ukraine, Europe and Brazil.

Twelve TMS HUB branches now operate across Ukraine, including in Kyiv, Odesa, Lviv, Chernihiv, Chernivtsi, Mykolaiv, Zhytomyr, Rivne, Dnipro and Khmelnytskyi. More than 200 veterans have already joined the program.

The “TMS Victory Cup” competition will be held at the end of May.

Journalists may arrange to cover this sports initiative in Kyiv by prior coordination.

• casualties
• military
• Kyiv

Pavlo Balkovyi is a specialist in laser tattoo removal. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, he has dedicated himself to helping those whose faces have been damaged by explosions – removing embedded gunpowder, dirt and soot from the skin.

These residues can change the color of the skin, leave permanent marks, and even cause inflammation over time. Pavlo works in Dnipro and Zaporizhia, offering free treatments to both military personnel and civilians. He says this facial cleansing helps restore people’s self-confidence.

You can communicate with Pavlo Balkovyi both online and offline in Zaporizhia or Dnipro by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• volunteers
• Dnipro
• Zaporizhzhia

The Tytanovi Charitable Foundation, within the framework of the Tytanovi Rehab project, invites you to the presentation of the “Tytanovi Arts & Culture Center” for rehabilitation of veterans. During the event, veterans and journalists will get a preview of what the center will offer after its official opening.

The Foundation explains that war leaves not only physical wounds, but also deep psychological scars. Creative rehabilitation is one of the most effective ways to address them. The center will offer veterans the opportunity to participate in art therapy, try their hand in a photo lab, take the stage in a theater, and attend educational workshops.

The presentation will feature Viacheslav Zaporozhets, the founder and head of the Tytanovi Charitable Foundation – a veteran who lost a limb and has mastered a bionic prosthesis.

Background: Founded by Viacheslav Zaporozhets, a veteran of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Tytanovi Charitable Foundation specializes in the rehabilitation of servicemen and veterans after severe injuries. According to the organizers, Tytanovi is the only foundation  that provides custom-made titanium bone implants for military personnel with high-level and severe amputations.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• Kyiv

The social project “Come Out and Play!” was launched in Bucha and Irpin in June 2022 in response to the challenges these towns faced after liberation. Its main goal was to help children recover emotionally after living under occupation. Free soccer training was organized for school children, and in November 2022, the NGO “Come Out and Play!” was officially registered.

The training sessions are designed for boys and girls between the ages of 5 and 12, including internally displaced children. Since its inception, over 600 children from Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, Bucha, Irpin and Odesa have participated in the football program.

Today, the NGO “Come Out and Play!” also provides comprehensive psychosocial support to IDPs, children and people affected by the war. Services include individual and family counseling, group therapy, and art therapy. In addition, free legal counseling is provided, including assistance in recovering lost documents and applying for social benefits.

By prior arrangement, the project’s activities can be covered in Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, Odesa, and Mykolaiv. Psychosocial football training takes place in these cities, and in Dnipro and Kryvyi Rih, art therapy and legal training sessions are also conducted.

• casualties
• children
• psychological support
• Dnipro
• Odesa
• Mykolaiv