Themes by tag: casualties

The national Invictus Games team, which will take part in the international adaptive sports event in Whistler and Vancouver, Canada, this February, has gathered for its fifth training camp.

This time, the team is meeting at a ski resort, allowing participants to practice winter sports in natural conditions. The 2025 Invictus Games will be the first Hybrid Games to include adaptive winter sports. During previous training camps, the Ukrainian team trained on water and on simulators.

Some team members admit this is their first time trying skiing. Others have rediscovered the joy of winter sports after recovering from injuries, while some are skillfully descending slopes on one leg.

The team has also been visited by Olga Kharlan, Ukraine’s most decorated Olympic fencing champion.

The training in Bukovel is coming to an end. Journalists can speak with team members in Kyiv and have access to photo and video materials.

Background: The Invictus Games were founded in 2014 by His Royal Highness The Duke of Sussex. The international competition is for veterans and service personnel who have been wounded or injured in the line of duty.

• casualties
• military
• Kyiv

Veterans, individuals with disabilities, and their families can enjoy free skiing, snowboarding, and adaptive ski chair training at Golosiiv Ski Park in Kyiv, courtesy of the Active Parks initiative. The classes, available through February, feature instruction from experienced trainers and utilize the Tempo Dualski equipment for seated skiing, a professional and secure tool designed to accommodate participants with disabilities.

This initiative is part of the State Institution “Sport for All” program, supported by the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, under the broader presidential project “Active Parks — Locations of Healthy Ukraine” program. 

The adaptive sit skiing training also aligns with Ukraine’s effort to create a barrier-free environment and is included in the All-Ukrainian Mental Health Program “Are You OK?” launched by First Lady Olena Zelenska.

• casualties
• military
• Kyiv

The Ukrainian Association of Football (UAF) is set to break new ground in inclusive sports by organizing the country’s first amputee soccer tournament, the Winter Cup. Scheduled for January 11-12 in Kyiv, the event is part of the League of the Mighty initiative, a social project aimed at fostering inclusivity in sports.

The tournament will feature five amateur teams from Kyiv, Lviv, and Cherkasy: AMP FC Kyiv, MSC Dnipro, FC Pokrova AMP, FC Pokrova-2, and Shakhtar Stalevi. 

The event is expected to lay the groundwork for a structured competitive framework in amputee football, marking a significant milestone for the sport in Ukraine.

For reference: According to UAF, there are over 100,000 individuals with amputations in Ukraine. For many, football offers more than just recreation—it serves as a powerful tool for rehabilitation, fostering resilience, and encouraging emotional and physical recovery. The League of the Mighty project aims to integrate these individuals into the football community, helping them reconnect with an active and fulfilling lifestyle.

• casualties
• Kyiv

World Central Kitchen (WCK) has opened its first community kitchen in Lviv, providing vital cooking facilities for a shelter housing families of internally displaced persons (IDPs). The kitchen was established in a dormitory that previously lacked any cooking infrastructure. To create the space, WCK renovated a former assembly hall, constructing an additional wall to accommodate a fully modern kitchen.  

The facility is equipped with electric stoves, ovens, refrigerators, exhaust hoods, workstations, a dishwashing area, and a generator to ensure uninterrupted operation. The shelter can host up to 300 residents, including 100 children, 100 adults, and 100 elderly individuals. Thanks to the new kitchen, residents can now prepare nutritious meals in a safe and comfortable environment.  

Before the kitchen’s opening, WCK had provided over 157,000 meals to IDPs at the shelter from June 1, 2022.  

For reference: Since the onset of russia’s all-out invasion, WCK has prepared more than 274 million meals, including 68 million hot meals. The organization has also distributed over 10.1 million food parcels, totaling 109,037 tons of aid. 

Founded by acclaimed chef José Andrés, WCK has a long history of responding to crises worldwide, from natural disasters to wars, delivering meals and hope to those in need.  

• casualties
• food
• Lviv

The officer goes by the call sign Kupol (Dome) is a former soldier of the Azov Brigade and a symbol of resilience and determination. When russia mounted its full-scale invasion, Kupol volunteered to defend his country once again. Starting as an infantryman, he worked his way up to become an officer with an impressive record of combat achievements.  

In 2022, while fighting in the Donetsk region, tragedy struck. The vehicle carrying Kupol and his comrades hit an anti-tank mine, leaving him severely injured and costing him a leg. Despite the life-altering injury, Kupol refused to give up. After a lengthy period of treatment and rehabilitation, he rejoined his unit, vowing to stand with his comrades until victory.  

Recognizing his determination and skill, Kupol’s commanders assigned him to a UAV unit, where he quickly excelled. He now ranks among the brigade’s top specialists, participating in critical combat missions. His contributions have yielded significant results, including the capture of russian tanks, self-propelled artillery systems, and anti-aircraft missile systems.  

Kupol’s bravery and service have earned him numerous honors, including the Order of the Knight’s Cross of the Volunteer, the “To the Unbreakable Defender” medal, the “Bravery in Battle” medal, the “Medal for Military Service to Ukraine,” and the “Steel Cross.”  

For those seeking an interview, Kupol is available by prior arrangement in the Zaporizhia direction.

• casualties
• military

The Ukrainian Veterans Foundation operates a 24/7 crisis support hotline offering free psychological assistance. Staffed by 14 trained psychologists, the hotline averages 200-300 calls per week, according to one of its counselors.

The service primarily supports defenders, veterans, and their families, but anyone who needs help is encouraged to call.

The project is run by Oleksandr Chamorsov, a veteran and psychologist.

Journalists interested in covering the work of the hotline can coordinate visits or interviews by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• military
• psychological support

On January 8, the Media Initiative for Human Rights and the Association “Marine Corps Strength” will host a major press conference in Kyiv to mark 1,000 days since Ukrainian marines were taken captive. The event aims to draw attention to the conditions faced by marines in russian captivity and the urgent need for international access to detention facilities. Participants will receive the event’s location via email upon registration.  

Key topics to be addressed:

– The number of marines detained, their health, and the conditions of their captivity in russia;

– The role of mixed medical commissions, as mandated by the Geneva Convention, in assessing the status of injured and seriously ill prisoners of war;

– Diplomatic avenues to secure access to detention sites in russia, with a focus on the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties;

During the press conference, families of the prisoners of war will unveil a symbolic pin to express solidarity with the marines who defended Mariupol. 

Featured speakers:

– Family representatives of the detained marines;

– Olena Belyachkova, coordinator for families of prisoners and missing persons with the Media Initiative for Human Rights;

– A representative from Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs;

– Dmytro Usov, Secretary of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War. 

Registration is required to attend the event.

For reference: In April and May 2022, following the protracted defense of Mariupol, marine units and other defenders of the city were captured by russian forces. A significant number were taken prisoner on April 12, 2022, during a breakout attempt from the russian-occupied Illich plant as they sought to join forces with the Azov Regiment at Azovstal.  

Families report that many of the captured marines are in critical condition, with some suffering from advanced tuberculosis, cancer, or other severe health issues requiring specialized medical equipment. Reports also indicate that some prisoners are permanently connected to artificial lung ventilation systems. Despite their dire state, russia continues to detain these individuals without adequate medical care. 

• casualties
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

Dmytro Kanupier, a soldier with the 12th Brigade of the Azov Ukraine’s National Guard, faced the onset of russia’s full-blown invasion in Mariupol. In April 2022, while defending the Azovstal steel plant, Dmytro sustained two shrapnel injuries. As the situation deteriorated, he and his fellow soldiers debated their grim options, including suicide, before ultimately obeying an order to surrender in late May 2022.  

Initially detained at a colony in Olenivka, within the russian-occupied Donetsk region, Dmytro endured harrowing conditions until he was transferred to Taganrog, russia, on September 26, 2022. There, he and other prisoners were subjected to relentless beatings and torture, aimed at extracting false confessions to fabricated crimes. While held captive, Dmytro was unjustly sentenced to 29 years in a strict-regime penal colony for a war crime he did not commit.  

On October 18, 2024, Dmytro was finally released as part of a prisoner exchange and returned to Ukraine. He is now undergoing rehabilitation and working to recover from his ordeal.  

Interviews with Dmytro Kanupier, either in person or online, can be arranged through his press service with prior notice.

• casualties
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes

Mariia Vasylchenko, a 42-year-old from Sloviansk in the Donetsk oblast, worked as a shop assistant in the nearby town of Lyman. On May 29 this year, she was at work when russia launched a missile and bomb attack on the town. Mariia remembers seeing blood and rubble all around her and trying to stand up, but not being able to. Ukrainian soldiers pulled her from the rubble and took her to the hospital.

Glass shards had cut her entire body, requiring 80 stitches. A large piece of metal pierced her chest, leaving a significant wound that was difficult for doctors to heal. The injury left a massive 7×3 cm scar on her chest. For a month, Mariia avoided looking at herself in the mirror.

Now, specialists at the UNBROKEN Center in Lviv are helping her regain her confidence. As part of a joint social project with the L’Oréal Group called “(Un)Broken Beauty”, Lviv surgeons have performed several plastic surgeries to gradually erase the scars of war from her face and body.

Journalists can arrange to speak with Mariia, who is currently in Sloviansk.

Background: Any Ukrainian woman injured by the war can participate in the social project “(Un)Broken Beauty”. All assistance is provided completely free of charge.

• casualties
• russian crimes
• women

Anna Shchetinina has been with the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (DSNS) for 15 years. Based in the Dnipropetrovsk oblast, she now works as a psychologist with operational rescue teams responding to emergencies, including missile strikes. According to Anna, the most challenging part of her work is seeing people anxiously waiting for news of loved ones trapped under the rubble. “When you’re providing psychological support and then the body of a deceased relative is recovered – especially if it’s a child – it’s really heartbreaking because I’m a mother myself,” says Anna.

• casualties
• psychological support
• women
• Dnipro