Themes by tag: Chernihiv

French benefactors have donated a dental ambulance to the FRIDA Ukraine medical volunteer mission for use in frontline areas. The vehicle will serve as a unique mobile clinic to provide free care to civilians, particularly children, in Ukraine’s frontline regions and in orphanages. This will enable FRIDA Ukraine doctors to reach the most remote communities where medical infrastructure is either non-existent or has been destroyed by the war.

The first mission will take place on August 22-23 in the Chernihiv oblast. For two days, the team of FRIDA Ukraine dentists will provide free dental treatment to residents of frontline areas.

French benefactors will join the medical team on this mission.

Journalists can learn more about this initiative and cover the medical mission.

• doctors
• volunteers
• Chernihiv

The third season of the International Building Camp (INBUT) is underway this summer, with volunteers working in the recently liberated areas of Ukraine’s Chernihiv region. By the end of November, the team aims to complete the full reconstruction of seven homes that were destroyed during the fighting.

The initiative invites volunteers from around the world to take part. In addition to rebuilding efforts, participants can engage in various social activities, including movie screenings and board games.

This year, volunteers from Chile, Puerto Rico, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Scotland, the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, France, Australia, Sweden, and Canada joined the initiative.

Journalists may cover the volunteers’ work upon prior coordination with organizers.

For reference: INBUT is a project launched in 2023 by the NGO Repair Together. Last year, it drew volunteers from across the globe, including the United States, France, Brazil, Belgium, Canada, Austria, Germany, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and Chile.

• reconstruction
• volunteers
• Chernihiv

The Terentiev family lived a normal life in Chernihiv, northern Ukraine, until March 16, 2022, when a russian shelling attack claimed the life of Dmytro’s mother, Tetiana. Moments earlier, she had left her son in the care of her mother, Mariia, intending to return shortly after collecting a few belongings. She never came back.

Mariia became Dmytro’s guardian. Together, they fled the besieged city and, months later, returned to begin rebuilding their damaged home and resuming daily life.

In early 2023, Dmytro’s father, Roman, enlisted in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. By June, he was reported missing in action. A photograph later appeared on a russian website, showing a man with visible bruises, identified as Roman, in captivity. 

Today, Mariia says her attention is focused entirely on her grandson. Dmytro is a capable and inquisitive student with strong skills in mathematics and computer science. He plays the piano, looks after his collection of cacti, and aspires to create content as a YouTuber. Above all, he hopes for peace and the chance to see his father again.

Interviews with Dmytro in Chernihiv can be arranged in advance.

For reference: The Children of Heroes charitable foundation is currently supporting the family. The organization assists children who have lost one or both parents due to russia’s full-scale invasion by providing financial aid, psychological and legal support, and resources for education and personal development until they reach adulthood.

• children
• dead
• russian crimes
• Chernihiv

On May 27 and 28, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine will host a two-day media tour to Chernihiv oblast, which will include a number of locations established by UNDP in Ukraine with the support of international partners — the European Union, the governments of Canada, Germany and Sweden.

Participants will have the opportunity to visit a veterans’ space, a safety room for visually impaired children, and a social adaptation space for vulnerable groups. They will also have the chance to inspect a specially equipped vehicle that provides palliative care in remote communities and speak with a multidisciplinary medical team. They will visit the rehabilitation department at Nizhyn central hospital. Although it is currently in the final stage of development, it will soon become a center that supports people with injuries, musculoskeletal diseases, and other complex conditions. A visit to a mental health center is also planned.

Journalists will interact with UNDP partners, local residents, facility users, and authorities to hear stories of community resilience. The tour includes seven locations in Chernihiv and Nizhyn.

Transportation from Kyiv, hotel accommodations, and hot meals are provided. 

Accreditation is open till 6:00 PM on May 25. 

For reference: The press tour was organized as part of the UNDP-EU flagship partnership, “EU4Recovery: Empowering Communities in Ukraine.”

• Chernihiv

On May 27 and 28, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine will host a two-day media tour to Chernihiv oblast, which will include a number of locations established by UNDP in Ukraine with the support of international partners — the European Union, the governments of Canada, Germany and Sweden.

Participants will have the opportunity to visit a veterans’ space, a safety room for visually impaired children, and a social adaptation space for vulnerable groups. They will also have the chance to inspect a specially equipped vehicle that provides palliative care in remote communities and speak with a multidisciplinary medical team. They will visit the rehabilitation department at Nizhyn central hospital. Although it is currently in the final stage of development, it will soon become a center that supports people with injuries, musculoskeletal diseases, and other complex conditions. A visit to a mental health center is also planned.

Journalists will interact with UNDP partners, local residents, facility users, and authorities to hear stories of community resilience. 

The tour includes seven locations in Chernihiv and Nizhyn.

Transportation from Kyiv, hotel accommodations, and hot meals are provided. 

Accreditation is open till 6:00 PM on May 25. 

For reference: The press tour was organized as part of the UNDP-EU flagship partnership, “EU4Recovery: Empowering Communities in Ukraine.”

• Chernihiv

Yevhen is originally from Mariupol. He began serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2014 when russia first attacked Ukraine. He was carrying out combat missions near the village of Pisky in Donetsk oblast when the full-scale invasion began. At that time, Yevhen’s family was still in Mariupol. They only managed to escape russian encirclement in mid-April 2022.

The idea to start his own business came to Yevhen before the full-scale war began. However, he only began to implement it after his family found safety in the Kyiv oblast. Together with his sister and her husband, Yevhen applied for a grant from the Ukrainian Veteran Fund and received financial support to open a café.

Their family-run burger café, “Domakha,” now welcomes guests in Hostomel, Kyiv oblast. The name “Domakha” refers to an old term for the region where Mariupol, now temporarily occupied, is located. Yevhen envisions the café as more than just a place to enjoy good food; he also wants it to be a hub where veterans can gather, host charity events, and hold workshops.

Yevhen is currently in the Chernihiv oblast. You can communicate with him online or offline by prior arrangement.

• culture
• food
• military
• Chernihiv

The Olympic Reserve Sports School in Chernihiv, although damaged during the occupation, continues to operate today: about 200 students train here, and athletes compete in World Cups and European Championships.

The ski base was destroyed by the russians during the beginning of the full-scale invasion in March 2022. Despite the destruction, children’s biathlon training resumed at the base in May 2022. They practiced on a small section of the course that survived. The trainees were also warned not to stray from the training area, as there were concerns that unexploded ordnance might remain on the ski base grounds.

Currently, the ski track and shooting range have been restored, but the facilities remain in ruins.

Background: By April 6, 2022, the Defense Forces had completely liberated the Chernihiv oblast.

The Specialized Olympic Reserve Sports School for Children and Youth (ski base) was established in 1977 and later expanded. Before the outbreak of the full-scale war, biathletes and skiers trained at the base, and Ukrainian championships were held there.

As part of the national project “Shoulder to Shoulder: United Communities,” plans are being developed for cooperation with the partner municipalities of Oskil and Chernihiv.

• children
• russian crimes
• Chernihiv

Hennadii Stukalo is an anesthesiologist and head of the anesthesiology department at the Chernihiv regional hospital. From the very beginning of the full-scale russian invasion, he stayed at the hospital around the clock.

During the most intense days of the encirclement, more than 50 wounded patients arrived within an hour, all requiring urgent surgery. With no electricity, heating or water, and under constant shelling and airstrikes, Stukalo and his team worked tirelessly to save lives, even performing complex surgical procedures under extreme conditions.

Due to frequent power outages, the doctors had to illuminate the operating room with headlamps, flashlights and cell phones. To keep patients warm, they used plastic bottles filled with hot water.

Journalists have the opportunity to interview Dr. Stukalo both online and in person.

Background: On April 6, 2022, the Ukrainian Defense Forces completely liberated Chernihiv oblast from russian occupation

• casualties
• doctors
• russian crimes
• Chernihiv

Before russia’s large-scale aggression against Ukraine broke out, 38-year-old Artem Kostiuk worked as a gas boiler operator and ran a power tool sales and repair shop in Sloviansk. Even as the front line drew dangerously close, he remained at his post, ensuring people had heat until the very last moment. But when a russian missile leveled his store, he knew it was time for a drastic change.

In November 2024, Artem became the head of HALO Ukraine’s mine clearance team in the Kyiv region. His wife, Maryna, also joined the effort. Today, he continues his work in the Chernihiv region, clearing explosives left behind by the war.

Artem says his years in the boiler room prepared him for this high-stakes responsibility. “One mistake could have left 20,000 to 30,000 people without heat. Explosive ordnance disposal is different, but the core responsibility is the same—people’s lives and well-being depend on me. Every day, I’m responsible for the safety of my team and Ukrainians as a whole.”

For reference: Journalists can interview Artem in the Chernihiv region by prior arrangement.

The HALO Trust is the world’s largest international nonprofit dedicated to clearing landmines and unexploded ordnance. For 35 years, it has operated in 30 countries and territories.

By April 6, 2022, Ukrainian forces had fully liberated the Chernihiv region from russian occupation.

• Chernihiv
• demining

Larysa Zahryva has devoted 25 years to education. She worked as a teacher, and in 2022 she became the head of the Center for the Provision of Social Services in Chernihiv Oblast. When the full-scale war broke out, the village of Mykhailo-Kotsiubynske, where Larysa lived and worked, was under occupation. For 37 days, she continued to go to work and take care of the elderly people who remained in the village. Larysa hid documents from the russians and was shot at five times. The occupiers came to her house in the middle of the night and interrogated Larysa’s husband.

After Ukraine retook Mykhailo-Kotsiubynskyi from russian occupation, Larysa successfully founded the University of the Third Age (U3A) with support from the United Nations Development Program. Today, several areas of study are already available for lifelong learners, including the Healthy Lifestyles Program, the Philosophy Program, and the Arts and Crafts Program Larysa also created a mobile social assistance project: A car with volunteers who help residents with household chores runs around Chernihiv. The University has also recently opened a resilience space where women, children, IDPs, and war victims can work individually with a psychologist or attend support groups.

For reference: By April 6, 2022, the Defense Forces had completely liberated Chernihiv Oblast.

• culture
• occupation
• russian crimes
• volunteers
• women
• Chernihiv