Themes by tag: culture

Skeiron has digitally documented damage to the Bernardine Monastery complex in Lviv. This was necessary to record the condition of the site immediately after the strike, as some information could have been lost during cleanup and restoration.

Skeiron was founded in Lviv in 2016 by a group of enthusiasts. Its main goal is to preserve and promote cultural heritage through digitalization. The team documents both preserved and destroyed landmarks with the aim of supporting their future restoration.

Over the years, the team has digitized and reconstructed more than 270 sites, including those destroyed during the war. Among them is a 3D reconstruction of the Mariupol Drama Theatre destroyed by Russia. The largest sites digitized include Chernivtsi University and the Odesa Opera House.

Journalists can arrange interviews with Skeiron representatives both online and offline in Lviv by prior arrangement.

• culture
• russian crimes
• Lviv

On April 4, Khartia Hub, together with Gretta Tupchii — a student of masters from the Shanghai-based 9 Clouds studio and the spouse of a servicemember — will launch a two-month Tai Chi course in Kyiv for defenders and their families.

Tai Chi is a Chinese system of slow movements that combines physical exercise, breathing, and concentration. It is designed to promote longevity and support personal development. Participation is free for servicemembers and their families, while others are welcome to join for a monthly donation starting from UAH 500.

Journalists are welcome to attend the sessions and speak with representatives of Khartia Hub.

• culture
• military
• Kyiv

Since the start of russia’s full-scale invasion, historian Leonid Marushchak and the team of the NGO “Museum Open for Renovation” have been working to rescue historical artefacts and Ukrainian artworks. The volunteers understood that russian forces would destroy or loot museum collections.

Since 2022, the team has been evacuating works of art, including pieces by Alla Horska, Ivan Aivazovsky, Arkhip Kuindzhi, and Tetiana Yablonska. They have also transported Polovtsian stone statues — ancient sculptures created by nomadic peoples — to safe locations. Each mission involves coordinated efforts between volunteers, government representatives, and the military.

Journalists can arrange interviews with Leonid Marushchak and the team of the NGO “Museum Open for Renovation” both online and offline in Kyiv by prior arrangement.

• culture
• volunteers
• Kyiv

On April 2–3, Kyiv will host the FORUM-PRACTICUM: ADAPTIVE AND INCLUSIVE, an event aimed at supporting veterans in rehabilitation, recovery, and overcoming stress. The initiative also seeks to build a community focused on support and the exchange of experience among centers and organizations that work with or plan to support veterans.

The event is intended for fitness trainers, physical therapists, occupational therapists, rehabilitation specialists, psychologists, volunteers, and active individuals from various fields who are interested in working with veterans and people with disabilities.

Journalists are required to register in advance.

• culture
• Kyiv

Media representatives are invited to cover the Final Four of the Ukrainian Amputee Football Cup. Journalists will have the opportunity to speak with representatives of the “League of the Mighty” project, players from the four finalist teams, their coaches, as well as match officials. The event will take place in Kyiv.

The teams reaching the final stage are Bartka, Vinnytsia AMP, Pokrova AMP, and Shakhtar Stalevi.

Media accreditation is required to attend the event.

Background: The “League of the Mighty” project was launched by the Ukrainian Association of Football in 2024 to engage people with limb amputations and limb impairments in the world’s most popular sport.

• casualties
• culture
• Kyiv

Participants: 

– Alina Frolova, co-founder of Media Center Ukraine, Deputy Chair of the Board of the Center for Defense Strategies;

– Otar Dovzhenko, Ukrainian journalist and media critic. Creative Director of the Lviv Media Forum, Chair of the Independent Media Council. Co-editor of the “DovgyiPes” media newsletter. Book editor;

– Ihor Solovey, Head of the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security.

Topics for discussion: 

– Ukraine’s experience in countering Russian disinformation; 

– Key takeaways from the book and benefits for the international community

• culture
• Kyiv

On March 14, the capital will host the exhibition “Rights in Our Hands,” organized by the international movement Amnesty International Ukraine in conjunction with the Boris Paton State Polytechnic Museum at the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute.

The project tells about the protection of human rights in the context of full-scale war and the daily struggle of Ukrainians for their rights. The exhibition will feature 12 portraits and stories of human rights defenders, activists, educators, volunteers, and other concerned individuals whose actions help preserve human dignity every day and prove that human rights exist not only on paper.

The faces of the exhibition are: Marta Levchenko, founder of the charitable project and Ukraine’s largest crisis center, “City of Good”; Masy Nayem, veteran, lawyer, and human rights activist; Ivan Lyubish-Kirday, Reuters war correspondent who was wounded in a rocket attack on a hotel in Kramatorsk; and other heroes.

The exhibition is free and will run until April 1.

• culture
• Kyiv

A North Korean cluster munition that hit the window of the Kherson Regional Museum has been added to the exhibition “Unbreakable Kherson Region.” The exhibition features exhibits about the defense of Kherson, the occupation, the liberation of the city from russian troops, and life under shelling. The Korean munition got stuck right in the window of the exhibition hall. A fragment of a russian shell warhead was also found in the museum courtyard.

In addition, museum staff created an exhibition called “When War Loses Its Power” from the remains of weapons used by russian troops to shell the city. Fragments of various types of weapons became parts of works of art.

Due to constant enemy shelling, the Kherson Regional Museum is closed to visitors, but virtual tours are available.

Before the full-scale invasion and occupation, the Kherson Regional Local History Museum had one of the largest collections of antiquities in southern Ukraine. In October 2022, russian occupation forces stole more than 23,000 exhibits from the museum’s collection. Among them were archaeological finds, Scythian gold, antique icons, ethnographic collections, and archival materials. After the de-occupation of Kherson, the museum resumed its work. More than 160,000 exhibits were evacuated to safer regions.

For reference: The museum was founded in 1890 at the suggestion of Ukrainian archaeologist and local historian Viktor Ivanovich Goshkevich. The buildings that house the museum’s exhibition are architectural monuments of the 19th century.

• culture
• occupation
• russian crimes
• Kherson

The Ukrainian Amputee Football Cup has begun. In total, the tournament will bring together 16 teams from different regions of the country, who will compete for one of the main national trophies.

In recent matches, all quarterfinalists have already been determined and will continue the fight. On March 14-15, the quarterfinal matches of the Ukrainian Amputee Football Cup will take place, and the Final Four will be held in Kyiv on March 21 and 22.

For reference: The Strong League project was launched by the Ukrainian Football Association in 2024 with the aim of involving people with amputated limbs and limb function impairments in the most popular game in the world.

• casualties
• culture
• Kyiv

On March 13, an event dedicated to Ukrainian Volunteer Day, which Ukraine celebrates on March 14, will take place in Kyiv. This holiday honors the courage and self-sacrifice of those who consciously stood up to defend their country in the most difficult times. The date was not chosen at random: on this day in 2014, the first 500 volunteers left Independence Square for a training base in Novi Petrivtsi to form the first volunteer battalion. They were not professional soldiers, but they had a common desire — to defend their homeland.

During the meeting, they will talk about the mood and motivation of those who took up arms in 2014 and those who joined the defense of the country in 2022 from the very first days. They will try to understand what motivated people to make this decision then and what supports them today. They will discuss the challenges veterans face after returning to civilian life. Special attention will be paid to the issues of veteran employment and the role of the state and society in shaping a culture of support for people with military experience. They will also talk about the lives of families after the loss of a son or daughter — about memory, pain, and the need for sensitivity and solidarity.

Participants:

Dmytro Kraslyansky — combatant in eastern Ukraine, veteran, founder of the veteran business “Barbecue BBQ`72”;

Marianna Kuzmenko — mother of the deceased volunteer Daniel Kovalchuk “Francuz”;

Serhiy Mokrenyuk — veteran, community activist, representative of the Regional Council of Ukrainians of Crimea, deputy director for development of a Ukrainian UAV manufacturer,

Anastasia Rozlutska — head of the Nazustrich project at Work.ua, expert on veteran employment, head of the Ukrainian World NGO.

Advance registration is required.

For reference: In response to russian aggression in 2014, the volunteer movement quickly gained mass popularity. With the support of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, territorial battalions began to form, and under the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, volunteer units of the National Guard and special police forces were created. In addition, independent volunteer battalions appeared, which became the country’s shield in the first months of the war. Thanks to their dedication, it was possible to gain time for mobilization and save Ukrainian statehood.

In 2014-2015, nearly 40 volunteer battalions took part in combat operations in eastern Ukraine. Subsequently, most of them became units of the security forces, and many volunteers pursued military careers and became experienced commanders.

The volunteer movement was revived with renewed vigor after russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. From the very first hours of the war, thousands of Ukrainians joined the ranks of the Armed Forces, territorial defense, and volunteer formations. Many returned from abroad to defend their homeland.

• culture
• Kyiv