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On September 13, Kyiv will host Run for Freedom, a charity race aimed at raising awareness about Ukrainian military personnel and civilians held in captivity. The event, now in its second year, is organized by students of the Kyiv School of Economics along with historian and UNITED24 ambassador Timothy Snyder, who is expected to join the run in person.
Runners can choose distances of 1, 5, or 10 kilometers. Participation is free for active-duty service members, veterans, and families of prisoners of war. Organizers say the race is intended to draw international attention to the urgent need to secure the release of Ukrainians held by russia, while also showing solidarity with families waiting for their loved ones to return.
A press conference featuring Snyder will be held as part of the event. Journalists are required to register in advance.
For reference: Organizers include KSE Foundation, DefDev, the national RECOVERY network of rehabilitation centers for wounded soldiers, and the Heart of Azovstal project supporting Mariupol’s defenders. Media partners are ShoTam media outlet, 1+1 Ukraine TV channel, and Interfax-Ukraine news agency.
All proceeds from ticket sales, after covering organizational costs, will be directed to the Ukrainian Defense Forces through the KSE Foundation. Organizers have pledged to provide a public report detailing how the funds are used.
Andrii Prots knew the path he wanted to follow from an early age. Inspired by his grandfather, a skilled carpenter, he took up woodworking himself and eventually built a business producing cabinets, kitchens, and commercial furnishings for shops and offices. His dream was to grow into a mass manufacturer – until russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine forced him to put everything on hold.
When the war broke out, Prots mobilized with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He carried out combat missions in the Serebrianskyi Forest, Torske, Zarichne, and near Lyman. It was while serving on the front line that he learned his wife had given birth to their daughter. He still recalls returning home on leave, dirty and exhausted, straight from the forest, to meet his newborn child.
By 2023, Prots decided to leave the military for family reasons and turn back to civilian life. Almost immediately, he began rebuilding his business. He repaired his workshop, which had been damaged in an enemy strike, and reopened his furniture factory, which he fittingly named “Combatant.”
Over time, Prots realized he wanted his work to serve a greater purpose. He has invested his savings and secured a grant from the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation to buy land and build a barrier-free production facility for veterans with disabilities. He aims to complete construction by the end of 2025 and create a workplace where veterans feel safe, valued and comfortable.
Those who wish to meet with Andrii Prots can do so either online or in person in Lviv, by prior arrangement.
Journalists are invited to the opening of Ukraine’s first barrier-free and inclusive sports complex.
One of Kyiv’s long-neglected stadiums has been given a new lease on life thanks to Howard G. Buffett Foundation. A key focus of the complex will be providing post-rehabilitation support to veterans and military personnel.
The complex will feature basketball, volleyball, football, and tennis courts. It will also have martial arts and fitness halls, rehabilitation rooms, and a fully equipped gym.
Attendees will include:
- Howard G. Buffett, American philanthropist,
- Oleksandr Yegorov, head of FC Lokomotiv Kyiv,
- representatives of the President’s Office and the Cabinet of Ministers,
- veterans and active-duty service members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The Brand Ukraine International Conference, the country’s flagship annual forum on national image and global perception, will be held in Kyiv on September 18. This year’s gathering will spotlight how values-driven strategic positioning can bolster security and strengthen Ukraine’s reputation abroad.
The conference, conducted in English with simultaneous translation into Ukrainian, will bring together communications experts, policymakers, cultural figures, and civil society leaders. Participants will hear keynote speeches, engage in networking sessions, and explore case studies showcasing international communication initiatives. Full program details are available at https://buic.com.ua/uk/ .
Confirmed speakers include:
- Vineta Kleine, Head of Communications, NATO Representation to Ukraine
- Kata Varblane, Director of Country Promotion, Enterprise Estonia
- Serhii Zhadan, Ukrainian poet, novelist, civil activist, and active serviceman
- Oleksandra Matviichuk, Human rights lawyer, head of the Center for Civil Liberties, Nobel Peace Prize recipient (2022)
- Fernando Prado Abuin, Managing Partner, Reputation Lab
- Professor Nicholas J. Cull, Professor of Public Diplomacy at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism
- Mykolai Serga, Military Officer, Armed Forces of Ukraine, Cultural Forces platform founder
- Mykola Kabluka, Architectural and lighting designer, founder and art director of Expolight and Kabluka Light & Digital Sculptures
The conference will close with a 3D street show blending laser projections, light, and sound in a large-scale artistic performance, sending a symbolic message of resilience from Ukraine to the world.
Accreditation is required to attend. The precise venue will be shared with registered participants.
At the end of September, a team of three Ukrainian veterans who have undergone amputations will attempt to swim across the Strait of Bonifacio. This narrow channel between southern Corsica, France, and northern Sardinia, Italy, is known for its challenging currents, shallow areas, and sudden wind shifts. At its narrowest point, the strait spans 11 kilometers, with a maximum depth of about 100 meters.
Each participant is a war veteran with their own recovery story. Demian Dudlia is a fire safety engineer. He voluntarily joined the National Guard at the start of the full-scale invasion and served as a grenade launcher operator and AGS-17 gunner. In April 2023, he sustained severe injuries resulting in an above-the-knee amputation of his leg.
Maksym Hrinchenko was injured in October 2022 during one of the missile attacks on Kyiv. Prior to 2022, he worked in construction. In February 2022, he voluntarily enlisted in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, later training as a sapper. He also underwent an above-the-knee amputation.
Ihor Oliinyk has pursued various interests, ranging from photography and the restaurant industry to military service and sports. In 2023, he was injured by shelling in the Serebrianske Forestry and lost an arm and an eye.
This trio will be the first team with disabilities to attempt this distance, starting and finishing together.
Journalists can cover the veterans’ training in Kyiv by prior arrangement. There will also be opportunities to interview participants online or in person in Italy.
Background: The veterans are members of the ONE TEAM FORCES community, which provides personalized and coordinated support to help injured service members fully recover — from initial rehabilitation to long-term social integration.
Serhii Railian, a sergeant in Ukraine’s Air Assault Forces from Mykolaiv, carries the scars of war both seen and unseen. At 28, with three military contracts behind him, he has endured profound loss and emerged with a story of resilience.
In 2014, Serhii enrolled in university, aspiring to a career as a programmer. But a year later, at 18, he signed his first military contract and was sent to the front lines.
By late 2021, Serhii had married and was preparing to leave military service. Those plans were shattered when russia launched a full-blown war. He first encountered the intensity of the renewed conflict near Shchastia in Luhansk. In November of that year, while serving in Donetsk, an anti-tank mine claimed both his legs and his eyesight. Serhii survived a coma, but doctors were unable to restore his vision.
Recently, Serhii graduated from the Pottery in the Dark project at the EthnoChary art space in Vinnytsia. The program brought together ten participants from across Ukraine, offering them the chance to learn the fundamentals of pottery. Beyond teaching a craft, the project aims to empower participants to continue working with clay independently. Every graduate received a junior pottery wheel, along with a complete set of tools and materials to pursue their work at home. For Serhii, this has sparked the idea of launching his own pottery business.
Journalists can arrange interviews with Serhii either offline or online in Kyiv. Viktoriia Nikolaieva, a mentor for the Pottery in the Dark project in Vinnytsia, is also available for comment. An exhibition featuring pottery by blind veterans is scheduled in Vinnytsia at the end of September.
The Pottery in the Dark project was organized by the Center for Socially Inclusive Partnership in collaboration with EthnoChary, as part of the Enhanced Partnership for Sustainable Recovery (EPSR) initiative. The project is funded by the Swedish government through the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and implemented in Ukraine by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
On September 6, the first “Dragon Boat Kyiv – 2025” festival will be held in the capital of Ukraine, featuring unique races on dragon boats among military personnel, and veterans, including those with disabilities.
Twenty teams are expected to participate, with boats designed for 10 or 20 rowers. During the competition, participants will complete three 200-meter races: qualifying rounds, semifinals, and finals. The sports festival will conclude with a solemn bonfire to honor fallen warriors.
Background: The organizers of the event are the Communal Enterprise “Military Sport” and the Sports Club “Mala Flotylyia”.
Pavlo Skshetuskyi is a participant of the Revolution of Dignity and a veteran of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He joined the military after russia first attacked Ukraine — serving in the 1st Operational Battalion of the National Guard. Pavlo fought in the battles for Sloviansk, Debaltseve, Popasna, the Svitlodarsk arc, and Stanytsia Luhanska.
In 2018, Pavlo was demobilized for health reasons and opened a workshop where he produces knives, swords, and axes. He had planned to expand by purchasing land near Lutsk, but the full-scale war disrupted his plans. Production was put on hold, and Pavlo spent all his savings supporting the military.
In May 2022, he decided to restart his workshop. His products are now being ordered from abroad, and his axes can be found in Lithuania, Germany, and Ireland.
In 2023, Pavlo applied for a grant from the Ukrainian Veterans Fund and a year later, he built a new workshop. In the future, he plans to teach veterans the craft of blacksmithing.
Interviews with Pavlo Skshetuskyi can be arranged online or in person in Volyn, by prior agreement.
This September, hundreds of Ukrainians and friends of Ukraine will once again gather at the starting line to send a clear message: every prisoner must come home. Registration is now open for the annual advocacy race Run for Freedom, launched on the initiative of students at the Kyiv School of Economics together with historian and professor Timothy Snyder.
The race is set for September 13 in Kyiv, with participants able to choose between 1.5 km and 10 km distances.
For the second consecutive year, Timothy Snyder, professor, UNITED24 ambassador, and longtime friend of Ukraine, will personally take part in the run. Joining him will be military personnel and veterans freed from captivity, families of defenders still in captivity, and all those committed to supporting the return of Ukrainians held by russia.
Participation is free for service members, veterans, and families of prisoners.
After covering organizational costs, the KSE Foundation will direct all proceeds from ticket sales to support Ukraine’s Defense Forces, with a full public report on how the funds are used.
Last year, more than 1,000 Ukrainians joined the Run for Freedom.
Journalists must be accredited to cover the event.
For reference: Organizers include KSE Foundation, DefDev, the national RECOVERY network of rehabilitation centers for wounded soldiers, and the Heart of Azovstal project supporting Mariupol’s defenders. Media partners are ShoTam media outlet, 1+1 Ukraine TV channel, and Interfax-Ukraine news agency.
On August 28, the exhibition Ukraine in Miniature, marking the 34th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence, will open in the Refectory Chamber of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra National Reserve.
The exhibition showcases 3D models of iconic architectural landmarks, from Kyiv’s St. Sophia Cathedral and Lviv’s St. George’s Cathedral to the Ivano-Frankivsk Drama Theater and Hotel Ukraine in Luhansk, painstakingly recreated by the Skeiron studio team.
Several of the structures now exist only in digital form, including the Donetsk Drama Theater in Mariupol and the Skovoroda Museum in the Kharkiv region, both destroyed during russia’s invasion.
The exhibition incorporates advanced technologies, offering VR tours, musical works by Ukrainian composers, and video installations that give the monuments “voices” and allow visitors to immerse themselves in their atmosphere. The project has already been shown in Finland, Latvia, France, Hungary, and Germany, and will now be presented in Kyiv for the first time.
Accreditation is required to attend the event.
