Themes by tag: dead
Nataliia Tarabalka, mother of the late Ukrainian Hero and renowned fighter pilot Stepan Tarabalka, has opened a rehabilitation center for service members in memory of her son, who was killed in an air battle in March 2022.
Working with a psychologist helped Nataliia process her grief. Inspired by this experience, she used the state compensation she received for her son’s death to establish the “Warmth of a Winged Soul” rehabilitation center in Prykarpattia. The facility offers both physical and psychological support for active-duty and former military personnel.
Nataliia Tarabalka is available for consultations—both in person in Kolomyia, Ivano-Frankivsk region, and online—by appointment.
For reference: Captain Stepan Tarabalka, 29, was killed in an aerial battle on March 13, 2022, in the skies over Zhytomyr. On the first day of russia’s full-scale invasion alone, he reportedly shot down six enemy aircraft, including a Su-27, MiG-29, two Su-35s, and two Su-25s. Flying a MiG-29, he went on to destroy a total of 40 enemy aircraft. Tarabalka served with the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade of the Ukrainian Air Force, which in 2024 was awarded the honorary title “The Ghost of Kyiv.”
Anna and Andrii met four years before russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The couple had planned to marry in 2022, but the war upended their plans. After the invasion began, Andrii joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces, serving in the 47th Magura Brigade as a senior mechanic and driver of a Bradley fighting vehicle.
The couple finally wed in March 2023. That summer, Andrii was wounded in combat. He was fortunate: shrapnel missed his carotid artery by mere millimeters. After recovering, he returned to the front lines. Anna saw him for the last time in the fall of 2023. On October 19, 2023, Andrii Lukivskyi was killed in action in the Donetsk region.
Anna was notified of his death the following day. She was told the bodies of the fallen had been brought to Kyiv, but she received no further updates. Desperate for answers, she launched her own search. For ten months, she looked for any trace of her husband. Eventually, she found him—his body was listed among the unidentified in the Ministry of Internal Affairs database.
What led to the breakthrough was a handwritten note Anna had given Andrii the day before his final mission. He had taken it with him, and it was found with his remains. That note became the key to confirming his identity.
Later, Anna learned that a DNA match between the “unidentified soldier” and Andrii’s family—his mother and sister—had already been established. But the relatives were never informed.
Anna Lukivska is available for interviews both online and in person, by prior arrangement.
On April 7, at the Media Center Ukraine, the Media Initiative for Human Rights will present the research “Interaction with military units and support for families of fallen and missing service members”.
The event will address the most common problems faced by families of fallen and missing servicemen in their interactions with military units and territorial recruitment centers; as well as how the state can improve its interaction with families and make it less traumatic.
Speakers:
- Olena Kopina, Author of the Analysis, Expert, MIHR;
- Olena Bieliachkova, Coordinator for Groups of Families of Prisoners of War and Missing Soldiers, MIHR;
- Yulia Sharapaniuk, Head of the Association of Families of Missing Soldiers and Prisoners of War;
- Dmytro Bohatiuk, Head of the Department for Persons Missing Under Special Circumstances of the Secretariat of the Ombudsman;
- Oleh Neshchadim, Head of the Search Department of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Registration for the event is required.
A commemorative race honoring Maksym Kahal, a Hero of Ukraine and soldier with the Azov Special Forces detachment, is scheduled for March 30.
Known by the call sign “Piston” (Percussion Cap) Kahal was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine. He served as a senior lieutenant with the Azov Special Forces, commanding a fire support platoon within the 1st Company of the 1st Battalion. Beyond his military service, Kahal was a decorated athlete, crowned ISKA World Kickboxing Champion among adults and earning numerous other sports accolades.
Kahal was killed on March 25, 2022, while defending Mariupol. He was just 30 years old.
The race is being organized by the Association of Azovstal Defenders’ Families.
Registration for the event is required.
On March 30, as the third anniversary of Bucha’s liberation from russian occupiers approaches, the Kyiv region city will host a series of events to commemorate the victims of russian aggression.
The program of events includes:
– A requiem ceremony to honor the fallen heroes,
– The “Prayer for Peace” action, a memorial service for the civilian victims in Bucha, featuring a performance of the spiritual hymn “Prayer for Ukraine,”
– The presentation of the book Voices of Memory: Bucha – The City of Heroes.
Bucha, now a symbol of the unyielding spirit of the Ukrainian people and a stark reminder of the horrific war crimes committed by the russian army, will unite the families of the victims, local residents, government officials, and the international community. Together, they will pay tribute to those who sacrificed their lives for Ukraine’s freedom.
For reference: During the fighting and russian occupation of Bucha in February and March 2022, hundreds of people lost their lives. Since then, the name of this town near Kyiv has become forever associated with the war crimes perpetrated by the russian army in Ukraine.
On March 16, Ukraine will hold an annual event to honor the victims of the Mariupol Drama Theater tragedy. Mariupol residents and all those who remember are invited to light candles near theater buildings across the country in a tribute to those lost.
Commemorative gatherings will take place in Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Dnipro, Zaporizhia (March 15), Ivano-Frankivsk, Kalush, Lviv, Kyiv, Kamianske, Kremenchuk, Rivne, Ternopil, Uzhhorod, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy, Chernivtsi, Kropyvnytskyi, Poltava, Kryvyi Rih, and Odesa.
Background: On March 16, 2022, russian forces dropped bombs on the Mariupol Drama Theater, despite the russian word for “children,” “ДЕТИ”(DETY), written in large, clearly visible white letters on the pavement outside the building. At the time, hundreds of Mariupol families were sheltering there, seeking refuge from relentless russian shelling. The attack claimed the lives of hundreds of innocent civilians, including children.
The Mariupol Drama Theater has since become a harrowing symbol—of brutality and destruction, of Mariupol’s suffering, of Ukraine’s pain. It remains an enduring testament to a russian war crime the world must never forget.
Researchers from the Chernihiv historical museum named after V. Tarnovskyi travel to the village of Yahidne, Chernihiv oblast, to collect eyewitness testimony. (In the spring of 2022, russian occupiers detained over 300 local residents in inhumane conditions in the basement of the school for almost a month).
Since September 2023, historians have been documenting historical artifacts in Yahidne. They have examined and described over 1,000 objects, including clothing, shoes, personal items, backpacks, books, empty russian military ration boxes, antiseptic tubes, russian newspapers, wooden pallets used for sitting and sleeping, plastic water bottles used as makeshift toilets. Experts recorded descriptions of all basement rooms and photographed artifacts found throughout the village, including remnants of enemy equipment, uniforms and ammunition boxes.
At the request of the regional authorities, copies of occupation documents found in Yahidne have been turned over to the museum.
All documented artifacts will remain in place. There are plans to create a memorial complex in Yahidne, including the school basement where civilians were imprisoned.
Journalists can learn more, join researchers on the ground, and see the historical artifacts firsthand.
Background: Yahidne is a village near Chernihiv. At the beginning of the full-scale russian invasion, the occupying forces set up their headquarters in the local school. In its basement they imprisoned 299 adults and 67 children – almost the entire population of the village. The basement was only 197 square meters, forcing people to sleep sitting up, with limited oxygen. Ten people died as a result of the horrific conditions.
In February 2023, a photograph of the Yahidne basement appeared on the cover of TIME magazine.
Oksana Starodub, a mother of two from Chernihiv, faced unthinkable challenges after deciding to stay in her hometown when the war began. Her husband, Mykola, joined the territorial defense forces on the second day of the all-out invasion, determined to protect his family and city. On March 6, 2022, russian mortars struck Oksana’s home, leaving her severely injured and unable to move. Her teenage son bandaged her wounds as they awaited help, but continued shelling prevented an ambulance from reaching them. Eventually, Mykola and his unit managed to return home, where a military medic applied a tactical tourniquet to Oksana’s leg before she was taken to a hospital. The hospital, overwhelmed with wounded, was operating under dire conditions. Power was down due to nearby shelling, staff was stretched thin, and resources were scarce. Drinking water arrived only once daily, and food for both patients and doctors was cooked outdoors over an open flame. Oksana later traveled to Vinnytsia for multiple surgeries and, by September 2022, was able to walk on her own again.
Meanwhile, Mykola continued defending the Chernihiv region until his battalion was deployed to Donetsk. On June 17, 2024, during a combat mission, Mykola sustained fatal wounds, leaving Oksana a widow.
The Children of Heroes charity foundation is currently supporting the family. Dedicated to aiding children who have lost one or both parents due to russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the foundation offers financial assistance, psychological counseling, legal aid, and educational support to help these children grow and thrive until adulthood.
Serhii Pryschepa considers March 14, 2022, his second birthday. That day, he and his family attempted to escape from russian-occupied territory in Chernihiv Oblast but were caught in an attack. Their car was engulfed in flames, burning to the ground. Miraculously, he survived.
Serhii has been undergoing rehabilitation for over a year. The recovery process has been grueling and slow, yet he remains resolute. Not only has he regained his strength, but he has also grown even stronger—thanks to relentless training, he can now lift more weight than he could before his injury.
Background: Serhii Pryschepa is a participant in the Neopalymi (Unburnt) program, a national initiative providing free external rehabilitation and treatment for war-related injuries, burns, and scars. By April 6, 2022, Ukrainian defense forces had fully liberated Chernihiv Oblast from russian occupation.
On March 1, the Stations of the Cross, a religious processional will take place in Bucha, Kyiv Oblast, along Yablunska Street, to honor the memory of the victims tortured during the russian occupation. The procession will feature 14 stations, each marking a site where civilians were tragically killed. Among the stops, participants will pause to pray for and remember those who suffered at 144 Yablunska St., including the first boys to fall victim to the russians: Andrii Verbovyi, Andrii Matviichuk, Andrii Dvornikov, Vitalii Karpenko, Sviatoslav Turovskyi, Anatolii Prykhidko, Valerii Kotenko, and Denys Rudenko.
The procession will conclude at the chapel of St. Luke Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.
For context: The Stations of the Cross is a prayer tradition centered on meditations about the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ for humanity’s salvation. Originating in Jerusalem, it is observed within the liturgical practices of both the Catholic and Greek Catholic Churches.
