Themes by tag: dead

On March 2, the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War will host a memorial event titled “6700,” dedicated to honoring the victims of the 1943 Koriukivka tragedy. A total of 6,700 people were brutally killed on March 1–2 and 9 by Nazi occupation forces and their allies — the Hungarian 105th Light Division — who burned the settlement to the ground along with all its residents, from infants to the elderly and infirm.

The event launches an annual tradition of candle-lighting at the War Museum to commemorate the murdered civilians of the town of Koriukivka in Chernihiv region. This crime stands alongside Nazi atrocities in Lidice (Czech Republic), Khatyn (Belarus), and Oradour-sur-Glane (France).

Today, as russia deliberately commits war crimes against Ukraine’s civilian population, the Koriukivka tragedy takes on renewed significance, requiring reflection and international attention. All democratic forces must condemn crimes against humanity and remind the world that such crimes have no statute of limitations.

Background: The event is co-organized by the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance and the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War.

• culture
• dead
• Kyiv

On February 24, commemorative events will take place in the city of Bucha in the Kyiv region to honor the memory of civilians and defenders of Ukraine who were killed.

The program will include:
A requiem rally and memorial service honoring fallen Heroes;
A requiem rally and memorial service honoring innocent victims of russian aggression near the Wall of Remembrance;
A religious event, “Light of Prayer over Ukraine,” dedicated to the National Day of Prayer, with the participation of representatives of religious organizations of the Bucha City Territorial Community and the Pavlo Chubynsky National Academic Choir;
The unveiling of a memorial plaque to a fallen Defender;
A presentation of the book “Bucha. Women. War.”

• dead
• occupation
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

On the eve of the fourth anniversary of the full-scale invasion, Lviv will traditionally honor the memory of fallen Ukrainian defenders. On the evening of February 23, beams of remembrance will illuminate the sky above city cemeteries as a symbol of gratitude, sorrow, and enduring memory.

This year, the beams will shine over five fields of honorary burials. A joint prayer and the lighting of memorial candles will also take place.

• dead
• military
• Lviv

On February 20 in Kyiv, a commemorative ceremony will be held to honor the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred and participants of the Revolution of Dignity.

At the site where the largest number of peaceful protesters were killed during the Revolution of Dignity, a traditional ceremony will take place, including the laying of flowers, a memorial prayer service, and the ringing of the Bell of Remembrance.

The annual “Angels of Memory” campaign, launched in 2014, will also take place. Anyone can join the event and honor the memory of the fallen — all it takes is to make a paper angel and bring it to a memorial site in their city.

Journalists can find the full program of events marking the Day of the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred.

For reference: On February 20, 2014, the largest number of people — 48 — were killed in the center of Ukraine’s capital. Together with 54 other protesters who were killed or fatally wounded during the winter of 2013–2014, and five Maidan activists who died in the spring of 2014 while defending democratic values and Ukraine’s territorial integrity, they were named the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred.

• dead
• Kyiv

Khrystyna’s husband was killed on December 6, 2022, while carrying out a combat mission. At the time, she was nine months pregnant. Nine days after losing her beloved, Khrystyna gave birth to their daughter, Sofia. Her father had chosen the name for her before he was killed.

Sofia has an older brother, 9-year-old Matvii. The boy was very close to his father. For him, as for the entire family, the loss became a painful blow.

One day at school, during a lesson called “I Explore the World,” the children were asked to draw a picture and answer the question: whom would you like to see if you could go back to the past? Matvii drew his father and wrote under the picture that he would like to see him.

The family was not left alone with their grief. They are supported by the “Children of Heroes” Foundation, which gives the children gifts for holidays and birthdays and organizes lectures and courses. Matvii attends a speed-reading course, which helps him grow and find new sources of strength. Khrystyna, meanwhile, is taking an art therapy course as a way to process her grief, regain inner balance, and find the strength to move forward.

By prior arrangement, journalists may speak with the family online.

• dead
• military
• women

The Maidan Museum, together with its partners, has prepared a program of events dedicated to the Day of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes.

In particular, on February 18 a commemorative event will be held to honor those who were killed on February 18, 2014, in Mariinsky Park. A memorial service for the Heavenly Hundred will also take place that day. After the service, flowers will be laid and memorial candles will be lit near the Wall of Remembrance for those who died for Ukraine.

On February 20, a ceremonial tribute to the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred and the participants of the Revolution of Dignity will be held. At the site where the largest number of peaceful protesters were killed during the Revolution of Dignity, a traditional commemoration ceremony will take place, including the laying of flowers, a prayer service, and the sounding of the Bell of Remembrance.

The annual “Angels of Memory” campaign, launched in 2014, will also be held. Anyone can join and honor the memory of the fallen by making a paper angel and placing it at a memorial location in their city.

Journalists can review the full program of events for the Day of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes.

For reference: On February 20, 2014, the largest number of people — 48 — were killed in the center of Ukraine’s capital. Together with another 54 participants of the peaceful protests who were killed or fatally wounded during the winter of 2013–2014, as well as five Maidan activists who died in the spring of 2014 while defending Ukraine’s democratic values and territorial integrity, they were named the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred.

• dead
• Kyiv

Before the full-scale invasion, Nataliia lived with her family in Okhtyrka, in the Sumy region. She made custom furniture, while her husband worked as a mechanic at a service station. The couple has three children: a 26-year-old daughter and two sons aged 12 and 17.

On February 24, 2022, Okhtyrka came under constant russian shelling. The family managed to leave the city. Soon after, Nataliia’s mother’s house was hit directly.

Nataliia and her family evacuated to the Poltava region, where they lived for several months. After russian troops withdrew from the Sumy region, the family returned home. Her husband resumed work at the service station, and Nataliia also found a job. However, restoring their normal life proved impossible. At first, her husband repaired equipment for the military free of charge. Later, he himself joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He was killed while defending the Motherland. His body was not recovered immediately.

For the family, the loss of a father and beloved husband was a heavy blow.In search of support, the family joined the programs of the charitable foundation “Children of Heroes” and also received psychological assistance. The sons, Yehor and Matvii, are now beneficiaries of the foundation. After her husband’s death, Nataliia and her children moved to the Volyn region.

By prior arrangement, journalists may speak with the family online.

• dead
• military
• women

On February 12, a press conference dedicated to the Day of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes — commemorated annually on February 20 — will take place in Kyiv.

February 20, 2026 marks 12 years since the mass shootings of the Heavenly Hundred on the Maidan. It also marks 12 years since the beginning of russian aggression.

The National Museum of the Revolution of Dignity, together with its partners, will present this year’s program of commemorative events and a social awareness campaign.

Participants:
– Oleksandr Alfiorov, Head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory;
– Ivan Verbytskyi, Deputy Minister of Culture of Ukraine;
– Ihor Poshyvailo, General Director of the National Memorial Complex of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes – Museum of the Revolution of Dignity;
– Nataliia Dyhdalovych, Head of the NGO “Family of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes”;
– Anzhelika Rudnytska, Art Agency “Territory A”;
– Artem Mykolaichuk, Chairman of the Board of the Pylyp Orlyk Foundation.

Materials and the full program will be published after the press conference on the website of the National Museum of the Revolution of Dignity.

Journalists are required to register in advance.

• dead
• Kyiv

On May 8, 2022, Maryna Aleksiuk, a repair workshop technician of an anti-aircraft missile division, was killed at Azovstal. She had been defending Ukraine since 2015. Her daughters — 14-year-old Olena and 11-year-old Oleksandra — were left without their mother.

Mykola Ivanchenko has been fighting since 2014, when russia first launched its aggression against Ukraine, serving in the “Azov” regiment.

He met Maryna in December 2018. Both were divorced at the time. When they began living together, Maryna’s daughters did not immediately accept him. Over time, however, he earned their trust.

The family initially lived in Mariupol and moved to Berdiansk in the Zaporizhzhia region in 2021. That is where the full-scale war found them.

On February 24, 2022, Maryna left for Azovstal with her unit as part of the “Azov” regiment. Mykola arranged with his command to remain in Berdiansk with the children, waiting for his wife’s return. When russian forces occupied the city, he and the girls spent a month under occupation. Only by a miracle were they able to safely evacuate to Ukrainian-controlled territory.

After receiving news of Maryna’s death, Mykola took Olena and Oleksandra under his guardianship. They now live together in the Kyiv region. The girls are in the 9th and 6th grades. Olena is interested in Korean culture and music, while Oleksandra enjoys painting by numbers.

Journalists can access Mykola’s full story and schedule an interview with him.

• children
• dead
• military

On February 10, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, together with the Center for Civil Liberties, invite journalists to the premiere of the documentary film “Give Me Back My Name”, dedicated to people who have gone missing as a result of russia’s war against Ukraine.

The film tells the story of soldiers of this war who bear the status “missing in action,” the process of returning the bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers, their identification, and the restoration of their names — as well as the families who have spent years living in search and uncertainty.

The event will open with remarks by Oleksandra Matviichuk, Head of the Center for Civil Liberties — an organization awarded the Nobel Peace Prize — and Stephen Capus, President and CEO of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

The screening will be followed by a discussion with the film’s author, Maryan Kushnir, a frontline correspondent for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, who has been covering russia’s war against Ukraine since 2015. In January 2026, he rescued a young girl by carrying her out of an apartment that was struck by a russian drone in the Kyiv region, for which he was awarded the Order “For Courage.”

Journalists need to register for the event. The organizers reserve the right to deny participation for security reasons.

For reference: The film “Give Me Back My Name” was produced with the support of the Pulitzer Center. The European Union funds the event.

• casualties
• dead
• russian crimes
• Kyiv