Themes by tag: dead

Nadiia Hvozdyk has been serving her country since 2014, when russia launched its initial assault on Ukraine. After her demobilization from the Ukrainian army, she returned to the frontlines in a different way, first as a volunteer in 2022, and later as a driver for the humanitarian mission On the Shield.

For over a year now, Nadiia has been behind the wheel of a refrigerated truck, transporting the bodies of fallen soldiers back to their families in Rivne and nearby regions. She says driving the refrigerated vehicle is her way of fulfilling a solemn duty, helping grieving families lay their loved ones to rest with dignity and respect. For her, this role feels more meaningful than driving other vehicles in the convoy.

Beyond her work on the road, Nadiia also manages social media for the Rivne-based On the Shield mission. She writes about the emotional toll the job takes on drivers, sharing personal reflections and stories of those who make the final journey with the fallen.

Interviews with Nadiia Hvozdyk are available by appointment, either online or in person in Rivne.

• dead
• military
• women
• Rivne

Maryna Muzyka and Dmytro met after russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. At the time, they lived in different countries, Maryna in Ukraine, Dmytro in the Czech Republic. A former soldier, Dmytro had served in the Ukrainian army until 2019, when he was discharged after sustaining injuries. But when the war escalated in 2022, he didn’t hesitate. On March 4, just days after the invasion began, Dmytro returned to Ukraine and enlisted in the 59th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade.

Their paths crossed in Mykolaiv, where Dmytro and fellow soldiers were looking for a place to stay. The two quickly grew close. Eventually, Maryna moved to the Donetsk region to be near him, waiting for him to return from combat missions.

On July 1, 2024, Dmytro Muzyka was killed in action during a mission in the Donetsk sector.

The couple had often talked about building a future together, dreaming of launching their own business someday. After Dmytro’s death, Maryna decided to turn that dream into reality on her own. She opened a coffee shop in Mykolaiv and named it Mykyta the Cat, a tribute to her fallen husband, who, she says, had remarkable night vision and moved with the silent grace of a feline.

Maryna designed the space with a theme she calls “combat cats”, a nod to the qualities she saw in Dmytro and the soldiers he served with.

Maryna can be reached for interviews in Mykolaiv or virtually, by appointment.

• dead
• military
• women
• Mykolaiv

The NGO “Live Despite Everything” invites media representatives to a community workday at the Memory Garden — a unique space dedicated to preserving the memory of soldiers who lost their lives fighting for Ukraine. The event will take place on June 22 in Kyiv.

In March 2025, 38 large trees — a gift from the Netherlands — were planted in the garden. During the workday, participants will install supports and prepare tree pits to ensure the trees root properly.

Speakers:

• Olha Zhurba, co-founder of the NGO “Live Despite Everything”, author of the Memory Garden concept, project lead, and wife of a fallen soldier;
• Olena Balzhyk, initiative coordinator, landscape designer of the Memory Garden, and head of the company TERi-TORi.

Accreditation is required to attend.

• culture
• dead
• military
• Kyiv

On June 15, Kyiv will host Memoria Bellatoris, a charity event dedicated to honoring the memory of fallen soldiers from the 6th Battalion of the 12th Azov Brigade.

Participants are invited to join a CrossFit workout held in their honor. Entry is open to all in exchange for a charitable donation.

Organizers say the event aims to commemorate the battalion’s sacrifice and bring the community together in remembrance.

Event registration is required to attend.  

• dead
• Kyiv

Lutsk resident Tetiana Pototska had been originally running a travel agency that specialized in organizing pilgrimage trips abroad until February 2022, Tetiana shifted her focus when the full-scale invasion began. Moved by a friend’s inability to transport her father’s body from Kharkiv to Lutsk, Tetiana stepped in to assist and has since been tirelessly evacuating fallen soldiers’ remains and transporting them to morgues.

Beyond her duties in retrieving the fallen, Tetiana extends her aid to Ukrainians trapped in occupied regions, particularly those with limited mobility, helping them return to government-controlled territory. Additionally, she devotes herself to caring for the children of fallen defenders, arranging celebratory events and outings to the seaside for them.

Through her volunteer efforts, more than 50 individuals with amputations, including civilians, women and children among them, as well as military personnel have been transported to Poland, where they received free prosthetic care through an international initiative.

Those wishing to interview Tetiana can reach her both offline in Lutsk or through online channels. She is gearing up for another journey to Eastern Ukraine soon.

• dead
• volunteers
• women
• Lutsk
• evacuation

Rusudana Pavlichenko is of Georgian descent. When the full-scale invasion began, she was abroad for her father’s funeral. For the first time in her life, Rusudana had to flee the war (the war in Abkhazia) when she was only 10 years old. She then came to Ukraine and has lived here her entire life.

Rusudana’s husband, Serhii Pavlichenko, defended Ukraine from the occupiers since 2014. He held the defense of Azovstal during the beginning of the full-scale invasion and was captured afterward. He died in a terrorist attack in Olenivka (a village in the occupied Donetsk oblast) on July 28-29, 2022. The couple had two children: 12-year-old Adeliia and 8-year-old Nazar.

Journalists can arrange to interview Rusudana in Cherkasy or online.

Currently, the family is being supported by the charitable foundation “Children of Heroes.” The foundation helps children who have lost one or both parents due to russia’s full-scale invasion. The foundation provides financial assistance, psychological support, legal support, and promotes education and development for children until they reach adulthood.

Background: On July 29, 2022, russia committed a terrorist act by detonating an explosion in a barrack of a correctional colony in Olenivka where Ukrainian prisoners of war were held. At least 50 Azovstal defenders were killed in the attack.

• dead
• military
• occupation
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• women
• Cherkasy
• Mariupol

Tribute exhibition commemorating Hero of Ukraine Andrii Pilshchykov, call sign “Juice”, will open on April 17 at one of Kyiv’s libraries. Visitors will have the opportunity to learn more about the life and legacy of the legendary Ukrainian defender through materials provided by his mother, Liliia Averianova.

For reference: Andrii Pilshchykov (1993–2023), a military pilot with the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade, played a key role in Ukraine’s air defense from the outset of the full-scale Russian invasion. Known widely as one of the figures behind the “Ghost of Kyiv” legend, he was posthumously conferred the title Hero of Ukraine in 2024. He also received the Order “For Courage” III Class in 2022 and II Class posthumously in 2023.

Recognized as a leading reformer of the Air Force, Pilshchykov made a significant impact on its development. In June 2022, he joined an official delegation to the United States, helping to secure the delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine and laying the groundwork for pilot training. He died on August 25, 2023, in the Zhytomyr region and was buried at Askold’s Grave in Kyiv.

• culture
• dead
• military
• Kyiv

Yuliia and Serhii shared 27 years of a happy marriage. Together, they raised two daughters, Victoriia and Valeriia. The couple built their home with their own hands – Serhii oversaw the construction, while Yuliia, skilled in painting and plasterwork, contributed her expertise. Their teamwork eventually grew into a small family business, renovating apartments from start to finish.

Russia’s full-scale invasion found the couple at home in the Kyiv region. On the war’s first day, Serhii attempted to enlist in the Armed Forces, but long lines at military registration offices held him back. For a year, he kept trying – and in the meantime, he volunteered.

He later joined the 15th Border Guard Detachment. Though frequently deployed to the front line, Serhii always managed to send a few words to his wife. But after one mission, he never came back. For his unwavering commitment and courage, he was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal “For the Defense of Ukraine.”

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.

• dead
• military
• women
• Kyiv

On April 15, Kyiv will host a screening of “Shadows on the Left Bank” – an investigative film by Danylo Mokryk exposing russian atrocities in the occupied Kherson oblast.

From the first days of the full-scale invasion, much of Kherson oblast, including the village of Hornostaivka (Kakhovka district), fell under Russian control. The occupiers turned the local national police station into a torture chamber where Ukrainian soldiers and civilians were detained.

A team of journalists from The Kyiv Independent uncovered the identities of several victims who perished at the torture site, as well as the names of “officers” of the occupation “police” responsible for torturing and killing Kherson residents.

The documentary centers on the murder of 28-year-old Hornostaivka resident Ruslan Rusnak, an ATO veteran who was abducted by russian occupiers in November 2023 and tortured to death in the former police station.

During the event, the film’s creators – Danylo Mokryk, a journalist from the Head of War Crimes Investigations Unit, and Yevheniia Motorevska, Head of War Crimes Investigations Unit (The Kyiv Independent) – will speak about the story behind the film creation and the progress of the investigation.

Accreditation is required to attend the event.

• culture
• dead
• occupation
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

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.”

• dead
• military
• women
• Ivano-Frankivsk