Themes by tag: Kharkiv

Before russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Viacheslav Kut’in was living and working abroad. When the war began, he returned home and was mobilized into the Ukrainian Armed Forces. He served on the front lines, including in the defense of Zaporizhia.

During a combat mission near the village of Robotyne in the Zaporizhia region, Viacheslav sustained severe leg injuries and was captured by russian forces. He spent over a year in captivity before being released and brought home on January 15, 2025.

Since his return, he has undergone intensive treatment and rehabilitation. Now adapting to life with prosthetic legs, Viacheslav has already made remarkable progress. On the day he was discharged from the rehabilitation center, he proposed to his longtime partner – the woman who had waited for him through his captivity and stood by him during his recovery.

Viacheslav Kut’in is available for interviews both online and in person in Kharkiv by appointment.

• casualties
• military
• prisoners
• Kharkiv

Anton Osokin, 28, is an oncologist. Originally from Donetsk Oblast, he has lived in Kharkiv since 2014. In August 2022, he joined the Ukrainian-Israeli medical volunteer mission FRIDA Ukraine to help civilians affected by the war. When Ukrainian forces liberated occupied areas of the Kharkiv region in September 2022, Anton took part in the first field missions to the newly freed settlements. He recalls being most struck by the sight of homes reduced to rubbles and charred tanks scattered across the area. While providing medical assistance, he could still hear fighting in the distance.

Throughout russia’s wide-ranging military offensive, Anton has continued to work at the Kharkiv Regional Clinical Oncology Center, where he heads the operating room, while also participating in FRIDA Ukraine missions. His work has taken him to Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv and Sumy regions.

Anton says the missions often reveal advanced-stage cancer in patients. Several individuals he examined in the field later traveled to Kharkiv for treatment.

Interviews with Anton can be arranged in advance, either in Kharkiv, during field missions, or online.

For reference: FRIDA Ukraine is a non-profit, non-governmental medical mission made up of volunteer doctors from Ukraine and Israel. Since the start of the invasion, the organization has been providing emergency and outpatient care to civilians affected by the war.

• doctors
• volunteers
• Kharkiv

In 2022, the Oskil school in the Kharkiv region endured six months under occupation by russian forces, resulting in significant damage. The school’s premises were heavily affected: the roof was compromised, windows shattered, and even the heating systems were ripped out.

Today, the school is in the process of being restored. Some classrooms and shelters have already been rebuilt, providing much-needed stability. Additionally, Save the Children has established a digital space within the school, offering a safe environment for children to learn, socialize, and regain a sense of security.

For reference: As part of the national initiative “Shoulder to Shoulder: Cohesive Communities,” the Oskil and Chernihiv communities are planning to collaborate with partner communities to further strengthen their bonds.

• children
• occupation
• Kharkiv

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Olha Tolsta and her mother have been caring for cats abandoned by their owners in the northern Saltivka district of Kharkiv. To pay for the care of such a large number of animals, Olha began making traditional Ukrainian jewelry. Over the past three years, she has earned and spent more than 250,000 hryvnia on the animals.

In addition to feeding the cats, Olha and her mother try to take care of their health and find them new homes. Since the beginning of the full-scale war, they have managed to sterilize 30 cats and rehome another 30.

You can talk to Olha Tolsta either online or in person by prior arrangement.

• animals
• culture
• volunteers
• women
• Kharkiv

Back in 2020, while still a student, Alina Streltsova saw bomb disposal experts from The HALO Trust Ukraine training on the outskirts of her hometown of Kramatorsk. That moment sparked her interest, and she decided to see if this line of work was right for her.

Alina went on to join HALO’s team in the Kharkiv region—first as an explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) specialist, then as an explosive hazard awareness instructor, and later as a quality control specialist. Today, both her father and husband serve in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, while Alina remains fully committed to clearing explosive hazards from Ukrainian soil. Her primary responsibility now is ensuring that all landmines clearance operations comply with strict safety protocols, protecting her colleagues from potential dangers.

Journalists can interview Alina in the Kharkiv region by prior arrangement.

Background: The HALO Trust is the largest international nonprofit organization dedicated to clearing landmines and unexploded ordnance. For the past 35 years, it has been operating in 30 countries and territories around the world.

• women
• Kharkiv
• demining

On the night of March 3, a russian drone strike hit the Feldman Ecopark in the Kharkiv oblast, causing animal casualties and damage to park facilities. According to park staff, there were three direct hits, two of which hit the central area of the park.

Five domestic animals in the petting zoo area were injured. Two goats, previously evacuated from a combat zone, were killed — one of them pregnant.

Windows were shattered in several park buildings and enclosures were damaged.

Journalists can receive comments from Ecopark representatives both online and offline upon request.

Background information: Before the russian invasion, Feldman Ecopark was home to about 5,000 animals. When the war broke out, the park came under heavy bombardment, resulting in the deaths of over 300 animals, while some escaped into the wild. Many animals had to be evacuated in order to survive. The park’s infrastructure was severely damaged, and six people involved in evacuating the animals lost their lives.

• animals
• russian crimes
• Kharkiv

Kharkiv-based artist Valentyna Huk, 21, transforms fragments of shattered glass into intricate mosaics, giving new life to the debris left behind by russian airstrikes.

Valentyna works with acrylics, pastels, and, most notably, black watercolor pencil—a medium she describes as offering “no room for mistakes.”

Her first mosaic took shape after an attack damaged the balcony of her apartment, leaving it strewn with broken glass. She gathered the shards and turned them into art. Since then, she has been collecting glass fragments from the aftermath of airstrikes across Kharkiv, using only what she finds on-site. Each finished piece is placed in or near the area where the glass was originally scattered.

Those interested in speaking with Valentyna Huk can arrange a meeting with her in Kharkiv or connect online.

• culture
• russian crimes
• women
• Kharkiv

Anastasiia Buhera was with her parents in Izium, Kharkiv oblast, when russia launched its full-scale invasion. She had come home for the holidays as she was studying at a university in Kharkiv at the time.

During the occupation, she witnessed firsthand the devastation russian forces inflicted on the captured city. She counted how many bombs were dropped on Izium every hour and understood the extreme danger of even going out to buy bread, knowing that each trip could be her last.

Anastasiia managed to escape the occupation after five months. When she returned to Ukrainian-controlled territory, she learned that her boyfriend, Kostiantyn, who had been in Mariupol defending Azovstal in February 2022, had been captured by the enemy.

The last time Anastasiia spoke to him was on April 24, 2022 – he sent her photos and videos and promised to return home. Now she waits for Kostiantyn and does everything she can to make sure the world does not forget those still held in russian captivity.

Anastasiia Buhera is available for interviews in the Kharkiv oblast, both online and in person, by prior arrangement.

• military
• occupation
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• women
• Kharkiv

At the Ukrainian Bat Rehabilitation Center in Kharkiv, over three thousand bats are being cared for as part of a critical rescue effort. The center’s team is responsible for rescuing bats from various cities across Ukraine, providing them with much-needed shelter and support.

Specialists at the center focus on helping the animals survive the harsh winter months. During this period, bats are especially vulnerable, requiring special care to ensure their survival. Those in need of additional attention are fed and treated accordingly. Come spring, the center’s team plans to release the rehabilitated bats back into the wild.

Amid the ongoing full-blown war, the center has expanded its operations. The team’s current focus is on bat conservation and scientific research. Looking ahead, the center aims to establish volunteer hubs in other Ukrainian cities to broaden its impact.

Biologist Aliona Shulenko, the coordinator of the Ukrainian Bat Rehabilitation Center, is available for conversations both online and in person in Kharkiv, by prior arrangement.

• animals
• Kharkiv

A second underground school has opened in Kharkiv, already accommodating 750 students. Once the second phase of construction is completed, the school is expected to host nearly 1,000 students. It currently serves children finishing primary school — many of whom are meeting face-to-face for the first time. The COVID-19 pandemic, followed by russia’s full-scale invasion, deprived them of the opportunity for normal in-person learning.

In addition to classrooms, the underground school has inclusive and resource rooms to support students with different needs.

Background: Due to constant russian shelling, children in Kharkiv began studying in the city’s metro stations in September 2023, when several stations were converted into makeshift classrooms. In May 2024, Kharkiv opened its first underground school, which has 20 classrooms and provides education for 600 students.

• children
• Kharkiv