Themes by tag: 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

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

Dina Chmuzh witnessed the beginning of the full-scale invasion in her hometown of Kharkiv. Her father joined the Defense Forces, and Dina and her mother initially refused to leave the city. They eventually evacuated in March 2022, but returned to Kharkiv a few months later.

Since then, the artist has been writing poetry on the plywood used to replace windows and storefronts shattered by explosions. Dina has created about 20 murals with poems by Ukrainian poets. In the future, she hopes to incorporate verses by Lyubov Yakymchuk, Bohdan Kutsenko, and Yaryna Chornoguz into her murals.

You can contact Dina Chmuzh online or by appointment in Kharkiv.

• culture
• women
• Kharkiv

Volunteers with the St. Nicholas Reindeer Project have already received more than 2,000 letters from children all over Ukraine. Among other things, children are asking Saint Nicholas for toys, sweets and the popular “Cat Paw” stress-relief balls. This year, many children are also asking for peace and an end to the war. Some have asked for their fathers to return from the front lines, or for their relatives to be released from captivity. Among those who wrote to St. Nicholas were children whose homes were destroyed by the war.

As part of this charitable initiative, anyone can choose a child’s letter and fulfill a wish. The volunteers will then deliver the gifts, organize a celebration and provide a photo report. They plan to visit de-occupied areas of the Kharkiv oblast, as well as communities in the Kyiv and Donetsk oblasts, working in more than 50 localities across various regions.

Journalists can talk to the organizers in Kharkiv and, if possible, cover the distribution of gifts by volunteers in different regions.

For reference: The St. Nicholas Reindeer project was established in 2016 in Kharkiv to support children in frontline communities.

• casualties
• children
• Kharkiv

Is humanitarian mine action possible in winter? How do snow and freezing temperatures affect the painstaking work of removing deadly explosives? These are the questions many are asking as winter sets in.  

Deminers face extreme challenges in cold weather, but the work doesn’t stop when the first snow falls. Can mines be detected beneath a blanket of snow? How do teams stay warm during long hours in the field? And is it true that some even heat the frozen ground to continue clearing land?  

Journalists now have the chance to witness these operations firsthand. Media visits can be arranged to key regions where HALO Ukraine is actively working, including Kyiv, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, and Kherson.  

For context: HALO Ukraine is part of The HALO Trust, the world’s largest non-governmental organization dedicated to humanitarian demining. Since russia’s full-scale invasion, they’ve cleared over 6 million square meters of land, ensuring safer ground for thousands of Ukrainians.

• Chernihiv
• Kharkiv
• Kherson
• Kyiv
• Mykolaiv
• demining

On November 2-3, in partnership with the UNDP, Frida Ukraine will dispatch a team of medical volunteers to a community in the Kharkiv region, delivering crucial medical assistance. This mission will also include a dedicated dental team, supported by the Serhiy Prytula Charitable Foundation, aimed at providing specialized care for residents.

Frida Ukraine plans to offer regular medical consultations, alongside dental services facilitated through the Serhiy Prytula Foundation, with Vladislava Romaniuk leading the medical team. 

Details about the mission’s location will be shared following accreditation.

For reference: This mission is part of the UNDP’s “Comprehensive Medical and Psychological Support with Improved Referral System” project, designed to assist communities impacted by explosive hazards. The project includes mobile hospitals providing healthcare and psychological aid, aiming to reach 15,000-20,000 residents by year’s end.

Frida Ukraine, a non-profit organization of volunteer doctors from Ukraine and Israel, has been offering emergency and outpatient care to civilians affected by the conflict since the invasion’s onset.

• casualties
• doctors
• volunteers
• Kharkiv