Themes by tag: Kherson
Before the full-scale invasion, Inna Yakovenko ran a successful business selling windows and doors, operating out of two trade pavilions in the village of Novovorontsovka, Kherson region. When war broke out, her village was the only one in the Novovorontsovka community that remained unoccupied, but it endured relentless shelling from russian forces for seven straight months. Throughout August 2022, Inna took refuge in her basement, sheltering from near-constant bombardments that eventually wrecked her business.
After Ukrainian forces liberated the region, Inna decided to shift her focus from retail to reconstruction. Determined to help her community recover, she began producing granite blocks to support the rebuilding of homes in her war-torn village.
For reference: November 11, 2024, will mark the two-year anniversary of Kherson’s liberation from russian occupation.
For the past six years, Anton Tenyck has run a farm in the Kherson region of southern Ukraine. After the Ukrainian Armed Forces liberated the right bank of the Kherson region, the farmers decided to return to work. However, this proved to be difficult as most of the fields were mined. In order to continue their work, the farmers had to use hand-held mine detectors themselves. Together with the military, deminers and rescuers, Anton is clearing his territory of dangerous objects left behind by the occupiers. In one year of work, the farmer managed to demine more than 20 percent of his land.
In addition, Anton tries to employ everyone who returns to the liberated regions of Kherson Oblast.
For reference: November 11, 2024 will be the second anniversary of the liberation of Kherson from the occupiers.
Folklorist Yaryna Sizyk, animation director Mariia Ozirna, and the Kherson Art Museum named after Oleksii Shovkunenko have launched a project dedicated to the paintings stolen by russians during the occupation of the city. According to the estimates of the museum staff, the occupiers stole about ten thousand works of art.
The goal of the project is to try to recreate what was taken by the russians. So far, the team has “reproduced” Mykhailo Bryansky’s (1830-1908) painting “Portrait of a Girl in an Embroidered Dress.” The painting wasn’t just repainted, it was modernized and animated. Ukrainian model and singer Dariia Astafieva helped bring it to life as the artists transformed her into the girl in the embroidered dress from the stolen canvas. For the animation, the team used a shirt embroidered during the occupation by Inna Mykutska, a Kherson guide.
They also recreated the oil painting by Serhii Vasylkivsky (1854-1917) “Cossacks in the Steppe.” Ukrainian soldiers Roman “Dobryak” Kolesnyk and Stanislav “Ref” Zorii took part in the reproduction of this painting. Yaryna and Mariia added the Ukrainian folk song “Oh, There Beyond the Seas…” performed by the band Shchuka-Ryba to this animation.
The founders of the project are now preparing the next restorations and are in talks with Ukrainian influencers.
Yaryna Sizyk and Mariia Ozirna are available for interviews with journalists in Kyiv.
For reference: The russians occupied Kherson at the beginning of the full-scale invasion (March 1, 2022). Ukrainian forces liberated the city from russian troops on November 11, 2022. The occupiers continue to shell the city on a regular basis.
Before facing the brunt of russia’s invasion, The Jin Roh Circus Studio & Entertainment has been running in Kherson for 15 years. The war caught its members in their hometown. In the chaos, they sought basic necessities like food and medicine, often taking refuge in makeshift shelters. Remarkably, one of the studio’s halls transformed into a bomb shelter, providing safety to around 40 individuals during the tumultuous early weeks. As russian forces tightened their grip on Kherson, civilians faced escalating repression, prompting many, including Jin Roh’s students, to flee. Even the studio’s founder and director, Roman Vashchenko, was compelled to leave to evade capture.
Since the city’s liberation in November 2022, Vashchenko has returned, dedicating himself to rebuilding the studio’s activities. However, the journey back to normalcy is fraught with challenges. Once bustling with 300 students, Jin Roh now sees a fraction of that number attending classes to 2-8, with safety concerns looming large amidst continued shelling by occupying forces.
For reference: Kherson fell under russian occupation at the onset of the full-scale invasion on March 1, 2022. It wasn’t until November 11, 2022, that the Ukrainian Armed Forces liberated the city from russian control. Despite this liberation, the occupiers persist in regularly shelling the city.
Heorhii and Olha Chervienkov established a cannery in Posad-Pokrovske, Kherson region, nine years ago. Prior to russia’s full-scale invasion, the facility was producing over 100 tons of goods monthly. But in 2022, as russian forces occupied the Kherson region and fierce fighting turned the area into a frontline, the factory and much of the village were decimated.
The Chervienkovs discovered the extent of the damage only after the area was liberated and they returned home. Undeterred, the couple immediately began rebuilding, and just six months after the de-occupation, they succeeded in getting their first production line back up and running. Initially, operations relied entirely on generators, and labor shortages posed a serious challenge, as many of their former employees had either joined the military or left the community.
Today, Heorhii and Olha Chervienkov are working to restore the plant to its pre-war capacity. They’ve taken innovative steps to overcome staffing gaps, including training local women to take on traditionally male gender roles in the production process.
For reference: November 11, 2024, will mark two years since Ukraine retook the city of Kherson from occupying russian forces.
In a move widely condemned as illegal, russia has sentenced Ukrainian activist Irina Horobtsova to 10 years and 6 months in prison on charges of “espionage.”
Horobtsova, a resident of Kherson and an employee of a Ukrainian IT company, gained attention in the spring of 2022 for her outspoken posts on social media about life under russian occupation. She shared images featuring Ukrainian symbols and referred to her apartment as the “home base of the resistance.” However, on May 13, 2022, russian forces abducted her from her home. She was subsequently held in a pre-trial detention center in occupied Crimea, where she was kept in isolation with no access to the outside world or visits from family.
Horobtsova’s parents have expressed their willingness to speak with the media about her situation.
Serhii Krasnov, a master of sports in cycling from Nova Kakhovka, Kherson region, has embarked on a 3,500-kilometer charity bike ride across Ukraine. His hometown has been under russian occupation since the full-scale invasion began, and some of his relatives and friends remain there.
Serhii’s ride aims to raise funds to support displaced people from the Kherson region. He plans to complete the journey in 23 days.
Starting his route in Odesa on June 29, the cyclist will arrive in the capital on July 14, passing through Mykolaiv, Kryvyi Rih, Zhytomyr, Uman, and Cherkasy. Serhii plans to conclude his ride in Odesa on July 21.
Serhii Krasnov is available for interviews with journalists, both online and offline.
Folklorist Yaryna Sizyk, animation director Maria Ozirna, and the Oleksii Shovkunenko Kherson Art Museum have launched a project focused on restoring paintings seized by russians during the city’s occupation. Museum staff estimate that about ten thousand artworks were taken. The project’s goal is to recreate these stolen pieces.
The team has successfully reproduced Mykhailo Bryansky’s painting “Portrait of a Girl in an Embroidered Dress.” Yaryna and Maria spent a month preparing this first piece, which was not only repainted but also modernized and animated. Ukrainian model and singer Daria Astafieva helped bring the painting to life, transforming herself into the girl in an embroidered dress made from the stolen canvas. During the animation, they used a shirt embroidered by Inna Mykutska, a Kherson guide, during the occupation.
The project founders are now preparing for their next restoration and are in discussions with Ukrainian influencers.
Yaryna Sizyk and Maria Ozirna are available for interviews with journalists in Kyiv.
Oleksandra Knyha and her brother Andrii, hailing from the now-occupied town of Oleshky in the Kherson region, have shown remarkable resilience and dedication. When Russian tanks entered Oleshky and Kherson at the beginning of the invasion, the siblings stayed to help their community. Oleksandra’s friends from abroad sent several trucks of humanitarian aid, which she and Andrii sorted, distributed, and handed out. However, as volunteers strongly involved in civic engagement began to be abducted, the pair had to relocate to Ukrainian-controlled territory
After the de-occupation of Kherson on November 11, 2022, Oleksandra and Andrii returned to help rebuild the city. They organized creative workshops for children in shelters, addressing the urgent need for education and engagement amidst the destruction. This initiative led to the creation of the Kryla Foundation (KRYLA).
The foundation supports families on the right bank of the Dnipro River and carries out humanitarian missions in the town of Oleshky on the occupied left bank. The area suffered significant damage after the Russians blew up the Kakhovka dam. The foundation organizes events and holidays for children in the Kherson region and has arranged trips for Kherson children to camps in Poland and western Ukraine.
Currently, with the support of partners, they are developing a new project called Multispace “KRYLA” (WINGS). This shelter location provides Kherson residents with opportunities to socialize or learn new skills despite the ongoing security concerns.
Journalists can learn more and speak with Oleksandra and Andrii either offline or online.
For reference: Before the full-scale war, Oleksandra Knyha and her friends organized various events and transported supplies for children from an orphanage in Kakhovka. Since 2016, she has worked with children with mental disabilities, designing a collection of casual clothes featuring their drawings. Andrii managed a family business in Oleshky, developing green tourism at a local recreation center with his wife.
Oleksandr Knyha has been the director of the Mykola Kulish Kherson Regional Academic Music and Drama Theater for over 30 years. He is also an honorary citizen of Kherson and a member of the regional council.
At the start of russia’s full-blown invasion of Ukraine, Oleksandr found himself under occupation. On March 23, 2022, he was arrested by russian forces. After interrogation, he was released, but a few days later, they returned to the theater, attempting to coerce him into cooperation. Determined to escape, Oleksandr managed to flee on April 1, 2022.
Despite these harrowing experiences, he remained committed to his work. In Ukrainian-controlled territory, he prepared for the annual Melpomene of Tavria festival, which had previously been held in Kherson. He also launched the theater in evacuation.
Following the liberation of Kherson on November 11, 2022, Oleksandr and some actors returned to their hometown. Amid ongoing shelling, they performed in art hubs within shelters and bomb shelters, managing to revive several major performances, which were staged at Mykolaiv theaters.
Oleksandr, along with other residents, faced severe flooding due to the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station dam. His house in occupied Oleshky was submerged, with water levels reaching two meters. The house was later looted. During this time, Oleksandr actively participated in flood relief efforts in Kherson.
Oleksandr is available for journalist interviews, welcoming inquiries from both online and offline.
For reference: On June 6, 2023, the russian military destroyed the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant dam in the Kherson region, causing Ukraine nearly $14 billion in damages, according to a report by the UN and the Ukrainian government.
