Themes by tag: Kyiv

Medical Center Orthotics & Prosthetics (MCOP) has provided high-tech prosthetics and rehabilitation services for people with amputations of varying severity for more than 20 years. For 17 years, the center served as an official partner of the U.S. Department of Defense in providing prosthetic care for military personnel involved in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Since March 2025, MCOP has been operating in Kyiv. Thanks to advanced prosthetics and rehabilitation programs provided by the center, more than 100 Ukrainian veterans have already been able to return to civilian life, resume hobbies, find employment, and start families.

The center provides free prosthetic programs under Ukrainian government resolutions No. 321 and No. 518, as well as within the framework of the $11.6 million grant project “Iceland Supports Mobility in Ukraine” and a joint project with Razom for Ukraine focused on bionic upper-limb prosthetics.

Media representatives are invited to visit MCOP Ukraine in Kyiv, where they will have an opportunity to speak with the founders and staff of the center, as well as veterans undergoing prosthetic treatment. Visits and interviews are arranged individually with the center’s press office.

• casualties
• doctors
• Kyiv

An event dedicated to the military oath ceremony and the enlistment of cadets from the Military Training Department of the State Tax University into the Volunteer Territorial Community Formations (DFTG) of Irpin and Bucha will take place in the Kyiv region.

The initiative is the first pilot project of its kind approved by the Command of Ukraine’s Territorial Defense Forces. Its goal is to improve the training of future officers by combining academic education with practical experience in community defense.

Key topics of the event include:

• Integration into the Territorial Defense Forces: cadets will take part in protecting local communities.
• Emerging technologies: training young people to operate unmanned systems within DFTG units.
• Leadership development: preparing a new generation of officers equipped with modern tactical skills and resilience.

Media will receive information about the time and location of the event following accreditation.

• Kyiv

FRIDA Ukraine runs first aid training sessions for civilians with no medical background. The sessions are designed for people who want to be prepared to act in critical situations and provide lifesaving assistance before professional medics arrive.

Since launching the initiative, the organization has already held more than 100 training sessions. As part of the specialized Stop the Bleed course, participants learn how to:

• stop life-threatening bleeding;
• act effectively under stress and time pressure;
• provide assistance in trauma situations;
• respond to road accidents and other emergencies.

The trainings take place in multiple formats — from sessions at FRIDA’s office to field-based and simulation exercises using realistic scenarios. The main focus is on practical skills that help people make quick decisions and potentially save lives.

By prior arrangement, journalists can attend and cover FRIDA Ukraine’s civilian first aid trainings in Kyiv. The organization can also conduct first aid training sessions for international media teams.

• doctors
• volunteers
• Kyiv

Diana Berg is originally from Donetsk. In 2014, when russia first attacked Ukraine, she became one of the co-organizers of the “Donetsk Is Ukraine” rallies. Later, she was forced to leave her hometown due to threats to her life. Her new home became Mariupol, where in 2016 she founded the art platform TU!

Diana and her husband were in Mariupol when the full-scale invasion began. On March 4, 2022, they managed to evacuate and reach Lviv. Soon after, the couple began helping other Ukrainians escape territories occupied by russia. What started as a volunteer effort later grew into the NGO Vyvezemo (“We Will Evacuate”).

Since its launch, the organization has helped evacuate more than 5,000 people from occupied territories. Today, such missions have become significantly more difficult, but they continue.

Diana Berg is available for interviews online or in person in Kyiv by prior arrangement.

• occupation
• women
• Kyiv
• evacuation

On May 16–17, the MHP Run4Victory Kyiv Marathon will take place in central Kyiv. For the first time since the start of the full-scale war, the event will open its city routes for mass participation. All registration fees and donations will go toward prosthetic treatment for Ukrainian servicemen and servicewomen through the Protez Foundation.

Participants can choose from several distances depending on their level of preparation:

• 42 km — full marathon for experienced runners
• 21 km — half marathon for trained participants
• 10 km — endurance race
• 5 km and 2 km — introductory and charity runs
• 500 m — “People Titans” inclusive race
• 500 m — pet-friendly race (all distances allow participation with dogs)
• Online distance — participate remotely from anywhere
• Free children’s races: 500 m, 300 m, and 100 m

Background: The event is organized for the third consecutive year by MHP in partnership with the MHP-Hromadi Charity Foundation. The sports organizer is NewRun.

• culture
• Kyiv

Participants: 

– Alona Krytsuk, Director and Co-founder of  Brave to Rebuild;

– Kateryna Raputa, Coordinator for Shelling Recovery at Brave to Rebuild;

– Natalia Klimova, Coordinator of the Askold and Dir Foundation;

– Maksym Petrenko, Head of the NGO National Platform of Homeowners’ Associations;

– Representative of the Dnipro District State Administration of Kyiv

Topics for discussion: 

– Challenges faced by Kyiv residents affected by enemy shelling; 

– Step-by-step instructions, contact information for services, and application templates—everything needed to take action after a strike;

– Presentation of the POKROKOVO project (pokrokovo.in.ua). 
Media accreditation by 12:00 PM on May 3.

• casualties
• Kyiv

On May 2, a rally in support of prisoners of war and those missing will take place in Bucha, Kyiv region, under the title “Voices of Silence.”

Such peaceful gatherings have been held in the city since early 2026. Everyone who cares is encouraged to join to support Ukrainian defenders and their families, who are waiting every day for their loved ones to return.

Background: The rallies are organized by the NGO Voices of Silence, founded by the wives, mothers, sisters, and children of those who went missing while defending Ukraine.

• military
• prisoners
• Kyiv

Participants: 

– Ihor Bezkaravaynyi, Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture of Ukraine; 

– Volodymyr Baida, Director of the Center for Humanitarian Demining.

 Topics for discussion: 

– Scaling Ukraine’s humanitarian demining experience globally, and what practices Ukraine can adopt; 

– Processing and disposal of explosive ordnance: is this relevant for Ukraine now? 

– What initiatives is the Center implementing regarding the disposal of explosive ordnance?

• Kyiv
• demining

On April 30, journalists will be shown unique exhibits from the period of the Ukrainian War of Independence (1917–1921) at the National Museum of the History of Ukraine. One of the largest collections of artifacts from the period of the Ukrainian Revolution was preserved for decades by the Ukrainian diaspora in Canada.

The collection was safeguarded thanks to the Ukrainian Military-Historical Museum and the archive of the Ukrainian Free Academy of Sciences in Canada. It will form the basis of the upcoming exhibition “THE PATH OF HEROES. In Memory of Symon Petliura.”

Speakers at the event include:

• Olena Zemliana, Director-General of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine
• Bohdan Patryliak, curator of the exhibition “THE PATH OF HEROES. In Memory of Symon Petliura”
• Artem Mykolaichuk, Head of the Board of the Pylyp Orlyk Foundation
• Yaryna Yasynevych, Program Director of the Pylyp Orlyk Foundation

For the first time, journalists will be presented with relics revealing stories of Ukraine’s struggle for independence in the 20th century, including:

• the regimental banner of the 2nd Uman Regiment of Cossack Cavalry of the Separate Cavalry Division of the UPR Army
• pennants from the car of Symon Petliura
• a Ukrainian People’s Republic passport belonging to UPR Army Colonel Oleksandr Vyshnivskyi
• drawings by Mykola Bytynskyi from the album “The Army of the Ukrainian People’s Republic in the Liberation Struggle 1917–1921. Uniforms”
• a regimental bugle instrument of the 4th Cavalry Regiment of the 4th Kyiv Rifle Division of the UPR Army

In total, more than 1,500 objects and 123 boxes of archival materials (documents and photographs) were returned from Canada to Ukraine. These artifacts are not only museum items but direct evidence of the struggle for Ukrainian statehood in the 20th century. For those forced to leave Ukraine, this work was not only academic research but also a form of resistance and preservation of memory about the liberation struggle abroad.

The collection was returned in December last year. The museum is now preparing a large-scale exhibition, “THE PATH OF HEROES. In Memory of Symon Petliura,” scheduled to open at the end of May. The exhibition is dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the death of Symon Petliura, Head of the Directorate of the UPR and Chief Otaman of the UPR Army.

During the event, a Memorandum of Cooperation will be signed between the museum and the Pylyp Orlyk Foundation.

Journalists are required to obtain accreditation for the event.

• culture
• Kyiv

Journalists are invited to the presentation of the Human Rights Reforms Map — an analytical online tool developed by the Center for Civil Liberties to demonstrate how Ukrainian legislation and human rights practices align with EU standards. The event will take place on May 6 in Kyiv (the exact location will be shared with confirmed participants).

The Map provides a convenient way to see the whole picture: what has already been achieved, what challenges remain, and what changes could accelerate Ukraine’s path to EU membership. It is also a tool for planning further reforms, including the development and adoption of the National Human Rights Strategy until 2035.

Following the presentation, a discussion will take place with the participation of EU and Ukrainian representatives and human rights defenders, where they will seek answers to the following questions:

• Which human rights issues are the priority in the EU integration process?
• Which issues will be very difficult for Ukraine to change, and how can they be accelerated?
• To what extent does the EU integration process in the field of human rights correlate with the draft National Human Rights Strategy until 2035?
• Are compromises possible in meeting these requirements for EU accession, and are there red lines without which EU membership will be impossible?

Representatives of civil society, government institutions, media, and international partners are invited to participate.

The event will be held in Ukrainian with simultaneous interpretation into English.

For those who cannot attend in person, the organizers will provide an online broadcast.

Journalists are required to obtain accreditation for the event.

• Kyiv