Themes by tag: Kyiv

To raise awareness about the defenders of Azovstal and other soldiers still held in enemy captivity, a performance entitled “Third Christmas in Captivity” will be held in Lviv, accompanied by peaceful rallies in 24 cities across Ukraine.

Scheduled events:

December 21: Peaceful rallies in Okhtyrka, Pivdennoukrainsk, Chernihiv, Irpin, Vinnytsia, Kolomyia, Zhytomyr, Obukhiv, Poltava, Pavlohrad, and Zaporizhia.

December 22: Peaceful rallies in Kyiv, Uman, Krolevets, Korosten, Ovruch, Cherkasy, Uzhhorod, Mykolaiv, Korostyshiv, Kovel, Kropyvnytskyi, Odesa, Ostroh, and Lviv.

The events are organized by the families of POWs from the Mariupol garrison. The rallies are often attended by Ukrainians who have been released from captivity.

• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Kyiv
• Lviv
• Odesa

On December 23, Kyiv will host the festive event “Warmth of Hearts”: A Christmas Celebration of Faith and Hope” organized by the Command of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in cooperation with the Association of Families of Territorial Defenders of Ukrainian cities.

The purpose of the event is to create a special Christmas atmosphere for the children and relatives of servicemen, families of the missing, prisoners and those who gave their lives for Ukraine’s freedom, and to unite all Ukrainians in these difficult times. Organizers hope to remind Ukrainian society of the importance of kindness and support for one another.

Highlights of the event:

• A concert featuring well-known artists and amateur groups;
• A charity fair organized by the families of territorial defense servicemen from all over Ukraine;
• Interactive activities for children;
• Presentations of volunteer formations of territorial communities;
• A video recording of Christmas wishes near the “Dreams for Ukraine” themed Christmas tree;
• Recording of a Christmas video message for the servicemen of the Territorial Armed Forces.

For security reasons, the location of the event will be announced to registered participants two hours before the event begins.

• culture
• Kyiv

The United States recently hosted the debut of  “Through the Eyes of Children”, a powerful collection of children’s quotes published by HarperCollins Publishers, one of the world’s most renowned publishing houses.  

Originally published in February 2023 by the “Voices of Children” Charitable Foundation, the book aims to draw global attention to the hardships faced by children as a result of russia’s war against Ukraine. Within just three months of its release, HarperCollins Publishers expressed interest and secured the rights to publish the book in the U.S. and worldwide. 

The U.S. book tour took place from December 8 to 14, with events in three cities: New York, Washington, D.C., and New Haven. A signed copy of the book by Tania Vovk was also presented to Timothy Snyder, a Yale professor and a devoted friend of Ukraine. 

The centerpiece of the tour was the presentation of “War Through the Eyes of Ukrainian Children: An Evening of Stories, Discussion, and Reflection”, held on December 13 in New York at the Ukrainian Institute of America, with support from the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the United Nations. 

Among other things, the voices of Ukrainian children, with the support of Rebirth.Ukraine, resonated in the legendary Times Square. 

Journalists can access further details about the book launch in the United States, along with accompanying photos and videos.

• children
• culture
• Kyiv

The War Museum and the Kyiv Koliada community are inviting residents and visitors of Kyiv to partake in traditional Christmas Eve celebrations on December 22.  

Kyivska Koliada, a vibrant community of children and adults, is dedicated to preserving and sharing the rich traditions of caroling in a contemporary urban setting. Since its inception, the group has performed carols for Kyiv audiences twice annually—on December 25 and January 7. Following the Orthodox Church of Ukraine’s adoption of the New Julian calendar, Kyiv Koliada now brings Christmas cheer to Ukrainians on December 25, gathering at central squares and iconic landmarks in the city to proclaim the Savior’s birth.  

This year’s festivities will unfold on the Pechersk Hills, beneath the towering Motherland sculpture, where participants will perform carols and showcase traditional Christmas wreaths.  

Event attendance requires prior accreditation.

• culture
• Kyiv

On December 18, a roundtable discussion titled “Supporting the Development of Distributed Power Generation in Ukrainian Communities.” will be held in Kyiv. JSC Energy Company of Ukraine, the Association CIGRE-Ukraine, and the Association of Small Cities of Ukraine will discuss initiatives to promote the implementation of distributed power generation in Ukrainian communities. During the roundtable, a trilateral memorandum of cooperation will be signed to support municipalities in creating and managing new energy capacities to ensure reliable power supply for the priority needs of the population.

Participants:

– Vitaly Butenko, CEO of JSC Energy Company of Ukraine;

– Pavlo Kozyrev, Chairman of the Association of Small Towns of Ukraine;

– Oleksandr Svetelyk, President of the CIGRE-Ukraine Association;

– Yurii Fomichev, Mayor of Slavutych;

– Roman Vybranovskyi, co-founder of the Ukraine Facility Platform.

Prior accreditation is required to attend the event. 

• Kyiv

On December 21, the War Museum in Kyiv will host the presentation of Chernihiv During the War – 2022: Voices of Living Witnesses, a bilingual collection of firsthand accounts detailing the russian occupation and siege of Chernihiv and its surrounding region between February and April 2022.

The project was initiated by Kateryna Lytvyn, a historian and candidate of historical sciences. At the outset of russia’s all-out invasion, Lytvyn fled Chernihiv to a nearby settlement that remained under occupation for 36 days. Following the region’s liberation, she sought to document the personal stories of Chernihiv residents. Her efforts were supported by the Chernihiv City Council’s Department of Culture and Tourism, along with a group of researchers who have since formed the Chernihiv Research Center for the Anthropology of War. The project’s archive now contains over 350 interviews, 24 of which are featured in this publication and translated into English.

The event will offer attendees a chance to meet the book’s co-editors, including Kateryna Lytvyn, Oleksandr Shevchuk, Svitlana Makhovska, Olena Boriak, Oleksandr Vasianovych, Olha Vorobiei, Anastasiia Pankova, Olha Berezovska, and translator Andrii Shataliuk.

Prior accreditation is required to attend the presentation.

• occupation
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

Before the full-blown war outbreak in February 2022, Capital Tours operated across Kyiv, Lviv, and Odesa, offering guided tours of Ukraine’s landmarks. Svitozar Moiseiv, one of the agency’s guides, led sightseeing tours of the capital. However, the business came to a halt when the war escalated. 

In 2023, Svitozar received an unusual request—foreigners seeking tours of the recently liberated areas around Kyiv. Responding to the demand, he created a six-hour tour covering the outskirts of the capital. The route includes visits to Bucha, Irpin, Borodianka, Hostomel, and Moshchun—places that bear the scars of russian occupation. Svitozar often conducts private tours, beginning by sharing his personal experience at the onset of the invasion, and then taking visitors to sites where the atrocities of the occupiers unfolded. 

Moiseiv notes that most of his clients are foreigners in Kyiv for business or to visit family, and none have traveled to Ukraine solely for the tour. The six-hour tour costs around 150 euros, with a portion of the proceeds donated to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

• occupation
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

On December 17, the Media Center Ukraine will present the study “Anatomy of a Systematic Crime: How russia Persecutes Civilians”. In this new report, the Media Initiative for Human Rights reconstructs crimes committed by russians against civilians during the occupation of the northern regions of Ukraine. The findings show that the persecution of civilians is not a series of isolated acts of brutality by russian soldiers, but rather a systematic, deliberate, and targeted policy by russia’s military and political leadership.

The study is based on 143 in-depth interviews with victims and witnesses analyzed using the specialized I-DOC database, which provides links between individual incidents.

Participants:

– Lyubov Smachylo, Head of the Analytics Department at the Media Initiative for Human Rights (MIHR);

– Anna Rassamakhina, Head of the War and Justice Department at MIHR;

– Lene Wetteland, Head of the Documentation and Accountability Center at the Norwegian Helsinki Committee (online);

– Yuliia, wife of a civilian abducted and tortured at the Antonov airport in Hostomel, Kyiv Oblast.

Discussion topics:

– War crimes committed by the russian army against civilians and crimes against humanity in Kyiv, Chernihiv and Sumy oblasts;

– Deportation routes and places of detention of civilians on the territory of the russian federation;

– Individuals involved in crimes against civilians and crimes against humanity.

Prior registration required.

• russian crimes
• Kyiv

On December 17 in Kyiv, the Association of Relatives of Political Prisoners of the Kremlin and the Center for Civil Liberties will present an analytical report and hold a public discussion on how civilians who independently escaped from russian captivity can prove their imprisonment by the aggressor state.

According to the Ministry of Reintegration as of November 2023, every third attempt to confirm illegal imprisonment of civilians as a result of russian aggression ends in a refusal. As a result, people who were tortured and detained without rights or documents are left without essential state support.

The presentation will be followed by a discussion with the following participants:

• Kateryna Levchenko, lawyer with the Association of Relatives of Political Prisoners of the Kremlin;
• Mykhailo Savva, Doctor of Political Science and member of the Expert Council of the Center for Civil Rights;
• Yuliia Poliekhina, lawyer with the Human Rights Protection Group “Sich” and the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union (online);
• Oleksandr Panchenko, former prisoner released from unlawful detention (online).

Moderator: Ihor Kotelianets, head of the Association of relatives of Kremlin political prisoners.

Registration is required.

• russian crimes
• Kyiv

Olena Lehenchuk, a native of Zhytomyr and mother of four, moved to Spain with her children six years ago. When the full-scale war began, she began volunteering and later became a chaplain (military priest). Now Olena divides her time between Ukraine and Spain, returning to see her children.

Olena serves as a volunteer chaplain. Her duties include providing pastoral care to soldiers, but as she explains, her role has expanded significantly. In addition to spiritual guidance, she provides psychological support.

Chaplain Olena organizes retreats for soldiers and their families, holds weekly meetings for soldiers’ wives, and provides counseling for veterans and those returning from captivity. She also provides general support to the wives of POWs and visits widows.

By prior arrangement, interviews with Olena can be conducted in Kyiv or Poltava, as well as online.

• military
• religion
• women
• Kyiv
• Poltava