Themes by tag: Kyiv

January 2026 began with high-profile exposures: law enforcement uncovered a 3-billion UAH scheme involving defective mortar shells, while an investigative report revealed thousands of cans of inedible meat approved by official labs for frontline troops. This is only the tip of the iceberg regarding substandard defence supplies in the fifth year of the full-scale war.

Why did the decades-old “Military Representation” system fail to prevent systemic malpractice — from substituting meat with tendons to delivering faulty ammunition? How will the new reform, built on NATO standards and launched in Ukraine this year, put an end to this era of failure?

On April 21, as part of the “Defence Talks” series, the Independent Anti-Corruption Commission (NAKO), in partnership with the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine and the State Operator for Non-Lethal Acquisition (DOT), will analyze a fundamental shift in the rules of the game: the Government Quality Assurance (GQA) system. This event serves as a milestone in the strategic roadmap between the Public Anti-Corruption Council (GARC MoD) and the Main Directorate for GQA, who have joined forces to implement anti-corruption policies and new control standards within the Armed Forces.

SPEAKERS:

• Mstyslav Banik, Deputy Minister of Defence of Ukraine (TBD);
• Viktor Byvalkevych, Colonel of Justice, Department for Prevention and Detection of Corruption, MoD;
• Stanislav Haider, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, State Operator for Non-Lethal Acquisition (DOT);
• Anastasiia Shuba, Representative of the Public Anti-Corruption Council (GARC), MoD;
• Yevhen Krasnikov, Head of the Main Directorate for Government Quality Assurance, MoD;
• Olena Tregub, Executive Director of NAKO.

Accreditation for the event is required by April 20, 9:00 PM (the address will be provided upon confirmation of accreditation). 

Background: “Defence Talks” is a high-level discussion platform organized by NAKO for government officials, diplomats, and civil society to address critical challenges in the security and defence sector.

NAKO (The Independent Anti-Corruption Commission) is an NGO dedicated to strengthening Ukraine’s resilience through independent research and advocacy. NAKO provides institutional, legal, and communication support to the MoD’s Main Directorate for Government Quality Assurance in its mission to implement NATO-compliant reforms.

• military
• Kyiv

The NGO “Steel Hearts of Relatives of the 32nd Separate Mechanised Brigade” invites families of missing persons, prisoners of war, and all concerned citizens to join a joint car rally in Kyiv on April 25.

This will be more than just a column of vehicles. It is the voice of families who live each day between hope and pain — the voice of those waiting for the return of their loved ones, missing in action or held in captivity by Ukrainian servicemen.

• prisoners
• Kyiv

On April 16 The War Museum will host an event dedicated to the establishment and activities of the Kyiv Regional Center for National Resistance Training. This is one of Ukraine’s largest projects focused on preparing civilians for resistance.

The Center was the first to recruit veterans of the russo-Ukrainian War as instructors, achieving significant results through their dedicated work. Today, national resistance efforts in the Kyiv region serve as a model for similar organizations and actively contribute to the development of a nationwide network of training centers.

Speakers will discuss the organization’s history, the specifics of the training process, and how citizens can join the preparatory courses. A Q&A session will follow, offering attendees the opportunity to engage directly with the speakers and ask pressing questions.

Speakers:

Anastasiia Rymar – Officer of the 3rd Separate Army Corps, Founder of the Center

Volodymyr Avdieienko – Veteran of the russo-Ukrainian War, Head of the Center

Journalists are required to be accredited for the event.

• culture
• military
• Kyiv

A presentation of the book “Guide to Military Leadership” will take place in Kyiv on April 16.

In the context of an existential struggle for independence, leadership is no longer just a position — it is a matter of survival. Leading military experts and combat officers (Oleh Boiko, Mykhailo Drapatyi, Hennadii Verkholantsev, Mykhailo Tsymbal, Viktor Shydliukh) will present the publication, which offers practical tools for preparing individuals to face modern challenges.

We live in an environment where the old model of peaceful life no longer works. Decisions must be made quickly, responsibility must be shared, and trust must be built consciously. The book systematically explains:

• how the roles of leaders and teams are changing;
• how their interaction is structured;
• what makes a unit resilient in critical conditions.

Participants of the presentation:

• Oleh Boiko (“Case”) — researcher of military leadership;
• Hennadii Verkholantsev (“Znakhар”) — leadership coaching researcher;
• Serhii Alymov (“Hrom”) — entrepreneur, volunteer, lecturer in military leadership.

Moderator — Inessa Kravchenko, PhD, publisher of “Koleso Zhyttia”, co-owner of an investment holding, philanthropist.

Media accreditation is required.

Background: The book was published by “Koleso Zhyttia” publishing house. The event is supported by the “Liudyna Dyvo Svitu” project.

• culture
• Kyiv

Since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, Franky and Сoen — two Dutch entrepreneurs — have been continuously providing humanitarian assistance across Ukraine. What began as a small initiative at the Polish border, where they distributed free French fries to refugees, has grown into a large-scale humanitarian effort spanning the country, including frontline areas.

Today, their work includes:

• distributing hundreds of thousands of hot meals;
• evacuating people and animals from frontline areas;
• delivering medical supplies, food, and humanitarian aid;
• providing financial support to vulnerable families;
• operating a shelter for internally displaced people in Dnipro (Holland House); a second Holland House is set to open in western Ukraine in the coming months, expanding support capacity for more than 100 additional people;
• organizing recovery trips for children affected by the war.

The volunteers are well known in the Netherlands not only for their work in Ukraine but also for how they communicate it. Through social media, documentaries, and national television, they bring the reality of the war directly into Dutch homes.

Franky and Сoen experienced the reality of war firsthand while dining at the Ria Pizza restaurant in Kramatorsk. On June 27, 2023, a russian missile strike hit the city center, killing 13 people and injuring 64 others, including the Dutch volunteers.

By prior arrangement, journalists can meet Franky and Сoen in Kyiv (April 15), Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, and the Donbas region. Online interviews are also available.

• casualties
• food
• russian crimes
• volunteers
• Kyiv
• evacuation

A presentation of the book “Our Long Road to April” by Mykola Shteynberg will take place on April 22 in Kyiv.

Mykola Shteynberg rose through the ranks from reactor operator, shift supervisor, and workshop head at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant to become its chief engineer during the most difficult post-accident period. He also headed a commission within the governmental committee investigating the causes and circumstances of the April 26, 1986 accident at Unit 4 of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

During the event, attendees will have the opportunity to speak with the author and learn more about the disaster.

Registration is required to attend.

• culture
• Kyiv

For the third consecutive year, spring songs, circle dances, chants, psalms, and choral music will be performed under Easter bells inside Saint Sophia Cathedral and in the courtyard of the Saint Sophia of Kyiv National Reserve.

The programme includes:

• blessing of Easter baskets;
• a folk art fair;
• a festive Easter bell performance at the 17th-century bell tower;
• performances by folk groups Roksolaniia, ShchukaRyba, Mykhailove Chudo, Stodyvnytsia, Shumia, and Yevshan-Zillia, as well as flute players Ivan Prudko and Yevhen Dmytrychenko;
• a children’s programme on spring traditions;
• traditional Easter egg games;
• charity workshops;
• performances showcasing kobzar and lirnyk traditions by Taras Kozub, Mykola Tovkailo, Zhdan Bezverbnyi, Dmytro Radchenko, Vitalii Kobzar, Eduard Drach, Taras Dorotskyi, Oles Sanin, Roman Lysenko, and Yurii Kocherzhynskyi;
• a shared meal for participants and guests;
• the Easter communal performance VOLODAR, featuring circle dances, traditional kryvi dances, and games from different regions of Ukraine;
• a traditional ritual of singing for married couples based on the customs of Rozkoshivka village in Vinnytsia region;
• a ceremonial singing procession around the cathedral;
• traditional dances with the group ShchukaRyba.

Journalists can request the full programme of the event.

Background: Easter at Saint Sophia of Kyiv revives traditional Easter customs in the historic and cultural heart of Kyiv. The event is jointly organised by the National Reserve Sophia of Kyiv and the Ivan Honchar National Center of Folk Culture, in partnership with the Vytoky project by Zagoriy Foundation.

• culture
• Kyiv

A meeting with representatives of the UAV Systems Battalion “Viy” of the 18th Sloviansk Brigade, 2nd Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine “Khartiia,” will take place on April 18 in Poltava and Kyiv.

During the event, battalion representatives will speak about the unit’s combat operations, training, and daily life, as well as outline the key skills civilians should start developing now to join the team.

Participants will learn:

• how the UAV Systems Battalion “Viy” was established,
• what types of drones the unit operates and the missions they perform,
• how training is conducted and how service members’ daily routines are organized,
• how to join the unit and what positions are currently open,
• which skills are essential to develop now for effective service in the military.

Registration is required to attend the event.

• military
• Kyiv
• Poltava

Dentist Ivanna Romanchuk joined the medical volunteer missions of FRIDA Ukraine in 2023. During deployments, she primarily provides surgical care. She says that people living near the front line often endure pain and discomfort for long periods because they have no access to dental care. As a result, even routine dental conditions frequently progress to stages where tooth extraction becomes the only option.

One of the most dramatic cases Ivanna encountered took place in the Kherson region during one of her first missions with FRIDA Ukraine. A week earlier, russian forces had destroyed the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant. Despite this, the long-planned visit by the medical team went ahead.

Artillery shelling continued, and the team was preparing to evacuate the location. But one more patient came to see Ivanna — an elderly man. While she was extracting his tooth, one of the roots slipped into the maxillary sinus. Performing an X-ray under those conditions was impossible. Ivanna decided to carry out a maxillary sinusotomy — a surgical procedure in which the sinus is opened and cleared — as she could not leave the patient without care.

“The siren is wailing — it all feels surreal. The drivers had already packed everything, we were being told to leave the hospital, and I managed to perform this procedure for the first time in my life. In private clinics, we don’t often do this,” Ivanna recalls.

A few weeks later, the medical team returned. The same elderly man was the first to greet them — he was doing well.

Ivanna continues to take part in the missions, describing her motivation simply: “I keep doing this because it’s what I do best — and it’s truly needed.”

By prior arrangement, journalists can speak with Ivanna in Kyiv or online.

Background: FRIDA Ukraine’s medical volunteer missions involve regular deployments of teams of doctors to frontline and remote communities across Ukraine. Each mission includes more than 20 specialists from various fields, including neurology, surgery, gynecology, internal medicine, and dermatology. During these visits, local residents receive free consultations, examinations, and tests. The team has also recently introduced cancer screening services.

• doctors
• volunteers
• Kyiv

Participants: 

– Kateryna Levchenko, Government Commissioner for Gender Policy;

– Anna-Maria Chaykovska, Advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration;

– Oleksandra Tselishcheva, Researcher at Open Space Works Ukraine;

– Natalia Karbovska, Ukrainian Women’s Fund (to be confirmed)

– Representative of the British Embassy (to be confirmed)

Topics for discussion: 

– State gender policy over the past 8 years;

– The contribution of the Government Commissioner and the Office to the development of state gender policy;

– Results of the analysis of cooperation between the state, civil society, and international partners;

– Key challenges and constraints in policy implementation;

– Practical recommendations for further development and strengthening of institutional capacity.

On April 8, Media Center Ukraine is working without simultaneous translation, all events will be broadcast only in Ukrainian.

• Kyiv