Themes by tag: Kyiv

A screening of the documentary “Dance With Fire” will take place at the War Museum in Kyiv on May 12.

The film tells the story of Vadym Khlupianets — a ballet performer with the Kyiv National Academic Operetta Theatre who traded the stage for the battlefield and was killed defending Ukraine’s independence.

After the start of russia’s aggression against Ukraine in 2014, Khlupianets was forced to leave his hometown of Donetsk and relocate to the Zhytomyr region. A graduate of the Kyiv Choreographic School, he worked at the Kyiv National Academic Operetta Theatre before joining Ukraine’s defense forces following russia’s full-scale invasion.

He first served in the ranks of Ukraine’s Territorial Defense Forces before later joining the Freedom Legion of the National Guard of Ukraine. Vadym Khlupianets was killed at the age of 26 on Nov. 15, 2022, during battles near Bakhmut in the Donetsk region.

The event will also feature a meeting with the film’s creators, including Memorial Platform co-founder Haiane Avakian and the film’s director, Diana Zhvinklis.

Journalists are required to obtain accreditation.

Background: The screening is organized jointly with the Memorial Platform.

• dead
• military
• Kyiv

Liudmyla Lysenko is a pastry chef who has lived in Bucha since 2016. She and her family were at home when russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. After fighting began, the family evacuated to the Rivne region. But in April 2022, following the liberation of the Kyiv region from russian forces, they returned home. Lysenko recalls Bucha as devastated — without electricity, water or reliable communication.

In 2024, she decided to join Ukraine’s defense forces because she wanted to help the country. After completing training, Lysenko joined the “Bucha Witches,” a mobile air defense unit operating within the Bucha Volunteer Territorial Community Formation and tasked with intercepting enemy drones.

She now serves as commander of a mobile fire group. Although she is not an active-duty service member, after returning from combat duty she goes back to civilian life and bakes custom cakes to order.

Liudmyla Lysenko is available for interviews both online and in person in the Kyiv region by prior arrangement and coordination with the press officer.

• women
• Kyiv

On May 9-10, Kyiv will host the premiere of the Veterans Theater production “Wake Up, Head” (“Razduplis, Galava”).

The sound therapy performance, based on the play “Razduplis, Galava,” tells a story of personal transformation possible only on the edge of life and death. It explores the search for inner support when all external sources of stability have become too fragile to rely on. The production also reflects on what a person turns to and longs for when both their inner and outer worlds descend into chaos — and on the path toward the divine.

The sound therapy and meditative performance seeks to immerse the audience in an open state of consciousness and reach the deepest corners of the soul through words and sound. The sound healing practice used in the production employs instruments that directly interact with the nervous system and can significantly improve emotional well-being. In times of war, healing and recovery have become necessities that should not be neglected.

The production was created by Dmytro Susiekov, Velimir Horyslavets, Mykyta Poliakov and Alia Kholba.

Background: Veterans Theater is a social and artistic project launched through a collaboration between the Communications Service of the Command of Ukraine’s Territorial Defense Forces (TDF Media) and the Theater of Playwrights.

The idea for Veterans Theater emerged in response to the urgent need for therapeutic support for veterans of russia’s war against Ukraine returning from the front line. The project combines art therapy and theater, serving as a platform for creativity, recovery and dialogue, where participants use dramaturgy and acting to speak about their experiences and transform them into art. It brings together veterans, their loved ones and civilians who have lived through traumatic experiences.

• culture
• 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