Themes by tag: Kyiv

On July 30, Media Center Ukraine will host a presentation of a report on the enforced disappearance of civilians — one of the crimes committed by russia in the occupied territories. It is a practice when the state or its agents arrest a person without due process or simply kidnap them. Victims cannot speak to a lawyer or relatives and are usually instead of prison or detention center they are held in a location where they can’t rely on the protection of the law.

The T4P initiative managed to identify 5,340 victims of enforced disappearances and filed submissions to the International Criminal Court as well as summaries to the UN Working Group, substantiating that russia deliberately and systematically uses this practice, mostly by persecuting people who have a pro-Ukrainian position, have served in the Ukrainian army, police or civil service.

Participants:

• Hanna Ovdiienko — a lawyer, Co-Author of the report,
• Mykola Komarovskyi — a lawyer of the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, Co-Author of the report,
• Oleksandra Romantsova — Executive Director of the Center for Civil Liberties

Prior accreditation is required.

• casualties
• occupation
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

On July 28, a charity run to support Ukraine’s largest children’s hospital Okhmatdyt will be held in Kyiv to commemorate the Medical Workers’ Day.

The goal of the race is to help the hospital recover from the russian missile attack on July 8, 2024 by collecting UAH 1 million.

For reference: As a result of the russian attack on the Okhmatdyt children’s hospital on July 8, 2024, two people died. 32 injured people sought medical help.

• casualties
• children
• dead
• doctors
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

On July 26, a new exhibition celebrating Ukrainian women doctors will open in conjunction with the launch of the Dictionary of Courage project. The media are invited to the event, which includes a press briefing. The photo exhibition coincides with the Day of the Medical Worker, showcasing 24 compelling stories from medical professionals across Ukraine. 

The project aims to craft visual narratives and psychological portraits of these doctors, who are dedicated to saving lives and helping those in dire need. Each interview features a selected keyword that has been incorporated into the Dictionary of Courage.

Participants:

• Serhii Dubrov, First Deputy Minister of Health of Ukraine; 
• Mustafa Elkanzi, Deputy Representative of the United Nations Population Fund in Ukraine (UNFPA);
• Representative of the Embassy of the French Republic in Ukraine; 
• Representative of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ukraine; 
• Nataliia Heinz, neonatologist at the Kyiv Oblast Perinatal Center.  

Media representatives must register by 6:00 PM on July 25.

• culture
• doctors
• Kyiv

On July 28, Kyiv will unveil the exhibition “OLENIVKA: The Quintessence of Cruelty,” marking the second anniversary of the Olenivka terrorist attack. This event, organized in collaboration with the National Museum of the Revolution of Dignity, aims to highlight the suffering endured by Ukrainian prisoners of war.

The exhibition’s opening coincides with an action organized by the Association of Azovstal Defenders’ Families, which has been holding weekly demonstrations across Ukrainian cities. Their posters, featuring slogans such as “They saved us, now we have to save them” and “Fight for them as they fought for us,” call for support for prisoners of war and missing persons under the #FREEAZOVSTALDEFENDERS campaign.

Journalists planning to attend the exhibition must register in advance.

Additionally, on the same day, Kyiv will host a requiem event titled “Olenivka – pain that will never go away.”

For context: The attack occurred on the night of July 29, 2022, when the russian federation targeted a barracks at the Olenivka penal colony, resulting in the deaths of at least 50 Azovstal defenders and injuring over a hundred.

• casualties
• dead
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

Vitalii Lytvyn, raised in a military family, initially pursued a different path—studying at a pedagogical university with aspirations of becoming a legal historian. However, when russia invaded Ukraine in 2014, Lytvyn followed in his grandfather’s and father’s footsteps by enlisting in the army. He began his service with the 4th Kruk Battalion of the National Guard of Ukraine and later transferred to the 4th Rubizh Brigade of the NGU, where he served as a scout. Lytvyn currently leads the same battalion as its commander.

In June 2022, his exceptional bravery earned him the title of Hero of Ukraine. Recently, he became an ambassador for the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation, committed to supporting his former comrades, both active and retired.

Lytvyn is based in Kyiv and is available for interviews with journalists by appointment, either online or in person.

• military
• Kyiv

The Media Center Ukraine will host a panel discussion titled: “Restoring the Ukrainian Economy: Managing Blackouts, Taxes, and Labor” on July 25. 

Participants:

– Hlib Vyshlinsky, Executive Director at the Center for Economic Strategy;

– Andrii Dlihach, Doctor of Economics, CEO of Advanter Group;

– Oleksii Herashchenko, economist, lecturer in finance at Kyiv-Mohyla Business School (KMBS);

– Oleksii Kushch, analyst at the United Ukraine Think Tank (online). 

Topics of focus:

– Impact of blackouts on industry, Ukraine’s GDP, and economic growth;

– Tax legislation and recovery: Essential policy decisions;

– Labor market recovery: Its role and impact on economic growth;

– Government actions needed for economic restoration and growth.

• Kyiv

On July 25, Kyiv will organize a special concert titled “Music that Saves” in honor of Medical Worker’s Day. The event will celebrate doctors and wounded soldiers receiving treatment and will include a presentation on efforts to prevent amputations among military personnel.

Performers at the concert will include Oleh Sobchuk (of SKY), Marta Adamchuk, Dima Libra, Alex Peakman, Daria Minieieva, and Vasyl Lohay. The concert is organized by the National Program #SavetheLimb team.

Prior to the concert, a press cocktail will feature appearances by wounded soldiers who have avoided amputation thanks to the efforts of doctors and the program. These defenders will share their personal stories of injury and recovery.

The event requires accreditation.

For context: #SavetheLimb is the largest program in Ukraine, following the National Health Service of Ukraine, offering support to war victims across over 20 cities. It funds costly limb-saving surgeries that are not covered by state health services.

• casualties
• doctors
• Kyiv

On July 24, Media Center Ukraine will hold a press conference entitled: “Missing 16 Sailors: The Fate of the Crews from the Sunken ‘Sloviansk’ and ‘Stanislav’ Boats.” Two Ukrainian ships sank in the spring of 2022 following missile strikes by the russian forces in the Black Sea. Some of the sailors were saved. The fate of 16 remains unknown. For two years, the United by the Sea NGO, founded by the families of missing sailors, has been collecting information about how the ships went down. However, there is still no information about what happened to the 16 sailors. At the same time, some unofficial reports have started circulating claiming that the sailors were captured by the russians.

During the press conference, representatives of the families of the missing sailors, the Navy Command and the Media Initiative for Human Rights will talk about the search for the crews, attempts to reach the boats, cooperation with the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Maritime Coalition led by the UK and Norway.

Participants:

– Olesia Aulina, Head of the United by the Sea NGO, wife of the missing Damir Aulina, commander of the patrol boat “Sloviansk”;

– Tetiana Sherishorina, mother of the missing Nikita Sherishorin, sailor of the patrol boat “Sloviansk”;

– Olena Bieliachkova, Coordinator for Groups of Families of Prisoners of War at Media Initiative for Human Rights;

– Andrii Ursol, Captain (First Rank), Deputy Commander of the Ukrainian Navy for Moral and Psychological Support, Department Head. 

For reference: The Sloviansk sank on March 3, 2022, in the area between the Kinburn and Tendra spits, 2 km from the coast. The vessel was the first combat casualty of the Ukrainian Navy during russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Stanislav sank on May 7, 2022, 20 meters from Snake Island, it now lies at a depth of about 20 meters.

Pre-registration is required.

• casualties
• military
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

On July 28, Kyiv will host a requiem event entitled “Olenivka – pain that will not go away.” The organizers invite everyone to commemorate the brave and loyal heroes of Ukraine who went through the defense of Mariupol with dignity. The enemy could not defeat all of them on the battlefield, and on the night of July 29, 2022, the adversary made a despicable act and blew up almost 200 Azov soldiers in the colony in occupied Olenivka.

For reference: the defense of Mariupol lasted 86 days, 82 of them – completely besieged. From May 16 to 20, 2022, the Mariupol garrison carried out the order to stop the defense of the city and go into captivity.

On the night of July 29, 2022, the russian federation committed a terrorist attack, setting off an explosion in the barracks of the penal colony in Olenivka, which housed Ukrainian prisoners of war. At least 50 defenders of Azovstal were killed in the act.

• casualties
• dead
• military
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

The Center for Civil Liberties invites journalists to cover the important topic entitled “Ukrainian prisoners who were forcibly taken to the russian federation: problems of returning them.”

According to Olena Vysotska, Deputy Minister of Justice, within the first days of the full-scale invasion, 11 penal institutions with almost 3,000 prisoners and staff found themselves in the occupation. According to the Protection for Prisoners of Ukraine NGO, about 2,000 people who were serving sentences in places of deprivation of liberty were deported from Kherson region alone. On the territory of the russian federation and temporarily occupied territories, prisoners are tortured and subjected to abuse. russians passports are forced on imprisoned Ukrainians while they are in captivity.

The organizers are ready to help journalists with getting in touch with:

– Experts for interviews and comments,

– People who went through this experience.

Also, on July 31, journalists can take part in the human rights club on this topic, where they will have an opportunity to talk with experts, representatives of the Ministry of Justice and former prisoners. (The event requires registration).

• occupation
• russian crimes
• Kyiv