Themes by tag: Kyiv

An analysis of a North Korean KN-23/24 missile, downed by Ukrainian forces in the Poltava region in September, reveals that it contains microelectronics manufactured by companies from the U.S., Switzerland, and the U.K. The Independent Anti-Corruption Commission (NAKO), which examined the missile’s wreckage, found that most of the components were produced by American firms, with a total of seven manufacturers identified. Some parts were made as recently as 2021, 2022, and 2023.

On October 17 in Kyiv, NAKO will present a detailed analysis, shedding light on how Western-made components ended up in North Korean weaponry. The briefing will explore the origins of these components and address the challenges in regulating the flow of microelectronics across domestic and international markets.

Participants:

• Vladyslav Vlasiuk, Ukraine’s Presidential Commissioner for Sanctions Policy;
• Agiya Zagrebelska, Director for Partnership Development, Economic Security Council of Ukraine (ESCU);
• Olena Tregub, Executive Director of the Independent Anti-Corruption Commission (NAKO);
• Victoria Vyshnivska, Senior Researcher at the Independent Anti-Corruption Commission (NAKO). 

Journalists wishing to attend the event must be accredited by October 16 at 5:00 p.m.

Background: Since the start of russia’s all-out invasion, NAKO experts have examined over 2,500 components from 30 pieces of russian military equipment, including fighter jets, a Ka-52 “Alligator” attack helicopter, Kalibr missiles, and Iranian drones. The investigation found that 2,000 of these parts came from 22 countries, predominantly Western, with 64% sourced from U.S.-based companies.

• russian crimes
• weapon
• Kyiv

Save Ukraine has established Hope and Healing Centers to offer essential support to children and families displaced by the ongoing war. These centers serve as safe spaces for children returning from russia and families evacuated from combat zones, providing a comprehensive range of services including temporary housing, humanitarian aid, legal assistance, and psychological rehabilitation. Each family is given a personalized program designed to help them recover from the trauma of war and adapt to their new circumstances.

Journalists are invited to visit and report on the work of the Hope and Healing Centers in the Kyiv region.

For reference: russia’s full-scale invasion has displaced and traumatized millions of Ukrainian children, with many forcibly taken to russia. Save Ukraine is a charitable organization dedicated to helping vulnerable families with children through three key initiatives: facilitating the return of children from occupied territories and russia, evacuating families from war zones, and providing rehabilitation and reintegration services within local communities.

• casualties
• children
• psychological support
• Kyiv

For over a decade, Oleksandr Chaika taught acrobatics with parkour elements to children. But when russia launched its full-scale invasion, he joined the Defense Forces and was deployed to the frontlines in Luhansk. He first fought in Lysychansk and later in Popasna. On April 6, 2022, a tank shell hit the trench where Oleksandr was stationed, injuring both of his legs. The damage was severe, and doctors had no choice but to amputate one limb.

Oleksandr traveled to the United States for a prosthetic fitting, receiving a waist-level prosthesis that demands immense physical effort and control over his back and core muscles just to walk.

After completing rehabilitation, he returned to Kyiv, where the parents of his former students urged him to start teaching again. He opened his own acrobatics studio, but demand quickly outgrew the space. The veteran soon expanded, opening a second location. Oleksandr not only plans to continue training children but also hopes to support fellow veterans in adapting to life with prostheses.

Oleksandr Chaika is currently based in Kyiv and is available for interviews with journalists both online and in person, upon request.

• casualties
• military
• Kyiv

The Ukrainian YouTube channel “Zahіn Kinomaniv” and the Serhiy Prytula Charitable Foundation will host a closed charity premiere of the film “The Kurbas Phenomenon” in Kyiv on October 16.

“The Kurbas Phenomenon” is a documentary film about the Ukrainian director, actor, playwright, founder of the Young Theatre and the Berezil Theatre, Les Kurbas. It tells the story of a man who created beautiful things in the darkest of times, and how one person can change an entire industry and inspire an entire generation.

The film was made by the team of “Zahіn Kinomaniv”, the authors are Vitaliy Gordienko and Stanislav Veselskyi. The composer is Ehor Hrushyn and the animation was made by Anastasiia Falileieva.

The event will be attended by members of the film team, as well as Ukrainian public figures and bloggers. The presentation will include a charity auction of exclusive film merchandise designed by the team.

Prior accreditation is required.

• culture
• Kyiv

A command and staff exercise to simulate the evacuation of people from a residential multi-storey building will take place in Irpin, Kyiv Oblast. 

The main goal of the exercise is to train the coordination of actions of authorities and their subordinate emergency services in the event of an emergency.

The exercises will involve 15 units of specialized equipment and more than 50 emergency responders, including fire, police, utility, medical and public safety services.

Journalists will need to be accredited for the event.

Note: The event date is to be confirmed.

• Kyiv

Tyler and Nikki Chay are a couple of athletes from the USA. The couple launched the project “Don’t Can’t for Ukraine”, as part of which Tyler and Nikki have entered the third week of marathons. Five days a week, the runners cover the distance from the Romanian border to Zaporizhia. The goal of the project is to run 1,250 kilometers to support Ukraine and remind the world that the war between russia and Ukraine still goes on. In addition, the couple aims to raise funds for the Mariupol Chaplains Battalion and the Pilgrim Republic orphanage, which was forced to evacuate from Mariupol.

Since the project began, Tyler and Nikki have run 22 marathons and covered over 1,000 kilometers. On October 15, the couple will arrive in the capital to run their final leg from the Motherland monument to St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Cathedral. The athletes invite journalists to a press conference that will be held on Mykhailivs’ka Square after the marathon.

• volunteers
• Kyiv

On October 15, the Media Center Ukraine will host a press conference to introduce the project “Kobzarstvo. Epic Tradition” along with unveiling the DUMA portal, designed to bolster the recognition of UNESCO’s “Safeguarding Programme for the Kobza and Wheel Lyre Tradition” and to preserve and promote the culture of Ukrainian kobzars.

The event will also showcase various creative elements of the project, including live performances by kobza musicians, educational films, and kobza “business cards.” Attendees will learn about the important role kobzars have played throughout history, especially during times of war.

Participants:

– Oles Sanin, Ukrainian filmmaker, actor, producer, and lyre player;

– Taras Kompanichenko, cultural activist, kobzar, bandura and lyre player, senior soldier of the 241st Separate Territorial Defence Brigade;

– Mykola Tovkailo, kobzar, archaeologist, priest, and leader of the Kyiv-based Kobzarskyi Tsekh (Kobzar Guild);

– Taras Dorotskyi, kobzar, lyre player, and member of the Lviv-based Kobzarskyi Tsekh (Kobzar Guild). 

For reference:

In late 2022, the “Kobzar-Lirnyk Tradition” (kobzarstvo) was added to Ukraine’s National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. This year, Ukraine submitted a nomination for the “Safeguarding Programme of Kobza and Wheel Lyre Tradition” to be included in UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List, with the Ukrainian request prioritized for 2024 review.

Additionally, October 17 marks the International Day of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

• culture
• Kyiv

The Kyiv Unbroken Marathon will return to the capital on October 12-13, with ambitious plans to raise UAH 10 million for charitable causes. Since its inception in 2010, the marathon has centered on philanthropy, and this year, proceeds will benefit the Ukrainian army and various charitable initiatives.

The event will see participation from soldiers who are recovering from injuries, including Invictus Games champion Volodymyr Tovkis and marines Rostyslav Prystupa and Dmytro Tereshchenko, among others.

Participants can choose from multiple race distances, including 42 km, 21 km, 10 km, 5 km, and a 1.6 km option, with children’s races also scheduled.

Although the race’s founder, Dmytro Chernitskyi, and project manager, Ivan Tretyakov, have been mobilized into the Defense Forces, the organizational team is committed to ensuring the event’s success.

• military
• Kyiv

On October 13, Kyiv will host a gathering of veterans enrolled in the Veteran’s Hut program, an initiative aimed at preparing veterans and their families to serve as professional psychologists for other service members. The event will feature a tango therapy session and include the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation between the Kyiv Region Security Police and the Veteran’s Hut NGO, solidifying joint efforts in educational, cultural, and social projects.

The event will bring together veterans from the program’s inaugural cohort, currently pursuing master’s degrees in psychology, along with new participants set to begin their training at the end of October. Leading the tango therapy session will be Yurii Kadyrov, who specializes in using dance as a rehabilitation tool to support the physical and emotional recovery of combatants and their families.

For context: The Veteran’s Hut project launched in spring 2024, offering psychological rehabilitation and university preparation for veterans. Designed by Psy.D. Oleksandr Tkachenko, a veteran of the russia-Ukraine war, the program aims to train veterans to work effectively with their peers. The first cohort comprised 20 participants, most of whom are now enrolled in the psychology program at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.

Yurii Kadyrov, a Kyiv native, previously lived and ran a business in Crimea before the 2014 russian occupation forced him to abandon his home and livelihood on the peninsula. Today, he uses his experience and training to aid other veterans in their recovery journey.

The event is organized by the Kyiv Region Security Police.

• military
• psychological support
• Kyiv

Olha Hrabovska combines her work as a strategic communications manager for an international organization with volunteering. When Olha learned about the urgent need for drones on the front lines, she decided that she should try to make at least one. Olha even involved her family – her father and sister – in assembling the “kakanchyky drones”, as she affectionately calls them because they remind her of cockatoo birds.

Olha raised money for the parts online, ordered the components, and picked up a soldering iron. She built her first drone following a video tutorial and under the close supervision of her father, who eventually took over most of the soldering. Since then, Olha and her family have managed to send 80 drones, or five “flocks” as she calls them, to the front lines.

Olha Hrabovska is based in Kyiv. She is available to speak with journalists both online and offline by prior arrangement.

• volunteers
• women
• Kyiv