Themes by tag: Kyiv

What could a tribunal for russia’s aggression against Ukraine look like, and will it happen? How does the changing geopolitical landscape affect the prosecution of war criminals? Is Ukraine’s national justice system prepared to investigate war crimes?

The global initiative “Tribunal for putin” (T4P) invites media representatives, international organizations, and members of government and civil society to present its work and discuss the future of justice. The event will take place in Kyiv on 25 March.

Over the past three years, the initiative — which includes some 40 civil society organizations — has been documenting incidents in all regions of Ukraine that bear the hallmarks of crimes under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. To date, nearly 85,000 such cases have been documented.

Speakers:
– Yevhen Zakharov, Director, Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group;
– Vladlena Padun, Analyst, Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union;
– Zera Kozlyieva, Legal Director, Truth Hounds;
– Yuliia Bohdan, Director, Centre of Law Enforcement Activities Research (CLEAR);
– Ihor Kotelianets, Head of the Board, Association of Relatives of Political Prisoners of the Kremlin.

Moderator: Oleksandra Romantsova, Executive Director, Center for Civil Liberties.

Registration is required to attend.

• russian crimes
• Kyiv

“Auto Mechanic” is a free training course for women within the OnTrack program of the Reskilling Ukraine project.

The course is designed to train future specialists in vehicle maintenance and repair. The curriculum includes basic knowledge about the structure, working principles and technical characteristics of modern automobiles.

The course will begin in Kyiv on April 7, with 15 women participating.

Background: Reskilling Ukraine is a project of the Swedish non-profit organization Beredskapslyftet, implemented in Ukraine. It focuses on free training programs for women and veterans to help them start careers in new fields.

• women
• Kyiv

On March 19, the Media Center Ukraine will host a press conference titled: “The future of space technology in Ukraine: The way to the first student-built space instrument and the development of engineering initiatives.”

Participants:

– Dmytro Khmara, Founder of the startups MySat and AeroBavovna;

– Ivan Syniavskyi, Head of the Department for Atmospheric Optics and Instrumentation, Main Astronomical Observatory, Ph.D. in Technical Sciences;

– Olena Kompaniiets, Junior Researcher, Press Secretary of the Main Astronomical Observatory of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (NASU), Head of the Young Scientists Council of the Main Astronomical Observatory, NASU;

– Ruslana Tulupova, Head of the NGO “Agency of After-School Education”.

During the press conference, participants will present a unique project that combines science, education, and engineering, paving the way for the creation of the first student spacecraft, and discuss how this initiative is fostering a new generation of engineers, supporting the development of the space industry in Ukraine, and how interested individuals can join the initiative.

• Kyiv

On March 20, Kyiv will host the inaugural Reform Platform organized by the 3rd Assault Brigade. The event will focus on sharing a decade of experience in building combat-ready units, developing an effective management system, and enhancing motivation and recruitment strategies.

Colonel Andrii Biletskyi is set to speak at the event. The program will also include two introductory sessions, discussions, and the launch of a lecture series featuring speakers from the brigade.

Registration is required to attend.

• military
• Kyiv

On March 19, FRIDA Ukraine will lead a one-day medical mission to an orphanage in Tarascha, Kyiv Oblast—their second visit to the facility. The orphanage houses approximately 70 school-age children, some of whom have parents deprived of parental rights, while others have medical conditions such as autism or Down syndrome.

The volunteer medical team includes specialists in pediatrics, dermatovenerology, pediatric neurology, ophthalmology, pediatric endocrinology, ultrasound diagnostics, surgery/urology, psychology, and otolaryngology.

Photo and Video Guidelines: Close-up images of children’s faces are strictly prohibited in photo and video materials. Only general shots or images capturing children from behind or in profile are permitted.

Background: FRIDA Ukraine is a Ukrainian-Israeli medical volunteer mission dedicated to assisting civilians. Its volunteer doctors provide specialized medical care to Ukrainians affected by the war.

• children
• doctors
• volunteers
• Kyiv

On March 16, Ukraine will hold an annual event to honor the victims of the Mariupol Drama Theater tragedy. Mariupol residents and all those who remember are invited to light candles near theater buildings across the country in a tribute to those lost.

Commemorative gatherings will take place in Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Dnipro, Zaporizhia (March 15), Ivano-Frankivsk, Kalush, Lviv, Kyiv, Kamianske, Kremenchuk, Rivne, Ternopil, Uzhhorod, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy, Chernivtsi, Kropyvnytskyi, Poltava, Kryvyi Rih, and Odesa.

Background: On March 16, 2022, russian forces dropped bombs on the Mariupol Drama Theater, despite the russian word for “children,” “ДЕТИ”(DETY), written in large, clearly visible white letters on the pavement outside the building. At the time, hundreds of Mariupol families were sheltering there, seeking refuge from relentless russian shelling. The attack claimed the lives of hundreds of innocent civilians, including children.

The Mariupol Drama Theater has since become a harrowing symbol—of brutality and destruction, of Mariupol’s suffering, of Ukraine’s pain. It remains an enduring testament to a russian war crime the world must never forget.

• children
• dead
• russian crimes
• Dnipro
• Kyiv
• Lviv
• Odesa

On March 17, the Media Center Ukraine will host a discussion on “Ukraine’s internal challenges and global geopolitical trends: Information wars, russia, Trump, China and the EU”.

Participants:
– Vadym Denysenko, Political Expert;
– Ihar Tyshkevich, Political Analyst;
– Iliya Kusa, Analyst at the Ukrainian Institute for the Future.

Key topics:
– Will putin agree to a ceasefire and what factors will influence his decision?
– Trump, China and the Global South: Who will influence the negotiations and how?
– How could russia exploit a potential ceasefire for its own purposes?
– The Kremlin’s information wars: How is russia manipulating public opinion about the negotiations?

• Kyiv

Maryna Kotlobai is a dermatologist who began her journey as a volunteer doctor with FRIDA, the Ukrainian-Israeli mission of medical volunteers. Today she is one of the captains of its field missions.

Maryna is from the town of Khrustalnyi in the Luhansk oblast (occupied since spring 2014). After 2014, she was forced to move to Kharkiv, and later to Siverskodonetsk, Luhansk oblast (occupied since June 2022). When the full-scale invasion began, she had to leave her home again – this time she and her parents fled abroad. But just a few months later, she returned to Ukraine to start a new life in the capital.

Journalists can speak with Maryna in Kyiv, online or during FRIDA’s field missions.

Background: FRIDA Ukraine is a Ukrainian-Israeli mission of medical volunteers dedicated to helping civilians. Volunteer doctors provide quality medical care to Ukrainians affected by the war.

• casualties
• doctors
• occupation
• volunteers
• Kyiv

Ivona Kostyna has been working with military personnel and veterans since 2015. Initially, she and the Pobratymy Foundation organized trips for psychologists to the front lines to provide mental health support to Ukrainian defenders. Over time, Ivona realized that soldiers would need continued care long after leaving the service.

Determined to address this, she collaborated with specialists to develop psychosocial adaptation programs. Soon after, she and her partners launched the first Veteran Hub in Kyiv—a space where service members and their families can access legal assistance, psychological counseling, and guidance on employment, education, and grant opportunities.

Within two years, the team expanded, opening another Veteran Hub location in Vinnytsia. To ensure equal access to services regardless of a veteran’s location or mobility, the organization also launched mobile offices in Kyiv, Vinnytsia, and Dnipro in 2020, bringing support directly to those in need.

Since 2018, Ukraine’s Veteran Hub has operated without public fundraising. However, in January 2025, after the U.S. Department of State suspended funding for international assistance programs, the organization was forced to close its Vinnytsia branch and its Support Helpline. For the first time, the team publicly appealed for donations from the community and businesses.

Thanks to the support of Ukrainian businesses and the community in Vinnytsia, the team has raised over UAH 9 million, ensuring the continued operation of the organization’s services for at least three months.

The Veteran Hub team is now seeking regular donors to sustain their support for soldiers and their families.

Ivona Kostyna is available for meetings in Kyiv, both online and offline, by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• military
• psychological support
• women
• Kyiv

Serhii Pryschepa considers March 14, 2022, his second birthday. That day, he and his family attempted to escape from russian-occupied territory in Chernihiv Oblast but were caught in an attack. Their car was engulfed in flames, burning to the ground. Miraculously, he survived.

Serhii has been undergoing rehabilitation for over a year. The recovery process has been grueling and slow, yet he remains resolute. Not only has he regained his strength, but he has also grown even stronger—thanks to relentless training, he can now lift more weight than he could before his injury.

Background: Serhii Pryschepa is a participant in the Neopalymi (Unburnt) program, a national initiative providing free external rehabilitation and treatment for war-related injuries, burns, and scars. By April 6, 2022, Ukrainian defense forces had fully liberated Chernihiv Oblast from russian occupation.

• casualties
• dead
• doctors
• occupation
• russian crimes
• Kyiv