Themes by tag: Kyiv

Viktoriia Didovets, a charge nurse in the Intensive and Efferent Therapy Department for Acute Intoxication at the National Children’s Hospital Okhmatdyt, was injured during a missile strike on the hospital on July 8, 2024. As the attack unfolded, she was evacuating children on dialysis to a shelter when a missile struck the building.

By the time Viktoriia was rushed to the operating room, her pulse was barely detectable. She was diagnosed with a fractured pelvis, an open hip fracture, a ruptured liver, and injuries to her face and ear. For more than eight months, she has been undergoing treatment, determined to regain a full life.

By prior arrangement, Viktoriia is available for interviews in Kyiv or online.

Background: On July 8, 2024, a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile struck Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital. At the time of the attack, 627 children were inside.

The strike killed two people—a doctor and a patient’s relative—while injuring 35 others, including nine children. On July 10, a boy who had been in critical condition in intensive care at the time of the attack succumbed to his injuries in a Kyiv hospital.

• casualties
• children
• doctors
• russian crimes
• women
• Kyiv

On March 25, the Media Center Ukraine will host a presentation of the Business Ombudsman Council’s investigation: “Tax Incentives: How Can Ukrainians Protect Their Defense Industry Market?”

Participants:

– Roman Waschuk, Business Ombudsman

– Yuliia Andrusiv, Deputy Business Ombudsman

– Maryna Pavlenchyk, Senior Investigator, BOC

– Vladyslav Kaluha, Junior Investigator, BOC

Over the past years, individual complaints, followed by consultations with industry businesses and experts, have highlighted concerns: defence companies have questions about the state’s tax policy, particularly the preferential VAT taxation regime. Due to unbalanced tax benefits, domestically produced defence-related products are more expensive than imported counterparts. At the same time, the taxation regime for the repair and modernization of military equipment creates a mechanism for financial outflows from one state to another, which may also negatively impact national defence capabilities.

Against this background, the Council has initiated an investigation on its own initiative to examine the balance and administration challenges of the preferential VAT regime in Ukraine’s defence market.

During the event, the Council’s team will present the findings of the study and provide recommendations on improving business conditions in the defence industry – essential for the development and strengthening of domestic production.

Registration is required for this event.

• Kyiv

On March 25, Kyiv will host the forum “Gender Equality in Defenсe – On the Way to Justice and Human Dignity”. The forum aims to strengthen equality and justice in the Security and Defence sector, improve military service conditions, and analyze barriers to implementing inclusive and gender equality policies. 

Additionally, it seeks to lay the foundation for an effective strategy that integrates a human-centred, gender-sensitive, and inclusive approach into the defence system at all levels. The event is part of the UK Special Defence Advisor’s Program.

Featured speakers include

• Kyle Sargon, Deputy National Security Adviser of the United Kingdom
• Olha Reshetylova (Kobylynska), Presidential Commissioner for the Protection of the Rights of Servicemen and their Families
• Colonel Petro Fivkin, Head of the Central Department for the Protection of the Rights of Military Personnel
• Members of the Ukrainian Parliament, representatives of civil society and active servicemen (both women and men)

The Forum program includes panel discussions on the following topics:

• Institutionalizing gender equality in the Security and Defense sector;
• Protecting the rights of service members and combating gender-based violence;
• Material support in the Armed Forces of Ukraine;
• Inclusion and diversity in the Security and Defense sector.

Kateryna Pryimak, head of the VETERANKA movement, will moderate the panel “Protecting the rights of service members and combating gender-based violence”.

Accreditation is required to participate in the event.

Note: The Forum is organized with the support of the following partners: British Embassy in Ukraine, Special Defense Advisor Program, VETERANKA Movement, StateWatch, and UK International Development.

• military
• women
• Kyiv

The team of the Bat Rehabilitation Center in Kharkiv, together with volunteers caring for bats in various cities of Ukraine, will dedicate the month of March to releasing these endangered animals back into their natural habitat. These are bats that have been rescued and cared for by volunteers throughout the winter.

The release events will take place in Kyiv on March 29 and in Vinnytsia, Lviv, Rivne and Chernivtsi on March 30.

• animals
• volunteers
• Chernivtsi
• Kyiv
• Lviv
• Vinnytsia
• Rivne

Peaceful gatherings will take place in 24 cities to draw attention to the defenders of Azovstal and other military personnel still held in enemy captivity.

On March 22, rallies will be held in Okhtyrka, Chernihiv, Arbuzynka, Vinnytsia, Irpin, Svitlovodsk, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Pavlohrad, and Obukhiv.

On March 23, events are planned in Kyiv, Pivdennoukrainsk, Uman, Krolevets, Korop, Ovruch, Kremenchuk, Cherkasy, Mykolaiv, Pryluky, Dolynske, Ostroh, Shostka, Odesa, Brovary, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi, Korosten, Uzhhorod, Kharkiv, Lozova, Poltava, Berdychiv, and Kropyvnytskyi.

The rallies are organized by the families of prisoners of war from the Mariupol garrison, with former captives often taking part in the events.

• casualties
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

Dr. Serhii Baksheiev is a gynecologist, obstetrician, reproductive specialist, general practitioner, and a medical volunteer with a PhD in medicine. Since the early days of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he has been treating women and assisting with deliveries, all while under fire.

In late 2022, Baksheiev launched his own initiative, which he named the ‘Feminine Shuttle’. This specialized mobile unit is designed for gynecological exams in de-occupied and frontline regions. The vehicle is outfitted with a gynecological chair and all the necessary equipment for thorough examinations.

In a challenging turn of events, Baksheiev was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He underwent surgery and chemotherapy in September 2024. Despite his health battle, he has continued his mission to help those in need. Even while recovering from surgery, he joined FRIDA Ukraine’s volunteer medics on a mission to the Sumy region.

Journalists wishing to speak with Dr. Baksheiev can arrange interviews with him either in Kyiv or during his field missions.

For reference: FRIDA Ukraine is a Ukrainian-Israeli medical volunteer mission focused on providing high-quality care to war-affected civilians.

• casualties
• doctors
• volunteers
• women
• 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