Themes by tag: Kyiv

Dmytro Khilyuk, a Ukrainian journalist with 20 years of experience and a correspondent for the UNIAN news agency, has endured over three years of captivity at the hands of the russians as a civilian hostage.

In early March 2022, russian occupiers abducted Khilyuk and his father from a street in Kozarovychi, a village in the Kyiv oblast where the family lived. His father was later released, but Dmytro was taken first to Belarus and then to russia.

He was initially held in SIZO-2 (Pre-Trial Detention Center No. 2) in Novozybkov in the Bryansk region. In an interview, Dmytro recounted that, during the so-called “intake process”, detainees were severely beaten with batons and fists, thrown to the ground, and attacked by dogs. In May 2023, he was transferred to a prison in Pakino in the Vladimir region, where he remained until his liberation.

In total, Dmytro Khilyuk spent 3 years, 5 months, and 21 days in russian captivity. He finally returned home on August 24, 2025, during a prisoner exchange coinciding with Ukraine’s Independence Day.

By prior arrangement, journalists have the opportunity to speak with Dmytro in Kyiv or in online format.

• casualties
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

The NGO Building Ukraine Together (BUR) is launching a two-week volunteer camp in the village of Byshiv, Kyiv region, where volunteers from Ukraine and abroad will collaborate with local youth to create a new community space. The initiative aims to provide a safe, welcoming, and inspiring environment to replace what was lost during the early days of the full-scale war.

In 2022, the community found itself on the front line – some nearby villages were occupied, and Byshiv suffered extensive destruction due to its proximity to heavy fighting. The community lost many key institutions, including the House of Culture. Since then, young people have had no dedicated place to gather, learn, or socialize outside of school.

To respond to this need, BUR and the Byshiv community will convert a room into a proper youth space. This will become a hub for learning, creativity, and community life.

The youth space is being created during two BUR camp sessions, with the second running from October 26 to November 2, 2025. 

For reference: Building Ukraine Together (BUR) is an all-Ukrainian non-governmental organization that engages young people in volunteer activities and non-formal education, empowering them to take part in building a democratic Ukraine.

• reconstruction
• volunteers
• Kyiv

Tetiana Slavinska is a canine handler from Kyiv. In 2015, her military husband returned home after rotation. At the time, Tetiana was worried about how he would adjust to civilian life and decided that a dog would help him relax emotionally. This is how a beloved family member appeared – a Belgian Malinois named Drive. The family began a new life with training, and competitions. At the end of 2022, Tetiana was able to travel to Poland, where Drive was trained to locate the deceased.

The next challenge was physical protection: body armor for the dog. Tetiana searched for protective equipment in Ukraine, Europe, and America. Simultaneously, she considered the possibility of making it herself, as foreign equivalents were very expensive. Tetiana studied foreign models of dog body armor that her military canine handler friends brought her. She also consulted with a veterinarian, because body armor is not just about protection; it’s also about the dog’s ability to move freely. Furthermore, an improperly fitted vest can harm the animal’s joints.

Tetiana experimented with different models, changing the cut and adding new elements. For example, she added a strap to the body armor at the soldiers’ request, allowing the dog to be carried if there is a risk of injuring its paws (from shrapnel, broken glass, etc.). In the summer of 2025, Tetiana received a patent for her product. Currently, she has two working dogs and is using them to help demine the country.

Journalists can speak with Tetiana in person in Kyiv or online, by prior arrangement.

• animals
• women
• Kyiv

TEAHOUSE, a Ukrainian tea producer operating since 2006, is rebuilding after a russian drone strike destroyed its facility in Dnipro in July. The attack wiped out about 100 tons of raw materials, workshops, and equipment.

Despite the loss, the company quickly found a new space and resumed production. It has since become the first business in Ukraine to receive a state grant for reconstruction.

On October 11-12, TEAHOUSE will host the Autumn Kyiv Tea Festival 2025, an especially meaningful event for the team, marking both resilience and renewal after the attack.

Journalists will be able to speak with company representatives and learn more about TEAHOUSE’s recovery efforts during the festival in Kyiv. 

• reconstruction
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

An international charity boxing event is set to take place in Kyiv on October 11, featuring six matches between veteran athletes as part of the Ukrainian League of Combat Veterans Boxing. The lineup will include Ukraine’s first official boxing match between wheelchair veterans, as well as a fight for the national veteran championship title.

The evening will conclude with a professional bout as Ukraine’s former WBC world champion (2015-2016) Viktor Postol faces Spain’s Alejandro Moya for the International Boxing Organization title.

Media representatives are required to register in advance to cover the event.

• culture
• Kyiv

The Avtomeenko family has eight children ranging in age from three to twelve (four boys and four girls). Before the full-scale invasion, the father worked at a service station and the mother was a homemaker. The family lived in their own house in Orikhiv in the Zaporizhzhia oblast.

When russia’s full-scale war began, the town found itself on the front lines. On April 9, 2022, the family fled to the city of Zaporizhzhia. They first stayed in an apartment rented by the father’s sister before renting a place of their own.

They could only bring a few belongings with them from Orikhiv. Everything else — their home, their possessions, their normal life — was left behind, shattered by the war.

The family recently relocated to the Kyiv oblast, where they received a five-year, zero-rent lease on a home, thanks to the charitable organization “District No. 1”.

The Avtomeenko family is available for interviews, both online and in person in the Kyiv oblast, by prior arrangement.

• children
• reconstruction
• Kyiv

Key topics:

– Self-help groups as a tool for rehabilitation and integration;

– The history of creating a self-help group based on the experience of the Public organization “Psychability”;

– Personal stories from group members. The experience of running a self-help group with the support of the Public organization “Psychability”;

– What prospects does the “Assistant for a Person with Mental Disorder” service offer for the creation and effective long-term functioning of self-help groups?

Participants:

– Lidia Martynova, Founder and Chair of the Board of the Public Organization “Psychability”;

– Kostiantyn Zelenov, Psychiatrist of the Highest Qualification at the Center for Emergency Medical Care and Disaster Medicine in Kyiv, Member of the Board of the Public Organization “Psychability”;

– Iryna Zhuk, Leader of the Self-Help Group at the Public Organization “Psyhabiliti”;

– Andrii Kovalov, Head of the “Reform of Social Services in Ukraine” Project, Expert Partner at Civitta Ukraine on Healthcare and Social Policy.

Background: The public organization “Psychability” is dedicated to improving the quality of life for individuals with mental health conditions and their families. Many countries have found that self-help groups are an effective method of rehabilitation and social integration. However, these groups need comprehensive state-level programs to support people with mental disorders to work long-term and effectively.

• psychological support
• Kyiv

On October 13, Kyiv will host an interactive exhibition called RECONstruction, created by the 150th Separate Reconnaissance Strike Battalion. Since the beginning of 2024, this military intelligence unit has been engaged in combat in the east, including participating in the liberation of the Dobropillia salient.

Through information stands, photographs, art objects, and interactive zones, the exhibition will offer civilians a glimpse into the world of military intelligence. Visitors will be able to experience elements of a reconnaissance officer’s work, from piloting drones to signals intelligence.

The opening will also feature the introduction of the RECON FAMILY ambassador community. The first members are Olympic champion Olha Kharlan and actress and public figure Rymma Zyubina. They will represent military intelligence to the home front.

Media representatives are invited to attend the event.

• military
• Kyiv

In collaboration with the Invictus Games, the Ukrainian fitness app MadMuscles has created an adaptive training program for people with amputated limbs or limited mobility. The program focuses primarily on wounded veterans and those recovering from surgeries or other injuries.

The MadMuscles program provides everything necessary for safe, convenient, and effective training:

• Six training categories for different physical abilities.
• Exercises from professional adaptive sports trainers;
• Free video workouts that can be done at home.

The program was created by Oleksii Prokopenko, an endurance, mountain running, skyrunning, and cross-country skiing coach, and Nataliia Meleshchuk, a rehabilitation specialist, yoga instructor, and massage therapist. They were both involved in preparing the national team for the 2025 Invictus Games in Canada.

Veterans from the Invictus Games community also contributed to the project’s development.

Journalists can speak with the course creators in Kyiv by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• military
• Kyiv

Mykhailo Rusin, a candidate of biological sciences and senior researcher at Kyiv Zoo, has dedicated his career to protecting European hamsters. He runs the Center for the Reproduction and Renewal of Rare Species and founded the Hamster Rescue Center.

Recently, his efforts were featured in the National Geographic, which highlighted his work under the headline: “A scientist is saving Ukraine’s hamsters—in the middle of war.”

Rusin has been working to protect these rodents since 2019. The European hamster, listed in Ukraine’s Red Book of endangered species, once survived the Ice Age but now faces extinction. In Ukraine, the species still lives in some regions, where it inhabits gardens, summer cottages, and homesteads. Yet many are killed by people who see them as pests, or by cats and dogs that hunt them.

The Hamster Rescue Center works to protect the animals by relocating them from private plots to areas away from people. The ongoing war has created additional challenges: blackouts in winter can leave hamsters without heat, while in summer, power outages can cause dangerously low ventilation, threatening their survival.

Journalists can learn more about Rusin’s work and, by prior arrangement, speak with him in Kyiv.

• animals
• Kyiv