Themes by tag: Kyiv

For more than 10 years, the Ukrainian NGO Dostupno.UA has been working to create inclusive spaces across the country. Now, after losing its American grant funding, the organization is struggling to continue its mission and is searching for new ways to sustain its work.  

Dmytro Shchebetiuk, a wheelchair user with firsthand experience of the many accessibility barriers in Ukrainian cities, founded Dostupno.UA in 2015. Nataliia Parkhytko joined the initiative after becoming a mother and realizing how difficult it was to navigate streets with a baby stroller.  

Over the past decade, the NGO has promoted inclusivity and accessibility for people with disabilities, the elderly, individuals with temporary injuries, pregnant women, and parents with strollers. Nataliia and Dmytro have helped businesses improve accessibility, facilitated the installation of ramps and lifts, and provided inclusivity training for various institutions.  

However, with U.S. grant support now discontinued, Dostupno.UA is facing a financial crisis that threatens the future of its work. The team is actively seeking new partners to keep the project alive.  

Nataliia Parkhytko is available by appointment for in-person and online meetings in Kyiv. Dmytro Shchebetiuk can provide comments online.

• Kyiv

On February 26, the premiere of a film created by 14 teenagers during the “Storytelling in Cinema” course of the Voices of Children Foundation and Ukrainian director Marysia Nikitiuk will take place in Kyiv.

The event will also include a discussion on “Growing up in war: how to help children cope with this difficult experience” with the participation of the children who worked on the movie, the director Marysia Nikitiuk, Olena Rozvadovska, co-founder of the Voices of Children Foundation and human rights activist, Olha Aivazovska, Chairperson of the Board of the Civil Network OPORA, and Oleksandra Matviichuk, Head of the Center for Civil Rights and Nobel Laureate.

The film “Generation” was created by young people from all over Ukraine who have experienced the hardships of war: evacuation, forced displacement within Ukraine and abroad, finding themselves in a new place, losing social ties, living under occupation, and surviving in frontline regions.

As part of Voices of Children’s “Storytelling in Cinema” project, director Marysia Nikitiuk and psychologist Dariia Parshyntseva met with the teens for five months to develop scripts. The course culminated in seven days of filmmaking in the mountains, where the young participants brought their stories to life.

Registration required

Background: Voices of Children Foundation provides psychological, psychosocial and humanitarian support to children and families affected by war. The Foundation helps children cope with the psychological effects of armed conflict and advocates for their rights.

The International Center for Ukrainian Victory (ICUV) is a public diplomacy platform founded in Warsaw by Ukrainian civil society activists to engage global thought leaders in support of Ukraine. The Center’s mission is to mobilize the world for Ukraine’s victory.

• casualties
• children
• culture
• Kyiv

On February 24, the town of Bucha in Kyiv oblast will hold commemorative events to honor the memory of Ukraine’s fallen civilians and defenders.

Bucha, which has become a symbol of Ukrainian resilience and a witness to the horrific war crimes of the russian army, will bring together families of the fallen, local residents, government officials, and the international community to pay tribute to all those who gave their lives for Ukraine’s freedom.

Program of events:

• Memorial Rally, a requiem service and tribute to the fallen heroes
• Memorial Rally, a requiem service and tribute to the innocent victims of russian aggression at the Wall of Remembrance
• Unveiling of a Fallen Defender memorial plaque
• Memorial event “Bells of Remembrance”

• dead
• occupation
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

On February 21, the Kyiv Security Forum will hold a special event dedicated to the third anniversary of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Participants:

– Gen. David Petraeus, member of the KSF Security Council, Commander of the U.S. Central Command (2008-2010), Director of the CIA (2011-2012);

– Katarína Mathernová, European Union Ambassador to Ukraine;

– Patrick Turner, Senior NATO Representative, Head of NATO Representation in Ukraine;

– Natalka Cmoc, Ambassador of Canada to Ukraine (Canada will chair the G7 in 2025);

– Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Chairman of the Kyiv Security Forum, Prime Minister of Ukraine (2014-2016).

Accreditation will close at 12:00 PM on Friday, February 21. The location of the event will be provided via email along with your registration confirmation.

Media Center Ukraine is one of the media partners of the event.

Background: The Kyiv Security Forum, founded by Arseniy Yatsenyuk’s “Open Ukraine” foundation, is Ukraine’s major platform for discussing issues of war and peace, national and global security

• Kyiv

The Center for Civil Liberties invites you to the performance “People Are Key!”, which will take place as part of the March of Remembrance and Hope on February 20 in Kyiv.

The performance is aimed at supporting all prisoners of the Kremlin: prisoners of war, illegally detained civilians, deported Ukrainian children, and political prisoners. The symbol of the performance is keys, representing both freedom and home. Participants will jingle keys to remind the world of those still held in captivity.

Speakers for comments:

– Oleksandra Romantsova, Executive Director of the Center for Civil Liberties (English-speaking)

– Mykhailo Savva, Doctor of Political Science, expert with the Center for Civil Liberties

– Relatives and friends of Kremlin prisoners

• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

The Maidan Museum together with its partners has prepared a program dedicated to the Day of the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred.

On February 20, a commemoration ceremony will take place to honor the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred and the participants of the Revolution of Dignity.

On the same day, the annual “Angels of Remembrance” event will take place. This global moment of silence is dedicated to those who died during the Revolution of Dignity. In Kyiv, it is traditionally held on the Alley of Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred, where dozens of paper angels are hung on the branches of trees that once witnessed the killings of unarmed protesters.

Additionally, Kyiv will host the exhibition “Heroes: Maidan, War, Memory…”. It is dedicated to the participants of the Revolution of Dignity who later died in the russian-Ukrainian war. The exhibition tells the stories of Maidan activists who changed Ukraine and the world and later became the first defenders of our country, sacrificing their lives for its freedom.

The program also includes a screening of the documentary-musical film “Ukraine. Maidan. Reloading”, dedicated to the memory of Ruslan Hanushchak. The film is based on the video archive of military reporter Ruslan Hanushchak, a Maidan participant who later became a military reporter and soldier with the call signs “Ostap” and “Photographer”. He was killed in action on January 11, 2025.

Journalists are invited to familiarize themselves with the full schedule of events dedicated to the Day of the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred.

Background: On February 20, 2014, the highest number of casualties occurred in the center of the Ukrainian capital, with 48 people killed. Along with 54 other protesters who were fatally wounded in the winter of 2013-2014 and five Maidan activists who died in the spring of 2014 defending Ukraine’s democratic values and territorial integrity, they are honored as Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred.

• dead
• Kyiv

“Active Parks” is initiating an adaptive sit ski training session for veterans with lower limb disabilities, set to take place on February 19 in Kyiv.

Training on these specialized bucket seats with two skis underneath is part of a broader effort to create an inclusive environment for veterans injured in the war, enabling them to maintain an active physical and social life.

The session will be conducted in collaboration with professional instructors from Golosiiv Ski Park. Participants will train using Tempo Dualski equipment for seated skiing, a safe and specialized tool designed for adaptive skiing and snowboarding.

Accreditation is required to attend the event.

Background: The training is part of the “Sport for All” initiative under the State Institution, supported by Ukraine’s Ministry of Youth and Sports. It is organized within the framework of the presidential social project “Active Parks – Locations of Healthy Ukraine.”

• casualties
• military
• Kyiv

Petro Krasytskyi from Kyiv has served in Ukraine’s armed forces twice—first in 2015 with the 25th Separate Airborne Brigade and again following the full-scale invasion as part of the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade. During his service, he suffered two strokes, requiring extensive treatment and rehabilitation in both Ukraine and the Czech Republic.

Throughout his recovery, Petro was supported by his family doctor, Yuliia Barbolina. She was the one who called an ambulance when he arrived at her office experiencing his second stroke.

Together, they decided to establish a medical center—a vision that quickly became reality with the launch of the Razom Medical Center in Kyiv, which recently marked its first anniversary.

Yuliia serves as the center’s medical director, providing patient consultations and performing ultrasound diagnostics. A modern ultrasound machine was purchased through a grant from the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation.

The Petro Krasytskyi Clinic offers medical care to both civilians and military personnel. On designated days, military members can receive free medical checkups, while service members, veterans, their families, and families of fallen defenders are eligible for a 20% discount.

Journalists can arrange interviews with Petro and Olha by prior request.

• casualties
• doctors
• military
• Kyiv

On February 18, Media Center Ukraine will host a briefing on military recruitment, focusing on how the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade attracts new enlistees and prepares them for service.

Participants:
– Dmytro Kukharchuk, head of recruitment for the 3rd Assault Brigade;
– Oleksandr Borodin, press officer of the 3rd Assault Brigade;
– Call sign “Student”, chief sergeant of the Test Week project. 

Topics of focus:
– The effectiveness of recruitment campaigns and the most successful strategies;
– The role of specialized projects in recruitment—how they work and their benefits;
– Raising public awareness about recruitment initiatives and available opportunities. 

Those interested in joining the 3rd Brigade can visit recruitment centers in Odesa, Dnipro, Lviv, and Kyiv.

Recruits undergo intensive training under the guidance of experienced combat instructors. Before taking up arms, they complete a rigorous program covering tactical operations, medical preparedness, and firearms training.

Background: The 3rd Separate Assault Brigade was established on March 9, 2022, from the Kyiv-based Azov Army’s Territorial Defense Battalion. On January 26, 2023, it was restructured into a separate assault brigade within the Land Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

• military
• Kyiv

Fedir Samburskyi, a 29-year-old from the Donetsk oblast, was in Irpin, Kyiv Oblast, when russia launched its full-scale invasion. In the early days of the war, he volunteered to help civilians. Later, he managed to escape the occupation with his mother and sister and moved to Prykarpattia. A few weeks later he joined the army.

The veteran fought in the Donetsk and Zaporizhia oblasts and took part in the liberation of the Kherson oblast. During a combat mission in November 2023, he suffered a serious injury: an explosion from an enemy FPV drone cost him his leg, an arm, and partially his sight.

After several surgeries and nine months of rehabilitation, Fedir learned to use his prosthetics and decided to start his own business. Using the funds he received as compensation for his injury, he opened an inclusive café in Kyiv called Tytanovi — after the rehabilitation center where he received his prosthetics. The center’s founder helped him buy some of the equipment. Today, Fedir donates half of the cafe’s profits to support the Tytanovi Rehab Center.

Journalists can arrange an interview with Fedir Samburskyi both online and in person in Kyiv upon prior agreement.

• casualties
• military
• Kyiv