Themes by tag: Kyiv

Before russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Myrnohrad in Donetsk Oblast had a population of roughly 50,000. At the time, every third household subscribed to Ridne Misto, a local newspaper with a circulation of 6,000 and a staff of seven, led by editor Maksym Zabielia.

Zabielia recalls sending the newspaper to print on February 23, 2022. The next day, the Kharkiv-based printing house stopped responding to messages. Since then, Ridne Misto has relied on the Kramatorsk Printing House, which stepped in and kept the paper going.

In early summer 2024, the editorial team was forced to leave Myrnohrad due to a mandatory evacuation order. In August, the newspaper’s office was destroyed by enemy shelling. Today, the relocated newsroom operates with a staff of four. The paper is no longer distributed in Myrnohrad, but volunteers continue delivering it to hubs for internally displaced people. Despite the setbacks, the team has no plans to stop printing. Zabielia says they feel a deep sense of responsibility to their readers.

Zabielia is available for interviews both online and in person, by prior arrangement, in Odesa or Kyiv.

For reference: Myrnohrad, located in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, remains under the control of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The city lies approximately one kilometer from the front line. As of late 2024, about 3,000 civilians remained in the area.

• culture
• russian crimes
• Kyiv
• Odesa
• evacuation

In June, during Pride Month, Kyiv will host the largest LGBTIQ+ event of the year, KyivPride, and become a center of visibility, support, and the fight for human rights. This year, organizers are preparing two main events: the KyivPride Park charity festival and the KyivPride march. 

KyivPride is Ukraine’s largest annual LGBTIQ+ event. In 2025, it will be held under the slogan “Unity in Diversity”, the official motto of the European Union. This theme emphasizes Ukraine’s commitment to European integration, the importance of partnerships and solidarity in the fight for human rights, and the struggle against the war.

On June 7, the KyivPride Park charity festival will take place. This charitable, educational event will feature lectures, workshops, photo exhibitions, a fair of Ukrainian brands, live music, and a community space.

On June 14, the KyivPride March will be held. This event is a key moment in the fight for human rights. Last year, due to security concerns, only about 500 people were able to participate in the march. This year, organizers aim to attract more participants, but the location has not yet been disclosed for safety reasons.

Journalists need to be accredited to attend the event.

• Kyiv
• LGBT

On June 7, Kyiv will host a rally and public action titled “Ours Are Not Home Yet” in support of Ukrainian soldiers who are missing or held in captivity.

The event is organized by the community of families of missing and captured servicemen from the 32nd Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ground Forces of the AFU. 

• military
• prisoners
• Kyiv

Airlogix was established in 2020, initially focusing on developing UAVs for cargo delivery. However, with the onset of full-scale war, the team shifted its efforts toward building reconnaissance drones.

The prototype of the GOR reconnaissance UAS took flight in May 2022. Feedback from soldiers later helped refine the system into a fully operational tactical military platform. One year after its initial launch, the team secured its first government contract.

Today, the company is developing nine additional products aimed at significantly enhancing the effectiveness of the Ukrainian Defense Forces. The team says it is continually expanding production capacity to deliver as many systems to the front line as possible.

The developers are open to both online and in-person meetings in Kyiv by prior arrangement. They are prepared to showcase their completed drones and share test footage with journalists.

• Kyiv

The Voices of Children charitable foundation invites the public to witness the symbolic start of construction for the Childhood Center, a pioneering space in Ukraine dedicated to the psychological recovery of children and parents traumatized by war.

On June 5, the construction of the Childhood Center will be symbolically launched in the Kyiv oblast. The event will showcase what the center looks like from the children’s perspective and how it will look in a year. A collective message to future generations of children will be sealed in a “time capsule”.

Afterwards, a panel discussion titled “How to Save Childhood in War?” will take place. The discussion will feature the foundation’s co-founders, Olena Rozvadovska and Azad Safarov; Kateryna Rashevska, a human rights activist and expert from the Regional Center for Human Rights; Oleksandra Romantsova, a human rights activist and the executive director of the Center for Civil Liberties; Iryna Tuliakova, head of the Coordination Center for the Development of Family Upbringing and Child Care; Nataliia Masiak, a leading psychologist and psychiatrist; and children and families who are living through the difficult experience of war and undergoing recovery with the foundation.

Registration is required for the event.

• children
• Kyiv

On June 4, the Media Center Ukraine will host a briefing: “Defenseless in War. Ukrainian Children Enduring 11 Years of russian Aggression”

Participants:

– Olha Kuryshko, Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea;

– Oleksandra Dvoretska, Human Rights Activist, Head of Policy at the Bring Kids Back UA Initiative;

– Valentina Potapova, Head of Direction of National Advocacy at the Centre of Civil Education Almenda NGO;

– Leviza Dzhelyal, Public Activist, Wife of Former Political Prisoner Nariman Dzhelal;

– Alevtina Kakhidze, Ukrainian Performance and Media Artist.

Topics of focus:

– Life under occupation: Current conditions faced by children living in the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhia oblasts, and Crimea.

– Children of political prisoners: Emotional and social impact on minors whose parents have been arrested or imprisoned, with a particular focus on stories from Crimean Tatar families.

– Militarization and indoctrination in Crimea: The ongoing transformation of education to serve russian propaganda narratives, including the militarization of school curricula and the role of organizations such as the Youth Army Movement.

For reference: June 4 marks the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression, established by the UN General Assembly in 1982.

• children
• occupation
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

On June 3, the Tribe project will be presented at the Media Center Ukraine.

Amnesty International Ukraine, in partnership with Amnesty International Denmark, is launching Tribe, a new initiative aimed at empowering Ukrainian veterans through human rights education and civic engagement.

The project will provide veterans of the russia-Ukraine war with access to a robust training program focused on human rights, advocacy, media literacy, psychological resilience, and project implementation. From July to November 2025, participants will take part in a blended learning experience, including online sessions, in-person retreats, workshops, community outreach, and mentoring. The program also offers support in launching participants’ own human rights initiatives, with guidance from Amnesty International and collaboration with media partners.

Participants: 

– Veronika Puhach, Coordinator of the Tribe Educational Human Rights Project at Amnesty International Ukraine;

– Lera Burlakova, Veteran, Campaigns and Media Coordinator at Amnesty International Ukraine;

– Kateryna Pryimak, Veteran, Head of the Women’s Veterans Movement NGO;

– Bohdana Levytska, Head of the Vesta Charity Fund and Volunteer Association;

– Kateryna Khrapovych, Training Manager at the Pryncyp Human Rights Center for Military Personnel and Veterans NGO.

• Kyiv

A Kyiv-based family of artists — Oleksandr Klymenko, Sonia Atlantova, and their son Herman — have spent nearly 11 years painting icons on wooden boards from ammunition crates used at the frontlines. Their project, “Icons on Ammo Boxes”, supports charitable initiatives, symbolizing the transformation of death (represented by the crates) into life (embodied by icons in Ukrainian culture).

Over the past year, the artists have centered their work on deported Ukrainian children, creating a Mother of God series to highlight their plight. In May 2025, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gifted Pope Leo XIV their icon “Mother of God with Infant”, painted on a board from a crate brought from Izium, Kharkiv oblast — a town occupied by russian forces from March to September 2022.

The artists source wood from crates used in Izium, Bakhmut, Kherson, Mariupol, and Kyiv oblast, occasionally incorporating debris from destroyed roofs or vehicles. Their works are held by prominent figures, including King Charles III of the UK and several world leaders. Previous icons were also gifted to Pope Francis.

Journalists can interview the artists involved in the “Icons on Ammo Boxes” project, in Kyiv by prior agreement.

• culture
• Kyiv

The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine will hold a press briefing on June 2 at Media Center Ukraine to present the results of the 2024/25 academic year.

Key topics:

– Interim outcomes of education sector investments: construction of shelters, procurement of school buses, improvements to canteens, and the development of science classrooms and STEM laboratories;

– Upcoming changes for high school students starting September 1;

– Ministry decisions regarding the education of children abroad and in temporarily occupied territories;
– Updates to curriculum content and textbooks;
– Strategic priorities of the Ministry for the 2025/26 academic year.

Speakers:

– Nadiia Kuzmychova, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine

– Andrii Stashkiv, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine

– Ihor Khvorostianyi, Head of the New Ukrainian School Implementation Office at the Ministry

Accreditation is required to attend the event.

• children
• Kyiv

On May 30, the Media Center Ukraine will host a briefing “Pride month in Ukraine and the Equality March: Plans, global support, and military involvement”

Participants:

– Anna Sharyhina, Co-Founder of the Kharkiv Women’s Association Sphere NGO and PrideHub Resource Center;

– Viktor Pylypenko, Head of Ukrainian LGBT+ Military for Equal Rights NGO. 

Key topics:

– Cultural and educational programming during Pride Month in Ukraine;

– Support from government, business, and international partners;

– Ukrainian participation in international Pride events;

– Equality March: expected turnout and security planning;

– Involvement of military personnel in Pride activities;

– Organizational challenges.

• Kyiv
• LGBT