Themes by tag: Kyiv

In partnership with IREX and with funding from U.S. taxpayers, the savED Charitable Foundation has opened modular, temporary learning spaces in the Pervomaiska and Shevchenkivska communities of the Mykolaiv oblast. This initiative will enable over 500 local children to resume in-person learning.

Throughout 2022, the Pervomaiska community — which received one of the temporary learning spaces — was on the frontline of combat and suffered significant destruction. Specifically, a russian attack destroyed a secondary school in one of its villages. In 2023, savED established an educational center called “Vulyk” (The Hive) in a local family medicine clinic, where students could participate in interactive extracurricular sessions with tutors. However, this was insufficient to restore full-scale education for the hundreds of children in the community. The new modular space will enable 220 local students to resume in-person schooling.

Shevchenkivska is the second community to receive a modular temporary learning space. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the community has been on the frontline, with some of its settlements enduring eight months of occupation.

The temporary learning spaces are barrier-free and child-friendly. Each of the six classrooms features high ceilings, comfortable furniture, tablets, and interactive multimedia panels. The facilities also include a large inclusive restroom, a teachers’ lounge, and a server room. The entrance is equipped with a ramp. Alternative power sources enable the spaces to operate fully during electricity outages.

It is worth noting that students in Bohdanivka, a village in the Kyiv oblast, where russians burned down the local school, students now study in a similar modular temporary learning space.

Background: Temporary learning spaces are built by benefactors using reliable modular structures in communities where schools have been damaged due to russian aggression or where the infrastructure needs to be expanded due to an increase in student enrollment, including internally displaced persons.

• children
• occupation
• russian crimes
• Kyiv
• Mykolaiv

On September 13, Kyiv will host Run for Freedom, a charity race aimed at raising awareness about Ukrainian military personnel and civilians held in captivity. The event, now in its second year, is organized by students of the Kyiv School of Economics along with historian and UNITED24 ambassador Timothy Snyder, who is expected to join the run in person.

Runners can choose distances of 1, 5, or 10 kilometers. Participation is free for active-duty service members, veterans, and families of prisoners of war. Organizers say the race is intended to draw international attention to the urgent need to secure the release of Ukrainians held by russia, while also showing solidarity with families waiting for their loved ones to return.

A press conference featuring Snyder will be held as part of the event. Journalists are required to register in advance.

For reference: Organizers include KSE Foundation, DefDev, the national RECOVERY network of rehabilitation centers for wounded soldiers, and the Heart of Azovstal project supporting Mariupol’s defenders. Media partners are ShoTam media outlet, 1+1 Ukraine TV channel, and Interfax-Ukraine news agency.

All proceeds from ticket sales, after covering organizational costs, will be directed to the Ukrainian Defense Forces through the KSE Foundation. Organizers have pledged to provide a public report detailing how the funds are used.

• culture
• Kyiv

On September 13, Kyiv will host a peaceful motorcycle and car rally organized by the “United Biker Front” war veterans’ motorcycle club. The rally will be accompanied by a photo exhibition titled “Our People Are Not Home Yet” to show support for missing and captured soldiers of the 32nd Separate Mechanized Brigade.

Background: The event is organized by the community of families of missing and captured soldiers from the 32nd Separate Mechanized Brigade, which is part of the Ukrainian Ground Forces.

• military
• prisoners
• Kyiv

Journalists are invited to the opening of Ukraine’s first barrier-free and inclusive sports complex.

One of Kyiv’s long-neglected stadiums has been given a new lease on life thanks to Howard G. Buffett Foundation. A key focus of the complex will be providing post-rehabilitation support to veterans and military personnel.

The complex  will feature basketball, volleyball, football, and tennis courts. It will also have martial arts and fitness halls, rehabilitation rooms, and a fully equipped gym.

Attendees will include:

• Howard G. Buffett, American philanthropist,
• Oleksandr Yegorov, head of FC Lokomotiv Kyiv,
• representatives of the President’s Office and the Cabinet of Ministers,
• veterans and active-duty service members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

• culture
• Kyiv

Before the full-scale invasion, Taras Ostapchuk worked in electrical installation and manufactured lighting poles. As early as 2017, he had learned to pilot drones to inspect streetlight supports. After February 24, 2022, he used the same drones to fly over the Kyiv oblast and assist reconnaissance units. He later joined an aerial reconnaissance unit himself.

Taras noticed that soldiers were forced to carry anti-tank mines manually, which added unnecessary risk to their lives. This inspired him to create kamikaze robots that could transport explosives. Given his background in metalworking, building the robots’ chassis posed no challenge. In the workshops where he once crafted lighting fixtures, he began assembling the internal components.

Taras spent all his savings — approximately $270,000 — on the first 50 robots and donated them to the front lines free of charge. A friend who believed in the Ratel project invested in it, enabling the team to launch serial production.

Today, a single robot can carry 40 kilograms of explosives, reach speeds of up to 24 kilometers per hour, and be operated remotely. In addition to kamikaze robots, Taras has also developed two drones to improve logistics and evacuate the wounded.

Interviews with Taras Ostapchuk can be arranged online or in person in Kyiv, by prior agreement.

• military
• Kyiv

The Brand Ukraine International Conference, the country’s flagship annual forum on national image and global perception, will be held in Kyiv on September 18. This year’s gathering will spotlight how values-driven strategic positioning can bolster security and strengthen Ukraine’s reputation abroad.

The conference, conducted in English with simultaneous translation into Ukrainian, will bring together communications experts, policymakers, cultural figures, and civil society leaders. Participants will hear keynote speeches, engage in networking sessions, and explore case studies showcasing international communication initiatives. Full program details are available at https://buic.com.ua/uk/ .

Confirmed speakers include:

• Vineta Kleine, Head of Communications, NATO Representation to Ukraine
• Kata Varblane, Director of Country Promotion, Enterprise Estonia
• Serhii Zhadan, Ukrainian poet, novelist, civil activist, and active serviceman
• Oleksandra Matviichuk, Human rights lawyer, head of the Center for Civil Liberties, Nobel Peace Prize recipient (2022)
• Fernando Prado Abuin, Managing Partner, Reputation Lab
• Professor Nicholas J. Cull, Professor of Public Diplomacy at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism
• Mykolai Serga, Military Officer, Armed Forces of Ukraine, Cultural Forces platform founder
• Mykola Kabluka, Architectural and lighting designer, founder and art director of Expolight and Kabluka Light & Digital Sculptures

The conference will close with a 3D street show blending laser projections, light, and sound in a large-scale artistic performance, sending a symbolic message of resilience from Ukraine to the world.

Accreditation is required to attend. The precise venue will be shared with registered participants.

• culture
• Kyiv

Oleksandr Demenko, a native of Zaporizhzhia, first served his mandatory term in the military before signing a contract with the 15th Operational Brigade of the National Guard, named after Hero of Ukraine Lieutenant Bohdan Zavada. In the months leading up to russia’s full-scale invasion, he was assigned to guard facilities near Mariupol, and on February 24, 2022, his unit was redeployed to defend the city.

By the end of March 2022, he had sustained a shrapnel wound, and on May 12 of that year, he spoke with his mother for the last time before being taken prisoner. Demenko remained in captivity for more than 20 months. He finally returned home on January 31, 2024.

More recently, Demenko was elected head of the Ukrainian LGBT Military for Equal Rights NGO. On August 23, 2025, his partner Artur proposed, and the two became engaged. The couple plans to wait until lawmakers adopt a bill on registered partnerships before marrying.

Demenko is available for meetings both online and in person in Kyiv by appointment.

• military
• prisoners
• Kyiv
• LGBT

Peaceful events are planned in 31 cities across Ukraine to raise awareness of the defenders of Azovstal and other soldiers still in enemy captivity.

On September 6, actions will be held in Svitlovodsk, Arbuzynka, Okhtyrka, Vinnytsia, Chernihiv, Pavlohrad, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Shpola, Volochysk, and Lviv.

On September 7, events are planned in Kyiv, Krolevets, Korop, Pivdennoukrainsk, Uman, Mykolaiv, Obukhiv, Korosten, Cherkasy, Uzhhorod, Dolynska, Berdychiv, Kharkiv, Lozova, Kropyvnytskyi, Kovel, Shostka, Ternopil, Odesa, and Chernivtsi.

The events are organized by families of prisoners of war from the Mariupol garrison. Recently released Ukrainian captives also often join these actions.

• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

A presentation of the study “The deportation and forced displacement of Ukrainian children from occupied territories through the lens of changing russian propaganda narratives”, will be held at the Media Center Ukraine on September 11.

russia is systematically deporting Ukrainian children from occupied territories, depriving them of their national identity, family ties, and future. Meanwhile, the Kremlin is launching a large-scale propaganda campaign to justify or conceal these crimes.

The study demonstrates how russian narratives have evolved — from outright denial of deportations to attempts to portray them as “humanitarian aid” or “rescue missions”. The study focuses on the fate of children as tools of information warfare and the challenges faced by Ukrainian society and the international community.

During the event:

• The authors will present the study’s key findings;
• Experts will explain why russia uses children in propaganda;
• Participants will discuss strategies for shifting narratives and effectively countering disinformation.

Speakers include:

• Authors of the study;
• Representatives of the Bring Kids Back UA initiative;
• Experts in countering propaganda and disinformation.

Registration is required for the event.

Background: The study was conducted with financial support from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). The content of the publication reflects the authors’ views and does not necessarily represent NED’s position.

• children
• occupation
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

In 2022, bicycles became lifelines for residents of Ukrainian cities affected by russian military aggression — Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Bucha, Irpin, and others. In some of these cities, public transportation was not operational and fuel was scarce.

Thus, the international campaign #BikesForUkraine was launched in May 2022. Over the past three years, more than 3,000 bicycles have been delivered to volunteers, medical workers, utility service employees, and displaced persons. A total of 90 communities, including de-occupied and frontline areas, have received assistance through the campaign.

Over 90 ambassadors from 20 countries in Europe and North America have supported the campaign. Supporters include non-governmental organizations, cycling communities, businesses, city municipalities, and concerned individuals. Some collect and repair used bicycles or send new ones, while others make financial donations. Recently, a resident of a city in the Netherlands collected used bicycles and personally drove them to Ukraine in a rented van.

By prior arrangement, journalists can cover how volunteers in Kyiv repair used bicycles that have arrived from abroad. Journalists can also interview campaign participants in Kyiv and foreigners who have contributed from overseas. Video materials about the #BikesForUkraine campaign are available as well.

Background: Campaign initiators include U-Cycle (NGO Association of Cyclists of Kyiv), NGO Eco City (Chernihiv), NGO “Youth Association Extreme Style” (Sumy), NGO City Reforms (Kharkiv), NGO FORZA (Uzhhorod), NGO VeloVector (Odesa), and NGO VeloFormat (Odesa)

• volunteers
• Kyiv