Themes by tag: Kyiv

Vadym Shevchenko was living with his parents in Polohy, a city in the Zaporizhia region, when russian forces seized it in early March 2022. As explosions shook their neighborhood, the family sheltered in the basement of their home, hoping the fighting would pass.

Just two weeks later, on March 15, 2022, the 25-year-old and a neighbor attempted to flee the occupied city. According to the woman who was with him, armed men in uniforms of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic stopped their car at the final checkpoint and pulled Vadym out. His mother, Olena, believes his lifelong burn scars on his hands led the occupiers to mistakenly suspect he was a soldier.

He was first detained in Melitopol and later transferred to facilities in Donetsk and Olenivka. Today, he is being held in a penal colony in Mordovia, russia. Olena sends letters through the International Committee of the Red Cross and has received two replies from her son. 

She has also learned that he has lost about 30 kilograms during his imprisonment.

Determined to help others facing hardship, Olena now volunteers with the charity “World. Ukraine. Polohy,” supporting families in frontline communities with food assistance.

Interviews with Olena can be arranged in Zaporizhia, in Kyiv, or remotely.

• occupation
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Kyiv
• Zaporizhzhia

Johan, a former Danish service member with experience in international missions, aviation, and medical work, first arrived in Ukraine five years ago and launched an ambulance initiative aimed at raising care standards and strengthening community response, a project put on hold when russia’s full-scale invasion broke out. He soon joined the Hospitallers medical battalion, where he continues to assist on the front line. 

A documentary following Johan’s work in Ukraine is set to premiere next spring on a Danish TV channel. 

Interviews with Johan in Kyiv are available by prior appointment. 

For reference: The Hospitallers’ medical battalion has been operating on the front lines since 2014. Its teams conduct dozens of evacuations each day across wide stretches of the battlefield. Since 2015, the organization has trained volunteers in tactical medicine and later expanded into pre-medical care courses in 2018. Its instructors hold certifications from the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians, the Ukrainian Military Medical Academy, and other recognized institutions.

• doctors
• Kyiv

Prolonged blackouts have become an everyday reality for residents of frontline areas. That is why it is now especially crucial to have autonomous power sources that enable staying connected and operating vital devices, such as oxygen concentrators or anti-decubitus mattresses. Fight For Right helps people with disabilities obtain autonomous power sources. The organization constantly seeks resources to provide as many people as possible with essential equipment.

Journalists may arrange to speak with Fight For Right representatives in Kyiv and, if possible, individuals seeking alternative power sources.

Background: Fight For Right advocates for the protection of the rights of people with disabilities in Ukraine. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, the organization has opened a hotline: 0 800 30 66 33. The organization is involved in evacuating people with disabilities and provides targeted aid, psychological support, and legal consultations.

• blackout
• Kyiv

Participants:

– Anastasiia Morozova, Program Manager, Reskilling Ukraine;

– Iryna Movchan, Program Administrator, Reskilling Ukraine;

– Viktoriia Posieva, Communications Lead, Reskilling Ukraine (online);

– Hanna Anishyna, Category C Truck Driver, project graduate;

– Anastasiia Dovbnia, CNC Operator, project graduate.

Key topics:

– Women in gender-imbalanced professions: How has the Ukrainian labor market changed since the full-scale invasion, and what opportunities have emerged?

– Free support and training programs for women in traditionally “male” professions, from truck driver to welder;

– Real-life case studies of the successful integration of women into technical and driving positions: motivation, challenges, and results.

Background: The full-scale war has significantly altered the structure of the Ukrainian labor market. Demand for technical and logistics specialties has increased, as has the need to engage women in professions that were previously hardly considered “female”. An increasing number of Ukrainian women are undergoing specialized training and retraining and are successfully working in fields that have traditionally been dominated by men.

The Reskilling Ukraine project is being implemented in Ukraine by the Swedish nonprofit organization Beredskaplsyftet. The project helps women overcome professional barriers by offering modern educational programs and opportunities to quickly master in-demand professions. Real-life stories of graduates demonstrate that women are not only mastering technical and highly skilled specialties, but also becoming drivers of the country’s economy during the war and beyond.

• women
• Kyiv

The public organization Civilians in Captivity, along with families of civilian hostages, activists, and concerned Ukrainians, will hold a peaceful rally titled “Let’s make a wish: For everyone to return home”. The rally is dedicated to raising awareness about russia’s illegal detention of civilian captives. The event will take place in Kyiv on December 13.

The rally aims to draw the attention of the international community and Ukrainian authorities to the urgent need to immediately release all citizens unlawfully detained by russia.

The rally’s central element will be an artistic performance visualizing the tragedy of separation.

• prisoners
• Kyiv

Participants:

– Nataliia Yashan, Head of the Medical Support Department at State Emergency Service of Ukraine (in person)

Key topics:

– Specifics of training medical personnel for the SES;

– The work of rescue teams’ medical units in frontline regions;

– The specifics of providing assistance and the most essential professional skills required at emergency sites.

• Kyiv

A seriously injured dog who would later be named Lavr after a train accident had both of his front legs severed. Against the odds, he survived.

To give the special-need dog a chance at a full life, bioengineers in Dnipro developed custom titanium prosthetics using the same advanced osseointegration technology created for Ukrainian service members who have lost limbs. Surgeons implanted the prostheses directly into his bones, and after a month in intensive care, Lavr gradually learned to walk again on his new front legs.

During his recovery, Lavr was adopted by Vyacheslav Zaporozhets, the founder of the Tytanovi Rehab prosthetics center. Now Lavr often accompanies Zaporozhets to the center, where he spends time with veterans undergoing rehabilitation. His presence has become a powerful source of encouragement, especially for those who withdraw while coping with the emotional toll of their injuries.

By prior arrangement, visitors in Kyiv can meet Vyacheslav Zaporozhets and see Lavr.

• animals
• Kyiv

The war has transformed the childhood and adolescence of Ukrainian children into a state of constant turbulence. Displacement, loss, isolation, remote learning, anxiety, lack of community, and information overload have become the new normal for a generation that is still learning to understand itself.

Under these circumstances, having a supportive and safe space nearby is especially crucial — one that does not stigmatize their experiences or demand that they “cope on their own”. Kyiv’s “Place of Power” is precisely that: a transformative space for teenagers aged 10–17 affected by the war.

“Place of Power” is a three-story haven offering support, development, and recovery to teenagers from Kyiv and its suburbs who have experienced trauma.

Here, they can:

• understand their emotional states;
• find support from adults who know how to listen;
• relieve stress and anxiety;
• restore psycho-emotional development disrupted by the war; 
• find a community that accepts them;
• explore themselves through creativity, interaction, and new formats.

The space features a large workshop hall, an art zone titled “Creativity — The Antidote to Stress,” a therapeutic room with a “No Adults Allowed” policy, a well-equipped shelter, and constant access to light and electricity.

In less than two years of operation, more than 32,000 teenagers have visited the space. More than 10,000 hours of therapeutic and restorative activities have taken place, and over 4,000 events have been held to relieve tension, provide new experiences, and help young people rediscover themselves.

Journalists are invited to visit the space by prior arrangement and speak with visitors and organizers.

Background: “Place of Power” is a project of the Charitable Foundation “Dobrodiy Club”, which has been operating since 2014. The foundation’s mission is to foster a resilient and capable generation of young Ukrainians who will have the resources necessary for leading full lives and developing the country.

• children
• Kyiv

On December 2, International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, the International Organization for Migration Mission in Ukraine will launch a nationwide campaign titled “Does This Sound Familiar?” The campaign will begin with the opening of an interactive installation designed to educate the public on recognizing the signs of exploitation and human trafficking to avoid danger. The event will take place in Kyiv.

Participants:

– Robert Turner, Chief of the IOM Mission in Ukraine;

– Martin Åberg, the extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador of Sweden to Ukraine;

– Inna Solodka, Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Social Policy, Family, and National Unity;

– Oleksandra Hamulenko, National Social Service of Ukraine;

– Bohdan Lobko, Migration Police of the National Police of Ukraine;

– Valerii Tantsiura, Head of the Child and Family Service of the Kyiv city state administration;

– Nataliia Kulikova, Head of the Coalition of NGOs Against Human Trafficking

Journalists must register for the event. Attendees must present a passport or ID card and a press card.

• Kyiv

A briefing “Human capital for energy-efficient recovery: Equal opportunity as a driver of growth” is scheduled for December 3 at the Media Center Ukraine. 

Participants:

– Denys Uliutin, Minister of Social Policy, Family and Unity of Ukraine;

– Viktoriia Vasilieva, Director of the Employment Policy Implementation Department of the State Employment Center;

– Iryna Shumik, Director General of the Directorate of Professional Education at the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine;

– Viktor Kaplun, Professor, DSc in Engineering and Director of the Education and Research Institute of Energetics, Automatics and Energy Saving at the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine;

– Julia Usenko, member of the Women’s Energy Club of Ukraine (WECU) and Head of the All-Ukrainian Sustainable Development and Investment Agency (ASDIA);

– Mykhailo Hanchuk, CEO of Promavtomatyka Vinnytsia LLC;

– Polina Kolodiazhna, Program Co-leader at Greenpeace Ukraine;

– Iryna Zahorodnia, Head of the Project Department at RePower Ukraine Charitable Foundation;

– Oleksandra Dovha, HR Director at iSolar;

– Representative of the State Agency on Energy Efficiency and Energy Saving of Ukraine (SAEE).

All in person.

Key topics:

– Which sectors of the economy are seeing the highest demand for energy-efficiency professionals?

– How can regional potential for green-job generation be evaluated and translated into practical solutions in the energy-efficiency sector?

– How quickly is the education system adapting to the evolving market needs in energy efficiency, including short-term training programs, dual education, workforce development centers, reskilling initiatives, and the transition of service members and war veterans to civilian careers in the energy industry?

• Kyiv