Themes by tag: Kyiv

Oleksandra Mazur, head of the Olenivka Community NGO, has spent more than two years searching for the truth about her loved one held in russian captivity. Since May 2022, she has been fighting to keep his memory, and the memory of others like him, alive.

Her partner, Azov Regiment combat engineer Yaroslav Otrok, was among the Ukrainian defenders captured at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol. Following orders from his commanders, he and his fellow soldiers surrendered and were taken to a makeshift detention center in the occupied town of Olenivka, Donetsk region.

On July 29, 2022, Yaroslav was killed in a blast that tore through the prison. Ukrainian authorities have described the attack as a terrorist act, accusing russian forces of deliberately targeting prisoners of war.

In the days that followed, Oleksandra saw Yaroslav’s name on a list of the wounded. But hope soon gave way to devastating news. In September, a witness who survived the explosion told her Yaroslav’s injuries had been fatal. A month later, the Azov Patronage Service confirmed he was among the dead. His body had been returned by russia.

Since then, Oleksandra has dedicated herself to the Olenivka Community NGO, supporting other families of POWs and calling attention to the crimes committed in Olenivka. Her efforts helped pave the way for official recognition: on July 22, the Verkhovna Rada adopted a resolution establishing July 28 as the Day of Remembrance for Ukrainian Defenders who were executed, tortured, or died in captivity.

Mazur remains committed to telling these stories. She is available for interviews online or in person, by prior arrangement, in Kamianets-Podilskyi or Kyiv.

• dead
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• women
• Khmelnytskyi
• Kyiv

Anastasiia Bolotova met Ivan Bolotov in 2014. What began as a love story would, a decade later, become a story of loss, remembrance.

When russia launched its full-scale invasion, the couple was living in Mykolaiv. As the war escalated, Ivan moved Anastasiia to his parents’ home in Kyiv for safety, while he remained behind to defend the capital as a military pilot.

On February 2, 2025, Captain Ivan Bolotov was killed in action while carrying out a combat mission. He was just 24 years old. A fighter pilot in Ukraine’s Air Force, Ivan died in the skies he had sworn to protect.

For Anastasiia, life was split into a before and after. The most precious gift he left her, she says, is their son.

In July, Anastasiia opened a coffee shop in Kyiv in Ivan’s memory. She named it Krylati (“The Winged”), paying homage to the life and legacy of her beloved. With the help of Ivan’s friends and family, she designed the space with care: the walls are painted in his favorite color, a mural anchors the room as its artistic heart, and his favorite music drifts softly through the café. Photos of fallen pilots, including Ivan, hang on the walls as a quiet reminder of the cost of war.

Anastasiia Bolotova is available for interviews, both online and in person in Kyiv, by appointment.

• dead
• military
• women
• Kyiv

On July 25, the War Museum in Kyiv will host a special public event honoring Medical Workers’ Day in Ukraine, featuring Captain Oleksandr Homeniuk — a military medic and author of the book “Shrapnel from Avdiivka: Instead of Bedtime Stories for My Son”.

Oleksandr Homeniuk, a former member of the “Plast” scouting organization, was a pediatric orthopedic doctor in peacetime. After the start of russia’s full-scale invasion, he voluntarily joined the 110th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after Marko Bezruchko and became a military medic, rising to the rank of Captain.

While on the front line, Oleksandr kept a diary that later became the basis for his book. The title “Shrapnel from Avdiivka: Instead of Bedtime Stories for My Son” is no coincidence. As Oleksandr saves soldiers’ lives at the front, his little son waits for him at home.

Published by “Zaliznyi Tato”, a veteran-run publishing house founded by fellow soldier Dmytro Savchenko, the book has already reached international audiences. In February 2024, it was presented in Vienna, sharing the realities faced by Ukrainian military medics with the world.

Oleksandr will join the conversation online. Accreditation is required to attend.

• culture
• Kyiv

The Museum of Kyiv History is set to unveil a moving exhibition titled Heart nAZOVni. Blooming Invincibility, dedicated to Ukrainian women whose strength and resilience continue to shine amid profound loss.

On July 22, members of the media are invited to the official opening of the exhibition project, which honors the mothers and wives of Ukrainian servicemen. These women not only stood beside their loved ones through the war but now carry their memory with dignity and pride.

Heart nAZOVni. Blooming Invincibility brings together striking portraits of women dressed in traditional Ukrainian attire, each photograph capturing their quiet strength in the aftermath of loss. The exhibit also features the personal stories of the soldiers they lost, preserving their sacrifice in the broader narrative of Ukraine’s struggle for freedom.

Several of the women featured in the project will attend the opening event in person.

The exhibition will run from July 23 through August 3. Journalists wishing to cover the opening must be accredited in advance.

• culture
• Kyiv

Good Bread, a Kyiv-based non-profit and inclusive social enterprise, is facing the threat of closure due to a lack of funding. For years, it has offered people with intellectual disabilities a rare chance at employment and professional development in the culinary world.

Founded in 2017, the organization opened an inclusive bakery where individuals with intellectual disabilities, autism, and Down syndrome could work, gain confidence, and feel a sense of belonging. Good Bread’s core mission has always been about more than just baking, it’s about helping people with special needs find their place in society.

In time, the team expanded its efforts by launching the Food Fighters project, which provides meals to vulnerable populations in partnership with other organizations. Following the start of russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine, the bakery shifted part of its work to humanitarian relief, distributing bread for free in frontline and newly liberated communities.

Today, that work is at risk. The organization recently announced that without renewed grant support, it may be forced to cease operations. For now, it survives thanks to donations from concerned Ukrainians. But the team is calling on local philanthropists and socially responsible businesses to step in and help sustain the mission.

Those wishing to support or meet with the team can do so either online or in person at their Kyiv location, by appointment.

• Kyiv

On July 20, an open Buhurt training session will be held in Irpin, Kyiv oblast.  The event marks the start of regular activities for the “Buhurt Sich” project in the city. Participants will have the opportunity to try out this adaptive team sport based on medieval combat. All training sessions are free of charge. The “Buhurt Sich” team works for veterans, active military personnel, and anyone seeking strength through community.

Background: The “Buhurt Sich” project aims to restore the psychological well-being of soldiers by introducing them to Buhurt. This team combat sport involves simulated knightly battles, either in full armor or soft protective gear. It’s not only spectacular, but experience from other countries shows that it is also highly effective in aiding veterans. For instance, the majority of Buhurt athletes in the U.S. are former military personnel. They say that Buhurt helped them cope with PTSD, overcome alcohol and drug addictions, and prevent suicide. Beyond the physical challenge, Buhurt provides a tight-knit community, which is a crucial factor in rehabilitation.

• culture
• psychological support
• Kyiv

For over three years, Oleksandra waited for her father, a soldier held in russian captivity. All that time, the young woman searched for any scraps of information — reaching out to relatives of freed POWs, making posts on social media — but mostly, she was met with silence.

On June 19, 2025, Oleksandra received the news she had longed for: her father had been freed from captivity and returned to Ukraine. After that, she decided to support others still searching for their loved ones and waiting for prisoner exchanges. With her father’s permission, she made a social media post asking people to send her photos of their relatives in captivity. She shows these pictures to her father, and he tries to recall whether he saw these people while imprisoned.

Oleksandra receives hundreds of messages with photos. The freed defender often asks for the person’s date of birth, as in captivity, everyone begins to look alike. In just two weeks, Oleksandra’s father managed to recognize three people. Of course, the information may not always be accurate.

Oleksandra helps others without expecting anything in return because she understands the pain of waiting for a loved one to return from captivity.

You can speak with Oleksandra online or in person in Kyiv, by prior arrangement.

• military
• prisoners
• women
• Kyiv

The Tytanovi Arts and Culture Center for Veterans Rehabilitation has officially opened its doors in Kyiv, marking a significant step forward in support for Ukraine’s wounded defenders. Launched by the Tytanovi Foundation as part of its broader Tytanovi Rehab initiative, the new facility is the first of its kind in the country to offer psychological and social rehabilitation for veterans with amputations, uniquely located inside a shopping mall.

The Tytanovi Foundation emphasizes that war leaves scars beyond the physical. Psychological wounds often run deep, and creative therapy is proving to be one of the most effective ways to heal them. The center offers a variety of services, including a creative studio, sports and art therapy sessions, as well as educational, social, and integration programs tailored to veterans’ needs.

To secure the center’s long-term operation, the TYTANOVI Charitable Foundation has partnered with the U.S.-based Hansen Ukrainian Mission. Under a newly signed memorandum, the American organization will cover all operating costs of the rehab center and its cultural-arts space in the Respublika Park shopping mall for one year.

For reference: The Tytanovi Foundation was founded by Armed Forces veteran Viacheslav Zaporozhets and is dedicated to supporting military personnel and veterans in their recovery. One of its key missions is to provide titanium implants for soldiers who have experienced complex limb loss.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• psychological support
• Kyiv

Participants:

– Kateryna Levchenko, Government Commissioner for Gender Policy;

– Iryna Dovhan, SEMA Ukraine NGO;

– Oleksii Sivak, Alumni Network NGO;

– Liudmyla Huseinova, Numo, Sisters NGO;

– Andrii Kochmuradov, December 29th NGO;

– Charu Lata Hogg, Founder and Executive Director of All Survivors Project. 

Key topics:

– How survivors launched the initiative to add russia to the UN’s “list of shame,” tracing its path from a grassroots idea to a unified appeal by both international and domestic human rights organizations;

– Global advocacy efforts supporting the initiative;

– The broader significance of the campaign in advancing international justice and strengthening collaboration among leading victims’ groups.

• russian crimes
• Kyiv

Kyiv has strengthened its defenses against war remnants by establishing a pyrotechnic unit for underwater and humanitarian demining. This unit operates under the Emergency Rescue Squad of the Main Department of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Kyiv.

The unit has already undergone appropriate training and is fully equipped, particularly the diving team.

To improve their skills, rescue sappers practice different response scenarios daily. One of these training sessions involved recovering a training hand grenade from the Dnipro River.

• Kyiv
• demining