Themes by tag: Kyiv
On September 23, Kyiv will host an award ceremony for the winners of the all-Ukrainian essay and poster contest, “I Hear You: Supporting a Peer Under Occupation”. The ceremony will showcase the works of winners and laureates, each serving as a message of support for peers living under temporary occupation. These messages have already been heard.
Event program:
- Presentation of the exhibition “I Hear You: Supporting a Peer Under Occupation”;
- Addresses by representatives of state institutions and contest jury members;
- Award ceremony for contest winners.
The contest was organized for the second time by the Almenda Civic Education Center. The goal of the contest is to promote understanding and empathy within Ukrainian society regarding the challenges faced by children in temporarily occupied territories. Nearly 700 works were submitted in the essay and social poster categories by children from various regions of Ukraine.
The organizers invite media representatives, civil society organizations, and all interested parties to attend the event and cover the ceremony. They also encourage attendees to share stories about children using creativity to support their peers under occupation.
The contest received support from Ukrainian artists Oleksandr Grekhov and Kateryna Babkina, as well as the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, the Presidential Representation in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, and the Children’s Rights Protection Center of the Ombudsman’s Office.
Registration for the event is required and will be open until September 21.
Background: The event is organized within the framework of the “Childhood Protection: Justice and Reintegration for Children from TOT” project, supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic under the Transition Promotion Program.
Before 2014, Mariia Fenenko lived in the Volnovakha district of the Donetsk oblast. As a child, she enjoyed helping her grandfather organize family photo albums and watching him take pictures. When Mariia moved to Donetsk to study, her mother gave her a gift – her first camera. She soon began receiving commissions for her photography and earning her own income. However, after russia first attacked Ukraine, Mariia was forced to leave her homeland and relocate to Kyiv.
In the capital, she resumed her studies and seriously dedicated herself to photography, turning her passion into a profession. Starting with the gift camera, she built a portfolio and saved up for a better used camera. Over the next decade, she became an accomplished photographer.
Today, Mariia contributes her skills to charitable projects that support the Ukrainian military and internally displaced persons. She dreams of capturing her most meaningful photograph yet: a free, de-occupied Donetsk oblast.
Mariia is available for interviews, both online and in person in Kyiv, by prior arrangement.
On September 24, the Games of Heroes project’s physical rehabilitation team, in cooperation with the Diia.Osvita national platform, will host a public event dedicated to adaptive training for veterans with amputations. The program will include a panel discussion and an open training session attended by veterans, their families, and professional trainers. This event follows the recent release of Ukraine’s first educational series on adaptive training after amputations on the Diia.Osvita platform. The series was created as a digital tool to support veterans in their recovery process.
The event aims to highlight that physical recovery after injury is not only a medical issue but also a social one. The organizers hope to engage a broad audience, including veterans, trainers, rehabilitation center representatives, and volunteers.
Journalists can view the event’s detailed program. Accreditation is required to attend.
Background: The Games of Heroes is a Ukrainian adaptive sports ecosystem for veterans. Since 2015, it has been providing free physical recovery programs for people with severe injuries and amputations, organizing competitions in Ukraine and abroad, hosting adaptive training sessions, and educating trainers. This year, Diia.Osvita joined as a national platform to promote a culture of safe and accessible rehabilitation and sustainable veteran support in Ukraine.
On September 18, Kyiv will host the premiere of the large-scale light installation “The Power of Values,” which is part of the Brand Ukraine International Conference. The installation is created by Ukrainian artist and lighting designer Mykola Kabluka, founder of Expolight and Kabluka Light & Digital Sculptures.
This groundbreaking project, the first of its kind on one of Ukraine’s major monuments, combines deep lighting effects with laser graphics in the air. It merges innovative technology with light art to demonstrate how culture and creativity are shaping the voice of modern Ukraine.
The installation took five months to prepare, including concept development and technical planning.
The premiere will take place during the 2025 Brand Ukraine International Conference. A press briefing with Mykola Kabluka has been arranged for media representatives immediately before the light show.
Attendees and conference participants will witness a large-scale artistic manifesto that visualizes the five fundamental values forming Ukraine’s unbreakable shield today: Love, Freedom, Resilience, Unity, and Justice.
Journalists must register to attend the event. The exact address will be provided after accreditation.
Daniil, whose call sign is “Taiets” (Thai), is from Shostka in the Sumy oblast. He has been passionate about sports since childhood, practicing Muay Thai and being an avid football fan. At age 14, Daniil experienced the football fan sector for the first time and saw that the supporters were true Ukrainian patriots. When russia first attacked, most of these fans became volunteers. “Taiets” recalls that they were his role models.
After finishing school, Daniil moved to Kyiv to study to become a coach and was there when the full-scale invasion began. He immediately joined the Defense Forces, first defending the Kyiv oblast, then Izium, and later the Donetsk oblast. In Bakhmut, says “Taiets”, he learned what real war is. He currently serves in an unmanned systems battalion and is responsible for FPV drone operations.
Over time, Daniil began thinking of ways to help finance drone repairs for his battalion. He decided to try creating merchandise. First, he made challenge coins featuring his photo from Bakhmut, and then he started producing T-shirts with custom prints. Daniil explains that every T-shirt purchased is a donation to the battalion’s drone workshop. “Taiets” does not deduct his own expenses from the sales. Instead, he invests all the profit directly into repairing drones.
Daniil is available for conversations online and in person in Kyiv until September 22 by prior arrangement.
On September 17, the Media Center Ukraine will host a briefing titled “Where will the state’s additional 3 billion hryvnias for medical procurement actually end up?” examining how and where the extra funding is being directed within the healthcare system.
Participants:
– Oleg Klots, General Manager, State Enterprise Medical Procurement of Ukraine;
– Inna Ivanenko, Chief Executive Officer, Charitable Foundation “Patients of Ukraine”;
– Tetiana Kulesha, Head of the NGO “Orphan Diseases of Ukraine”.
Key topics:
– How the adopted Law will affect patient access to modern therapy;
– Which treatment and diagnostic areas will receive additional funding;
– What role did patient organizations and others play in the aforementioned decision?
For reference: Amendments to the 2025 State Budget have allowed for an increase in the reserve fund, directing additional resources to priority non-military spheres, namely healthcare, education, and support for veterans and internally displaced persons.
Specifically, Medical Procurement of Ukraine will receive over UAH 3 billion for the centralized procurement of medicines to treat oncology, rare diseases, viral hepatitis, hemophilia, cardiovascular diseases, multiple sclerosis, childhood mental disorders, and more.
This additional funding represents over a quarter of the annual budget for centralized procurements (UAH 11.2 billion). According to the Ministry of Health, the current level of funding was only sufficient to cover about 60% of hospitals’ needs for medical goods.
Mykhailo Purin, 62, hails from Odesa but was in Kyiv when russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Before the war, he worked as a journalist, contributing articles to a Ukrainian media outlet. When the first explosions shook the capital, he volunteered for the army, drawing on his prior experience as a medical instructor in the Soviet military to serve in a similar role with the Navy’s river flotilla.
During his service, Purin patrolled rivers and participated in combat missions in the Kherson region, particularly around Krynky. After several years on the front lines, he retired in August 2024 upon reaching retirement age. Rather than settling into a quiet pensioned life, he sought a role that would give him purpose.
With guidance from Lobby X, an organization supporting veteran employment, Purin explored opportunities that aligned with his passions. He first took a position at Pethouse, a company specializing in pet food and shelter support, where he now manages supply chains. Beyond his day job, he volunteers with UAnimals, helping rescue and evacuate animals from conflict zones.
Purin is available for interviews both online and in person in Kyiv by prior arrangement.
Ukraine, together with millions of activists from 211 countries of the world, will join World Cleanup Day — the largest environmental civic initiative on the planet, organized by the international movement Let’s Do It World.
This year Kyiv will become the heart of the global event: here the international press media center, call center and online studio will operate, with a live broadcast for 211 countries of the world on the YouTube channel and the “Kyiv” TV channel. The event will take place on September 20.
Central location
(registration of participants, warm-up; press briefing; official opening, welcome speeches of guests; safety instructions, group photo; cleanup (green zone cleaning); final photo, waste removal)
Representatives of government authorities, international partners, celebrities, corporate participants and volunteers will take part.
International Press Conference and Media Center
The international press conference with the participation of Ukrainian and foreign media will take place. Among the speakers:
- Heidi Solba, President and CEO of Let’s Do It World, World Cleanup Day;
- Iuliia Markhel, Leader of Let’s Do It Ukraine, National Coordinator of World Cleanup Day in Ukraine;
- Representatives of the Government of Ukraine and Kyiv City State Administration.
After the press conference, participants will be able to get acquainted with the work of the World Cleanup Day global online studio. The central hub will be the international communication media center, which will coordinate the broadcast and the participation results of all countries.
Journalists are invited to review the detailed program for the event. Accreditation is required to attend.
Peaceful demonstrations will take place in 29 cities across Ukraine to draw attention to the plight of Azovstal defenders and other service members who remain in enemy captivity.
On September 13, rallies will be held in Lviv, Arbuzynka, Pivdenoukrainske, Okhtyrka, Vinnytsia, Chernihiv, Sumy, Dnipro, Bila Tserkva, Pavlohrad, Shpola, Volochysk, and Poltava.
On September 14, events are scheduled in Kyiv, Krolevets, Kremenchuk, Mykolaiv, Obukhiv, Irpin, Ovruch, Cherkasy, Uzhhorod, Dolynska, Berdychiv, Lozova, Kropyvnytskyi, Shostka, Odesa, and Chernivtsi.
The rallies are organized by families of prisoners of war from the Mariupol garrison. Ukrainians who have been released from captivity frequently take part, standing in solidarity with those still held.
Crimea-born artist Kateryna Tutierova, has transformed a soldering iron into an unlikely tool of artistry. Born in Bakhchisarai, she entered university in 2014, the year russia annexed the peninsula. Tutierova wanted to transfer to the mainland, but as a minor, she needed her parents’ consent, which they refused to give. Three years later, she graduated with a russian diploma and moved straight to Kyiv.
In Kyiv, she earned a second bachelor’s degree, followed by a master’s in cultural studies from Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, before starting a career in social media management. But after russia launched its full-scale invasion, Tutierova came across an online video demonstrating how to make jewelry with a soldering iron. Intrigued, she borrowed one from a friend, picked up the basics, and began experimenting. By March of that year, she had sold her first piece.
Today, Tutierova works with an alloy of tin and copper, metals that are both environmentally friendly and safe to wear. She began with earrings and chokers, then expanded into larger pieces such as handbags and paintings. Her bold, sculptural designs have since appeared on Fashion Week runways and on Ukrainian celebrities featured in magazines and music videos. Last year, singers Jerry Heil and Alyona Alyona performed at the Eurovision Song Contest wearing her creations.
Tutierova named her brand Sfurato, a word she once misspelled during a university class. What started as a personal experiment has grown into a distinctive label defined by resilience, artistry, and reinvention.
Those interested in her work can reach her online or arrange an appointment in Kyiv.
