Themes by tag: Kyiv
A can’t-miss celebration for pet lovers and their furry friends comes to Kyiv on September 27.
This year’s gathering carries a major fundraising goal: raising 500,000 hryvnias to support Mariupol volunteer Mykhailo Puryshev. Once an entrepreneur, Puryshev has spent the past three years rescuing both people and animals from frontline areas, evacuating them from areas subject to constant enemy fire and delivering food and medicine.
The program includes a pet-friendly fair, speed dating for owners, an introduction to canine therapy, educational talks and discussions, creative workshops, lighthearted competitions for pets, and an evening of stand-up comedy.
For reference: The picnic is organized by the media platform #Shotam, known for covering positive news and stories, together with its partner Holy Doggy, a project dedicated to promoting canine therapy.
An advance screening of the documentary Life From Scratch will take place in Kyiv on September 23 spotlighting the lives of elderly displaced in Ukraine. The film follows residents of the country’s only private settlement for seniors forced from their homes, built by the Miracle Village Charitable Foundation and the Charity Hansen Ukrainian Mission with support from American philanthropist Dell Loy Hansen. Its subjects include elderly evacuees, people with disabilities, and parents whose children are either serving on the front lines or held in captivity.
Set to air soon on national television, the documentary highlights the daily hardships, resilience, and determination of some of Ukraine’s most vulnerable communities. The project aims to raise awareness of their needs and foster dialogue about support at the state, civil society, and international levels.
The event will combine the screening with a short discussion. Guests include officials from the Ministry of Social Policy, the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, and representatives of UNHCR, IOM, Caritas, HelpAge International, the Red Cross, and other national and international charities working with displaced people, older adults, and individuals with disabilities.
Organizers say they hope the film will provide a platform for developing a shared vision of making life safer, more dignified, and filled with hope for those portrayed.
Journalists are required to register to attend.
On September 23, Kyiv will host a panel discussion titled “Remembering the Dead: How to Honor Their Memory in Public Spaces Without Reducing Them to an Undifferentiated Mass.”
The event, organized by the NGO Ukrainian LGBTQI+ Military and Veterans for Equal Rights, will explore how to commemorate fallen defenders in public spaces in ways that preserve their names and individuality rather than reducing them to abstract symbols. Special attention will be given to approaches for visibly and respectfully honoring both open and closeted LGBTQI+ service members in the urban environment, including the concept of a memorial alley.
Speakers:
– Oleksandr Demenko, Head of Ukrainian LGBTQI+ Military and Veterans for Equal Rights;
– Yakiv Lavrynets, Co-Chair of Kharkiv Pride Sphere and Co-Organizer of KharkivPride;
– Oksana Borkun, Head of the Have to Live Charitable Foundation and Founder of the Community of Wives of Fallen Defenders;
– Veronika Holubnych, a Representative of the Vshanui NGO;
– Dmytro Kostiuminskyi, a Military Officer, Production Designer, Actor, Theater Director, and Creator of the Tree of Memory Monument (online).
Registration is required for attendance.
On September 21, 2025, Mariupol Day will be celebrated in Kyiv.
Mariupol is a symbol of resilience and hope that will unite people in Kyiv once again this September. This year, Mariupol Day is not only a symbol, but also a moment of remembrance, gratitude, and unity – open to all who wish to participate.
The organizers invite the media to attend the event, hear the community’s voice, collect personal stories, capture compelling visuals, and speak with the heroes and participants who carry on Mariupol’s legacy.
Program highlights:
- Symbolic march – culminating in the presentation of keys to the Kyiv City State Administration, representing the unity, dignity, and resilience of Mariupol residents;
- Art installation “Keys of Mariupol” – a collective space of memory and hope where everyone can bring their own key;
- Exhibition of photos and artworks – visual stories shared by Mariupol residents and their children;
- Greek cultural corner – music, traditions, and treats from the Greek community;
- The Sens bookstore featuring a special display titled “Mariupol Speaks”;
- Ukrainian Institute of National Memory – an exhibition of historical records, testimonies, and artistic interpretations;
- Main stage at the Kyiv City State Administration – music, poetry, reflections, and words from families of soldiers and veterans;
- Additional events – from September 18-22, I’Mariupol Support Centers in Kyiv, community hubs for IDPs from Mariupol across Ukraine, will host workshops, postcard and symbolic key collections, and community gatherings.
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.
