Themes by tag: Kyiv

Echoes of Memory: Living Stories of Native Places” is a project that collects memories and photographs of places currently inaccessible due to war and preserves them for future generations. The initiative was launched by the NGO “ZNOvU”.

The team has created a website where anyone can share their personal stories and memories of their homeland.

Currently, the project includes 60 stories, and more are being added. These include memories from the Crimea, Luhansk, Donetsk and Kherson oblasts.

The co-founders of the NGO “ZNOvU” are Anastasiia Bieliaieva, originally from Nova Kakhovka, and Olha Koval, originally from Luhansk. Both Nova Kakhovka and Luhansk are currently under russian occupation.

By prior arrangement, journalists can communicate with Anastasiia Bieliaieva (online) and Olha Koval (in Kyiv or online). It is also possible to contact participants who have shared their stories on the website.

Background: The project is implemented by the NGO “ZNOvU” with the support of “Culture Helps”.

Since 2020, the NGO “ZNOvU” has been working on issues related to education, the impact of war on the lives of children and youth, and creating opportunities for educational and psychological support for families affected by war.

• culture
• Kyiv

On April 24, the Media Center Ukraine will host a presentation of the Transparency International Ukraine’s 2024 Report

Participants:
– Andrii Borovyk, Executive Director at Transparency International Ukraine.

Background: Transparency International Ukraine (TI Ukraine) is the Ukrainian chapter of the global network focused on fighting corruption and implementing reforms. TI Ukraine supports the work of anti-corruption bodies (NABU, SAPO, HACC, ARMA), transparent public procurement, effective local governance, and more.

In 2024 alone, TI Ukraine’s public monitoring system helped save UAH 2 billion in public procurement.

Apart from many achievements of TI Ukraine, its recommendations on anti-corruption policy and public procurement were adopted by the European Commission and the IMF last year. In addition, the Ukrainian chapter helped launch a reform of the Accounting Chamber to strengthen oversight of state finances.

• Kyiv

On April 24, the Media Center Ukraine will host a press conference “Medicines for people: Does pharmaceutical market reform bring fairness to patients?”

Participants:
– Dmytro Sherembei, Head of the Coordinating Council of the NGO “100% Life”;
– Vitalii Pashkov, Professor, Senior Researcher at the Department of Copyright and Related Rights of the Institute of Intellectual Property of the National Academy of Law Sciences of Ukraine;
– Nataliia Hutorova, Honored Lawyer of Ukraine, Chair of the Board of the NGO “Association of Medical and Pharmaceutical Law”;
– Oksana Kashyntseva, Head of the Department of Research on Intellectual Property Rights and Human Rights in Health Care at the Institute of Intellectual Property of the National Academy of Law Sciences of Ukraine.

Key topics:
– Will patients really benefit from the reform?
– How well justified and systemic will the changes be?
– Is the reform in line with EU requirements and best practices?
– What further steps are needed to establish fair and effective market rules?

Background: A large-scale reform of the Ukrainian pharmaceutical market has been launched to address systemic problems. The President of Ukraine and the National Security and Defense Council have identified this reform as a priority. Recently, the Verkhovna Rada passed Law No. 4239, which gave a significant boost to the de-monopolization and de-shadowing of the market. Work is now underway on the relevant regulations. Following agreements with leading domestic producers, the prices of the 100 most important medications have been reduced.

• Kyiv

The Kyiv Hippodrome is currently home to over 300 horses of trapping and riding breeds. It is one of the few places in Ukraine where equestrian sports have been preserved. Every Sunday the hippodrome hosts horse races, training sessions and competitions in show jumping and dressage. There are several riding schools and a veterinary clinic on the premises. In addition, veterans have the opportunity to participate in free therapeutic horseback riding sessions every week.

The Kyiv Hippodrome is currently facing financial difficulties. The most pressing need is to improve the track surface to ensure safer and more effective horse trials and competitions.

Journalists are welcome to cover how the Kyiv Hippodrome functions during wartime.

Background: Kyiv Hippodrome was founded in the 1960s and remains Ukraine’s central racetrack. At the start of the full-scale invasion, the Hippodrome faced numerous challenges. Securing food for the horses was extremely difficult. Thanks to the efforts of volunteers, horse owners and the Hippodrome administration, supplies were eventually arranged – even from Europe.

Another major problem was getting through checkpoints to feed and vet the horses. There was also a wartime shortage of grooms and caretakers.

The animals suffered greatly from loud explosions and air raid sirens. Horses have acute hearing and can detect sounds from miles away, so the constant noise causes them severe stress.

• animals
• Kyiv

Anastasiia Hondiul and Anna Lobova, wives of Ukrainian prisoners of war and members of the Olenivka Community NGO, are preparing for an indefinite hunger strike set to begin in the capital on April 24. Their husbands, Artem Hondiul and Oleh Lobov, defended Mariupol, surrendered on the orders of their command and survived the terrorist attack in Olenivka.

Anastasiia and Anna say they are taking this step because of the silence of the Ukrainian authorities. Through their hunger strike, the women aim to draw public and government attention to the soldiers who remain in enemy captivity.

The women will remain in the city center during the day, while at night (during the curfew) they will seek shelter in a safe place.

Journalists can speak with the women both online and offline by prior arrangement.

Background: The defense of Mariupol lasted 86 days, ending on May 20, 2022. On the night of July 28-29, 2022, russia committed a terrorist act by blowing up a barracks in the Olenivka penal colony, where Ukrainian POWs were held. At least 50 defenders of “Azovstal” were killed, and over a hundred were injured.

• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• women
• Kyiv

On April 23, the Media Center Ukraine in Kyiv will host a presentation of an awareness campaign for farmers on the state mine action compensation program

Participants:

– Ihor Bezkaravainyi, Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine;

– Volodymyr Baida, Director of the Center for Humanitarian Demining;

– Maria Gutsman, Team Leader for the Inclusive Development, Recovery, and Peacebuilding (IDRPB) at UNDP Ukraine

– Oleh Khomenko, General Director of the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club;

– Leonid Kozachenko, President of the Ukrainian Agrarian Confederation.

For reference: Since the beginning of the year, farmers have submitted 225 applications to participate in the state compensation program for the demining of agricultural land. Of these, 189 were rejected by the Humanitarian Demining Center for failing to meet legal requirements. 

As of mid-April, 13 auctions have been conducted, resulting in nearly UAH 291 million allocated for the clearance of 4,300 hectares of farmland. The program’s total budget stands at UAH 3 billion, and the Ministry of Economy aims to clear as much agricultural land as possible within these funding limits.

• Kyiv
• demining

On April 24-26, Fight For Right will host the forum “Developing Leadership of Girls with Disabilities Starting in School” in Kyiv, presenting a new methodological manual that outlines effective strategies for unlocking the potential of girls with disabilities.

The event will bring together educators, parents, and guardians of participants from Fight For Right’s Liderka-Teenagerka (Teenage Girl Woman Leader) School, along with the young leaders themselves. Together, they will explore ways to strengthen collaboration, boost motivation during the learning process, and address key issues such as conflict resolution, the role of education in rights advocacy, and fostering leadership among girls with disabilities.

The April 25 agenda includes:

– A presentation of the methodological manual, accompanied by training sessions with its authors, who developed innovative approaches to working with children with disabilities;

– Addresses from experts in inclusion and psychosocial rehabilitation, officials from the Ministry of Education and Science, the Advisor to the Presidential Commissioner for Barrier-Free Access, and human rights advocates and disability rights activists from the Fight For Right team;

– An official meeting between girls with disabilities and representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science, held at the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

Accreditation is required to attend the event.

Background: The Teenage Leader School is a Fight For Right initiative dedicated to fostering leadership in girls with disabilities and promoting their active participation in education and society. Twenty-three participants have completed the two-year training program, where they gained skills in self-advocacy, leadership, and achieving personal and academic goals.

• Kyiv

On April 25, the eve of the anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster, the European Institute of Chornobyl will once again convene leading Ukrainian scientists, experts, researchers, and liquidators for CHORNOBYL FORUM 2025. Now in its third edition, the international forum aims to reframe Chornobyl not only as a historical tragedy but also as a pressing contemporary challenge. The event will be held in Kyiv.

In parallel, an exhibition marking the anniversary of the Chornobyl tragedy will run in the capital from April 23 to 27. The showcase will feature works by both Ukrainian and international artists, examining the complex relationship between humanity, nature, and technology. Visitors will also have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the experience through VR headsets, offering a deeper emotional and sensory connection to a history that continues to shape the present.

Key themes of the forum include the current state of the Exclusion Zone, emerging threats posed by war, ecocide as a weapon of conflict, and strategies for recovery and safeguarding the future.

Among the forum’s featured speakers are Andrii Mizko and Ihor Pysmennyi, Mi-6 helicopter pilots and among the first liquidators of the Chornobyl disaster. In May 1986, they flew missions over the destroyed reactor, dropping lead cargo from an altitude of just 200 meters under extremely hazardous conditions. Today, both men remain active in advocating for liquidators’ rights through public initiatives.

Advance registration is required to attend the event.

• ecology
• Kyiv

On April 18, Kyiv will host a charity premiere of the documentary We Are Home. Directed by Roman Krasnoshchok and Anton Chistiakov, the film tells the deeply personal stories of children from across Ukraine who were forced to flee their homes and begin new lives in the Carpathians following the full-scale invasion. British comedian and writer Stephen Fry lends his voice to the narration.

A charity fundraiser will be held during the screening to benefit the Voices of Children Foundation, which supports Ukrainian children affected by the war. That same day, the film will also be released online – available on Apple TV in the United States and Amazon Prime Video worldwide – with all proceeds directed to the charity.

The screening will be followed by a panel discussion featuring members of the film’s creative team and Azad Safarov, co-founder of the Voices of Children Foundation.

• children
• culture
• Kyiv

TMS HUB is a sports facility where servicemen and veterans with amputations or injuries can practice Brazilian jiu-jitsu free of charge. The project promotes the physical rehabilitation and social reintegration of military personnel.

The initiative is led by Artem Kuzmich, a veteran of the Ukrainian Special Forces. Originally from Belarus, Kuzmich has been defending Ukraine since 2014. In 2019, he stepped on an enemy mine and lost a leg. Despite this, he became a champion in Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitions held in Ukraine, Europe and Brazil.

Twelve TMS HUB branches now operate across Ukraine, including in Kyiv, Odesa, Lviv, Chernihiv, Chernivtsi, Mykolaiv, Zhytomyr, Rivne, Dnipro and Khmelnytskyi. More than 200 veterans have already joined the program.

The “TMS Victory Cup” competition will be held at the end of May.

Journalists may arrange to cover this sports initiative in Kyiv by prior coordination.

• casualties
• military
• Kyiv