Themes by tag: Kyiv

On July 9, the Media Center Ukraine will hold a briefing with Vadym Guttsait, President of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine. The focus will be on the preparation of Ukrainian athletes for the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris.

For reference: The Summer Olympic Games will take place in Paris from July 26 to August 11, 2024, featuring competitions in 32 sports.

• Kyiv

A charity initiative called “Wind Power” has been launched in Kyiv, aimed at empowering women who are veterans, internally displaced persons (IDPs), or wives and widows of military personnel. The project focuses on teaching participants how to sail, fostering a supportive community, and helping them find new purposes in life. Eventually, the program aims to qualify them as yacht captains.

Currently, 16 women are enrolled in the 2.5-month course. The curriculum includes 10 practical training sessions on a sailing yacht with a professional instructor, 5 theoretical sailing classes, and participation in sailing races to solidify their skills.

The “Wind Power” project is led by Viktoriia Pototska, a military spouse and experienced yacht captain with a decade of sailing under her belt. She also founded the Family Yacht Club sailing school.

Journalists seeking coverage of the project in Kyiv can do so by prior arrangement.

For reference: The initiative is part of the You Are Goal program by the Projector Foundation, supported by USAID’s Ukraine Confidence Building Initiative (UCBI), and takes place at the Obolon Yacht Club in Kyiv. 

Key partners include psychologist and yachtswoman Maryna Petrovych and financial literacy coach and yachtswoman Svitlana Telychenko.

• women
• Kyiv

On July 8, Media Center Ukraine will host a presentation of the trailer for the film “People of Steel.” The event will also feature a presentation of results of the pre-premiere screening of the film about the Mariupol defenders in front of European diplomats.

The documentary, which took more than a year to complete, uses unique footage from the prison in Olenivka and Mariupol, where the russians committed numerous war crimes.

Participants:

• Serhii Fomenko, musician and director, frontman of the band Mandry;
• Kateryna Prokopenko, Association Azovstal Defenders’ Families;
• Andrii Rizol, Head of the association “Watch Ukrainian!”;
• Petro Yatsenko, representative of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.

For reference: This film was developed as part of the Culture VS War and Between Light and Evil projects, involving the NGO Association of Azovstal Defenders’ Families and the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.

IMPORTANT NOTICE! Starting from the beginning of July, Media Center Ukraine will be located in the comfortable public space Urban Space 500, at 9 Hrinchenko Street in Kyiv. All events will take place there.

• russian crimes
• Kyiv

Having an alternative source of electricity has become a matter of survival for people with disabilities in Ukraine. After all, this makes it possible to provide electricity for an oxygen concentrator, charge an electric wheelchair or connect an anti-bedsore mattress. Providing people with sources of alternative energy has become a priority for the Fight For Right NGO.

They are currently working on 30 requests trying to obtain large alternative power equipment, and such requests come in daily

By prior agreement, journalists have the opportunity to talk with representatives of the Fight For Right NGO in Kyiv and, if possible, with people who ask the NGO for alternative sources of electricity.

For reference: the Fight For Right NGO advocates for the observance of the rights of people with disabilities in Ukraine. With the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the organization has started evacuating people with disabilities, providing assistance at their homes as well as psychological support and legal advice.

• blackout
• Kyiv

On July 5, on the birthday of public activist and military man Roman Ratushnyi, the documentary film “20 Days in Mariupol ” will be screened in Kyiv. This movie depicts the russian siege of Mariupol in February-March 2022. (The film won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film in 2024)

“Film Screenings on Protasiv ” continue the traditions started by Roman Ratushnyi, who united and rallied the local community in the struggle for the green zone in Protasiv Yar, a historical area in Kyiv. Roman was a scout of 93rd Separate Mechanized Brigade “Kholodnyi Yar.” He died at the front on June 8, 2022.

The film screening will feature a fundraiser for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Program of the event:

• The beginning. Introductory speech by Yulia Bartle, Head of Save Protasiv Yar NGO.
• Screening of the film-essay “Roman Ratushnyi. A Free Man” directed by Mishel Lades. The film was presented last year at the “Protasiv Yar” festival in tribute of Roman Ratushnyi.
• Meeting with the participants of events in Mariupol in the spring of 2022:

• Mykhailo Vershynin, a police major who returned from captivity and is currently fighting in the East. Head of the Patrol Police Department in Donetsk region.
• Call sign “Ostap,” a major of the National Guard of Ukraine, who after captivity is serving in “Azov” 12th brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine. During the defense of Mariupol, he commanded the air reconnaissance combat group of the Azov Regiment
• Alina Kozytska, Head of I’Mariupol.Molod NGO, Head of the Mariupol Youth Council
• Liudmila Vaskovska, an anesthesiologist at the regional hospital in Mariupol, one of the people featured in the documentary.
• Screening of the documentary film “20 days in Mariupol.” 

• Kyiv

The public monitoring group OZON from the Center for Civil Liberties will conduct its third round of shelter inspections, focusing on accessibility and basic standards. 

This effort will be joined by volunteers from the UAnimals community, who will also check if shelters allow animals.

The inspection campaign is open to the public. The Center for Civil Liberties will offer special training beforehand. 

Following the inspections, a detailed report with recommendations for shelter improvements will be prepared and presented to local and national authorities responsible for shelters.

Journalists are invited to cover the shelter inspection campaign in Kyiv, tentatively set to begin in mid-July.

• Kyiv

Oksana Myronenko was a surgeon in her hometown of Luhansk. In 2014, following russia’s initial attack on Ukraine and the occupation of the city, Oksana and her husband relocated to Bucha in the Kyiv region.

In February 2022, during the Russian assault on Kyiv, reluctant to face occupation again and swiftly moved with her children from Bucha to Kyiv. Tragically, Oksana’s parents also attempted to flee Bucha, but her mother died and her father was injured en route.

In spring 2022, Oksana and her sister established the Nash Sokil (Our Falcon) charity foundation, dedicated to aiding internally displaced persons with limited mobility. They named the foundation in honor of their late mother, whose last name was Sokolovska. Despite her new responsibilities, Oksana continues her medical practice, performing at least 30 surgeries a month in Ivano-Frankivsk and Kyiv. As a peripheral nerve injuries expert, she helped many soldiers avoid disability and alleviate pain. Oksana offers all surgeries for military personnel at no charge. 

Journalists can interview Oksana Myronenko in Ivano-Frankivsk or Kyiv.

• casualties
• dead
• doctors
• occupation
• women
• Ivano-Frankivsk
• Kyiv

On July 4, the Ukraine Media Center will host a press conference to reveal the national team for the 2025 Invictus Games, set to take place in Whistler and Vancouver, Canada.

Participants: 

– Oleksandr Porkhun, Acting Minister for Veterans Affairs of Ukraine; 

– Anastasia Rashchenko, Head of Program Department at the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation; 

– Ilona Voloshyna, National Coordinator of the Invictus Games in Ukraine; 

– Alina Frolova, Founder of Stratcom Ukraine, Founder of the Invictus Games in Ukraine;

– Taras Kovalyk, Head of the Veterans Department at Come Back Alive. 

From May 31 to June 2, Kyiv held the All-Ukrainian Adaptive Sports Competition. Based on its results, the selection committee has formed a team of 35 participants who will travel to Canada in February 2025.

For reference: The selection and preparation of the 2025 national team is overseen by the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine, in collaboration with the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation, StratCom Ukraine, Come Back Alive Foundation, and Invictus Games Ukraine.

• Kyiv

In Kyiv, Ukrainian defenders, including veterans who have lost limbs during the war, now have the opportunity to rehabilitate through water sports such as paddleboarding, wakesurfing, and wakeboarding. These activities utilize special inclusive seats for training.

The training sessions are free and take place 2-3 times a week, depending on the sport, with professional instructors on hand. Journalists can arrange in advance to cover these sessions and speak with participants and organizers.

For reference: These lessons are organized with support from the Ukrainian Wake Federation (UWF) and X-Park. 

X-Park has been providing comprehensive support for veterans, participants of the Revolution of Dignity, the russian-Ukrainian war, and their families for six years. The park offers inclusive sports facilities, including basketball courts, stand-up paddle boards, and surfing locations, aimed at post-frontline rehabilitation. This support is crucial for soldiers with severe injuries and physical limitations, as it helps improve their psychological well-being, prevent depression, and demonstrate possibilities for a vibrant, active life.

• casualties
• military
• Kyiv

On July 5, media representatives are invited to the opening night of the inclusive and interactive theatrical performance for children with disabilities entitled “Symphony of Ukrainian Fairy Tales” performed by the Kyiv-Classic Symphony Orchestra under the direction of UNESCO Artist for Peace Herman Makarenko. The event will take place on the territory of Okhmatdyt National Specialized Children’s Hospital. Young patients of the hospital will take a direct part in the play.

In “Symphony of Ukrainian Fairy Tales” musical and theatrical art are combined using an interactive approach. The script is based on Ukrainian folklore. The performance will feature the works of Semen Hulak-Artemovsky, Mykola Lysenko, Levko Kolodub and Volodymyr Ptushkin, as well as Ukrainian folk melodies.

The program of the event includes: a briefing with the participation Volodymyr Zhovnir, General Director of the Okhmatdyt hospital, Herman Makarenko, Head of Kyiv-Classic Symphony Orchestra, Olena Anopriienko, Chief Psychologist of the Okhmatdyt hospital, Vadym Myroshnychenko, Director and Playwright, and Nataliia Miiedinova, actress and gamemaster; the performance; interaction with participants and spectators of the performance.

The event requires accreditation.

For reference: The project is supported by the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation.

• children
• culture
• Kyiv