Themes by tag: Kyiv

Ideological pressure, torture, and politically motivated prosecutions—these are the realities Ukrainians face in russian detention facilities today. Yet these repressive tactics are far from new. They trace back more than a century to the Soviet Union and are now being revived by modern-day russia.

In its latest analytical report, the Media Initiative for Human Rights compares archival cases from Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) with testimonies from today’s detainees. The document highlights the direct link between Soviet-era repression and current practices, demonstrating that russia’s actions are not isolated incidents but rather part of a deliberate, systemic policy by the aggressor state.

The presentation will explore which groups of Ukrainians have been targeted by russia for more than a century; the ideological indoctrination methods used both in the Soviet era and today; how the machinery of torture and coercion operates; and why these combined practices amount to crimes against humanity.

Advance registration is required to attend the event.

• russian crimes
• Kyiv

Participants:

– Kateryna Levchenko, Government Commissioner for Gender Policy;

– Yaroslava Lopatina, Country Program Director, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) Ukraine;

– Olena Stryzhak, Chair of the Board, Charitable Organization “Positive women”;

– Yuliia Kalancha, Executive Director, TB Europe Coalition;

Discussion topics:

– Obstacles women face in accessing quality healthcare services amid the ongoing realities of the third year of full-blown war;

– Findings from the Positive Women NGO study on healthcare access for HIV-positive women;

– Insights from the TB European Coalition study on gender-sensitive healthcare services;

– Gender-specific challenges in combating tuberculosis—addressing the needs of women with TB and promoting gender equality among healthcare professionals.

• women
• Kyiv

Sarah, a U.S. citizen, has been living and working in Kyiv for the past year and a half. She joined the Voices of Children Charitable Foundation, which assists war-affected children. Sarah mainly focuses on humanitarian issues.

Sarah first visited Ukraine as a teenager, both as a tourist and as a humanitarian worker. During the full-scale war in 2022, she volunteered for two months across Ukraine, providing aid on the ground. After earning her university degree in 2023, she returned and chose to settle in Kyiv. She finds inspiration in exploring new cities, especially near the front lines, where she feels life’s meaning most deeply.

Journalists can meet and speak with Sarah in Kyiv by prior arrangement.

• children
• women
• Kyiv

On March 6, a crucial roundtable discussion titled “Media of Occupied Territories: How to Stay Connected with the People” will take place. The media outlets relocated from temporarily occupied areas serve as one of the few reliable, trusted, and open communication channels for those who have been displaced across the front lines, in different countries, and on different continents due to the ongoing war.

However, these newsrooms are facing a perfect storm of challenges: cuts to grant programs, the ongoing war, and economic difficulties. According to a study by the Institute of Mass Information (IMI) in Kyiv, over half of regional media have experienced significant funding losses.

This roundtable, hosted at the Media Center Ukraine, will bring together editors, journalists, media experts, and government officials to discuss potential solutions and steps to help Ukrainian regional media emerge from this crisis.

Speakers:

– Oksana Romaniuk, Director of the Institute of Mass Information (IMI);

– Andrii Dikhtiarenko, Co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of Realna Gazeta;

– Anna Murlykina, Editor of Mariupol local news outlet 0629.com.ua, Project Manager of the Relocated Media Cluster;

– Yevheniia Virlych, Editor-in-Chief of Kherson online media Kavun.city;

– Hanna Bokova, Editor-in-Chief of Bakhmut IN.UA;

– Valeriia Melnyk, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Tribun publication;

– Valeriia Krupoderia, Coordinator of the Eastern Variant hotline. 

This event promises to be a pivotal conversation about preserving the voice of Ukrainian regional media during these challenging times.

• occupation
• Kyiv

Launched in the summer of 2023, the rehabilitation program at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra Historical and Cultural Reserve has already welcomed 1,438 military personnel. Starting in 2025, the program has been expanded to include the families of fallen soldiers, families of prisoners of war, and former prisoners themselves. The rehabilitation takes place within the expansive grounds of the Kyiv Cave Monastery, aiming to restore participants by immersing them in Ukraine’s rich cultural and spiritual heritage.

The program unfolds in two stages. The first, a 10-day initiative, includes activities such as archaeological digs at ancient walls, a glassmaking workshop from the 11th and 12th centuries, and visits to the National Museum of History’s Treasury and the Museum of Books and Printing. Participants also engage in an icon painting workshop, explore the Upper and Lower Lavra territories, and take part in worship services. The second stage, “A Day at the Lavra for Military,” allows groups of veterans, led by a lecturer-guide, to experience a full day at the monastery. During their visit, they explore the site, attend guided tours, join in the Reserve’s activities, and visit local shrines.

To enhance the program’s scope, the team partners with independent cultural institutions, public initiatives, and individual artists. Contemporary artists, restorers, musicians, and folk artisans lead master classes and interactive sessions, offering the military not just a chance to observe but also to participate in the creative process.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• Kyiv

On March 4, the Media Center Ukraine will host a press conference titled “Volodymyr Ananiev – Ukrainian Political Prisoner of Crimea: Illicit Actions of the Aggressor Country.”

On February 5, 2024, the russian Federal Security Service claimed to have foiled a “terrorist plot” against Sergey Aksyonov, the pro-russian head of Crimea’s government serving as “Chairman of the Council of Ministers.” However, the reality is that 75-year-old Volodymyr Ananiev, a well-known Ukrainian public figure from Crimea, along with two other Ukrainian nationals, was detained as part of a fabricated case.

Ananiev is currently facing transportation to russia under guard and is at risk of a lengthy prison sentence for refusing to cooperate with the russian “investigation.”

The press conference will address the details of Ananiev’s imprisonment, the conditions of his detention, and his deteriorating health.

Speakers:

– Anna Sviatnenko, Wife of kremlin Political Prisoner Volodymyr Ananiev;

– Andriy Shchekun, Representative of the Regional Council of Ukrainians of Crimea;

– Olha Skrypnyk, Board Chairwoman of the Crimean Human Rights Group. 

• prisoners
• Kyiv

35-year-old Jason Hercula is from Jacksonville, North Carolina, USA. Back home, he tried many different jobs — he worked as a barber, a pizza delivery driver, and also has experience in construction. He had long dreamed of traveling and even started learning French to feel more confident in French-speaking countries.

However, his plans changed drastically in 2022 when he learned of russia’s aggression against Ukraine. Resolving to help those affected by the invasion, Jason shifted his focus from French to learning Ukrainian.

During his time in Ukraine, Jason has worked on rebuilding numerous sites — mostly residential homes in war-torn towns and villages in the Kyiv oblast — and even helped clear rubble in Kyiv after missile attacks. His favorite task is roof repair, where he has become an expert.

Background information: Dobrobat (short for “Dobrovolchyi Budivelnyi Batalion” — “Volunteer Construction Battalion”) is a volunteer construction initiative that helps war-affected communities with the urgent reconstruction of homes and social infrastructure in de-occupied areas.

• reconstruction
• volunteers
• Kyiv

On March 4, the Media Center Ukraine will host a press conference titled “Volodymyr Ananiev – Ukrainian Political Prisoner of Crimea: Illicit Actions of the Aggressor Country.”

On February 5, 2024, the russian Federal Security Service claimed to have foiled a “terrorist plot” against Sergey Aksyonov, the pro-russian head of Crimea’s government serving as “Chairman of the Council of Ministers.” However, the reality is that 75-year-old Volodymyr Ananiev, a well-known Ukrainian public figure from Crimea, along with two other Ukrainian nationals, was detained as part of a fabricated case.

Ananiev is currently facing transportation to russia under guard and is at risk of a lengthy prison sentence for refusing to cooperate with the russian “investigation.”

The press conference will address the details of Ananiev’s imprisonment, the conditions of his detention, and his deteriorating health.

Speakers:

– Anna Sviatnenko, Wife of kremlin Political Prisoner Volodymyr Ananiev;

– Andriy Shchekun, Representative of the Regional Council of Ukrainians of Crimea;

– Olha Skrypnyk, Board Chairwoman of the Crimean Human Rights Group. 

• prisoners
• Kyiv

On March 1, the Stations of the Cross, a religious processional will take place in Bucha, Kyiv Oblast, along Yablunska Street, to honor the memory of the victims tortured during the russian occupation. The procession will feature 14 stations, each marking a site where civilians were tragically killed. Among the stops, participants will pause to pray for and remember those who suffered at 144 Yablunska St., including the first boys to fall victim to the russians: Andrii Verbovyi, Andrii Matviichuk, Andrii Dvornikov, Vitalii Karpenko, Sviatoslav Turovskyi, Anatolii Prykhidko, Valerii Kotenko, and Denys Rudenko.

The procession will conclude at the chapel of St. Luke Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.

For context: The Stations of the Cross is a prayer tradition centered on meditations about the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ for humanity’s salvation. Originating in Jerusalem, it is observed within the liturgical practices of both the Catholic and Greek Catholic Churches.

• dead
• occupation
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

On March 4, the Media Center Ukraine will host the presentation of the Amnesty International’s report: “Deafening Silence – Enforced Disappearances, Incommunicado Detention, and Torture of Ukrainian Prisoners by russia”.

Participants:

– Veronika Velch, Director of Amnesty International Ukraine;

– Olena Kozachenko, Research Project Assistant at Amnesty International Ukraine;

– Lera Burlakova, Media and Communications Officer at Amnesty International Ukraine;

– Nataliia Yepifanova, Head of the NGO Warriors Liberation;

– Maksym Kolesnikov, Veteran and Former Prisoner of War. 

Amnesty International’s report, “Deafening Silence – Enforced Disappearances, Incommunicado Detention, and Torture of Ukrainian Prisoners by russia,” draws on interviews with 104 individuals, including former prisoners of war, to document crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in russian captivity.

According to Amnesty International’s latest report, Ukrainian prisoners are deliberately kept in isolation, enabling ongoing torture and systematic human rights violations. Many detainees are officially classified as missing in action due to the complete absence of information regarding their whereabouts. russia’s consistent failure to confirm the detention of certain Ukrainian prisoners – despite credible evidence of their captivity – constitutes enforced disappearance under international law. Furthermore, the report indicates that russia has likely withheld information from the International Committee of the Red Cross regarding the status of hundreds, possibly thousands, of prisoners of war. russia’s treatment of both Ukrainian military personnel and civilians in detention flagrantly violates the full spectrum of international legal standards.

• casualties
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Kyiv