Themes by tag: Kyiv

Yuliia and Serhii shared 27 years of a happy marriage. Together, they raised two daughters, Victoriia and Valeriia. The couple built their home with their own hands – Serhii oversaw the construction, while Yuliia, skilled in painting and plasterwork, contributed her expertise. Their teamwork eventually grew into a small family business, renovating apartments from start to finish.

Russia’s full-scale invasion found the couple at home in the Kyiv region. On the war’s first day, Serhii attempted to enlist in the Armed Forces, but long lines at military registration offices held him back. For a year, he kept trying – and in the meantime, he volunteered.

He later joined the 15th Border Guard Detachment. Though frequently deployed to the front line, Serhii always managed to send a few words to his wife. But after one mission, he never came back. For his unwavering commitment and courage, he was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal “For the Defense of Ukraine.”

For reference: The Children of Heroes charitable foundation is currently supporting the family. The organization assists children who have lost one or both parents due to Russia’s full-scale invasion by providing financial aid, psychological and legal support, and resources for education and personal development until they reach adulthood.

• dead
• military
• women
• Kyiv

On April 15, Kyiv will host a screening of “Shadows on the Left Bank” – an investigative film by Danylo Mokryk exposing russian atrocities in the occupied Kherson oblast.

From the first days of the full-scale invasion, much of Kherson oblast, including the village of Hornostaivka (Kakhovka district), fell under Russian control. The occupiers turned the local national police station into a torture chamber where Ukrainian soldiers and civilians were detained.

A team of journalists from The Kyiv Independent uncovered the identities of several victims who perished at the torture site, as well as the names of “officers” of the occupation “police” responsible for torturing and killing Kherson residents.

The documentary centers on the murder of 28-year-old Hornostaivka resident Ruslan Rusnak, an ATO veteran who was abducted by russian occupiers in November 2023 and tortured to death in the former police station.

During the event, the film’s creators – Danylo Mokryk, a journalist from the Head of War Crimes Investigations Unit, and Yevheniia Motorevska, Head of War Crimes Investigations Unit (The Kyiv Independent) – will speak about the story behind the film creation and the progress of the investigation.

Accreditation is required to attend the event.

• culture
• dead
• occupation
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

From April 10, the film “MUR. You [Romance] in Cinema” will be shown in cinemas. This is Ukraine’s first theatrical musical filmed in a special format for the big screen. It tells the story of the life of Ukrainian writers and theater figures of the 20’s and 30’s – the era of the Executed Renaissance – most of whom were destroyed during the Stalinist repressions. The creators emphasize: we must know this tragic history to prevent it from repeating.

The historical musical first appeared as a musical album of the same name, which became a hit in 2024, gathering over 1 million views on YouTube. This was followed by a theatrical production seen by over 60,000 people in 15 cities. So the authors, the creative association MUR, approached the FILM.UA studio with the idea of filming it to preserve it for future generations.

About 5,000 tickets were sold before the film’s release, and the pre-premiere tour covered 10 cities, including the frontline cities of Kharkiv and Zaporizhia. Kyiv’s Zhovten Cinema will screen the film with English subtitles for foreigners who wish to learn more about our country.

On April 13 in Kyiv, after the film screening, journalists will have the opportunity to engage with director Oleksandr Khomenko, actors Oleksandr Zaika, Mykola Shmundyr, Mariia Lukianenko-O’Reilly, Lesia Patoka, and choreographer Inna Matiushina.

Background: Born during Russia’s full-scale war, the MUR project united artists from Kyiv and Donetsk, including Oleksandr Khomenko (director, actor, screenwriter, lyricist), Viktor Tkachenko (composer, actor), Mykola Shmundyr (actor), Mariia O’Reilly (editor), and Oleksandr Zaika (performer and songwriter).

The group has gained a large audience on social media. Their documentary shorts on the history of Shchedryk, Pavlo Tychyna, Ivan Bahrianyi, and Vasyl Stus have become Instagram’s most-watched educational content on Ukrainian literature.

• culture
• Kyiv

The Tytanovi Charitable Foundation, within the framework of the Tytanovi Rehab project, invites you to the presentation of the “Tytanovi Arts & Culture Center” for rehabilitation of veterans. During the event, veterans and journalists will get a preview of what the center will offer after its official opening.

The Foundation explains that war leaves not only physical wounds, but also deep psychological scars. Creative rehabilitation is one of the most effective ways to address them. The center will offer veterans the opportunity to participate in art therapy, try their hand in a photo lab, take the stage in a theater, and attend educational workshops.

The presentation will feature Viacheslav Zaporozhets, the founder and head of the Tytanovi Charitable Foundation – a veteran who lost a limb and has mastered a bionic prosthesis.

Background: Founded by Viacheslav Zaporozhets, a veteran of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Tytanovi Charitable Foundation specializes in the rehabilitation of servicemen and veterans after severe injuries. According to the organizers, Tytanovi is the only foundation  that provides custom-made titanium bone implants for military personnel with high-level and severe amputations.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• Kyiv

On April 11, the Recovery Window Media Network will introduce its “One to Another” assistance service at Media Center Ukraine. Designed to connect media organizations, NGOs, and think tanks, the service is inspired by the concept of “suspended coffee” (caffè sospeso). It allows those with available resources—such as expertise, equipment, or technology—to share them with those in need, at no cost. This initiative aims to support organizations facing challenges due to the unexpected withdrawal of U.S. funding.

This initiative aims to support partners facing operational and logistical challenges amid sudden cuts in U.S. grant funding.

Participants:

– Anhelina Tiokhta, Head of the Communications at the Recovery Window Media Network;

– Olena Dub, Media Expert; 

– Valeriia Krupoderia, Coordinator of the Eastern Variant hotline; 

– Nataliia Tuiahina, Head of English-language Department at Rubryka Ukrainian Solutions Media.

All in person.

Prior accreditation is required for attendance.

• Kyiv

On April 11, Media Center Ukraine will host a press conference titled “Always First: Families of captured and missing paratroopers demand honest dialogue with the state.” The participants will address the infrequency of prisoner exchanges involving captured paratroopers and discuss the need for effective communication between the families of the paratroopers and state authorities.

Participants:

– Tetiana Hoidyk, Coordinator of Families of Captured and Missing of the 95th Air Assault Brigade; 

–Yevhen Didkivskyi, former POW of the 95th Air Assault Brigade;

– Oleh Slobodianyk, representative of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War;

– Volodymyr Horin, Head of the Personnel Management Department of the Airborne Assault forces, Armed Forces of Ukraine; 

– Olena Bieliachkova, Coordinator for Groups of Families of Prisoners of War and Missing Soldiers, Media Initiative for Human Rights (MIHR). 

All in person.

Prior accreditation is required for attendance.

• prisoners
• Kyiv

On April 11, Kyiv will host the premiere screening of the co-produced film “No Sleep Til Kyiv”, a collaboration between the USA, Estonia, and Ukraine, which will be released online later this spring. The Kyiv event will feature the film’s creative team, as well as the convoy drivers of the 69th Sniffing Brigade, who are arriving in Ukraine with another delivery of humanitarian aid.

“No Sleep Til Kyiv” follows the journey of American Peter Duke, who joins a convoy as a driver from Estonia to Kyiv to deliver crucial aid to Ukrainian soldiers. Along the way, Peter discovers a country that embodies unity and resilience. He draws parallels between Ukraine’s current struggle and the founding of the United States in 1776. As he observes those involved in today’s fight, he witnesses extraordinary acts of self-sacrifice and dedication — values that transcend borders and politics. The experience reshapes his understanding of war — and of himself.

Peter Duke travels from Tallinn to Kyiv with the 69th Sniffing Brigade, a unit of the international North Atlantic Fellas Organization (NAFO), which has supported Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.

The 69th Sniffing Brigade regularly assists Ukrainian soldiers by collaborating with international donors, organizing fundraisers for vehicles, drones, generators, and addressing many other essential needs of Ukrainian defenders.

The screening will take place with the participation of the film’s creative team: the film’s protagonist, soldier Volodymyr Favorsky; director of photography Christopher Walters; creative producer Dimitri Nasennik; line producer Vsevolod Priakhin; and sound engineer Xenia Vynogradova.

Accreditation is required to attend the event.

• culture
• Kyiv

On April 10, the Media Center Ukraine will host a briefing “Energy stability: Gas, nuclear and critical infrastructure in wartime”.

Participants: 

– Yuriy Boyko, Advisor to the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Member of the Supervisory Board of Ukrenergo.

Key topics:

– Gas procurement: Will resources be sufficient and where will they come from?

– Restoration of damaged critical infrastructure: What has been done and what is planned?

– The role of nuclear power in ensuring the resilience of the energy system;

– How did the last heating season go, and where should preparations for the next one begin?

• Kyiv

How can we ensure that the destruction of Ukrainian monuments, museums and artifacts by the russian federation does not go unpunished? How can we collect evidence of crimes against cultural heritage so that it becomes part of the indictments in international tribunals?

These topics were addressed by participants of a four-day training in Kyiv: museum workers, investigators, prosecutors, military personnel, scientists, representatives of the public sector and journalists. Among the trainers were representatives from 7 countries (USA, UK, Sweden, France, Mauritius, Netherlands and Ukraine), including prosecutors who have worked with the International Criminal Court to prosecute those responsible for crimes against cultural heritage in Mali, Bosnia and other countries.

The press conference, which will be held in Kyiv on April 11, will summarize the results of the training, outline the main challenges and the steps necessary to achieve justice.

Participants of the press conference:

• Nataraj Muneesamy, Assistant Attorney General of Mauritius, expert in international criminal law; 
• Andrea Cayley, Coordinator of the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group (ACA) in Ukraine, Head of the Cultural Heritage Group; 
• Ankie Petersen, Staff Officer for Cultural Property Protection, NL Armed Forces, member of the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group (ACA) in Ukraine;
• Anna Neistat, Legal Director of The Docket initiative (Clooney Foundation for Justice’s initiative to hold perpetrators of international crimes accountable); 
• Ihor Poshyvailo, Co-founder of the Agency for Cultural Resilience (ACURE), Director General of the National Museum of the Revolution of Dignity.

• culture
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

On April 12, a peaceful rally “From captivity — home” dedicated to the release of Ukrainian civilian prisoners who are illegally held by russia will take place in Kyiv. The goal of the event is to draw public and international attention to the issue of illegal detention of Ukrainian civilians by russia and to demand their immediate release.

During the rally “From captivity — home” there will be:

• Speeches by representatives of the “Civilians in Captivity” organization, who will tell about life in captivity and the experiences of people illegally detained by russia; 
• performances by artists; 
• a joint prayer for the release of prisoners; 
• addresses by government officials; 
• a moment of silence for the fallen.

Background: According to official figures, russia is illegally holding thousands of Ukrainian civilians. They are doctors, teachers, volunteers, journalists, ordinary citizens who have become victims of russian aggression.

• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Kyiv