Themes by tag: Kyiv

Olha was an operating room nurse at the Department of Surgery in Hospital No. 555 in Mariupol. Russia’s full-scale invasion caught her while in Mariupol: she was helping to rescue wounded soldiers and civilians (including children). At that time, the medics did not even have time to sleep.

The enemy bomb hit the hospital on March 16, 2022. (The woman was in the operating room at the moment of the attack. The blast wave blew away her and her colleagues). The next day, the nurse was sent to the Ilich Iron and Steel Works together with other doctors. Under extremely tough conditions, in a bunker, they had to do, among other things, bandages and amputations, and doctors even performed open brain neurosurgery.

On April 12, 2022, the nurse and other doctors were taken prisoner. Olha was held in occupied Olenivka, Russian Taganrog, Valuiky, and Kursk, among other places. She was held in captivity for six months. The woman faced humiliation, interrogations, physical and psychological pressure.

Journalists seeking to interview Olha can reach her either in person in Kyiv.

• casualties
• doctors
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• women
• Kyiv
• Mariupol

During the press briefing, officials from the Ukrainian Ministry of Veterans Affairs and the National Military Memorial Cemetery will address inquiries regarding the ongoing construction of the National Military Memorial Cemetery. They will also showcase all relevant permits. 

Participants:

– Farhad Farhadov, Deputy Minister for Veterans Affairs of Ukraine;

– Yaroslav Starushchenko, Deputy Director of the National Military Memorial Cemetery;

– Oleksandr Krasnolutskyi, Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine. 

All in person. 

For reference: The designated sites for the National Military Memorial Cemetery, as determined by the state, are situated within the Hatne territorial community of the Fastiv district, Kyiv region. These sites are in proximity to the village of Markhalivka and the Southern Cemetery (Vita Poshtova). The combined area spans over 265 hectares, with more than 120 hectares earmarked for burial grounds and essential infrastructure to facilitate dignified interments.

• dead
• Kyiv

Maryna and Mykola are both military; they met in 2019 in the army. The woman had two daughters from a previous marriage — Olena and Oleksandra. Mykola also has a daughter named Milana. At first, the family lived in Mariupol, Donetsk region (now the city is occupied), then they moved to Berdiansk, Zaporizhia region (now the city is occupied).

The couple served in the Azov brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine. In 2020, Mykola resigned from the Azov and joined the Marines. Maryna’s contract ended in November 2021, but she did not want to leave her brothers in arms.

When the full-scale invasion began, Maryna, along with other Azov defenders of Mariupol ended up at the Azovstal plant (i.e. Iron and Steel Works where fierce battles with the enemy took place in the spring of 2022). Mykola wanted to switch with Marina and go to Azovstal instead of her. The woman persuaded him not to do this because at the checkpoint, the russians shot three guys who were on their way to meet their girlfriends, and many others who broke through to the plant went missing. Even then, Maryna understood that she and other military personnel were unlikely to get out of the Azovstal alive. And she asked her husband to take care of her daughters. On May 8, 2022, the woman died in a fire at the Azovstal.

Now Mykola is fighting for the right to adopt his deceased wife’s daughters and give them a happy future. He is purchasing a three-room apartment for the girls in the Kyiv region so they can live together as a family.

With the help of the Children of Heroes Fund, Maryna’s daughters received gifts and visited a rehabilitation camp, which helped them to distract themselves from terrible memories and disturbing thoughts.

For reference: the defense of Mariupol lasted 86 days. Following the order of the command, the Ukrainian defenders stopped putting up the defense, left Azovstal, and surrendered to the enemy. On May 20, 2022, Mariupol was occupied by russia.

The Children of Heroes Charity Fund supports children who have lost one or both parents due to russia’s full-scale invasion. The fund offers financial aid as well as psychological and legal support. The organization helps these children with education and development until they reach adulthood.

As of the beginning of February, 7,889 wards are under the care of the Fund. Of them, 1,062 are IDPs, 151 children have lost their mother and father, 177 are children with disabilities, and 970 are children from large families. Every week, about 80 children are included in the list of recipients of the fund’s help. Among the fund’s children, 88% are kids of military personnel, while the remaining 12% are civilians.

• casualties
• children
• dead
• military
• women
• Kyiv
• Mariupol

The community cleanup will be held on April 13 and 14. The event is organized by the Danish urbanist, designer and the creator of the garden Mikael Colville-Andersen. Volunteers are invited to join the cleanup of the area, where a therapeutic garden is to be created in the future. During the event, the territory will be cleaned of garbage and prepared for the future garden.

A therapeutic garden is a specially designed environment that can provide healing, comfort and a sense of security for those who have experienced the stress of war.

• reconstruction
• volunteers
• Kyiv

Yevhen Sosnovsky is a photographer who lived in occupied Mariupol for over two months. The photographer took the first series of photos depicting russia’s full-scale invasion at the beginning of March: he filmed the shelled area in which he lived, the destruction and people leaving their homes. Among other things, Yevhen filmed how people melted snow to get water. He also had to treat his relatives’ injuries. To get out from under occupation, he and his wife had to go through over 25 roadblocks.

Journalists have the opportunity to talk to Yevhen in Kyiv.

For reference: the defense of Mariupol lasted 86 days. On May 20, 2022, Mariupol was occupied by the russians.

The human rights organization Human Rights Watch estimated the number of people killed during russian shelling of civilians in Mariupol to be at least 8,000. Thousands of people were injured: they lost limbs, sight, hearing or memory due to craniocerebral injuries caused by explosions. According to Human Rights Watch estimates, about 400,000 residents out of the pre-war population of 540,000 people had fled Mariupol by mid-May 2022.

• casualties
• occupation
• Kyiv
• Mariupol

Oleksandr Popyk was a biker before the war, as he loves speed and motorcycles. Back in 2014, he volunteered to the front. In October 2022, he was injured during an assault operation: he suffered a spinal cord injury. He lost the ability to walk and ended up in a wheelchair.

Oleksandr became one of the people to take advantage of free interior design consultations. He received help from representatives of the “Active Rehabilitation Group” whose work is supported by the “League of the Strong” union (the “We Unite and Help amidst the War” project).

Among other things, Oleksandr received help with the new bathroom design, particularly specific drawings. Then Oleksandr made renovations on his own. They also discussed issues related to the design of the adjacent territory.

In total, 52 people with disabilities received free consultations on interior design as a part of the project “We Unite and Help amidst the War.”

Journalists have an opportunity to learn more about the implementation of the project and receive comments from specialists in Kyiv, as well as to talk to Oleksandr in Kyiv region.

• casualties
• military
• Kyiv

Olha Tymchenko, Head of Communications of Voices of Children Charitable Foundation and children’s writer took a 17-year-old orphan girl, Lera under her care. She was deported by the russians from occupied Nova Kakhovka, Kherson region.

Lera’s town was occupied on the first day of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. A year and a half later, the russians announced an evacuation and took 500 children from Nova Kakhovka to occupied Crimea. The girl stayed there for 2 months, until her grandmother managed to take her from there.

Later, Lera returned to Ukraine-controlled territory herself. She went through occupied Melitopol, Berdiansk, Mariupol, and then through russia. She had to go through all that to arrive at the only open checkpoint on the Ukrainian-russian border in Sumy region.

After her return, the girl received consultations from a psychologist at the Voices of Children, where she met Olha Tymchenko.

Journalists have the opportunity to talk with Olha and Lera in Kyiv by prior agreement.

• children
• occupation
• women
• Kyiv

Peaceful demonstrations are planned in at least 15 cities to remind the public of the Ukrainian defenders of Mariupol’s “Azovstal” and other military personnel who are still held captive by the enemy.

On April 6, events will be held in Dnipro, Okhtyrka, Bila Tserkva, Pavlohrad, Vinnytsia, Krolevets and Lviv.

On April 7, rallies are planned in Kyiv, Cherkasy, Kremenchuk, Ovruch, Chernivtsi, Kryvyi Rih, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Odesa.

The events are organized by the families of the POWs from the Mariupol garrison.

• military
• prisoners
• Dnipro
• Kyiv
• Lviv
• Odesa

Haiane Avakian from Bakhmut found out about her destroyed home from photos of the city in the russian social media. Yuliia Mashuta watched a livestream of her house in Severodonetsk burning down after a rocket hit. Currently, these women are a part of the team of the “Sviy Dim” platform, which collects testimonies by people whose property and homes were destroyed by russia.

“Sviy Dim” is a platform for people who are building the foundation of a new life in Ukraine. Over 600 testimonies have already been published. Most of them are from the people who come from the regions of active hostilities (Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv and Kherson regions as well as others). The platform records russian war crimes related to the destruction of the civilian infrastructure of Ukraine: apartment buildings and detached houses, schools and kindergartens, cultural and sports facilities. Every story is human-centered. Those who lived or worked there share stories of their house, factory or cultural center.

The platform is also creating a database of objects that need restoration. A separate section – reconstruction – tells stories of those who are rebuilding the affected regions right now.

By prior agreement, journalists can talk with Haiane Avakian, Product Development Director of the Abo Agency, who founded the “Sviy Dim” platform, as well as with other people who have shared their testimonies on the platform.

• casualties
• occupation
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

Hlib Stryzhko was persuaded not to sign the contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2021 by his brother, a military officer. However, Hlib still joined the army. When the full-scale invasion began, the soldier was in Mariupol with his brothers in arms. He led the amphibious assault division of the first separate battalion of marines. On April 10, 2022, Hlib was seriously injured when enemy shelling caused the concrete structures above him to collapse. His hip joints, jaw and eyes were damaged. Two days later, Hlib was captured by the russians, who held him captive for 17 days. After a long physical and psychological rehabilitation, Hlib received the group 2 disability status. Currently, Hlib is Head of the Kyiv branch of Veteran Hub.

Hlib Stryzhko is ready to communicate with journalists in Kyiv by prior agreement.

• military
• prisoners
• Kyiv
• Mariupol