Themes by tag: Kyiv

Volodymyr Marchenko, head of the marketing department at Osvita Publishing House, was preparing for a new adventure just days before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He and his wife had planned a trip to São Paulo, Brazil, after she won a ticket to any destination in the world, along with a discount for her husband. However, the onset of war altered their plans dramatically. On February 25, 2022, Volodymyr enlisted at the military registration office to defend his country.

During the war, he suffered a devastating brain injury that left him in a coma for two weeks, followed by a month in intensive care. At that time, medical professionals could not predict whether he would regain his sight, walk, speak, or even care for himself. Despite these grim forecasts, Volodymyr has defied the odds. He now leads an active lifestyle, focusing on rehabilitation through sports and travel. In recognition of his determination and resilience, he has also been selected as a member of the Ukrainian national team for the 2025 Invictus Games.

Journalists interested in learning more about Volodymyr’s remarkable story can arrange to speak with him in Kyiv.

• casualties
• military
• Kyiv

Before the full-scale invasion, Ivan Rozuman worked as a miner in the Dnipropetrovsk oblast. At the beginning of the great war he joined the defense forces and took part in the battles in the Liman sector.

However, when he returned to his hometown of Marhanets, he was wounded. Ivan’s fiancée, Tetiana, also came to the town, eager to meet his parents. That very day the russians attacked the city. Ivan suffered injuries to his windpipe, eyes, arms and legs. Tetiana suffered an open skull wound and her legs were broken.

Ivan spent a month in a coma after his injuries. He lost his right arm and his eyesight completely. He urged Tetiana to leave him. Instead, he received a proposal of marriage from his beloved.

On February 2, 2024, the couple married. Since then, they have been adjusting to life in the new conditions.

Ivan Rozuman is in Kyiv. The army veteran is ready to talk to journalists, both online and offline, by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• military
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

Kyiv will host a press conference on November 1 at Media Center Ukraine to commemorate the 11th anniversary of the Revolution of Dignity and the 20th anniversary of the Orange Revolution.

This year’s celebration of the Day of Dignity and Freedom will carry the slogan, “WE CANNOT BE DEFEATED! 20 years of the Orange Revolution and 11 years of Euromaidan.”

Throughout November, and especially on November 21—the anniversary of both the 2004 Orange Revolution and the 2013 Revolution of Dignity—the National Museum of the Revolution of Dignity, in collaboration with partners, will host a series of commemorative events. 

The full program of events, along with informational and educational materials, will be introduced at the press conference. Organizers will also unveil this year’s social campaign and key messages for the Day of Dignity and Freedom.

Participants:

– Andrii Nadzhos, Deputy Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine for European Integration;

– Ihor Poshyvailo, General Director of the National Memorial Complex of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes – Museum of the Revolution of Dignity

– Kostiantyn Rieutskyi, participant of the Orange Revolution, coordinator of the Euromaidan civil sector in Luhansk, officer of the Armed Forces of Ukraine;

– A representative of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory;

Accreditation is required to attend the event.

• Kyiv

Daria Bondar, once a lawyer, and Olena Tkach, a former translator and communicator, left their established careers to train in the USA as end-of-life doulas, offering support to individuals in their final days. Their goal was to ease the dying process and provide comfort to families. Yet in Ukraine, they found a different need—helping those grieving war-related losses.

Today, Daria supports people grappling with various forms of loss due to the conflict: homes, pets, marriages, identities, and even the joy of life. Olena works directly with those mourning loved ones lost in war, as well as the families of missing persons and prisoners of war.

Doulas, they emphasize, are not psychologists or medical professionals; they do not treat but offer compassion and companionship. Their sessions, lasting up to two hours, can be held online or in person when possible.

Daria is based in the Kyiv region, while Olena lives in the capital. Both are available for interviews with journalists, in person or online, by prior arrangement.

For reference: “Doula” comes from an ancient Greek word meaning “maid.” Traditionally assisting women in childbirth, the term evolved in the 2000s in the U.S. to include professionals offering end-of-life companionship. 

• casualties
• women
• Kyiv

Since the beginning of this school year, schoolchildren in the village of Bohdanivka, Kyiv oblast, have been able to study in a modular Temporary Educational Space (TES).  The space is accessible, with a generator for uninterrupted power supply, comfortable furniture, modern tablets and multimedia panels. The TES has six classrooms and now serves 250 schoolchildren who previously had to travel to a neighboring village.

Bohdanivka was occupied in 2022. russian soldiers set up camp in the local school and burned it down when they withdrew. They also blew up the kindergarten, where they had stored ammunition, leaving the village without any educational facilities.

By prior arrangement, journalists can cover the work of the modular temporary educational space in Bohdanivka.

Background: Temporary Education Spaces are being built as part of USAID Dream and Act program, implemented by IREX in partnership with the savED Foundation and the GoGlobal NGO. This project is being implemented in close cooperation with local communities who have lost their educational institutions due to russian aggression.

• children
• occupation
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

Olha Kurtmallaieva, a 25-year-old finance professional, was in her hometown of Berdiansk, Zaporizhia oblast (currently occupied), when the full-scale russian invasion began. She managed to leave the occupied territory in the summer of 2022.

Olha’s husband, Ruslan, has been defending the country since 2014, serving in the ATO/JFO zone. He has now been in russian captivity for 30 months, having been captured during the defense of Mariupol in 2022.

In 2021, Olha was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma (a type of cancer that affects the lymphatic system). Despite her serious illness, she actively fights for her husband’s release and participates in every POW-related event. Initially, she co-founded a non-governmental organization to help soldiers of the 501st Marine Battalion return home. Later, together with other women fighting for the return of captured Marines, she created the association “Marine corps strength”, a coalition of seven public organizations, three charitable foundations and a family association. Among other things, the women organize events, hold meetings, and communicate with representatives of the Ukrainian government. The association also provides legal aid, support for released prisoners, psychological support for families, and aid to the front lines.

During the full-scale war, Olha learned that her disease had progressed from the second to the fourth stage. Doctors attributed this to her high stress level. Olha has undergone 16 rounds of chemotherapy and is in remission, but still needs a stem cell transplant.

By prior arrangement, journalists can talk to Olga in Kyiv.

• military
• prisoners
• women
• Kyiv

The conference “Cultural Heritage: Protecting Cultural Boundaries,” will take place in Kyiv on October 29. The central theme is “Preserving cultural boundaries through the integration of tangible and intangible heritage into new cultural forms”.

The conference aims to highlight the importance of preserving cultural heritage and to demonstrate effective methods of integrating tangible and intangible heritage. This integration provides an additional boost to a country’s economic resilience.

The destruction of tangible and intangible cultural heritage in the midst of war creates additional requirements for the state, business and expert community to find quick, effective and systematic tools not only to preserve but also to develop cultural heritage sites for future generations.

The conference will be attended by representatives of government institutions, business, public organizations, international heritage preservation organizations, researchers and educators.

Speakers:

• Nataliia Voitsechuk, Director of the Department of Cultural Heritage Preservation, Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications;
• Yuliia Lytvynets, Director General of the National Art Museum;
• Yuliia Vahanova, Director of the Khanenko Museum;
• Oleksandr Nykoriak, Head of the All-Ukrainian Association for the Protection of Cultural Heritage;
• Vadym Kyrylenko, First Deputy Director of the National Reserve “Saint Sophia of Kyiv”;
• Michał Krasucki (Poland), Director of the Department of Cultural Heritage Protection, Warsaw;
• Larysa Dovha, founder and director of the educational project “UKultura”, professor at NaUKMA;
• Oksana Huliaieva, managing partner of the investment company Dovgiy Family Office;
• Kyrylo Kobtsev, official representative of the Blue Shield International Committee in Ukraine;
• Mariia Motorzhyna, historian, museum expert;
• Larysa Petasiuk, head of the NGO “Culture Advocacy”;
• Mark Wilkins (Switzerland-Kyiv), co-owner of Reytarska Circle, nominee for the EU Prize for Contemporary Architecture;
• Iryna Tatarenko, editor-in-chief of Marie Claire;
• Ihor Dobrutskyi, Ukrainian entrepreneur, public figure, founder and director of Folk Ukraine. 

Journalists can view the full conference program. Accreditation is required to attend.

• culture
• Kyiv

On October 29, “VETERAN SPACE. IRPIN” will open in Irpin, Kyiv region — a space where veterans can receive psychological and legal assistance, consultations on business development projects and, most importantly, rehabilitation and social reintegration.

Participants:

• Ruslan Prykhodko, Deputy Minister of Veterans’ Affairs,
• Ruslan Kravchenko, Head of the Kyiv Oblast State Administration, 
• Ihor Meshchan, Head of the Department of Social and Veterans’ Policy,
• Oleksandr Markushyn, Mayor of Irpin,
• Borys Balmasov, developer and head of the Veterans’ Space, head of the Department of work with disabled people, veterans, wounded and families of fallen soldiers,
• Veterans and families of fallen Heroes.

Accreditation is required for participation.

For more information: “VETERAN SPACE. IRPIN is a joint project of the City of Irpin with the Kyiv Oblast Military Administration and the VETERAN. PRO platform of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine. It was realized with the support of local businesses and charitable donors, without the use of budget funds.

• Kyiv

Recently, five combatants, including veterans who lost limbs, joined the Ukrainian program of The HALO Trust, the world’s largest non-governmental, non-profit humanitarian demining organization. The soldiers, who defended their country on the front lines, will now work on a remote sensing team, analyzing drone imagery to identify potentially dangerous areas and explosive hazards.

By prior arrangement, journalists can cover the veterans’ work in the Kharkiv and Kyiv regions. 

Background: The HALO Trust is the world’s largest international nonprofit organization specializing in mine clearance and ammunition disposal, with 35 years of experience in 30 countries and territories worldwide.

• military
• Kharkiv
• Kyiv
• demining

Rita is from the town of Avdiivka, Donetsk oblast (13 kilometers from Donetsk, now occupied). In 2015, 11-year-old Rita lived there without her parents, only with her grandmother. Their house was located in one of the most dangerous parts of the city. Rita had to attend school under constant russian shelling. Rita was one of the first children that Olena Rozvadovska, co-founder of the Voices of Children charitable foundation, met while helping children in eastern Ukraine. Since then, Olena, Rita and her grandmother have remained friends.

After the outbreak of the full-scale war, Rita and her grandmother moved to the west of the country. There, Rita worked at the Voices of Children charity center, helping children affected by the war. 

Later, Rita moved to the Kyiv region and got married. Her husband is now defending Ukraine. The Voices of Children foundation helped organize her wedding, and since Rita grew up without a father, one of the foundation’s employees walked her down the aisle. Rita is now expecting a child.

By prior arrangement, journalists can talk to Rita in the Kyiv region. (Footage of her wedding is also available).

Background: In February 2024, russian forces occupied the town of Avdiivka in the Donetsk oblast. Enemy shelling has left the settlement in ruins.

• casualties
• children
• occupation
• women
• Kyiv