Themes by tag: Kyiv

On December 23, Kyiv will host an offline screening of the full-length documentary “Christmas Together” by Ukraїner. The film will simultaneously premiere in 4 other cities of Ukraine.

“Christmas Together” is an evocative full-length film illustrating how young people from all over Ukraine united under a common idea – to bring the holiday spirit to the de-occupied territories. In January 2023, three separate initiatives embarked on journeys to Sloboda area and Donetsk region to support people who had survived the occupation and the horrors of the russian invasion.

The idea of bringing young people together and taking the vertep theater to the East of Ukraine belongs to Ukraїner volunteer Viktor Perfetskyi, who comes from the village of Volytsia in Podillia area. A similar campaign “Christmas together” existed in the 2000s. At that time, families in the west of Ukraine hosted children from the east and the south for Christmas in order to introduce them to the traditions preserved in Halychyna, Volyn and Podillia areas. Now the Ukraїner team has resumed the campaign, but in a slightly different way.

During the trips, the vertep theaters visited Kharkiv, Slobozhanske, Balakliia, Izyum, Khrestyshche, Derhachi, Mali and Velyki Prokhody, Mala Rohan, Trostianka, and Okhtyrka.

Pre-registration is required. The team that contributed to the film’s creation will be present in Kyiv.

For reference: Ukraїner is a community and organization that has been researching Ukraine and the Ukrainian context since 2016, telling stories to Ukrainians themselves, and sharing them with the world, having translated them into dozens of languages. On February 24, 2022, russia launched a full-scale war against Ukraine. On the same day, Ukraїner relaunched all its communication channels and began talking about the war and overcoming the disasters caused by the occupying forces. 

• culture
• Kyiv

On December 25, the largest didukh in Ukraine, measuring 7.5 meters high will be installed in Kyiv. The trident-shaped didukh will be made of wheat. It was created by paratrooper Yaroslav Kuchma, who was temporarily unable to walk due to an injury, and 95-year-old Pelageya Zhyvko from the Lviv region.

News media to cover participants giving comments on the event:

– the National Register of Records of Ukraine experts;

– Tetiana Volochai, Director at MHP-Hromadi Charitable Foundation (that provided financial support to the initiative);

– Pavlo Moroz, Director of the Corporate Social Responsibility Department of MHP;

– Oksana Poviakel, Director General of the National Museum of Folk Architecture and Life of Ukraine;

– Yaroslav Kuchma, paratrooper, commander of the 80th Separate Air Assault Brigade of the Airborne Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Event accreditation is required.

For reference: Didukh is a Ukrainian Christmas decoration made of ears of grain (originally a pagan idol, a symbol of a patron ancestor, and a symbol of harvest, prosperity, and wealth).

• culture
• religion
• Kyiv

On December 21, in Kyiv, Ukrposhta and UNICEF will present behind-the-scenes footage of “Wonder Action” amazing workshop and officially open it to everyone. Visitors will be able to “take a peek” at elves tirelessly packing children’s letters; listen to what the little “Wonder Actors” wished in their letters to other children; put bags with children’s letters into Ukrposhta’s Christmas car.

As reported on December 1, the “Wonder Action” initiative was launched. As a part of the project each child had the opportunity to write an uplifting letter to another child – to create a miracle. Starting tomorrow, the first of 40,000 envelopes will be distributed throughout the country.

The event requires accreditation.

• children
• Kyiv

On December 23, the exhibition “Fragility” will open in Kyiv. This exhibition is dedicated to prisoners of war and those who are waiting for their relatives and friends from captivity.

In the first days of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, defenders and workers of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant were under the russian occupation.

On March 31, 2022, the russians captured 169 Ukrainian National Guardsmen on the territory of the Chernobyl NPP and took them to Bryansk region of the russian federation. 108 of them still remain in captivity.

In order to draw attention to these prisoners of war and support the families who are waiting for the return of their loved ones, a gallery in the capital will display paintings, sculptures and digital works by more than 20 contemporary foreign and Ukrainian artists.

At the opening, everyone will be able to talk with relatives and friends of the Guardsmen — the defenders of the Chernobyl NPP — and watch a short documentary made by Babylon’13 film collective about the work of combat medics from Hospitallers battalion.

50 of the presented works will be available for purchase at an online auction. Funds will be directed to the Hospitallers battalion to support “Avstriika” hospital on wheels.

The event requires accreditation.

• casualties
• culture
• prisoners
• Kyiv

Oleh Horbachov, the lawyer of Stanislav Asieiev, a former prisoner of the “Insulation” concentration camp, said that during the court session on December 22, the defendant is to present the closing statement. Then the judges will go to the conference room to agree on the sentence. Stanislav Avsieiev’s defense attorney said that he would ask the court to let the journalists be present in the court when the verdict is announced.

For reference: Denys “Palych” Kulykovskyi is charged with five counts, including human trafficking and violation of the laws and customs of war. The prosecutor’s office demands 15 years behind bars for the accused man.

“Insulation” is the term referring to the territory of the former insulation material factory in Donetsk. In June 2014, it was captured by the occupiers and turned into a military base and a prison for the captives. “Insulation” prison was repeatedly called “Europe’s last concentration camp” in the media.

• casualties
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

The Kyiv Regional Center for Mental Health was captured by the occupiers at the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The russian military settled in the facility. They stole valuable equipment from there. The center itself was badly damaged.

After the de-occupation, the restoration works began in the medical facility: in particular, the medical and psychological rehabilitation department was recently opened. It was created on the basis of one of the Center’s branches, which suffered the most during the full-scale invasion. Here the specialists will help military personnel, their relatives and civilians who suffered from the russian federation’s aggression. In total, more than 20 types of rehabilitation services will be provided to patients. Among other things, VR glasses will be used for recovery.

Journalists can learn more about the center’s operation and restoration efforts, interview the management of the facility, talk to doctors and, if possible, patients.

For reference: the Kyiv Regional Center for Mental Health is a specialized medical facility providing qualified inpatient medical examination, care and both social and vocational rehabilitation of patients with mental disorders.

• occupation
• reconstruction
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

Kyiv will honor the memory of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes and defenders of Ukraine during the traditional pre-Christmas event “Tree for Heroes” on December 22. 

Families and friends of the fallen Ukraine defenders, along with school students and common citizens, will decorate the Christmas tree with patriotic angel ornaments and handmade toys.

The event has taken place for eight years in a row. During the “Christmas Tree for Heroes”, citizens pay tribute to those who gave their lives in the fight for freedom, and schoolchildren learn more about the Ukrainian heroes in today’s world. The Bell of Dignity will be rung in memory of the fallen.

During the event, members of the Plast National Scout Organization of Ukraine will hand over the Peace Light of Bethlehem to the ministers of the church on the alley of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes.

Event prior accreditation is required. 

For reference: The Revolution of Dignity of 2013-2014 protesters, who died in the Kyiv city center at the hands of security forces and their mercenaries, became known as the Heavenly Hundred and officially included 107 people. 

• dead
• Kyiv

The Dobrodiy Club Charitable Foundation invites news publishers to the opening ceremony of the ‘Place of Power’ free space that supports war-affected children and teenagers. The event will take place in Kyiv on December 21.

The space is a 240 m², three-story facility with a shelter. There are separate creativity zones, lectures and training, counseling, and interaction with a psychologist (for a child to learn to work through stress and transitions, communicate in a community, and develop resilience mechanisms). Place of Power space is committed to open its doors to 75,000 teenagers annually. 

The event will feature “(Already) adult discussion: What keeps your mentality alive?” – a dialogue with Ukrainian teenagers, and “My Identity” art collage workshop. 

The first visitors to the space will share their own stories of finding support and encouragement, as well as advice and life hacks for their peers.

Prior event accreditation is required. 

• children
• psychological support
• Kyiv

On December 18, Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform will host the press conference entitled Persecution and humiliation: the reality of being a lawyer in occupied Crimea”

Participants:

• Daria Svyrydova, Ukraine 5AM Coalition expert, Law Firm AZONES partner;
• Roman Martynovskyy, lawyer, who left Sevastopol after the start of occupation, Lead Expert at Regional Center for Human Rights NGO;
• Vitaliy Sekretar, First Deputy Head of the Prosecutor’s Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol;
• Illya Kostin, lawyer, Head of the Department of Military Justice Development and Interaction with Law Enforcement Agencies of the Main Military Justice Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, Member of the Ukrainian Bar Association Board;

Topics of focus:

• What are the risks, the Crimean lawyers who continued working, acting in good faith as the occupation dragged on, handle?
• What are the strategies of the occupation authorities to put pressure on independent lawyers?
• What are the stigma-associated risk factors of indiscriminately labeling all lawyers who pursue a career under occupation as “collaborators”?

• occupation
• Kyiv

On December 16-17, the Superhumans Center team, an ultra-modern rehabilitation and prosthetics center for war victims) will attend the Christmas Courage charity fair. The Center’s patients will show them making great strides in adapting to life with a prosthetic limb. For example, Vadym with a prosthetic arm, and Serhii with two prosthetic legs used to be bartenders before the war. At the Courage charity fair, the guys will treat visitors with Christmas tea and cocoa. And Serhii, who has bilateral upper-limb loss resulting in double amputation, will treat the fair guests with homemade waffle cakes.

The “supers” are also preparing self-made Christmas decorations for all comers. Also, the Group for Active Rehabilitation, headed by Uliana Pcholkina, will hold wheelchair relay races for all visitors and, together with the Superhumans team, will organize a Christmas caroling party. 

• Kyiv