Themes by tag: Kyiv

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is set to host a series of specialized training sessions for journalists covering reparations for victims of the russian invasion and for organizations involved in documenting war crimes. 

Schedule:

– Kyiv (September 12-13): Targeting journalists and organizations from southern and eastern Ukraine;

– Kyiv (September 17): Focused on participants from central and northern Ukraine;

– Lviv (September 19-20): Designed for those based in western Ukraine. 

The training is free of charge, with all travel, accommodation, and meal expenses covered by the organizers. Registration is mandatory.

Important dates for registration:

– For the September 12-13 session in Kyiv: Apply by August 30;

– For the September 17 session in Kyiv: Apply by September 2;

– For the September 19-20 session in Lviv: Apply by September 4.

Selected participants will be notified ahead of the training dates.

This initiative is organized with the support of Media Center Ukraine.

• Kyiv

This August 30, the Center for Civil Liberties, a Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights organization, will host an evocative evening of poetry and solidarity in Kyiv to honor the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances. The event, titled “Hold on! I’m Holding On!”, aims to bring together human rights activists, artists, and families of those imprisoned by russian forces, creating a poignant space for reflection and resistance.

In this intimate gathering, participants will read aloud poems written from and about captivity, sharing the pain and resilience of those who have been forcibly disappeared. The event seeks to amplify these voices, highlighting the importance of speaking out against such injustices.

The evening’s participants include:

– Akhtem Seitablaev, soldier, actor, and director;

– Tetiana Vlasova, poet;

– Iya Kiva, poet;

– Olena Tsyhipa, wife of political prisoner Serhii Tsyhipa;

– Oleksandra Romantsova, Executive Director of the Center for Civil Liberties.

Attendance is by accreditation only.

For reference: “Hold on! I’m Holding On!” is a poetry initiative launched by the Center for Civil Liberties. The project showcases the writings of renowned Ukrainian poets alongside the poignant verses of individuals currently enduring captivity in russia. Its goal is to shed light on the suffering and unyielding spirit of Ukrainians who have been detained during the conflict.

According to the Center for Civil Liberties, at least 7,000 civilians are currently held in prisons across russia and its temporarily occupied territories. The exact number of prisoners of war remains unknown. Both civilians and soldiers suffer egregious violations of international law, enduring torture and being kept in a chilling information void.

• culture
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

On August 30, Kyiv will host an event marking the International Day of the Disappeared.

• The Media Initiative for Human Rights (MIHR) will present PSAs about the communities of families of prisoners of war and missing persons. Through the stories of servicemen’s wives, mothers and sisters, the MIHR will tell the story of the grief that unites thousands of families and their struggle to bring their loved ones home.
• This will be followed by a premiere of the documentary film “Waiting for Contact” featuring the stories of families who lost contact with their loved ones during the war in Ukraine.

This event is an opportunity to honor the memory of the disappeared, support the families and come together in common hope and struggle.

• Kyiv

On August 29, Kyiv will open a photo exhibition “Days of Remembrance of the Heroes of the Battle of Ilovaisk (2014)” to commemorate the Day of Remembrance of the Defenders of Ukraine. This year marks 10 years since one of the most tragic events in our fight against russia. The photo exhibition is a reminder of those events and a tribute to all those who were the first to defend our country in 2014.

Photos that have already become historic and were taken by photographers who worked in the area of ​​the fiercest fighting near Ilovaisk, Donetsk region, in August 2014, in the deployment area of “Donbas” Special Purpose Battalion of the National Guard of Ukraine will be presented in the capitol’s downtown. A kind of photo anthology of those events was created by Maxim Dondyuk, Oleksandr Glyadyelov, Markiian Lyseiko and Maksym Levin, who managed to get out of the Ilovaisk encirclement alive.

Maksym Levin died in occupied Kyiv region during the full-scale invasion in the spring of 2022, when he was documenting the crimes of the russians.

These more than fifty photos are just part of a large collection, which represents facts about the battle of Ilovaisk from August 10 to the “green corridor of death” on August 29, 2014.

 At the opening of the exhibition, the Ilovaisk events will be told by:

• Nataliia Kharchenko, mother of Yevhen “Red” Kharchenko, a participant in the Revolution of Dignity and the russo-Ukrainian war, who died in the battles for Ilovaisk;
• photographers Oleksandr Glyadyelov and Markiian Lyseiko;
• Roman Zinenko, soldier, participant in the battles for Ilovaisk;

A representative of the organizers of the photo exhibition will also speak at the event, mainly Olha Salo, Deputy Director General for Development, Cultural and Educational Work of the National Museum of the Revolution of Dignity.

For reference: Organizers of the event are “’Sarmat’ Military-Patriotic Association of Combatant” NGO, “Invincible Mothers of Ukraine” NGO, Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine and the National Memorial Complex of the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred – Museum of the Revolution of Dignity.

• culture
• military
• Kyiv

On Thursday, August 29, military personnel who sustained injuries will swim 1,000 meters in Kyiv. The participants include defenders with upper and lower limb amputations. The event will take place in one of the capital’s swimming pools.

The event takes place within the “Swimming from 0 to 1000 m” project. This is a swimming initiative for military personnel recovering from injuries. Its goal is to help fighters regain confidence in themselves and their bodies. During training in the pool, participants learn to swim, develop strength and endurance.

Training takes place three times a week, twice a week massage therapists attend to the injured military. In total, since October 2023, more than 150 people have attended the training.

For reference: The project was created by “ONE TEAM FORCES” NGO. It is a community that strives to implement a comprehensive approach to open up personalized opportunities for the comprehensive recovery of the wounded military. It helps combatants who were in service BEFORE and/or AFTER February 24, 2022 and were injured or psychologically traumatized as a result of the armed aggression of the russian federation.

• casualties
• military
• Kyiv

On August 28, the Center for Civil Liberties is inviting participants to the human rights club entitled “Implementation of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court: Main Challenges and Problems for Ukraine.”

Topics of focus include:

• What legal and practical changes does the ratification of the Rome Statute bring about at the national level?
• What should human rights organizations and authorities do to properly implement the provisions of the Rome Statute?
• To what extent does the criminal law of Ukraine comply with the Rome Statute and what should be the main directions of changes?
• What changes will be required for the rules governing pre-trial investigations and criminal proceedings?

The event will take place in Kyiv (venue address will be provided after registration).

For reference: The Human Rights Club is an intellectual platform for discussing current challenges in the field of human rights in Ukraine. The organizers carefully select a topic of focus for each meeting of the club and invite experts with different views with the goal of creating a proper atmosphere for a balanced and deep discussion.

• Kyiv

On August 27, at Media Center Ukraine, the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs will present new developments in the work of the Crisis and Legal Support Hotline for Veterans and Their Family Members. The project was launched on June 27, 2022, at first only psychological support was provided, but in March 2024 it was supplemented with legal consultations.

The goal of the project is to offer qualified crisis and legal support through telephone and online counseling for veterans, their loved ones, and the families of those who have died, been captured, or gone missing.

Participants:

• Yulia Kirillova, Acting Executive Director of the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation
• Oleksandr Chamorsov, Chief Psychologist of the Crisis Support Hotline, veteran
• Veronika Kozhemiakina, expert of the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation, head of legal department, lawyer.

Journalists require accreditation.

For reference: The project was made possible through the Ukraine Rapid Response Fund program, implemented by IREX with the support of the U.S. Department of State.

• Kyiv

On August 29, Kyiv will hold an event to support prisoners of war and missing persons, bringing together relatives, friends, and officials.

Families and friends of prisoners of war, along with representatives from the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, are expected to participate in the event.

The gathering is organized by the Association “Strength of the Marines Corps.”

• casualties
• military
• prisoners
• Kyiv

For the past 10 months, the Irpin National Resistance Training Center has been offering free courses to local residents as part of the National Resistance Action Program, aimed at bolstering Ukraine’s defense efforts. 

The program, which is conducted by instructors from the Volunteer Force and the Municipal Guard, covers around 15 subjects of basic military training. One key component is the training of UAV operators, including FPV drone pilots.

To date, cadets have completed simulator training and are now conducting their initial field exercises. 

Journalists interested in covering the program can arrange visits in advance.

• Kyiv

Peaceful demonstrations are planned in at least 18 cities of Ukraine to remind the society about the Azovstal defenders and other soldiers still held in enemy captivity.

On August 23, rallies will take place in Irpin, Khmelnytskyi, Mykolaiv.

On August 24, rallies are planned in Okhtyrka, Pavlohrad, Chernihiv, Vinnytsia and Ternopil.

On August 25, rallies will take place in Kyiv, Krolevets, Ovruch, Korostyshiv, Kremenchuk, Kovel, Rivne, Chernivtsi, Kryvyi Rih and Poltava.

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

• prisoners
• Kyiv