Themes by tag: Kyiv

The BuhurtSich project is leveraging the medieval sport of buhurt to bolster the psychological well-being of Ukrainian military personnel. Buhurt, a team sport that simulates knightly combat in full armor or protective gear, has proven to be not only visually striking but also therapeutically beneficial, as evidenced by its impact in other countries.

In the U.S., many participants in buhurt have been former military members who credit the sport with helping them manage PTSD, overcome substance abuse, and even stave off suicidal tendencies. Beyond its physical demands, buhurt fosters a strong sense of community.

The BuhurtSich project has been active for over 10 months, attracting 171 participants to its training sessions. Among them, one veteran has even taken up blacksmithing to learn the craft of armor-making.

Journalists are invited to explore and report on this innovative initiative in Kyiv.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• psychological support
• Kyiv

On August 7, a peaceful rally titled “russia Kills in Captivity” will take place in Kyiv. 

The event seeks to remind the public of the tragic reality that russia is responsible for the deaths of both civilians and prisoners of war from Ukraine. 

Over the past two and a half years, more than 160 bodies of Ukrainian defenders, showing signs of torture, have been returned from captivity.

The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War has been invited to participate in the event.

For reference: The march is organized by the Association “Strength of the Marine Corps,” the NGO “Faithful Always 2022,” the NGO “Union of Prisoner of War Families of the 501,” and the NGO “Condemned but not Forgotten.”

• casualties
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

Since childhood, Dmytro Stepnov has been passionate about rowing yawls—small boats with multiple pairs of oars. In 2018, he began sharing his love for the sport with others in Mariupol, where he formed a team and even led them to compete in local events.

With the onset of the full-scale invasion, Dmytro and his team narrowly escaped russian-occupied Mariupol, seeking refuge in Dnipro. Undeterred by the upheaval, Dmytro started anew. He constructed a modern yawl and resumed training sessions.

In a heartening twist, a rehabilitation center from Odesa partnered with him, proposing a unique initiative: offering rowing classes to soldiers who had lost limbs on the front lines. Today, this inspiring program is available at no cost in Dnipro, Odesa, and Kyiv. The initiative has received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with soldiers not only finding a physical outlet but also competing in rowing competitions as part of their rehabilitation journey.

Currently based in Dnipro, Dmytro Stepnov is open to sharing his story with journalists, whether in person or via virtual interviews, upon request.

• casualties
• military
• Dnipro
• Kyiv
• Odesa

Greenpeace in Ukraine together with Atmosfera company invite Ukrainian women to learn the skills of a solar installer.

Ten female candidates who pass the preliminary selection will receive free access to the professional course entitled “Solar Installer.” The winners of the competition will have the opportunity to work with Greenpeace on the installation of new renewable energy facilities in Ukraine. (To participate in the competition, one must have a technical education or work experience in technical fields).

Training will start on August 1 in Kyiv: first in an online format, and later — in person.

By prior agreement, journalists will be able to cover the training process.

• women
• Kyiv

On August 5, an open training session by Ukraine’s National Team for the Invictus Games 2025 team will take place in Kyiv.

The program includes:

• The formal part of the event with the participation of Oleksandr Porkhun, acting Minister of Veteran Affairs of Ukraine; team members; co-organizers of the Invictus Games project in Ukraine,
• Time for media to communicate with the National Team and project organizers
• Transfer to locations where training sessions will take place.

Open training session will feature winter water sports, swimming, wheelchair basketball, and sitting volleyball.

Journalists must register for the event by 7:00 PM on August 4.

For reference: Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 will be the first ever hybrid Winter Games. Participants will compete in swimming, indoor rowing, sitting volleyball, wheelchair basketball and wheelchair rugby, including the new winter sports of alpine skiing, snowboarding, biathlon, Nordic skiing, skeleton and wheelchair curling.

The Ukrainian National Team trains for winter sports in the summer — this is what makes these training sessions unique.

• Kyiv

The Institute of Peace and Common Ground (IPCG) extends an invitation to representatives from civil society organizations, local activists, international partners, and all interested parties to attend the presentation of the research titled “Some Challenges Related to the Reintegration of the De-occupied Territories and Memorialization.”

This event will showcase findings from a series of in-depth interviews conducted in the de-occupied regions, alongside the outcomes of a national survey carried out by the Sociological Group “Rating” between July 5 and 12, 2024.

The primary aim of the presentation is to highlight the obstacles faced in reintegrating these territories and to discuss the potential for conflict during such processes.

Participants:

• Maksym Yelihulashvili, Member of the Board of the Institute for Peace and Common Ground, expert on transitional justice;
• Daria Svyrydova, Member of the Advisory Council on De-occupation and Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of the Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol under the President of Ukraine. 

• Kyiv

On August 3, the Hurkit Charitable Foundation, in collaboration with the Pasya Team sports team, will hold a charity swim in the Kyiv region. The event aims to raise UAH 4 million to purchase four Ukrainian-made mortars for the mortar battery of the Da Vinci Wolves Battalion (59th Brigade).

The entry fee for participants is set at UAH 2,000. Each swimmer will receive a special prize: a shell casing from a UAG-40 grenade launcher, with the funds for these grenade launchers having been raised during last year’s swim.

Notably, the event will feature the Ferum Will, a team of veteran swimmers, alongside dozens of active military personnel and veterans participating in the swim.

• Kyiv

On July 30, Media Center Ukraine will host a presentation of a report on the enforced disappearance of civilians — one of the crimes committed by russia in the occupied territories. It is a practice when the state or its agents arrest a person without due process or simply kidnap them. Victims cannot speak to a lawyer or relatives and are usually instead of prison or detention center they are held in a location where they can’t rely on the protection of the law.

The T4P initiative managed to identify 5,340 victims of enforced disappearances and filed submissions to the International Criminal Court as well as summaries to the UN Working Group, substantiating that russia deliberately and systematically uses this practice, mostly by persecuting people who have a pro-Ukrainian position, have served in the Ukrainian army, police or civil service.

Participants:

• Hanna Ovdiienko — a lawyer, Co-Author of the report,
• Mykola Komarovskyi — a lawyer of the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, Co-Author of the report,
• Oleksandra Romantsova — Executive Director of the Center for Civil Liberties

Prior accreditation is required.

• casualties
• occupation
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

On July 28, a charity run to support Ukraine’s largest children’s hospital Okhmatdyt will be held in Kyiv to commemorate the Medical Workers’ Day.

The goal of the race is to help the hospital recover from the russian missile attack on July 8, 2024 by collecting UAH 1 million.

For reference: As a result of the russian attack on the Okhmatdyt children’s hospital on July 8, 2024, two people died. 32 injured people sought medical help.

• casualties
• children
• dead
• doctors
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

On July 26, a new exhibition celebrating Ukrainian women doctors will open in conjunction with the launch of the Dictionary of Courage project. The media are invited to the event, which includes a press briefing. The photo exhibition coincides with the Day of the Medical Worker, showcasing 24 compelling stories from medical professionals across Ukraine. 

The project aims to craft visual narratives and psychological portraits of these doctors, who are dedicated to saving lives and helping those in dire need. Each interview features a selected keyword that has been incorporated into the Dictionary of Courage.

Participants:

• Serhii Dubrov, First Deputy Minister of Health of Ukraine; 
• Mustafa Elkanzi, Deputy Representative of the United Nations Population Fund in Ukraine (UNFPA);
• Representative of the Embassy of the French Republic in Ukraine; 
• Representative of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ukraine; 
• Nataliia Heinz, neonatologist at the Kyiv Oblast Perinatal Center.  

Media representatives must register by 6:00 PM on July 25.

• culture
• doctors
• Kyiv