Themes by tag: Kyiv

Adaptive wakesurfing, a water sport where the rider glides on the wake behind a boat without being directly towed, is helping Ukrainian military veterans stay active despite physical injuries.

Since the initiative launched in the summer of 2024, 25 service members and veterans have tried wakesurfing, with five continuing to train regularly. 

Weekly sessions are held in Kyiv, where experienced coaches and adaptive equipment allow participants, including those who have lost lower limbs, to participate.

For reference: The project is a collaboration between One Team Forces, an NGO supporting service members injured or psychologically affected by the war, and the STAV14 Wake Park team. It is implemented with the support of the BreakWater Club, the official training base for Ukraine’s national wakesurfing team.

One Team Forces works with service members who served before or after russia’s full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022. STAV14, a network of wakeparks, promotes adaptive wakeboarding not only in Kyiv but across Ukraine.

Journalists can cover the training sessions in Kyiv by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• Kyiv

A peaceful march titled “Ours Are Not Home Yet” is scheduled to take place in Kyiv on August 2 in solidarity with Ukrainian soldiers who are missing or held in captivity.

The event is intended to raise public and international awareness about the fate of service members who have yet to return home. Organizers say the march will call attention to the urgent need for action and accountability regarding those still unaccounted for.

The march is organized by the community of relatives of the 32nd Separate Motorized Brigade.

• military
• prisoners
• Kyiv

Kateryna Iorhu is 16 years old. At the start of russia’s full-scale invasion, she and her family wanted to leave the Donetsk oblast for Vinnytsia, as their hometown of Druzhkivka had become unsafe. On April 8, 2022, Kateryna, her mother, and her younger sister travelled to the Kramatorsk railway station to wait for an evacuation train. That day, the russians struck the station with a “Tochka-U” missile, targeting civilians. The attack killed 61 people and injured 121. 

Kateryna’s mother was killed instantly in the blast. Kateryna herself miraculously survived because a man, whose name she never learned, threw himself over her, absorbing the shrapnel and blast impact. He died, but his selfless act ensured the young girl’s survival. Kateryna suffered severe shrapnel wounds to both legs and still faces immense challenges walking, requiring ongoing rehabilitation and medical support.

Journalists may interview Kateryna in Kyiv by prior agreement.

Background: The Children of Heroes charitable foundation supports children who have lost one or both parents due to the war. The foundation provides immediate, personalized assistance, including humanitarian aid, psychological and medical support, and educational and developmental opportunities for children until they reach adulthood.

• casualties
• children
• dead
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

Kyiv Hippodrome has pioneered a first-of-its-kind adaptive equestrian discipline for veterans — harness racing in lightweight, two-wheeled carts called “kachalkas.” Launched just over a month ago, this innovative program already has five participants and recently held its first demonstration race. This discipline is not yet officially recognized in Ukraine.

Harness racing sessions for veterans take place three times a week and are free of charge.

Journalists can cover training sessions in Kyiv by prior arrangement.

Background: The Kyiv Hippodrome also offers horseback riding sessions for veterans twice a week.

• animals
• casualties
• culture
• military
• Kyiv

Iron Women is a no-cost retraining initiative designed to help women acquire the skills needed to work as excavator operators and front-end loader drivers.

The program combines theoretical and practical instruction and culminates in official certification for Level 5 excavator operators and Level 4 front-end loader drivers. The curriculum includes three weeks of online theoretical classes, followed by three weeks of hands-on training in the Kyiv region.

Tuition, lodging, and meals are fully covered by the Reskilling Ukraine project and ETS Group.

Graduates will be qualified to work as assistant excavator operators or assistant forklift drivers at closed industrial sites, though the certification does not permit operating equipment on public roads.

By prior arrangement, media representatives are welcome to cover the training, which will take place from August 11 through September 19.

• women
• Kyiv

Anton Dykhnich, owner of a coffee shop chain in Kyiv, operates one location near the long-suffering Lukianivka metro station, which has been repeatedly damaged by Russian shelling. The café, which first opened four years ago, was initially hit by a blast wave from a missile strike in March 2022.

Since the start of the full-scale invasion, the team has adapted to resume operations quickly after each attack, learning how to limit the damage and continue serving customers. Small appliances and utensils are routinely secured in safe storage to protect them from shrapnel. In a further precaution, several front windows have been replaced with PVC panels.

By 7 a.m. following the latest strike, the staff was already coordinating their tasks and brewing coffee. Anton says the team draws strength from loyal customers who see the café as a symbol of resilience. Patrons express their support in many ways, including offering to launch fundraising efforts for repairs. But Anton declines such offers, instead urging them to donate to the Armed Forces.

Visitors can meet with the café’s staff both online and in person by appointment in Kyiv.

• casualties
• reconstruction
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

VisitKyiv.com — an independent initiative officially launched in late May — aims to showcase Kyiv as locals know and love it while providing practical information for foreigners: journalists, volunteers, travelers, and entrepreneurs.

The website is now live and offers information about English-speaking guides, transportation, accommodations, and museums, as well as gastronomic recommendations, safety tips, and itineraries for one to two days. Created by Kyiv residents and expats who miss their city, the platform answers foreigners’ most-searched questions — like how to navigate daily life amid war.

According to the site’s creators, foreigners most often seek practical safety information. Specifically, they want to know how air raid alerts work, where to find shelters, when curfews are in effect, and which establishments operate during power outages.

Journalists can speak with the initiative’s creators, as well as with foreigners living in Kyiv, by prior arrangement.

• culture
• Kyiv

Ukraine’s Chief Rabbi Moshe Reuven Azman is constructing housing for victims of russian aggression – a project he dedicates to the memory of his son, who died in the war.

The residential building in Kyiv oblast will shelter families of fallen soldiers and large families left homeless by the war. The exterior work is complete, but the interior renovations (apartment finishes and utilities) are ongoing.

Rabbi Azman aims to open the building in time for Ukraine’s Independence Day.

Journalists can speak with the Chief Rabbi of Ukraine in Kyiv by prior agreement.

Background: In September 2024, a memorial service was held in Kyiv for Matityahu Samborsky, the adopted son of the Chief Rabbi of Ukraine, who died in the war.

• casualties
• dead
• religion
• Kyiv

A series of peaceful rallies will be held across Ukraine from July 26 to 29 to honor the defenders of Azovstal and other servicemembers still held in enemy captivity, and to mark the third anniversary of the deadly attack on the Olenivka prison camp. Events are planned in 38 cities nationwide.

On July 26, demonstrations will take place in Arbuzynka, Okhtyrka, Pavlohrad, Chernihiv, Irpin, Khmelnytskyi, Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia, Dnipro, and Zaporizhia.

On July 27, the campaign continues in Kyiv, Pivdenoukrainsk, Krolevets, Lozova, Uman, Mykolaiv, Korop, Ovruch, Obukhiv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Korosten, Cherkasy, Rivne, Dolynska, Berdychiv, Kropyvnytskyi, Kovel, Shostka, Chernivtsi, Uzhhorod, Slavuta, and Kremenchuk.

On July 28, events are set for Pavlohrad, Bila Tserkva, Poltava, Truskavets, and Lviv.

On July 29, the campaign will conclude with a gathering in Odesa.

The events are being organized by families of prisoners of war from the Mariupol garrison. Ukrainians who have been released from captivity frequently join the rallies to show solidarity and raise awareness.

• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

The Museum of War, in partnership with the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, will hold a conference and film screening to mark the third anniversary of the terrorist attack on the Olenivka prison camp. The event is set for August 2 at the Kyiv War Museum. 

The program will feature:

– the opening of a photo exhibition showcasing images of freed Ukrainian prisoners;

– a conference titled “The Memory of Olenivka Will Not Fade”;

– a screening of the documentary People of Steel, followed by a discussion with the film’s director, Serhii Fomenko.

Among the attendees will be servicemembers of the 12th Azov Special Forces Brigade, government officials, members of the OLENIVKA Community, released prisoners of war, active-duty military personnel, and the families and friends of Ukrainian POWs.

Accreditation is required to attend the event. 

For reference: In the early hours of July 29, 2022, a powerful explosion ripped through a prison colony in the russian-occupied village of Olenivka. At least 53 Ukrainian prisoners, many of them defenders of Azovstal, were killed in the overcrowded barracks. More than 130 others were injured.

• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Kyiv