Themes by tag: Kyiv

On May 18, a “War crimes against Crimean Tatars – the signature of those found guilty committing the 1944 deportation” press conference will be held at the Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform. The current actions of the russian occupiers in Crimea largely repeat the ethnic cleansing the Soviet secret police NKVD on the peninsula was responsible for in 1944. The russian occupiers are persecuting local activists and leaders of the Crimean Tatar people. Speakers at the press conference will include Crimean Tatars who know firsthand what it is like to be persecuted on the peninsula.

For reference: On May 18, it’ll be 79 years since the forced eviction of Crimean Tatars from the peninsula, an egregious act that was recognized by Ukraine as genocide of the Crimean Tatar people.

• occupation
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

Veteran Oleksandr Shvetsov, who lost his leg in 2014 near Luhansk, and his brother in arms Serhii Khrapko, who has a prosthetic leg and arm after being wounded in eastern Ukraine in 2015, set out on a journey to meet each other halfway. The distance between the soldiers is 120 kilometers, Oleksandr is coming from Zhytomyr, and Serhii is from Kyiv. By doing this, the veterans want to draw attention to the need to create a modern admission department at the National Military Medical Clinical Center “Main Military Clinical Hospital” and raise funds for a gastroscope worth over UAH 3.5 million.

• military
• volunteers
• Kyiv
• Zhytomyr

On May 18, on the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Genocide of the Crimean Tatar People, the event entitled “Remembering history — returning the territory” will be held in Kyiv. The art performance “Tashke-Tavaksay hell road” will be held as part of the event. During the event, guests will be able to join the marathon of writing letters to political prisoners, as well as get acquainted with two photo projects dedicated to crimes against the Crimean Tatars in 1944 and today. The participants include: Tamila Tasheva, Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine to the Autonomous Republic of Crimea; Refat Chubarov, Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People; Iryna Vereshchuk, Minister for the Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine; Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights.

• Kyiv

On May 16, Media Center Ukraine — Ukrinform will host a briefing entitled “A year of leaving Azovstal steelworks: cry out, as it’s impossible to be silent” by representatives of Women of Steel NGO.

In May, it will be one year since Azovstal steelworks defenders left the plant’s territory after 86 days of unprecedented defense in the tripled enemy encirclement. Back then, the whole world admired the strength of the spirit of Azovstal defenders. However, neither the fighters nor their families could have imagined that following the evacuation from the drop point of five-ton aerial bombs, they would be sent to torture chambers for an indefinite period of time.

Participants of the briefing:

– Nataliia Zarytska, Chair of the “Women of Steel” Council of Wives and Mothers of Ukraine’s Defenders,” wife of a released from captivity soldier of the Azov Regiment;

– Nataliia Kravtsova, mother of a captured Azovstal defender;

– Nelya Shastun, mother of Azov battalion soldiers, whose one son was killed and the other was held in captivity;

– Anastasiia Mikhilova, who was held for two months in an Azovstal bunker with her four-year-old son;

– Sofiia Cherepanova, sister of a captured Azovstal defender.

Media accreditation required.

• military
• prisoners
• women
• Kyiv

An inclusive bakery in Kyiv, which provides employment to people with mental disabilities, bakes 1,500 loaves of bread every day, which it distributes for free to those in need. In particular, since the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion, the bakery has provided 300,000 loaves of bread to the military, displaced persons and people in the liberated and front-line territories. Now about 5,000 loaves of bread are sent out to Kharkiv and the de-occupied territories of the region every week. They deliver bread to Donetsk region, deliver it to Luhansk, Kherson and Mykolaiv regions.

• volunteers
• Kyiv

Journalists are invited to attend the “Keep fighting – you are sure to win” project presentation to be held on May 16 to be the first to see and hear the unique audio postcards 

The “Postcards of Heroes” project collects 12 stories of modern Ukrainian heroes. Azov commander Denys Prokopenko “Redys”, fighter pilot Vadym Voroshylov “Karaya”, volunteer Tata Kepler, soldier Oleksandr Budko “Teren”, journalist and blogger Ihor Lachenkov, and others are among them. They all have embodied the characters of the postcards and will share the inspiring stories that motivate them to fight and win.

The event will be attended by:

Igor Smelyansky – Director General of Ukrposhta

Vlad Bolsun – Creative director of MOZGI Group

Tata Kepler – volunteer, the “Ptahy” movement founder, which helps the military and civilians

Kateryna Prokopenko, wife of Azov regiment commander Denys Prokopenko.

Other postcard characters and illustrators will also be present.

Registration is required.

• culture
• Kyiv

A piece of the wall with mural by the world-famous English street artist Banksy in Irpin will be moved. 

In April 2023, the building with the graffiti on its wall was dismantled. However, the city authorities decided to keep the image of the girl gymnast performing a handstand on chunks of broken masonry devastated by a Russian shell.

For reference: There are seven works by Banksy in the Kyiv Oblast. On November 17, 2022, the artist confirmed the authorship of these works on his Instagram, posting a video about their creation and his trip to Ukraine.

• culture
• Kyiv

FRIDA Ukraine, a mission of Ukrainian-Israeli medical volunteers, continues to provide assistance to the civilian population affected by hostilities.

A total of 3 missions will take place on May 13-14. Two of them will take place in the de-occupied and front-line parts of Kharkiv and Kherson regions. A team of 20 doctors will provide quality medical care in regional communities for two days.

Also, another team of volunteer doctors will take outpatient appointments at the “Enjoying Life: Care” support center for displaced persons in Kyiv as part of the marathon organized jointly with “Enjoying Life” charitable foundation. It is the first time, FRIDA doctors will take appointments with temporarily displaced persons at such a scale.

Journalists are invited to accompany the team of medical volunteers during planned missions in Kharkiv or Kherson regions, or join the mission in Kyiv. There is also an opportunity to cover the activities of FRIDA Ukraine and conduct interviews with the team without traveling to hot spots.

Accreditation required.

• doctors
• volunteers
• Kharkiv
• Kherson
• Kyiv

On May 14, more than 70 veterans who were wounded at the front will take part in “Unbreakable Kyiv” sports competition. Among other things, the program includes archery and disabled strongman competitions. Famous athletes and active military personnel will join the veterans in the competition.

• Kyiv

On May 13, a meeting with Valeriia Subotina (call sign “Nava”) will take place in Kyiv. The woman spent 327 days in russian captivity. While still under siege at the Azovstal plant, she married a border guard, Andrii Subotin, on May 5 (the birthday of the Azov regiment). The man even made engagement rings for them out of foil. However, he died shortly after, on May 7.

Attendees will have an opportunity to listen to Valeriia’s poems from the poetry collection “Flowers and Weapons,” which was republished due to Andrii Subotin’s parents’ efforts while the woman was in captivity. After the event, Valeria will talk to the media representatives. Considering her physical and psychological exhaustion, the organizers kindly ask to limit the number of questions, but there will be an opportunity to arrange further interviews.

• military
• prisoners
• women
• Kyiv