Themes by tag: 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

The NGO “Holosy” (Voices) presents the groundbreaking theatrical production “FOG” in Ukraine — a stage project built on real war testimonies. This is not just a play; it is a living chronicle of modern Ukraine, woven from letters, interviews, monologues, and confessions. The event will take place in Kyiv on July 27.

After its premiere in Berlin, where it moved audiences to tears and solidarity, the performance will be shown to Ukrainian audiences for the first time. The stories of Kyiv, Odesa, Kherson, Kharkiv, Bakhchysarai, Olenivka, Kolomyia, and Nova Kakhovka resonate in the play — each a painful scar, yet also a guiding light through the darkness.

Genre: 

Multimedia theater in a pseudo-documentary style.

Background. Creative team: Director: Valeriia Demchenko. Producer: Olha Sobko. Writers: Natalia Sukhorukova, Khachatur Vasilian, Tetiana Fedorenko, Valeriia Demchenko, Olha Sobko. Choreographer: Kateryna Pavlova. Cast: L. Somov, R. Miroshnychenko, O. Sobko, D. Korostylov, M. Marchenko, Yu. Onopriiko, A. Tarkanyi, L. Katsion, A. Binieieva.

• culture
• Kyiv

Before the full-scale invasion, Capital Tours agency operated in Kyiv, Lviv, and Odesa, with Svitozar Moiseiv as one of its guides, showcasing the capital’s landmarks. After February 2022, the business came to a halt.

In 2023, Svitozar received requests from foreigners for tours of de-occupied areas near Kyiv. He developed a six-hour excursion through the region’s most affected towns, including Bucha, Irpin, Borodianka, Hostomel, and Moshchun. Svitozar primarily offers private tours. He begins by sharing his personal experiences from the early days of the full-scale invasion, then takes visitors to sites that bear witness to the occupiers’ crimes.

According to Svitozar, most participants are foreigners who came to Kyiv for work or family visits. So far, no one has traveled to Ukraine solely for this tour. The six-hour experience costs around €150, with part of the proceeds donated to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

You can arrange to speak with Svitozar Moiseiv — online or in person in Kyiv — by prior appointment.

• occupation
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

In August and September, the Hospitallers Medical Battalion will hold a series of training courses on pre-medical care and tactical medicine for civilians and volunteer medics. The courses include: Basic Life Support, Bleeding Control, First Aid for Trauma, Combat Lifesaver (CLS) Training, Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC CMC) Training. The courses will take place in Kyiv, Lviv, Dnipro, and Dnipropetrovsk oblast.

Journalists can cover the training sessions by prior agreement.

Background: The Hospitallers Medical Battalion has been operating on the front lines since 2014. Their crews conduct dozens of evacuations daily along nearly the entire frontline.

The battalion has been providing tactical medicine training since 2015 and pre-medical aid courses since 2018. Their instructors are certified by NAEMT (National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians, USA), UMMA (Ukrainian Military Medical Academy), and other recognized organizations.

• doctors
• Dnipro
• Kyiv
• Lviv

On August 2, the Code of the Nation Museum near Kyiv will host the first-ever Filizhanka Heroic Coffee Festival, held in memory of Ukrainian hero Artem Tieliebniev, call sign “Talib.” This unique event blends remembrance and resilience, aiming to honor late defenders, support injured soldiers, and craft a fresh flavor of Ukrainian identity through coffee. The musical headliner for the day is the acclaimed Kalush Orchestra.

The festival’s main goal is to raise UAH 2 million to fund the rehabilitation of wounded Ukrainian service members and veterans. The initiative is organized in partnership with the Revived Soldiers Ukraine, which provides specialized care for those recovering from neurotrauma, spinal cord injuries, and other complex conditions, including pre- and post-prosthetic rehabilitation.

Accreditation is required for entry and must be completed by July 31.

For reference: Junior Sergeant Artem Tieliebniev served as an external UAV operator in the 411th Separate Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Regiment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. A committed volunteer since 2014, Artem joined the front lines from the first days of russia’s full-scale invasion. He defended Zhuliany, took part in the liberation of Irpin in Kyiv Oblast, and fought in some of the country’s most challenging hotspots, including Kharkiv, Kherson, Donetsk, and Zaporizhia.

For his courage and selflessness, Artem was awarded the Order for Courage, 3rd Class, along with medals for the defense of Kyiv and Kharkiv. On July 3, 2024, while evacuating wounded comrades near Robotyne in the Zaporizhia region, he was killed in a tank strike.

The Filizhanka festival is the brainchild of Yana Berkut, a lawyer, barista, volunteer, and Artem’s widow. With support from the third President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko, Vitalina Yushchenko, the NGO Kyivshchyna – That’s Us, and the head of the Hatne community, Oleksandr Palamarchuk, Yana has transformed personal grief into a powerful tribute.

• dead
• military
• Kyiv

Oleksandra Mazur, head of the Olenivka Community NGO, has spent more than two years searching for the truth about her loved one held in russian captivity. Since May 2022, she has been fighting to keep his memory, and the memory of others like him, alive.

Her partner, Azov Regiment combat engineer Yaroslav Otrok, was among the Ukrainian defenders captured at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol. Following orders from his commanders, he and his fellow soldiers surrendered and were taken to a makeshift detention center in the occupied town of Olenivka, Donetsk region.

On July 29, 2022, Yaroslav was killed in a blast that tore through the prison. Ukrainian authorities have described the attack as a terrorist act, accusing russian forces of deliberately targeting prisoners of war.

In the days that followed, Oleksandra saw Yaroslav’s name on a list of the wounded. But hope soon gave way to devastating news. In September, a witness who survived the explosion told her Yaroslav’s injuries had been fatal. A month later, the Azov Patronage Service confirmed he was among the dead. His body had been returned by russia.

Since then, Oleksandra has dedicated herself to the Olenivka Community NGO, supporting other families of POWs and calling attention to the crimes committed in Olenivka. Her efforts helped pave the way for official recognition: on July 22, the Verkhovna Rada adopted a resolution establishing July 28 as the Day of Remembrance for Ukrainian Defenders who were executed, tortured, or died in captivity.

Mazur remains committed to telling these stories. She is available for interviews online or in person, by prior arrangement, in Kamianets-Podilskyi or Kyiv.

• dead
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• women
• Khmelnytskyi
• Kyiv

Anastasiia Bolotova met Ivan Bolotov in 2014. What began as a love story would, a decade later, become a story of loss, remembrance.

When russia launched its full-scale invasion, the couple was living in Mykolaiv. As the war escalated, Ivan moved Anastasiia to his parents’ home in Kyiv for safety, while he remained behind to defend the capital as a military pilot.

On February 2, 2025, Captain Ivan Bolotov was killed in action while carrying out a combat mission. He was just 24 years old. A fighter pilot in Ukraine’s Air Force, Ivan died in the skies he had sworn to protect.

For Anastasiia, life was split into a before and after. The most precious gift he left her, she says, is their son.

In July, Anastasiia opened a coffee shop in Kyiv in Ivan’s memory. She named it Krylati (“The Winged”), paying homage to the life and legacy of her beloved. With the help of Ivan’s friends and family, she designed the space with care: the walls are painted in his favorite color, a mural anchors the room as its artistic heart, and his favorite music drifts softly through the café. Photos of fallen pilots, including Ivan, hang on the walls as a quiet reminder of the cost of war.

Anastasiia Bolotova is available for interviews, both online and in person in Kyiv, by appointment.

• dead
• military
• women
• Kyiv

On July 25, the War Museum in Kyiv will host a special public event honoring Medical Workers’ Day in Ukraine, featuring Captain Oleksandr Homeniuk — a military medic and author of the book “Shrapnel from Avdiivka: Instead of Bedtime Stories for My Son”.

Oleksandr Homeniuk, a former member of the “Plast” scouting organization, was a pediatric orthopedic doctor in peacetime. After the start of russia’s full-scale invasion, he voluntarily joined the 110th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after Marko Bezruchko and became a military medic, rising to the rank of Captain.

While on the front line, Oleksandr kept a diary that later became the basis for his book. The title “Shrapnel from Avdiivka: Instead of Bedtime Stories for My Son” is no coincidence. As Oleksandr saves soldiers’ lives at the front, his little son waits for him at home.

Published by “Zaliznyi Tato”, a veteran-run publishing house founded by fellow soldier Dmytro Savchenko, the book has already reached international audiences. In February 2024, it was presented in Vienna, sharing the realities faced by Ukrainian military medics with the world.

Oleksandr will join the conversation online. Accreditation is required to attend.

• culture
• Kyiv