Themes by tag: Kyiv

Participants:

– Nataliia Yepifanova, Head of the NGO Warriors Liberation;

– Nataliia Kravtsova, mother of a captured “Azov” fighter, defender of Mariupol;

– Dmytro “Diplomat”, defender of Mariupol, veteran of the “Azov” brigade, former prisoner of war;

– Bohdan Okhrymenko, representative of the Coordination Headquarters — Head of the Secretariat of the Coordination Headquarters.

Topics for discussion:

– systemic issues in returning “Azov” fighters from captivity;

– persecution of “Azov” members in captivity: the Olenivka terrorist attack, intensified torture, mass criminal prosecution, and illegal verdicts by russian courts;

– the role of the international community and the state in returning the defenders of Mariupol.

The press conference will take place on the fourth anniversary of the final end of the defense of Mariupol and the surrender of the Mariupol garrison.

Speakers will address the issue of the prolonged captivity of servicemen of the 12th Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine “Azov,” who defended Mariupol and went into captivity in May 2022. More than 700 fighters remain in captivity.

How did it happen that soldiers who became a national and international symbol of Ukraine’s resistance to russian aggression in the early months of the full-scale invasion are often left out of prisoner exchanges?

The purpose of the press conference is also to discuss possible mechanisms to strengthen efforts to secure the release of “Azov” fighters from captivity.

• military
• prisoners
• Kyiv

On May 31 in Bucha, Kyiv region, the event “Match of Expectation: Every Voice Saves” will take place. As part of the event, the Ukrainian national veterans’ team will play an advocacy football match against the Kyiv regional team to draw attention to the families of missing and captured Ukrainian defenders.

The Ukrainian national veterans’ team will include well-known Ukrainian football players and former professional players: Andriy Biba, Yevhen Seleznyov, Yevhen Khacheridi, Serhiy Nazarenko, Oleksiy Bielik, Mykola Morozyuk, Yuriy Maksymov, Eduard Tsykhmeistruk, Oleh Sobutskyi, Volodymyr Lysenko, Mykola Ishchenko, Viacheslav Sviderskyi, Volodymyr Bondarenko, and Serhii Pohorilyi.

The Kyiv regional team will consist of war veterans, service members, volunteers, representatives of the Kyiv Regional State Administration, the Kyiv Regional Council, local communities, the National Police in Kyiv region, and the State Emergency Service of Ukraine.

A symbolic installation will be created in the stadium stands: military uniforms will be placed on 500 seats as a symbol of presence. Each seat will represent a defender whose fate remains unknown and a family that continues to wait. Nearby, photographs of missing soldiers, their words, and links to personal stories will be displayed.

Before the match, participants will form a circle of solidarity around the pitch with lit torches. The first kick of the ball will be taken by a child of a missing defender together with a man from Bucha who was released from captivity.

Within the “Match of Expectation: Every Voice Saves” initiative, families and relatives of missing defenders will be able to receive free legal and psychological support from partner organizations and, if they wish and consent, fill out a needs assessment form for further assistance and follow-up.

Journalists must register in advance to attend the event.

Background: The advocacy event is organized by the NGO “Voices of Silence.” It is an association of families of missing and captured Ukrainian defenders, founded in Bucha by Nataliia Ilyina, the wife of a missing defender.

• military
• prisoners
• psychological support
• Kyiv

On May 18, Ukrposhta and the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War will hold a special cancellation ceremony for the “Let’s Fill It Together” art stamp sheet on International Museum Day.

The release supports the War Museum’s fundraising campaign, launched on February 13 this year. The campaign aims to raise UAH 20 million for the renovation and expansion of the institution. The funds will be used to create new museum exhibitions beneath the “Motherland Monument” — including the “Museum of Modern Military Technologies” and the “Museum of Soviet (russian) Propaganda.”

During the event, organizers will present a collectible set featuring a postcard, an envelope, and nine stamps depicting the monument. Ukrainian artists Volodymyr Taran and Anton Lohov, as well as designers Liudmyla Nikorych and Daria Dashynhevych, contributed to the collection’s development. Each created their own interpretation of the “Motherland Monument,” a symbol of Ukrainian resilience and resistance during the russian-Ukrainian war. Together, the artworks form a multifaceted portrait of a nation undergoing a transformation of its identity amid Europe’s largest armed conflict since World War II.

The cancellation ceremony will be attended by Ukrposhta CEO Ihor Smilianskyi, Museum Director Yurii Savchuk, and the artists behind the stamp designs. All proceeds from sales of the postal products will be transferred to the Museum’s dedicated fundraising account.

Journalists are required to register in advance to attend the event.

• culture
• Kyiv

On May 16–17, the MHP Run4Victory Kyiv Marathon will take place in central Kyiv. For the first time since the start of the full-scale war, the event will open its city routes for mass participation. All registration fees and donations will go toward prosthetic treatment for Ukrainian servicemen and servicewomen through the Protez Foundation.

Participants can choose from several distances depending on their level of preparation:

• 42 km — full marathon for experienced runners
• 21 km — half marathon for trained participants
• 10 km — endurance race
• 5 km and 2 km — introductory and charity runs
• 500 m — “People Titans” inclusive race
• 500 m — pet-friendly race (all distances allow participation with dogs)
• Online distance — participate remotely from anywhere
• Free children’s races: 500 m, 300 m, and 100 m

Background: The event is organized for the third consecutive year by MHP in partnership with the MHP-Hromadi Charity Foundation. The sports organizer is NewRun.

• culture
• Kyiv

On May 14, the War Museum in Kyiv will host the event “Ukrainian Rescuers: Heroes of the Past and Present,” dedicated to the Day of Remembrance of Ukrainians who rescued Jews during World War II.

The discussion will focus on the phenomenon of rescue, the moral choices people make during wartime, and how the memory of World War II is being reinterpreted through the experience of the modern russian-Ukrainian war.

A total of 2,713 Ukrainians have been awarded the title of Righteous Among the Nations — the fourth-highest number in the world. The War Museum continues to collect stories of people who risked their lives to save others during the nazi occupation.

Among the guests will be Anatolii and Olena Tartakovski, children of Righteous Among the Nations recipient Lidiia Savchuk from Vinnytsia region, who together with her parents hid a Jewish man, Isak Tartakovski.

The discussion will also feature Oksana Chertsova, a lecturer at the Institute of International Relations of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, a volunteer from Bucha, and a representative of the Nikolaienko family, recognized as Righteous Among the Nations for rescuing Jews in Babyn Yar. She will share her experience of living through the russian occupation of Kyiv region in 2022.

• culture
• Kyiv

Sofia and Volodymyr met through sports. Sofia came to a gym in Kyiv where her future husband worked as a coach. She is a trained teacher of Ukrainian language, literature, and history, while Volodymyr is a professional CrossFit athlete and coach with 15 years of experience.

The couple decided to open their own gym. That is how the T11CF sports space was established in Kyiv.

On March 4, 2022, Volodymyr joined a combat unit of the National Guard of Ukraine. He took part in the battles for the village of Moshchun in Kyiv region, the liberation of the Kyiv region, and later fought on the Zaporizhzhia front.

During that time, the project was put on hold. The gym eventually opened in September 2024. Later, thanks to a grant from the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation, the sports space expanded into a network of two locations.

Today, T11CF is not only about sports, but also about community. Soldiers, veterans, professional athletes, and people with disabilities train there.

Interviews with Sofia and Volodymyr can be arranged both online and in person in Kyiv by prior appointment.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• Kyiv

On May 15, Kyiv’s War Museum will host a public discussion titled “Chingene in Crimean Tatar Lists — From Rescue to Deportation: Little-Known Stories of Crimea’s Roma.”

The discussion will focus on the dramatic history of the Chingene — Crimean Roma (literally translated from Crimean Tatar as “Gypsies”) who were partially assimilated with the Crimean Tatars, or Qirimli. The Chingene are considered guardians of the Crimean Tatar musical tradition.

During the Nazi occupation of Crimea and the genocide of the Roma, many Chingene identified themselves as Qirimli, while Crimean Tatars in turn tried to save them by including them on Crimean Tatar registration lists. After the soviet reoccupation of Crimea, those same lists were used on May 18, 1944, to deport the Chingene alongside Crimean Tatars to Central Asia, the Urals and Siberia.

After they were later allowed to return to their historical homeland, many Chingene came back to Ukraine together with Crimean Tatars and continued preserving Crimea’s musical traditions by performing at weddings and ethnic celebrations within the Qirimli community.

The discussion will explore the history of the Chingene, the origins of the parallel name “Daifa,” and the differences between Chingene and Krymy Roma communities. Speakers include Romani studies scholar Natalia Zinevych, ethnologist Oleksandr Rybalko and researcher of Romani culture and literature Yanush Panchenko. The discussion will be moderated by Roman Kabachii, a researcher at the War Museum.

• culture
• Kyiv

Building Ukraine Together (BUR) is launching a new season of BUR camps — volunteer construction camps held in cities and villages across Ukraine that engage young people from around the country in volunteer work.

This year’s BUR camps will take place in Kyiv, Sumy and the village of Byshiv in the Kyiv region. In Kyiv (May 23 — June 1), volunteers will work on renovating an annex attached to a residential building in one of the city’s districts that had long stood abandoned.

Work will focus on two premises within the annex to create the “Svitlychnykh Space” cultural center — a community-oriented venue aimed at strengthening local ties, expanding the district’s cultural infrastructure and preserving local history.

Background: Building Ukraine Together is a civic organization that creates opportunities for young people to drive change in Ukraine through volunteering.

• volunteers
• Kyiv

Kyiv Military Hub, together with the Kyiv Hippodrome, holds horse riding classes twice a week for Ukrainian defenders and veterans.

Each session lasts 40 minutes — enough time to learn basic riding skills, enjoy the experience and simply recharge.

Equine-assisted therapy for veterans includes:

• physical impact, as the horse transmits rhythmic movement impulses to the rider, activating muscles and the vestibular system;
• psychological and emotional support, as interaction with animals — even without riding — helps reduce stress, alleviate depression and support emotional recovery.

By prior arrangement, journalists are welcome to attend and cover the classes held in Kyiv.

Background: Since the initiative was launched, more than 2,000 defenders, veterans and their family members have taken part in the classes.

• animals
• culture
• military
• Kyiv

A screening of the documentary “Dance With Fire” will take place at the War Museum in Kyiv on May 12.

The film tells the story of Vadym Khlupianets — a ballet performer with the Kyiv National Academic Operetta Theatre who traded the stage for the battlefield and was killed defending Ukraine’s independence.

After the start of russia’s aggression against Ukraine in 2014, Khlupianets was forced to leave his hometown of Donetsk and relocate to the Zhytomyr region. A graduate of the Kyiv Choreographic School, he worked at the Kyiv National Academic Operetta Theatre before joining Ukraine’s defense forces following russia’s full-scale invasion.

He first served in the ranks of Ukraine’s Territorial Defense Forces before later joining the Freedom Legion of the National Guard of Ukraine. Vadym Khlupianets was killed at the age of 26 on Nov. 15, 2022, during battles near Bakhmut in the Donetsk region.

The event will also feature a meeting with the film’s creators, including Memorial Platform co-founder Haiane Avakian and the film’s director, Diana Zhvinklis.

Journalists are required to obtain accreditation.

Background: The screening is organized jointly with the Memorial Platform.

• dead
• military
• Kyiv