Themes by tag: Kyiv

In Kyiv Oblast, a new eco-friendly recycling line has been set up in Borodianka to process construction waste, utilizing equipment provided by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The initiative aims to repurpose debris from damaged structures into usable materials.

The recycled materials will serve multiple purposes: forming the base of roads, acting as filler for concrete and other building materials, and reinforcing riverbanks. 

This process supports sustainable rebuilding efforts in an area heavily impacted by war. With approximately 4,000 structures damaged by ongoing hostilities, Kyiv Oblast faces significant cleanup and reconstruction. 

Journalists are invited to observe and report on the region’s ecological recycling efforts.

• ecology
• Kyiv

Veteran Oleh Kostiukov, who served in Ukraine’s Armed Forces engineering corps for 28 years, is applying his expertise to an unusual form of warfare: deception. Believing that misdirection has always played a key role in military strategy, Kostiukov began crafting decoy of Ukrainian military vehicles when russia’s full-scale invasion began. These dummies, placed at the front lines, are designed to draw enemy fire and prompt russian forces to reveal their positions.

Each replica weighs about 100 kilograms and can be set up within five to seven minutes. Constructed with a metal frame and canvas, the models bear realistic details, including hatches, tracks, and other vehicle features.

Kostiukov’s team manufactures the decoys in the Kyiv region, with each unit costing around 100,000 hryvnias. According to Kostiukov, reports from Ukrainian soldiers indicate that at least once a month, enemy forces mistake the dummies for actual military equipment and open fire.

For reference: Journalists with Defense Ministry accreditation can arrange a visit to the production site, where Mr. Kostiukov is open to interviews, both online and in person.

• Kyiv

“We haven’t lived long enough; we want to live a little longer.” This poignant statement from Nazar, spoken when he was just nine, resonates deeply today as he turns twelve. Born in the Luhansk region, which is now occupied, Nazar’s childhood has been shaped by ongoing war.

In 2022, he was forced to flee his home amid intense rocket attacks by the russian army. His mother, a psychotherapist at an art school, dedicated her efforts to helping children in eastern Ukraine, often traveling to remote villages with mobile brigades. Tragically, during the occupation, their family home and school were looted.

Despite the upheaval, Nazar’s passion for nature conservation remains unwavering. Since the age of four, he has actively participated in initiatives to protect the environment, creating reusable shopper bags, organizing school theater performances, and leading community clean-up efforts.

Nazar is also a contributor to the book “War through the Voices of Children,” a collection of children’s reflections on the impact of war that has recently made its way into American bookstores.

Journalists wishing to learn more about Nazar’s inspiring story can arrange interviews with him in the Kyiv region.

• children
• ecology
• occupation
• Kyiv

Volodymyr Marchenko, head of the marketing department at Osvita Publishing House, was preparing for a new adventure just days before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He and his wife had planned a trip to São Paulo, Brazil, after she won a ticket to any destination in the world, along with a discount for her husband. However, the onset of war altered their plans dramatically. On February 25, 2022, Volodymyr enlisted at the military registration office to defend his country.

During the war, he suffered a devastating brain injury that left him in a coma for two weeks, followed by a month in intensive care. At that time, medical professionals could not predict whether he would regain his sight, walk, speak, or even care for himself. Despite these grim forecasts, Volodymyr has defied the odds. He now leads an active lifestyle, focusing on rehabilitation through sports and travel. In recognition of his determination and resilience, he has also been selected as a member of the Ukrainian national team for the 2025 Invictus Games.

Journalists interested in learning more about Volodymyr’s remarkable story can arrange to speak with him in Kyiv.

• casualties
• military
• Kyiv

Before the full-scale invasion, Ivan Rozuman worked as a miner in the Dnipropetrovsk oblast. At the beginning of the great war he joined the defense forces and took part in the battles in the Liman sector.

However, when he returned to his hometown of Marhanets, he was wounded. Ivan’s fiancée, Tetiana, also came to the town, eager to meet his parents. That very day the russians attacked the city. Ivan suffered injuries to his windpipe, eyes, arms and legs. Tetiana suffered an open skull wound and her legs were broken.

Ivan spent a month in a coma after his injuries. He lost his right arm and his eyesight completely. He urged Tetiana to leave him. Instead, he received a proposal of marriage from his beloved.

On February 2, 2024, the couple married. Since then, they have been adjusting to life in the new conditions.

Ivan Rozuman is in Kyiv. The army veteran is ready to talk to journalists, both online and offline, by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• military
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

Kyiv will host a press conference on November 1 at Media Center Ukraine to commemorate the 11th anniversary of the Revolution of Dignity and the 20th anniversary of the Orange Revolution.

This year’s celebration of the Day of Dignity and Freedom will carry the slogan, “WE CANNOT BE DEFEATED! 20 years of the Orange Revolution and 11 years of Euromaidan.”

Throughout November, and especially on November 21—the anniversary of both the 2004 Orange Revolution and the 2013 Revolution of Dignity—the National Museum of the Revolution of Dignity, in collaboration with partners, will host a series of commemorative events. 

The full program of events, along with informational and educational materials, will be introduced at the press conference. Organizers will also unveil this year’s social campaign and key messages for the Day of Dignity and Freedom.

Participants:

– Andrii Nadzhos, Deputy Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine for European Integration;

– Ihor Poshyvailo, General Director of the National Memorial Complex of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes – Museum of the Revolution of Dignity

– Kostiantyn Rieutskyi, participant of the Orange Revolution, coordinator of the Euromaidan civil sector in Luhansk, officer of the Armed Forces of Ukraine;

– A representative of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory;

Accreditation is required to attend the event.

• Kyiv

Daria Bondar, once a lawyer, and Olena Tkach, a former translator and communicator, left their established careers to train in the USA as end-of-life doulas, offering support to individuals in their final days. Their goal was to ease the dying process and provide comfort to families. Yet in Ukraine, they found a different need—helping those grieving war-related losses.

Today, Daria supports people grappling with various forms of loss due to the conflict: homes, pets, marriages, identities, and even the joy of life. Olena works directly with those mourning loved ones lost in war, as well as the families of missing persons and prisoners of war.

Doulas, they emphasize, are not psychologists or medical professionals; they do not treat but offer compassion and companionship. Their sessions, lasting up to two hours, can be held online or in person when possible.

Daria is based in the Kyiv region, while Olena lives in the capital. Both are available for interviews with journalists, in person or online, by prior arrangement.

For reference: “Doula” comes from an ancient Greek word meaning “maid.” Traditionally assisting women in childbirth, the term evolved in the 2000s in the U.S. to include professionals offering end-of-life companionship. 

• casualties
• women
• Kyiv

Since the beginning of this school year, schoolchildren in the village of Bohdanivka, Kyiv oblast, have been able to study in a modular Temporary Educational Space (TES).  The space is accessible, with a generator for uninterrupted power supply, comfortable furniture, modern tablets and multimedia panels. The TES has six classrooms and now serves 250 schoolchildren who previously had to travel to a neighboring village.

Bohdanivka was occupied in 2022. russian soldiers set up camp in the local school and burned it down when they withdrew. They also blew up the kindergarten, where they had stored ammunition, leaving the village without any educational facilities.

By prior arrangement, journalists can cover the work of the modular temporary educational space in Bohdanivka.

Background: Temporary Education Spaces are being built as part of USAID Dream and Act program, implemented by IREX in partnership with the savED Foundation and the GoGlobal NGO. This project is being implemented in close cooperation with local communities who have lost their educational institutions due to russian aggression.

• children
• occupation
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

Olha Kurtmallaieva, a 25-year-old finance professional, was in her hometown of Berdiansk, Zaporizhia oblast (currently occupied), when the full-scale russian invasion began. She managed to leave the occupied territory in the summer of 2022.

Olha’s husband, Ruslan, has been defending the country since 2014, serving in the ATO/JFO zone. He has now been in russian captivity for 30 months, having been captured during the defense of Mariupol in 2022.

In 2021, Olha was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma (a type of cancer that affects the lymphatic system). Despite her serious illness, she actively fights for her husband’s release and participates in every POW-related event. Initially, she co-founded a non-governmental organization to help soldiers of the 501st Marine Battalion return home. Later, together with other women fighting for the return of captured Marines, she created the association “Marine corps strength”, a coalition of seven public organizations, three charitable foundations and a family association. Among other things, the women organize events, hold meetings, and communicate with representatives of the Ukrainian government. The association also provides legal aid, support for released prisoners, psychological support for families, and aid to the front lines.

During the full-scale war, Olha learned that her disease had progressed from the second to the fourth stage. Doctors attributed this to her high stress level. Olha has undergone 16 rounds of chemotherapy and is in remission, but still needs a stem cell transplant.

By prior arrangement, journalists can talk to Olga in Kyiv.

• military
• prisoners
• women
• Kyiv

The conference “Cultural Heritage: Protecting Cultural Boundaries,” will take place in Kyiv on October 29. The central theme is “Preserving cultural boundaries through the integration of tangible and intangible heritage into new cultural forms”.

The conference aims to highlight the importance of preserving cultural heritage and to demonstrate effective methods of integrating tangible and intangible heritage. This integration provides an additional boost to a country’s economic resilience.

The destruction of tangible and intangible cultural heritage in the midst of war creates additional requirements for the state, business and expert community to find quick, effective and systematic tools not only to preserve but also to develop cultural heritage sites for future generations.

The conference will be attended by representatives of government institutions, business, public organizations, international heritage preservation organizations, researchers and educators.

Speakers:

• Nataliia Voitsechuk, Director of the Department of Cultural Heritage Preservation, Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications;
• Yuliia Lytvynets, Director General of the National Art Museum;
• Yuliia Vahanova, Director of the Khanenko Museum;
• Oleksandr Nykoriak, Head of the All-Ukrainian Association for the Protection of Cultural Heritage;
• Vadym Kyrylenko, First Deputy Director of the National Reserve “Saint Sophia of Kyiv”;
• Michał Krasucki (Poland), Director of the Department of Cultural Heritage Protection, Warsaw;
• Larysa Dovha, founder and director of the educational project “UKultura”, professor at NaUKMA;
• Oksana Huliaieva, managing partner of the investment company Dovgiy Family Office;
• Kyrylo Kobtsev, official representative of the Blue Shield International Committee in Ukraine;
• Mariia Motorzhyna, historian, museum expert;
• Larysa Petasiuk, head of the NGO “Culture Advocacy”;
• Mark Wilkins (Switzerland-Kyiv), co-owner of Reytarska Circle, nominee for the EU Prize for Contemporary Architecture;
• Iryna Tatarenko, editor-in-chief of Marie Claire;
• Ihor Dobrutskyi, Ukrainian entrepreneur, public figure, founder and director of Folk Ukraine. 

Journalists can view the full conference program. Accreditation is required to attend.

• culture
• Kyiv