Themes by tag: Kyiv

On May 16, the Media Center Ukraine will host a press conference: “Hepatitis A cases on the rise in Kyiv: City officials respond to growing public health concern”

Participants:

– Nataliia Hunchenko, Deputy Director General of the Kyiv Center for Disease Control and Prevention of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine

Key topics:

– Scope and location of the hepatitis A outbreak in Kyiv;

– Identified sources and transmission routes: what do we know so far?

– How city authorities and healthcare providers are responding to the surge in infections;

– Hepatitis A prevention: essential steps residents can take to protect themselves and their families;

– The broader epidemiological landscape in Kyiv.

• Kyiv

Anatolii Levchenko is a theater professional from Mariupol who, in 2015, spearheaded a new chapter in the city’s cultural life by launching contemporary Ukrainian productions at a theater once designated as “russian.”

He and his wife, Hanna, were caregivers for their nonverbal autistic son and Hanna’s 90-year-old mother. Because of these responsibilities, the Levchenkos were unable to evacuate Mariupol quickly after the russian invasion began. They managed to leave only in May 2022. But just one day before their departure, Anatolii was detained by russian forces, following a denunciation from former colleagues in the theater who had aligned themselves with the occupying authorities.

At first, Hanna had no idea where her husband had been taken. She later learned that he had been accused of extremism and transferred to russian-occupied Donetsk. For more than 10 months, she sent him clothing, medication, and letters to the detention center. Occasionally, Anatolii was allowed to call her late at night. During this time, Hanna managed life on her own, caring for their son, sourcing food and water, and cooking over an open fire alongside neighbors.

On March 9, 2023, she received a phone call: Anatolii was being released. His health had significantly deteriorated after nearly a year in detention. That summer, the family reached Ukrainian-controlled territory, first relocating to Kropyvnytskyi. A year later, they moved to Kyiv. Today, Anatolii has resumed his work in theater.

He is available for conversations both online and in person in the capital, with prior arrangement.

For reference: The defense of Mariupol lasted 86 days. On May 20, 2022, the city fell under russian occupation. According to Human Rights Watch, at least 8,000 civilians were killed during the siege. Thousands more were injured, many lost limbs, vision, hearing, or memory, often due to blast-related head trauma. Of Mariupol’s pre-war population of 540,000, approximately 400,000 had fled by mid-May 2022.

• casualties
• culture
• occupation
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Kyiv
• Mariupol

A new initiative, Heroes Glory Golf, has launched in the Kyiv region, providing free golf training for Ukrainian military veterans. Tailored for those with combat experience, the program offers:

– golf instruction;

– participation in tournaments and competitions;

– outdoor recreation in a nature reserve;

– peer support and new connections within the veteran community.

The program aims to help veterans transition to civilian life through physical activity, skill-building, and a sense of community. Participation is entirely free of charge.

Eight women veterans have already enrolled, and recruitment for additional teams remains open.

Journalists may attend training sessions near Kyiv by prior arrangement.

Background: Heroes Glory Golf is organized by Heroes Glory, a veteran service organization, and is supported by the DTCare Foundation and the Women Veterans Movement.

• culture
• military
• women
• Kyiv

On May 14, Kyiv will host the event “Tools to Support Veterans’ Employment,” which will feature the launch of the Veteran’s Career employment platform and a discussion of findings from a study examining the challenges, needs, and barriers male and female veterans face when seeking employment.

The event will bring together representatives from government agencies, the business community, the public sector, veteran organizations, analysts, and HR professionals.

Speakers:

– Iryna Vereshchuk, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine;

– Natalia Kalmykova, Minister for Veterans Affairs of Ukraine;

– Yulia Kirillova, Deputy Minister for Veterans Affairs of Ukraine;

– Karina Doroshenko, Executive Director of the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation;

– Olha Halchenko, Manager of the Civil Resilience Program, International Renaissance Foundation;

– Christina Linichenko, Corporate Affairs, Sustainability and ESG Consultant; Government Relations and Philanthropy Manager, McDonald’s;

– Andrii Nesmachnyi, Veteran and Entrepreneur;

– Anastasia Selyaninova, Analyst, Ukrainian Veterans Foundation;

– Anna-Maria Sabov, HR expert, HR Influencer 2024;

The event will be moderated by veteran, photographer, and public figure Dmytro “Orest” Kozatskyi, along with Anastasiia Rashchenko, Deputy Executive Director of the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation.

Advance registration is required.

For reference: The event is organized by the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation under the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine as part of the Development of Tools to Support the Employment of Veterans project, with support from the International Renaissance Foundation.

• Kyiv

On May 13, The Media Center Ukraine will host a briefing: “How to overhaul humanitarian assistance accounting: Unveiling a new concept for improving the automated humanitarian aid registration system”

Participants: 

– Yulia Panura, Consultant on Taxation of CSOs and Charitable Activities, Ukrainian Center for Independent Political Research (UCIPR);

– Yaryna Pokhodai, Legislation Analyst, UCIPR;

– Yurii Yuzych, Advisor to the Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine;

– Liudmyla Khlan, Representative, Ukrainian State Enterprise “Information and Computing Center” (ICC) of the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine;

– Representative of the European Center for Not-for-Profit Law Stichting (online). 

Background: Since the onset of russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine has received an unprecedented volume of humanitarian assistance. Yet the current registration system remains outdated and often counterproductive. Aid organizations continue to report delays and difficulties with customs clearance, documentation, and coordination with government bodies.

In response, experts at the Ukrainian Center for Independent Political Research have designed a comprehensive modernization concept aimed at streamlining logistics, reducing bureaucratic hurdles, and strengthening oversight. The upgraded system is expected to help both state agencies and civil society actors operate more effectively ensuring the delivery of crisis aid to the areas of greatest need. 

• Kyiv

On May 13 the War Museum will host a meeting of the discussion platform “Our Victory: Ukraine in the Second World War” and presentation of the popular scientific publication “Ukraine in the Second World War. War Calendar” as part of the Museum’s “Our Victory” campaign dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe and the victory over Nazism.

Speakers of the platform:

• Volodymyr Viatrovych, Candidate of Historical Sciences, politician, public figure, People’s Deputy of Ukraine of the IX convocation, 2nd Head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory;
• Yaroslav Hrytsak, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor of the Ukrainian Catholic University;
• Oleksandr Lysenko, Corresponding Member of the NAS of Ukraine, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor at the Institute of History of Ukraine of the NAS of Ukraine;
• Ivan Patryliak, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor, Dean of the Faculty of History at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv;
• Olena Stiazhkina, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor at the Institute of Ukrainian History of the NAS of Ukraine.

Participants:

• Oleksandr Alfiorov, Candidate of Historical Sciences, historian, radio host, public and political activist, research fellow at the Institute of Ukrainian History, NAS of Ukraine;
• Akim Halimov, founder of the “Real History” project, producer at 1+1 Media;
• Anton Drobovych, Candidate of Philosophical Sciences, public and state figure, expert in communication, education and culture, 3rd Head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory.
• Oleksandr Zinchenko, historian, publicist, journalist, TV presenter, co-founder of the online publication “Istorychna Pravda”;
• Vladlen Maraiev, candidate of historical sciences, co-author of the YouTube channel “History without myths”;
• Vitalii Nakhmanovych, historian, ethnopolitical scientist, museum curator and public activist, leading researcher at the Kyiv History Museum.

Discussion topics: how Ukraine constructs the memory of the end of World War II; victory or defeat, occupation or liberation: World War II in Ukrainian public discourse; what changes have occurred in the concepts and practices of World War II commemoration in connection with russia’s current war against Ukraine.

Registration is required for the event.

• culture
• Kyiv

During the one-day intensive training, the organizers invite those interested to test their skills in conditions as close to combat as possible.

At the event, participants will also have the opportunity to interact with soldiers of the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade and learn more about serving in the unit.

Registration is required to attend.

• Kyiv

Before the full-scale invasion, Dariia and her husband were planning to buy their own home in the Kyiv oblast. Just as the couple was about to receive the keys to their new home, the great war began and an enemy shell landed near their house. The explosion damaged their new home, blowing out windows and shattering the roof and walls.

Dariia and her husband were forced back into renting. In addition, the woman lost her job, so she devoted all of her free time to decorating her temporary home. One day, she stumbled upon a video of crystal ornaments online. Inspired, she made her first piece and hung it in her window. As the sunlight danced through its prisms, the artisan came up with the name “sontselov” (meaning “sun catcher”). Soon after setting up a social media page, she received her first order. Today, Daria creates these luminous pieces with symbols of temporarily occupied cities — Mariupol, Berdiansk, Melitopol, Enerhodar. In three years, she’s made and sold more than 5,000 home decorations, eventually earning enough to buy a house with her husband.

You can speak with Dariia Terekhova both online and offline in the Kyiv oblast by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• culture
• women
• Kyiv

On May 9, the War Museum in Kyiv will open the exhibition project Memory. Dialogues, developed in partnership with the Berlin Karlshorst Museum and supported by the German Embassy in Ukraine. The event is timed to coincide with Europe Day.

The project is built around the family histories of three artists: Polina Kuznetsova (Ukraine), Eva Neidlinger (Germany), and Jenny Alten (Germany). The lives of their ancestors intersected in Ukraine during the Nazi occupation. Notably, the great-grandfather of director Eva Neidlinger, a Wehrmacht soldier, was stationed in Kharkiv, where artist Polina Kuznetsova’s grandmother lived through the war as a child.

Drawing on diaries, photographs, oral testimonies, and contemporary artistic reflections, the exhibition explores themes of personal and collective memory, the process of healing historical trauma, and reconciliation between nations. It invites dialogue across generations and cultures while encouraging new ways of preserving memory.

The exhibition culminates in the art installation Voices, part of Kuznetsova’s Black Earth project, created in collaboration with artist Andrii Skrypka.

Scheduled speakers at the opening ceremony include:

– Yurii Savchuk, Director General of the War Museum in Kyiv;

– Lisa Heike, First Secretary and Head of the Cultural Section, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Ukraine;

– Project curators: Yurii Horpynych and Maryna Bohush;

Project participants: Polina Kuznetsova (Ukraine), Eva Neidlinger (Germany), and Jenny Alten (Germany)

Accreditation is required to attend the event.

• culture
• Kyiv

On May 8, the Museum of War will host the opening of the exhibition project Our Victory, which explores Ukraine’s role in World War II. As part of the ceremony, the Flame of Glory will be lit to honor the memory of Ukrainians who fought against Nazism.

Participants include:

– Mykola Tochytskyi, Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine;

– Yurii Savchuk, Director General of the War Museum in Kyiv;

– Mykhailo Vynnytskyi, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine;

– Dimitris Sotiropoulos, Chairman of the Board and Bureau of the Observatory for the Teaching of History in Europe, Council of Europe

Musical program: Honored Academic Orchestra of Ukraine and the Exemplary Orchestra of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Accreditation is required to attend the event.

Background: The exhibition is located on the site of the former Alley of Hero Cities, a space originally designed to reinforce the Soviet narrative of the “Great Patriotic War.” In December 2024, the area was renovated, with Golden Stars and inscriptions removed. Now, Our Victory reclaims this space – challenging the propaganda myths of the Soviet totalitarian regime and transforming the alley into a place of historical reflection and tribute to the Ukrainians who fought in the ranks of the anti-Hitler coalition.

• culture
• Kyiv