Themes by tag: Lviv
Serhii Zhukovskyi, 43, hails from the Zaporizhia region. Despite his childhood dream of becoming a soldier, he initially faced hurdles when got a medical certificate determining his unfitness for military service. However, when his hometown faced a full-blown invasion, Zhukovskyi and his family evacuated before it was occupied. In the Lviv region, he eventually enlisted with the 80th separate airborne assault brigade after encountering delays at the military enlistment office. His first injury occurred during the storming of Serebryany Forest, where shrapnel lodged near his spine. Despite medics’ unsuccessful attempts to remove a dangerous object from his body, the man persevered and returned to the front line after his wound healed. In the summer of 2023, serving with the 82nd Brigade, he sustained severe injuries from a mine explosion, resulting in the loss of both arms. His wife took on the task of finding the top rehabilitation centers in Ukraine, eventually leading him to the Halychyna and the Superhumans rehabilitation centers in the Lviv region. Following his prosthetic journey, the veteran received training in launching veteran-owned businesses, to which Serhii readily agreed. Subsequently, he successfully brought to fruition an idea conceived during his time on the front lines: crafting jerkies, pre-marinated and dried slices of meat. The business, named Sushena Radist (Dried Joy), was coined by Serhii’s eldest son, Ivan. It’s not just a veteran’s enterprise but also a family affair, with his wife, Daryna, handling the bulk of the work.
Reporters welcome to seize the chance to interview Serhii Zhukovskyi in Lviv.
For context: The Sushena Radist veteran-owned enterprise emerged as a facet of the initiative “Reintegration of War Veterans through the Creation of Educational Opportunities,” spearheaded by DVV International in Ukraine and backed financially by the German Federal Foreign Office.
On February 1, Valentyn Oleksiienko, a 29-year-old veteran and patient at the UNBROKEN Center, will take to the floor in a wheelchair to perform at the UKR DANCE CUP sports ballroom dancing competition.
A frontline defender who suffered a complete spinal cord injury in an accident at the front, leaving him with no feeling in 70% of his body, Oleksiienko continues to push boundaries despite the permanent nature of his injury. He has already made headlines by learning to paint from his wheelchair, a technique that earned him a place in the Ukrainian Book of Records as the first artist to work that way. He later mastered driving an adapted vehicle. Now he’s embracing dance as his latest challenge.
Oleksiienko will perform an exhibition piece alongside his partner, Daria Bilous. Their routine is one of three special performances featuring Ukrainian war veterans who have sustained amputations or other severe physical disabilities.
The veterans’ appearances are part of a charity initiative organized by the UKR DANCE CUP organizers in partnership with the UNBROKEN charity fund. Proceeds will support the rehabilitation of children treated at Unbroken KIDS, the pediatric department of St. Nicholas Hospital who have been affected by the war.
For reference: The UKR DANCE CUP, a prominent sports ballroom dancing tournament, was originally launched in Kharkiv in 2014. After a three-year suspension due to russia’s full-scale invasion, the event has resumed in Lviv.
Journalists wishing to cover the competition must be accredited in advance.
Mykhailo Varvarych joined the Ukrainian military in 2016. He served in the 80th Separate Air Assault Brigade, defending eastern Ukraine. He was supposed to return to civilian life in February 2022, but due to the start of the full-scale invasion, he continued his service.
On May 29, 2022, while on a combat mission in the Luhansk oblast, Mykhailo sustained severe injuries, losing both legs and severely damaging his arm. After treatment and rehabilitation, the veteran learned to use prosthetics and married his fiancée, Iryna. The couple faced profound joy and tragedy when their daughter, Martusia, was born in December 2024, only to pass away three months later in March 2025.
Now, Mykhailo and Iryna share their ongoing journey through social media, offering an intimate look at their life, their struggles, and their hard-won perspective on maintaining hope.
You can connect with Mykhailo and Iryna Varvarych online or in person in Lviv by prior arrangement.
A cutting-edge training and production prosthetics workshop at Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University, the biggest of its kind in Europe, has kicked off full-time operations.
The prosthetics microclinic and training-production workshop emerged as a joint effort in Lviv, backed by the Ukrainian and French governments. “The French firms Resilience Orthopedics and Expertise France played a key role in bringing this to life. The project totaled €2.47 million,” said Nataliya Matolinets, vice-rector at Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University and a professor.
Equipped with 20 3D printers, the workshop can churn out up to 600 prostheses each month. It opened its doors in the fall of 2025, with partners supplying a complete stock of materials for prosthesis manufacturing by year’s end.
“Our workshop at the University Hospital in Lviv serves as the primary hub for producing prostheses. We’ve set up micro-clinics in Poltava, Vynnyky, and Kyiv to spare patients the long trip to Lviv for fittings – they can now get measured conveniently anywhere in Ukraine. We’ll be expanding the number of these micro-clinics down the line,” said Olena Shevchenko, head of the Rehabilitation and Prosthetics Clinic at the Lviv National Medical University Hospital.
Patients get their prostheses at no cost. They visit a micro-clinic for a scan of their stump, after which the data is printed, yielding a ready socket in 18 to 20 hours. It’s then cleaned, polished, and prepped on-site for the patient. They start with a trial prosthesis; if it fits comfortably without issues, a permanent version follows the same process, complete with a carbon coating. Under the project, 16 Ukrainian specialists have received training to help patients recover swiftly and get back to everyday life.
Journalists can arrange in advance to report on the prosthetics workshop’s operations and speak with experts in Lviv.
For the third consecutive year, soldiers undergoing treatment, prosthetic fitting, and rehabilitation at the UNBROKEN Center in Lviv are marking Christmas in the Ukrainian tradition – gathered around a shared table with traditional dishes, carols, and a nativity scene. This year, the nativity play has emerged as the central symbol of the holiday, blending the sacred and the everyday, pain and hope, history and the lived reality of war.
At UNBROKEN, the nativity scene is conceived as a fully developed theatrical production, carefully shaped with the audience’s traumatic experiences in mind. The production is directed by Igor Bilyts, chief director of the Maria Zankovetska Theater, who views the nativity scene as a distinctive form of folk theater in which the sacred naturally coexists with the mundane, and timeless archetypes remain recognizable across generations.
Among the performers is Mykhailo Fatieiev, a soldier with the 103rd Brigade of the Territorial Defense Forces who sustained a severe spinal injury on the front lines. During rehabilitation, Fatieiev has turned to writing plays, painting, and acting in stage productions, including Sam na Sam (“Alone with Myself”), a performance based on his own text.
Sharing the stage is Valentyn Oleksienko, a tank driver from the Kyiv region who survived a complete spinal cord injury. After months fighting for his life and nine months of daily rehabilitation, he appears in the production not in pursuit of a role, but for the experience of presence – a sense of support and shared rhythm. According to the director, this is where the strength of theatrical practice for veterans lies: the chance to simply be themselves, without the need to explain or prove anything.
This year’s Christmas dinner for veterans will be held on December 26. On December 27, the nativity scene will be performed on Lviv’s Rynok Square and will be open to the public.
Media representatives must be accredited to attend the event.
For reference: The Ukrainian nativity scene is among the country’s oldest and most intricate forms of folk theater. First mentioned in the 17th century, it was initially performed by members of the Kyiv and Lviv brotherhoods and students of the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. Over time, it evolved as a puppet theater, a live dramatic performance, and a Christmas ritual – all at once.
An interactive installation highlighting the dangers of human trafficking will be unveiled in Lviv on December 23 as part of a nationwide awareness campaign led by the International Organization for Migration.
The International Organization for Migration Mission in Ukraine is continuing its countrywide information drive against human trafficking and exploitation under the campaign “Sound Familiar?” Lviv will become the second city to host the installation, designed to help visitors recognize warning signs of exploitation, identify risky situations, and learn where to seek assistance.
The following guests are invited to participate in the event:
– Rigoberto Mesa, IOM Ukraine’s Head of Programmes (Humanitarian);
– Khrystyna Zamula, Deputy Head of the Lviv Regional State Administration;
– Volodymyr Kopotiuk, Deputy Head of the Migration Police Department of the Main Directorate of the National Police in the Lviv Region;
– Tetiana Krut, Director of the Department of Social Protection of the Population of the Lviv Regional State Administration;
– Oksana Yezerska, Head of the Western Interregional Department at the State Labour Service of Ukraine;
– Dmytro Shvets, Rector of Lviv State University of Internal Affairs;
– Taras Podvirnyy, Representative of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights in Lviv Region;
– Olena Kalbus, Head of the Preventing and Combating Human Trafficking at the Center for Women’s Perspectives.
Journalists wishing to cover the event are required to register by 5 p.m. on December 22. Accreditation will require a passport or ID card and a valid editorial certificate.
For reference: The “Sound Familiar?” campaign is implemented by the International Organization for Migration in Ukraine with funding from the Government of Sweden. The initiative is carried out in cooperation with the Ministry of Social Policy, Family and Unity of Ukraine, the National Social Service of Ukraine, the National Police of Ukraine, and the All-Ukrainian Counter-Trafficking NGO Coalition.
The campaign aims to raise public awareness of the risks associated with human trafficking and exploitation and to inform potential victims about available support services. These include the National Toll-Free Counter-Trafficking and Migrant Advice Hotline, reachable at 527, as well as the website www.stoptrafficking.org, where individuals can seek advice and submit requests for assistance.
During the Christmas holidays, Lviv will host a series of events. On December 24, the Didukh will be installed in the city. On December 25, a Mourning Carol will be held at the Field of Honorary Burials. The Parade of Star-Bearers also known as the Flash of the Christmas Stars festival, will take place on December 28.
Journalists have the opportunity to review the full program of Christmas events.
For reference: The Didukh is a Ukrainian Christmas decoration made from sheaves of grain. Originally a pagan idol, it is a symbol of the ancestor-protector, as well as a symbol of harvest, well-being, and wealth.
Volodymyr Sorochan is originally from Kherson. In 2014, he joined the Ukrainian military and served in Crimea. After russia annexed the peninsula, he remained loyal to his oath and relocated to mainland Ukraine with his comrades. He later continued his service under contract with the 36th Brigade.
Volodymyr encountered the start of the full-scale invasion while on duty near Mariupol. He was captured in April 2022 after attempting to escape the Azovmash plant in Mariupol. He spent nearly three years in russian captivity. There, he endured daily beatings and constant hunger. The former prisoner recalls receiving meager portions of slop instead of proper food.
On October 18, 2024, Volodymyr was returned to Ukraine. After receiving treatment and undergoing rehabilitation, he returned to civilian life. He now maintains a blog where he shares his experiences. He has also finished writing a book in which he recounts his story.
Journalists can speak with Volodymyr Sorochan online or in person in Lviv by prior arrangement.
The Forum of Donor Initiatives of Ukraine will be held in Lviv on December 19, bringing together key participants of the donor movement. The event will serve as an important platform for sharing experiences, discussing current issues, and developing new initiatives in the field of donation.
The forum aims to establish a network of partners for donor initiatives and develop unified communication strategies and messages to promote donation in Ukraine. One of the key tasks is formulating a joint action plan for 2026 that includes specific steps for developing and improving the donation system. Forum participants will prepare an analytical report with recommendations for the Ministry of Health and public organizations to improve the situation in the field.
The program includes:
- Speeches by key speakers, including representatives from the National Blood Center, international partners, organizations, and local initiatives;
- Panel discussions addressing various aspects of the national blood system, including challenges and solutions for improving the efficiency of blood collection and storage and the role of volunteer initiatives in crisis situations;
- Presentations of donor initiatives. Participants will share successful practices and introduce new ideas and projects that have transformed the landscape of the donor movement in Ukraine.
Journalists must register for the event.
Background: The forum is held within the framework of the project “Your Blood. My Life. Our Victory” implemented with the support of Veteran Media, People’s Self-Defense of Lviv Region, the First Primary Healthcare Center of Lviv, and the Eskulab laboratory network. The Lviv City Council also assists with this project.
Yuliia Stefaniuk is the head of the International Charity Organization World Central Kitchen’s mission in Ukraine and one of the women who, from the very first days of the full-scale invasion, joined organizing humanitarian aid in the country.
Before the full-scale war, she lived in Lviv and for over eleven years worked as the managing partner of !FEST Catering and Just Lviv It! — partner projects of the !FEST Holding of Emotions. Yuliia graduated from the Faculty of Economics at Ivan Franko National University of Lviv with a degree in sociology and worked in the insurance business in Kyiv for some time.
When the invasion began, Yuliia was among the first to join World Central Kitchen in Lviv. In March 2022, she organized the first large-scale hot meal production for refugees arriving in Lviv and played an active role in creating the logistical and organizational processes that enabled WCK to rapidly scale up and operate across Ukraine, including frontline communities. To date, World Central Kitchen has provided over 290 million meals as part of its mission in Ukraine. Currently, the organization provides hot meals, distributes food and vegetable kits, supports evacuation centers, delivers water and bread to communities on the front lines, and implements long-term programs to restore local food security, particularly by helping families grow their own food and opening kitchens for internally displaced persons.
Over the course of two years during the war, Yuliia served as the executive director of the Ukraine Foundation, which was established with the support of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation. She is also a co-founder of the Hachiko Pet Foundation in the United States, which supports frontline animal shelters by providing food, medical assistance, and sterilization services, as well as facilitating adoptions.
Currently, Yuliia coordinates one of the country’s largest hot meal programs, created in response to the full-scale invasion. She works tirelessly to ensure that citizens have stable and easy access to humanitarian aid, even under the most difficult conditions.
Yuliia is a mother of two children and the rescuer of a cat she adopted from the de-occupied city of Izium.
By prior arrangement, journalists have the opportunity to speak with Yuliia in person in Lviv or online.
