Themes by tag: Lviv

Dmytro Demchenko is from Druzhkivka in the Donetsk oblast. In 2016, he dedicated his life to the military, completing compulsory service before signing a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In 2023, he joined the 23rd Brigade, first serving as a gunner before becoming the commander of a Grad-21 MLRS. He took part in the counteroffensive in the Zaporizhzhia sector.

On January 20, 2024, Dmytro was severely injured when an enemy shell landed just seven meters away from him. He underwent eight surgeries, but doctors had to amputate his mangled arm and leg. Following treatment, the veteran was transferred to a rehabilitation center.

Struggling with the aftermath of his wounds, Dmytro found it hard to see a reason to go on. Eventually, he set a goal for himself — to find work. After an interview, he became an administrator at Vybir (“Choice”), a Lviv-based space for the veterans.

There, for the first time, he felt understood and surrounded by people who shared his experiences. He enjoys working with fellow servicemen and plans to soon get a prosthetic arm and enroll in law school.

You can connect with Dmytro Demchenko and the Vybir team online or in person in Lviv by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• military
• Lviv

Oksana Jackson, a leading plastic surgeon from the United States and a Ukrainian American, is returning to Ukraine for the fourth time since russia’s large-scale military offensive. She will offer free consultations and surgeries for children with facial anomalies, such as cleft lips, cleft palates, and other congenital or trauma-related conditions.

From July 20 to 27, Dr. Jackson will be working alongside her Iskra Global team and fellow American surgeon Nataliya Biskup at St. Nicholas Children’s Hospital in Lviv.

Interviews with Dr. Jackson can be arranged in advance, either in person in Lviv or online.

• children
• Lviv

On June 28, the Lviv oblast will host an adaptive CrossFit competition for wounded soldiers, veterans, amputees, and people with disabilities in wheelchairs. These competitions have become a crucial step in the rehabilitation and social reintegration of our heroes.

The competition will be attended by 25 adaptive athletes from all over Ukraine – veterans and active military personnel who were injured while defending their homeland, underwent treatment and continue their rehabilitation.

Registration is required (the exact location will be shared after sign-up). Registered media representatives will be provided with transportation from Lviv.

Background: The event is organized by the ‘Games of Heroes’ NGO and the Charitable Foundation ‘Kharkiv with You’ with the support of the King Baudouin Foundation (Belgium).

The competition’s history dates back to 2015, when the psychological rehabilitation of severely wounded soldiers first became a pressing issue following russia’s aggression in 2014. The growing number of wounded required not only medical and psychological support but also active efforts to help them reintegrate into society and return to an active life.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• Lviv

Danish manufacturer Levitate, a producer of active and sports prosthetics founded by Lasse Werner Madsen — an amputee himself — continues its mission in Ukraine. On June 25, the company will hold a landmark sports event in collaboration with the UNBROKEN Foundation, during which 30 Ukrainian defenders who have undergone amputations will receive high-quality active and/or sports prosthetics.

The event will bring together prosthetics specialists, physical therapists, a coach from the PROBIG running club, and patients who already have experience using sports prosthetics. Participants will play basketball and run together.

The event’s mentors will include:
– Yana Stepanenko
– Volodymyr Rudkovskyi
– Christopher Greenwood

They will share their personal experiences and support the defenders on their journey to reclaiming an active life. The event will take place in Lviv.

Background: Lasse Werner Madsen, founder of Levitate, lost his leg at the age of 14. Drawing from his own experience, he understands how crucial it is to maintain an active lifestyle after amputation. At the time, sports prosthetics were unavailable, forcing Lasse to create his own prosthetic for athletic activities. This personal struggle inspired him to establish Levitate and expand its efforts in Ukraine, ensuring that every Ukrainian with an amputation has access to high-quality, functional prosthetics.

• casualties
• Lviv

Oleksii Polukhin, a 21-year-old openly LGBTQ+ activist from Kherson, joined the resistance movement in the first days of russia’s occupation, coordinating with Ukraine’s Security Service, Armed Forces, and intelligence units.

Until May 2022, Oleksii was gathering critical intelligence for Ukrainian special services. On May 9, during a reconnaissance mission, he stumbled upon a newly established russian checkpoint. He is certain that someone informed the occupiers about his activities, as they were already waiting for him at the checkpoint. They confiscated his phone and passport, forced him to strip, blindfolded him, and drove him around the city for hours before taking him to a detention center for interrogation.

When his captors discovered Oleksii was queer, they subjected him to psychological torture — forcing him to wear a dress, denying him showers, outdoor time, medical care, or legal assistance. Though they avoided physical violence, the relentless psychological abuse lasted two months before his release. Even after, Oleksii remained in Kherson and only left his hometown after it was de-occupied. Now, he undergoes therapy and continues to volunteer for the Ukrainian army.

Journalists can communicate with Oleksii Polukhin online or in person in Lviv by prior arrangement.

• occupation
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Lviv
• LGBT

The third international ophthalmic surgery mission, Vision for Ukraine, organized by the Christian Medical Association of Ukraine, is underway in Kyiv and Lviv. Three surgeons from the United States arrived in Ukraine to collaborate with local specialists on complex clinical cases.

Among the mission’s patients are military personnel who have lost sight in one or both eyes and part of their faces due to mine and explosive injuries. Organizers describe these free surgeries as unprecedented because surgeons use an innovative approach involving 3D implants to reconstruct eye orbits, jaws, and skulls.

Background: Since the start of the full-scale invasion, the Christian Medical Association of Ukraine team has conducted over ten international missions, providing free surgeries to more than 850 patients.

Arrangements can be made to speak with surgeons and patients in person in Lviv until June 20.

• casualties
• doctors
• military
• Lviv

The international forum Unbroken Justice will run for two days in Lviv, bringing together leading voices in law, human rights, and trauma recovery.

The program will begin on June 23 with a public discussion titled Justice and Time, featuring British legal scholar and author Philippe Sands alongside French psychoanalyst Beatrice Patsalides Hofmann. 

The following day, June 24, will mark the official opening of the St. Leo the Great Mental Health Center, the first facility in Ukraine specifically designed to support individuals who have endured captivity, torture, and psychological trauma. The center will also host a series of panel discussions exploring critical topics, including:

– Psychological support for victims of torture;

– Accountability for crimes against humanity;

– The prospect of establishing a tribunal for vladimir putin;

– Community resilience in the face of war. 

Among the featured speakers are neurosurgeon Henry Marsh, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe Bjorn Berge, and Michele Goodwin, Linda D. & Timothy J. O’Neill Professor of Constitutional Law and Global Health Policy at Georgetown University Law Center.

Ukrainian human rights defender and Armed Forces officer Maksym Butkevych, who spent two years and four months in russian captivity, will also take part in the discussions.

Advance registration is required to attend the event. 

• casualties
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Lviv

From June 11 to 13, Lviv will host the Lviv Urban Forum. This international event, now in its third year, will bring foreign and Ukrainian architects, urban planners, activists, and local government representatives together in Lviv. The event is expected to attract approximately 1,500 participants, including city mayors, architects, urban planners, students, community representatives, and interested citizens.

Amidst global challenges and war, this year’s forum will focus on the theme “Building Continuity”, exploring comprehensive urban planning and development approaches.

The intensive, three-day program will include urban excursions, workshops, book presentations, networking opportunities, and lectures and discussions with leading global practitioners.

International architects behind iconic European urban projects will speak at the event, including:

• Miroslav Šik, founder of the “analog architecture” concept; 
• Johannes Tovatt, the architect behind one of the largest modern urban projects, Aspern Seestadt in Vienna;
• Isabell Klunker, head of the Munich office of Max Dudler Architekten;
• Dr. Philippe Samyn, architect of the European Council Headquarters (EUROPA) building in Brussels
• Catherine Gall, author of the “15-minute City Model”

The full program of the event is available to journalists.

Background: The event is organized by the Department of Architecture of the Lviv City Council and the Ukrainian Urban Platform.

• culture
• Lviv

Andrii Novosad is a physical therapist by profession, though he had never worked in the field. When the full-scale invasion began, he started volunteering by making Molotov cocktails and weaving camouflage nets for the military.

One day, a friend who worked at a rehabilitation center called Andrii to tell him about the shortage of specialists working with severely wounded soldiers. Without hesitation, Andrii began working as a physical therapist. While working, he saw a soldier who had lost both hands being fed by his wife. This inspired Andrii to start thinking about adaptive devices that could help the wounded eat independently.

He discussed the problem with his parents, who are engineers and manufacture rehabilitation equipment. Together, they developed a prototype of adaptive tableware and gave it to soldiers for testing. The design includes two types of special cuffs — one with a fork and one with a spoon. Soldiers can put on and take off these utensils without assistance.

Currently, Andrii and his family provide them free of charge to those with double amputations or anyone in need.

You can contact Andrii Novosad online or in person in Lviv by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• doctors
• military
• volunteers
• Lviv

On June 1, International Children’s Day, Lviv will host a charity auction featuring a collection of rare and high-profile items. Proceeds from the event will go toward the development and support of the children’s rehabilitation unit at St. Nicholas Hospital, part of the UNBROKEN ecosystem. The facility provides care for children recovering from serious illnesses, surgeries, trauma, burns, and war-related injuries.

Among the exclusive auction items:

• A T-shirt signed by soccer legend Cristiano Ronaldo (starting price: USD 1,500);
  
• Original rhinestones from Michael Jackson’s iconic gloves (starting price: USD 1,200);
  
• A soccer ball autographed by players of the Ukrainian national team (starting price: USD 1,000);
  
• A facsimile of the Tomos of Autocephaly of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, signed by Metropolitan Epiphanius (starting price: USD 1,000);
  
• A soccer ball signed by players of FC Karpaty (starting price: USD 500). 

Media representatives must obtain accreditation to attend the event.

• children
• Lviv