Themes by tag: Lviv

On July 5, media representatives are invited to spend the day with operators of the Unified Veterans’ Line in Lviv. This is a unique, free telephone line created to provide comprehensive assistance to veterans, their families and families of fallen soldiers. Although the Line is currently working in test mode, operators receive thousands of different requests every day, from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM.

During the open-door day, media representatives will be able to observe the work of operators in real time and find out what veterans ask about.

Speakers:

Ruslan Prykhodko — Deputy Minister of Veteran Affairs of Ukraine;

Maria Kutina — Head of the Information Center at the Unified Veterans’ Line.

Accreditation is open until 6:00 PM on July 4.

• Lviv

Before the full-scale war, 27-year-old Vadym Bartashchuk from Vinnytsia region worked in construction. On the second day of the invasion, he voluntarily joined the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade and fought with them for nearly two years. Vadym participated in battles in the Kherson and Donetsk regions, including the defense of Avdiivka. He was injured on February 16, 2024, just before Ukrainian forces withdrew from the city. A bullet struck his right leg, and he couldn’t be evacuated for hours. With a tourniquet on for 11 hours, doctors at the nearest medical center had no choice but to amputate to save his life. After multiple hospital stays, Vadym arrived at the UNBROKEN Center in Lviv for prosthetics and rehabilitation. By his third week at the center, he had fully adapted to his artificial limb and now moves without crutches.

Vadym’s foremost wish is to return to his comrades in the 3rd Assault Brigade, confident he can still contribute effectively with his prosthesis.

Journalists can arrange to speak with Vadym in Lviv, though no filming is allowed.

• casualties
• military
• Lviv

Peaceful demonstrations are planned in at least 20 cities to remind about the Azovstal defenders and other soldiers who are still held captive by the enemy.

On June 29, events will take place in Dnipro, Lviv, Chernihiv, Okhtyrka, Pavlohrad, Vinnytsia and Bila Tserkva.

On June 30, rallies are planned in Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Kremenchuk, Krolevka, Korosten, Ovruch, Obikhov, Sumy, Uzhhorod, Kryvyi Rih, Ternopil, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Odesa.

The events are organized by the families of prisoners of war from the Mariupol garrison.

• military
• prisoners
• Dnipro
• Kyiv
• Lviv
• Odesa

On June 30, Lviv will host a ceremonial reception for the Finnish participants of the Relay to Ukraine. Teams covered the route through 6 countries on foot, boats and SUP-boards. The participants raised EUR 182,000, which are to be used to purchase ambulances for Ukraine in the future.

The relay started on May 18 in Helsinki. Since then, 10 teams and 50 participants from different countries have run marathons, walked through cities and swum across the Gulf of Finland.

A baton with a message from Finland, signed by a minister of the Finnish government Anders Adlercreutz and the organizer of the relay, Magnus Londen, will also be brought to Ukraine. The message will be read at the event in the Lviv City Hall. The event will take place with the participation of the Lviv Mayor and the Honorary Consul of Finland.

In addition, a team of foreign benefactors will deliver 9 off-road vehicles, all-wheel drive trucks, 2 military motorcycles and about 10 powerful portable power stations for the Ukrainian military. The team was able to purchase equipment with funds raised during previous initiatives.

The event requires accreditation.

• Lviv

On June 28, renowned Georgian singer and UNBROKEN Center ambassador Nino Katamadze will perform on the center’s terrace in Lviv. Her performance aims to support the Unbroken Defenders undergoing treatment, prosthetics, and rehabilitation.

For reference: The UNBROKEN National Rehabilitation Center provides comprehensive medical care to military personnel and civilians, including adults and children, who have lost limbs. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, over 15,000 wounded Ukrainians, including 2,000 children, have received treatment at the center. The facility specializes in reconstructive surgery, orthopedics, and prosthetics.

• casualties
• culture
• Lviv

Mariana Mamonova, a military medic serving in Ukraine’s Armed Forces, was taken captive while pregnant by enemy forces. Despite her ordeal, she has since established a charity foundation to aid women who have survived russian captivity.

Aged 32, Mariana, a captain in the Medical Service, had been deployed to Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO)/Joint Force Operation (JFO) zones since 2018. 

Initially stationed in Mariupol, she discovered her pregnancy amidst the full-scale invasion in mid-March 2022. Undeterred, she continued her life-saving work and was among those held at the Illich Iron and Steel Works in Mariupol, under Ukrainian military control, before being captured by occupiers on April 4th. An expectant mother endured nearly six months of captivity in a Donetsk region colony, finally being released during a prisoner exchange on September 21, 2022. Just four days later, she welcomed her daughter into the world.

Mariana is now available for interviews in Lviv or online, offering insights into her remarkable journey.

• casualties
• military
• prisoners
• women
• Lviv

Before the full-scale invasion, Oleh Slyvar was a professional folk dancer in Lviv region. Oleh changed his life radically in the summer of 2022, when he decided to join the ranks of the National Guard of Ukraine. Together with his brothers in arms, Oleh fought in the Donetsk direction. During one of the assaults, the man received numerous shrapnel wounds. Due to shelling, it was not possible to evacuate the soldier immediately. Later, at the stabilization point, the man’s heart stopped, however, doctors managed to bring Oleh back to life. The soldier lost his leg, but thanks to rehabilitation at the medical center, he learnt to live with an electronic knee prosthesis. And recently he returned to the stage.

Oleh is ready to communicate with the media online or in person in Lviv.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• Lviv

Summer mountain therapy for veterans will be held in the Carpathians on June 13-16. The idea behind this type of therapy is healing by hiking and interacting with other people.

Mountain therapy is organized by the Metta NGO. Participation, accommodation and meals for participants are free.

The mountain therapy team includes psychologists and guides. Military personnel, who have already tried the effects of mountain therapy on themselves, are now helping their brothers and sisters in arms to recover. They also take part in the hikes.

By prior agreement, journalists can cover the mountain therapy.

• psychological support
• Lviv

Olha is an economist by profession, and her husband Andrii is an engineer. At the beginning of a full-scale war, their relative joined the ranks of the defenders of the country (and in April 2022, he was wounded, lost a limb, and was captured by the enemy, where he was held for 7 months). In turn, Olha and Andrii decided to make “bomber drones” (FPV drones with a drop mechanism) and give them away to the soldiers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces for free. Andrii designed and developed these drones by himself.

Later, this initiative grew into a full-fledged company “IRV — Innovative Research Vision,” which currently employs qualified specialists working on the development of UAVs, video surveillance systems, and analytical research. They also manufacture a variety of drones (kamikaze, FPV, reconnaissance, attack drones).

Throughout 2022 and 2023, the company gave away its products for free, but this year, due to a lack of funds, as well as expenses for the treatment of a relative, they began selling them.

Journalists can communicate with the couple in Lviv or online.

• Lviv

“Ukrainian Puzzles” is a social enterprise born from the idea of creating puzzles depicting objects destroyed or damaged in the war, such as the Chernihiv Youth Library, the An-225 Mriya, the Mariupol Drama Theater, and Karazin University. Symbolically piecing these puzzles together contributes to the real-life reconstruction efforts, as the net profits from Ukrainian Puzzles are allocated to restore these destroyed cultural monuments.

Founded in April 2022 by Vita Vorobchuk and Yaryna Zhurba, the company operates under the slogan “A puzzle to rebuild Ukraine.” The founders believe these puzzles offer a unique way for people worldwide to participate in Ukraine’s restoration. Additionally, the initiative aims to showcase Ukrainian culture and highlight the devastation inflicted by Russia on Ukraine’s cultural heritage.

Among the best-selling puzzles is the An-225 Mriya, the world’s largest airplane. Even President Volodymyr Zelenskyy owns one. Beyond the initial collection focused on destroyed landmarks, new series are in development, including Ukrainian Art, Discover Ukraine, and Glory to Ukraine.

Journalists interested in the initiative can arrange interviews with the founders in Lutsk, Lviv, Kyiv, or via online communication.

• culture
• reconstruction
• Kyiv
• Lutsk
• Lviv