Themes by tag: Lviv

Alto, a one-and-a-half-year-old Golden Retriever, now works at St. Nicholas Children’s Hospital alongside Inna Doroniuk, an educator and early childhood development specialist who volunteers with animals.

Therapy dogs are specially trained four-legged companions who support and comfort patients during treatment and rehabilitation. To qualify, an animal must complete specialized instruction, extensive training, and ultimately pass a behavioral test.

Alto passed his exam with flying colors. His mission at the hospital now includes:

• Aiding in children’s psychotherapeutic recovery;
• Assisting in physical rehabilitation;
• Providing comfort and calming influence;
• Helping to overcome social isolation;
• Offering solace during difficult moments.

By prior arrangement, journalists are invited to cover Alto’s work on-site in Lviv.

• animals
• children
• Lviv

In western Ukraine’s Lviv region, local authorities are offering a unique form of rehabilitation for military personnel and their families, a chance to reconnect with nature through horseback riding and a mountain ascent.

The Department of Sports, Youth, and Tourism of the Lviv Oblast State Administration has announced two upcoming events as part of its Travel Therapy initiative. On October 18, defenders and their families are invited to take part in a horseback riding trip at a local ranch. A week later, on October 25, participants will have the opportunity to climb Pikui – the highest mountain in the Lviv region.

Media outlets are welcome to cover both activities by prior arrangement.

For reference: The Travel Therapy program was launched by the Department of Tourism and Resorts of the Lviv Oblast State Administration to promote emotional recovery and leisure for service members, female defenders, and their families. The initiative offers guided trips and outdoor activities across the region for those currently undergoing rehabilitation or on rotation.

• culture
• military
• Lviv

The Lviv Defense Cluster (LDC) is a professional volunteer association that began its work in February 2022. From the first days of the full-scale invasion, the team united specialists, manufacturers, businesses, and volunteers to create high-quality personal protective equipment.

Through the joint efforts of the team, donors, and partners, over 100,000 bulletproof vests have been manufactured and donated free of charge to the Defense and Security Forces of Ukraine, critical infrastructure workers, journalists, Ukrainian Railway employees, and other specialists working in front-line or dangerous regions.

A separate focus for the LDC has been protecting civilian medics: since 2022, over 4,000 specialized bulletproof vests have safeguarded medical workers in front-line areas.

Another important initiative is evacuation kits for children (comprising a bulletproof vest and a helmet). 550 such kits are used by units, including the White Angels crew, during the evacuation of children from combat zones.

Currently, the LDC continues to provide bulletproof vests on a targeted basis to utility workers in the Kherson and Sumy oblasts, who perform critically important work under shelling.

The Lviv Defense Cluster financially contributes to a number of social and rehabilitation projects, such as the “Tytanovi” project (prosthetics for Ukrainian soldiers) and the “Heroes Among Us” project (helping businesses adapt to working with veterans and facilitating their return to civilian life). Furthermore, the cluster’s specialists provide organizational and advisory support to defense technology startups, helping them find investors and establish cooperation with other manufacturers.

By prior arrangement, journalists can speak with LDC representatives in Lviv or online. It is also possible to see children’s and medical bulletproof vests and obtain photo and video materials.

• volunteers
• Lviv

On October 11, media representatives are invited to witness a remarkable display of resilience and creativity in Lviv, where a Ukrainian veteran will set a new national record by creating a painting from his wheelchair.

Valentyn Oleksiienko, 28, a patient at the UNBROKEN Center, was a tank driver in Ukraine’s 3rd Separate Tank Iron Brigade. His life changed dramatically on the front lines when, after digging fortifications, he dove into a pond to wash off the dirt, struck his head on the bottom, and sustained a complete spinal cord injury, leaving him with no feeling from the chest down.

Once indifferent to art, Valentyn discovered a passion for painting during his rehabilitation. With the guidance of Lviv-based artist Zirka Savka, he developed a unique technique that allows him to create expressive, one-of-a-kind works with his wheelchair.

The upcoming event will offer journalists a rare opportunity to observe Valentyn’s creative process and document the moment he officially sets a new national record. 

Journalists are required to be accredited to attend.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• Lviv

On October 10, 20 children in Lviv will get a one-of-a-kind opportunity to get hands-on experience in robotic surgery using Ukraine’s only Da Vinci Si system. For the first time, they will step into the role of surgeon, operating the very robot that helped save their lives.

The session coincides with the opening of a new, state-of-the-art operating theater at St. Nicholas Hospital, built from scratch in just one year with support from the Scottish charity Kids OR. The organization, which has renovated 101 operating theaters in 35 countries, is bringing its expertise to Ukraine for the first time. The new facility will significantly expand the hospital’s surgical capacity at a time when its workload has tripled since the start of the war.

The session will take place in the hospital’s old operating room, after which the Da Vinci system will be moved to the new theater. Since the first pediatric robotic surgery in Ukraine 18 months ago, Lviv doctors have completed 106 procedures – the most in Eastern Europe. Their youngest patient was just two months old.

Registration is required to attend.

• children
• doctors
• Lviv

In October, the Hospitallers will conduct a series of training courses on pre-medical care and tactical medicine for civilians and volunteer medics. These include “Basic Life Support”, “Hemorrhage Control”, “First Aid for Trauma”, “Combat Lifesaver (CLS) Course”, and “Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) Course”. The courses will be held in Kyiv, Lviv, Dnipro, and the Dnipropetrovsk oblast.

Journalists may cover the training sessions upon prior arrangement.

For reference: The Hospitallers Medical Battalion has operated on the front lines since 2014. Its crews conduct dozens of evacuations daily along almost the entire front line. 

Since 2015, the Hospitallers have provided tactical medicine training, and since 2018, they have provided pre-medical care training. Their instructors are certified by the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) in the United States, the Ukrainian Military Medical Academy, and other organizations.

• doctors
• Dnipro
• Kyiv
• Lviv

Oleksandr Ivanko, a retired captain of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and an aircraft engine engineer, has transformed tragedy into creativity. He joined the military in 2012 and first faced the realities of full-scale conflict during a UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Upon returning to Ukraine, Ivanko immediately enlisted to defend his country.

His service came at a high cost. Ivanko was severely wounded when a Kh-59 missile struck a helicopter, resulting in the amputation of his leg.

Afterward, he underwent prosthetic surgery at the Superhumans Center in Lviv. During his rehabilitation, Ivanko discovered a passion for music. He completed DJing courses and now performs sets while also playing bass guitar in the center’s therapeutic band.

His performances have reached distinguished audiences, including Ukraine’s presidential couple, Volodymyr and Olena Zelenskyy, and Prince Harry during his visit to Ukraine. Ivanko has also shared the stage with prominent Ukrainian acts such as Zhadan i Sobaky, Druga Rika, Tin Sontsya, and the Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Lviv National Philharmonic.

Expanding his pursuits beyond music, Ivanko started his own business – an online store offering products for meditation and spiritual practices.

Journalists can arrange interviews with Ivanko in Lviv or online, by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• Lviv

Edward, a British volunteer who was severely injured in Pokrovsk, has started treatment to be fitted with a prosthetic arm at the Superhumans Center in Lviv. He has already received a lower limb prosthetic and has recently joined the center’s staff.

Edward came to Ukraine at the start of russia’s full-scale invasion, volunteering to help evacuate civilians from the Donetsk region. In January 2025, a russian drone struck an evacuation vehicle in Pokrovsk while he was driving. The attack left him critically injured, and doctors were forced to amputate both an arm and a leg.

• casualties
• russian crimes
• volunteers
• Lviv

Andrii Prots knew the path he wanted to follow from an early age. Inspired by his grandfather, a skilled carpenter, he took up woodworking himself and eventually built a business producing cabinets, kitchens, and commercial furnishings for shops and offices. His dream was to grow into a mass manufacturer – until russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine forced him to put everything on hold.

When the war broke out, Prots mobilized with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He carried out combat missions in the Serebrianskyi Forest, Torske, Zarichne, and near Lyman. It was while serving on the front line that he learned his wife had given birth to their daughter. He still recalls returning home on leave, dirty and exhausted, straight from the forest, to meet his newborn child.

By 2023, Prots decided to leave the military for family reasons and turn back to civilian life. Almost immediately, he began rebuilding his business. He repaired his workshop, which had been damaged in an enemy strike, and reopened his furniture factory, which he fittingly named “Combatant.”

Over time, Prots realized he wanted his work to serve a greater purpose. He has invested his savings and secured a grant from the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation to buy land and build a barrier-free production facility for veterans with disabilities. He aims to complete construction by the end of 2025 and create a workplace where veterans feel safe, valued and comfortable.

Those who wish to meet with Andrii Prots can do so either online or in person in Lviv, by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• Lviv

HAB | Lviv Habilitation Center is Ukraine’s first habilitation facility dedicated to veterans, their families, and civilians affected by the war. Its mission is to provide a recovery environment that blends physical rehabilitation, psychological support, creative activities, and community engagement. Here, individuals can not only regain physical strength but also discover inner resilience, motivation, and new opportunities for life.

The center features eight fully accessible rooms designed for people in wheelchairs and their families. It also offers five sports programs: swimming, CrossFit, jiu-jitsu, archery, and yoga. HAB functions as a community hub, where veterans, their families, and civilians can connect, share experiences, and support one another. Over the past two years, the center has assisted more than 800 residents.

Journalists can visit HAB | Lviv Habilitation Center by prior arrangement and, when possible, speak with residents and specialists about their work and experiences.

For reference: Habilitation follows treatment and standard physical or mental rehabilitation. Its primary goal is to help individuals with amputations, complex injuries, or disabilities adapt to new circumstances, develop independence, and practice essential self-sufficiency skills.

• casualties
• military
• Lviv