Themes by tag: Lviv

Social Drone UA is a volunteer-driven community dedicated to assembling FPV drones for Ukraine’s armed forces. The initiative is open to anyone willing to participate, individuals simply purchase the necessary parts and follow detailed assembly instructions available on the group’s website.

The network now includes more than 2,000 people who have each assembled at least one drone, alongside 70 members on the testing team and many others supporting the effort. Every completed drone undergoes a rigorous in-flight test to identify potential issues such as defective components, assembly flaws, or soldering errors. On average, around 1,500 drones are tested each month. Since its launch, the initiative has delivered 33,798 drones to the military.

Journalists may arrange in advance to cover the project in Kyiv and Lviv.

• volunteers
• Kyiv
• Lviv

Anna Kudzia is a Polish specialist in monument restoration. Over the past decade, she and her team have worked to preserve Ukraine’s architectural heritage. In Lviv, the restorers set up a workshop where they repair and restore sculptures.

When the full-scale war began, Anna co-founded the Ukraina Pomagamy initiative with a group of Polish and Ukrainian restorers. They purchase vehicles and medical supplies for the front lines and assemble first-aid kits for soldiers in their own workshop. Anna Kudzia personally delivers these supplies to the front, either alone or alongside her team of women volunteers.

You can speak with Anna Kudzia and her team online or in person in Lviv, by prior arrangement.

• culture
• volunteers
• Lviv

Anastasiia Ponomarova is originally from Mariupol. She taught geography and biology at a local school while also serving as an ambassador for robotics and programming in the Donetsk oblast. Additionally, she organized educational initiatives, including the “Mariupol Reads to Children” project, which promoted Ukrainian-language books.

When the full-scale invasion began, Anastasiia was in her hometown. She decided to evacuate in the first days, taking her cat and dog with her. However, the cat, frightened by explosions, ran away, forcing Anastasiia to leave without him. She relocated to Drohobych in the Lviv oblast. After evacuation, Anastasiia returned to drawing, creating one sketch a day. These artworks eventually formed a series that inspired the idea of therapeutic fairy tales for children. Writer Halyna Vdovychenko responded to her call for collaboration, and together, they created 12 fairy tales — publishing 24,000 copies, some of which were printed in Braille.

Anastasiia also painted over 40 landmarks of her native city — places destroyed by russian forces. These illustrations were later turned into social media sticker packs. Currently, the artist is working on a new project: therapeutic cards featuring illustrated yoga exercises.

You can speak with Anastasiia Ponomarova online or in person in Drohobych, by prior arrangement.

• culture
• women
• Lviv

In August and September, the Hospitallers Medical Battalion will hold a series of training courses on pre-medical care and tactical medicine for civilians and volunteer medics. The courses include: Basic Life Support, Bleeding Control, First Aid for Trauma, Combat Lifesaver (CLS) Training, Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC CMC) Training. The courses will take place in Kyiv, Lviv, Dnipro, and Dnipropetrovsk oblast.

Journalists can cover the training sessions by prior agreement.

Background: The Hospitallers Medical Battalion has been operating on the front lines since 2014. Their crews conduct dozens of evacuations daily along nearly the entire frontline.

The battalion has been providing tactical medicine training since 2015 and pre-medical aid courses since 2018. Their instructors are certified by NAEMT (National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians, USA), UMMA (Ukrainian Military Medical Academy), and other recognized organizations.

• doctors
• Dnipro
• Kyiv
• Lviv

A Ukrainian defender who lost all sensation below the chest is creating striking artwork with the help of his wheelchair, and is inviting journalists to witness his creative process firsthand.

On July 24 in Lviv, media representatives will have the opportunity to meet Valentyn Oleksiienko, a 28-year-old patient of the UNBROKEN Center, and observe how he paints despite being paralyzed from the chest down. Attendees will also be able to speak with the veteran and learn more about his artistic journey.

Oleksiienko served as a tank crew member in the 3rd Separate Iron Brigade. While stationed at the front, he suffered a life-altering accident: after digging fortifications, he dove into a pond to rinse off and struck his head on the bottom, resulting in a complete spinal cord injury.

He discovered painting during his rehabilitation in Lviv. It began when he watched his wife take part in an art workshop at the UNBROKEN Center. Inspired, he decided to try it himself, even though his fingers no longer function. Using his wheelchair and a customized setup, he learned to create works of art without traditional motor control.

He credits artist Zirka Savka for helping bring his vision to life. With her support, Valentyn began producing emotionally resonant pieces and now hopes to organize a gallery exhibition. He also plans to donate part of the proceeds from his art sales to charity.

Media accreditation is required to attend the event.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• Lviv

Mykola Shot, a 40-year-old veteran and patient-mentor at the UNBROKEN Center, lost both arms and legs in a mortar attack. Yet, even four amputations couldn’t stop him from returning to one of his greatest passions: driving.

Mykola has 20 years of driving experience, and getting back behind the wheel was a priority for him. To make this possible, prosthetist Oles Solodukha from the UNBROKEN Center fitted the veteran’s adaptive car with specialized steering and door modifications.

The purchase of the car became possible thanks to a charity run in Mykola’s hometown of Novoiavorivsk, where organizers and benefactors managed to raise 450,000 hryvnias.

Journalists can arrange interviews with Mykola in Lviv by prior request.

• casualties
• military
• Lviv

In Lviv, women are training to become professional bus drivers through the “She Drives” initiative. Fifteen candidates were competitively selected for the program and are currently undergoing free instruction at a local driving school. Upon completion, they will receive a category D commercial driver’s license. The core training is supplemented with additional sessions led by experts from the State Service of Ukraine for Transport Safety, psychologists, and career advisors.

For reference: The “She Drives” pilot project was launched last year to train and employ women as bus drivers across 11 regions of Ukraine. Its primary aim is to expand employment opportunities for women in public transportation by preparing them for roles at municipal transit agencies.

The initiative is being carried out by the NGO Institutional Development Foundation at the request of the Ministry for Communities and Territorial Development of Ukraine. It is supported by UN Women in Ukraine and funded by the governments of France, Poland, and Sweden. Local partners include municipal transport agencies and private passenger carriers.

• women
• Lviv

In Lviv, a group of severely wounded Ukrainian defenders, all recovering at the UNBROKEN Center, working on something remarkable – they’re building a yacht. Now in the final stages of construction, the project will be showcased on July 16, when media are invited to witness the near-complete vessel before its launch.

The idea took root during a recreational rehabilitation trip. Patients visited a sailing center, where they were introduced to the world of yachting. Inspired and energized, the group returned with a bold vision: to build a boat of their own.

Construction began in February. Since then, more than 30 veterans and active-duty servicemen undergoing treatment, rehabilitation, or prosthetic fitting at the UNBROKEN Center have taken part in the effort.

The initiative was sparked by 32-year-old Ruslan Kukhta, a patient at the center who served for over two years in eastern Ukraine before sustaining a serious injury that nearly cost him his leg. Among those contributing are veterans with prosthetic limbs and others recovering from complex trauma.

One of them is Mykhailo Ternavskyi, a 22-year-old soldier with the Third Assault Brigade. “Our main goal is to launch the yacht, sail those first few meters, and feel what all our hard work has gone into,” he says.

Accreditation is required to attend the event.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• 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