Themes by tag: Lviv

At the start of the war, Domazhyr, a bear sanctuary near Lviv, took in seven new residents from Bila Skelia, a bear shelter in Kyiv Oblast. According to Domazhyr employees, the journey was very hard because some roads were unsafe. Trucks with bears had to make a long detour because of fighting on the most direct road.

Four bears from Kyiv Oblast have already been moved to Germany. Four bears still live in Domazhyr. They will be transported back home to Kyiv Oblast soon.

By way of background information: Domazhyr Bear Sanctuary helps bears by rescuing them from hunting training centers, traveling zoos and circuses, hotels, and restaurants. The living conditions in the sanctuary are close to the natural conditions.

Please visit the sanctuary’s website at: www.bearsanctuary-domazhyr.org/ua

• animals
• Lviv

Daria and Stanislav’s family lived near Donetsk airport before 2014. When russia invaded Donbas, they moved to Mariupol; however, they lost almost everything there this year—their apartment near Azovstal Steel Works was burned down. Their business—an eatery with thousands of loyal customers—could not work either. Nevertheless, the family decided to hold on. They opened a cafe in Lviv together with their friends who also came from Mariupol. Currently, they are open for delivery and takeaway of Japanese food.

• casualties
• reconstruction
• Lviv

More than 1,000 people wounded in active fighting areas are treated in Lviv’s medical institutions. Trains with wounded people arrive in Lviv almost every day. They bring in people with mine-blast injuries who have no arms or legs; they often do not have relatives. City authorities send the wounded people for medical treatment abroad in cooperation with foreign clinics. Also, the city council launches a large-scale Nezlamni (The Unbroken) project aiming to build a National Rehabilitation Center. This work has been going on for over a month now. The goal is to build a center that will be the first of its kind in the world. It will provide prosthetics, rehabilitation, socialization, and psychological support thousands of Ukrainians need now.

• casualties
• doctors
• russian crimes
• Lviv

Domivka, a pet rescue shelter in Lviv, helps rescue pets who lost their masters due to the war. Volunteers sheltered more than 3,000 pets. They include a goat named Borys that is treated for burn wounds. Bombs destroyed the goat’s shed in Hostomel, but the goat managed to get out. Witnesses joke that Borys later chased invaders away from a house—the animal took over a building earlier occupied by the russian military. The goat spent three weeks in the house.

• animals
• Lviv

A group of friends from Lviv decided to become charity volunteers after the start of the all-out war. Initially, they relied on their own resources; by now, they have set up a charity organization and received funding from the USA and Europe. They are evacuating residents from combat areas and deliver there dozens of tonnes of humanitarian aid. 

The organization also launched a psychological support project that offers gratis psychological support by professionals to people affected by russians’ acts.

• casualties
• volunteers
• Lviv

A briefing by Kalush Orchestra, Winners of Eurovision Song Contest 2022, will take place at Media Center Ukraine on May 17, at 11:30 AM.

Journalists will be able to ask questions and get a first-hand account of the song contest.

Why this is interesting:

Kalush Orchestra represented Ukraine at Eurovision Song Contest 2022. Oleh Psiuk, the band’s frontman, pleaded for the rescue of Mariupol defenders during the band’s appearance despite the prohibition of political slogans on the stage.

“Save Mariupol, save Azovstal now,” Kalush Orchestra’s lead singer shouted at the end of his song. However, the jury considered the slogan humanitarian rather than political.

The band got 631 points and won the contest.

• culture
• Lviv