Themes by tag: Lviv

After two years in enemy captivity, 33-year-old Vadym Nesterenko returned home bearing both physical and psychological scars. Having served with Ukraine’s Defense Forces since 2011, Vadym began his military career with the Izmail Border Guard and later joined the 35th Separate Marine Brigade. When russia launched its full-scale invasion, Vadym found himself on Snake Island, where he and his fellow soldiers were ultimately captured.

During his two years and three months in captivity, Vadym endured harrowing conditions. He faced relentless torture, including gassing, electric shocks, and beatings that left him with broken bones and missing teeth. By the time of his release on May 31, 2024, Vadym weighed just 59 kilograms.

Following his return, Vadym underwent rehabilitation at a center in the Lviv region, working tirelessly over three months to regain his health and rebuild some of his lost weight. Now focused on recovery and future goals, he hopes to return to service and fulfill his dream of visiting Paris.

Vadym is currently in Lviv and will travel to Odesa on November 4. He is available for interviews with journalists, either in person or online, with prior arrangement.

• casualties
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Lviv
• Odesa

The Ukrainian women’s national amputee soccer team is set to compete in the inaugural Women’s Amputee Football World Cup, held in Colombia from November 4-11, 2024. Journalists have the chance to engage with team members and report on their final preparations for the journey.

The team, composed of nine players from across Ukraine—including Chernivtsi, Lviv, Vinnytsia, and the Kyiv region—represents diverse backgrounds. The goalkeeper, an internally displaced person, now resides in the Netherlands, while team captain Olha Benda is a military veteran who lost her leg in the war.

Reporters will have access to the team in Ukraine’s Cherkasy region on October 30, with another opportunity on October 31 in Lviv, the day of their departure. Interviews via online platforms will also be available.

This initiative is supported by the Ukrainian Amputees Football Association and the Women’s Department of the Ukrainian Football Association (UAF), in collaboration with NGOs Camp Maximum and Way of the Champion.

• women
• Cherkasy
• Lviv

Gala Kozyutynska, a filmmaker and artist from Kyiv, had long dreamed of creating an artistic residence in a rural setting. Though she split her time between Kyiv and Lviv, her heart was set on buying a house in the countryside. When Russia launched its full-scale invasion, Gala felt it was time to turn that dream into reality. Her partner, Viktor Petrov, wholeheartedly supported the idea, and together, they began searching for the perfect spot. They found it in the small village of Latirka in Zakarpattia.

After purchasing the house, they began restoring it and even named their future creative space “The Attic.” But their plans took a devastating turn when Viktor was called to serve in Ukraine’s Defense Forces. In May 2023, Viktor was killed in combat near Bakhmut, leaving Gala to carry on their dream alone. Despite the heartbreak, she pressed forward with their vision.

In the year since Viktor’s passing, Gala has hosted over 20 gatherings with young creatives at the residence. Together, they’ve learned traditional crafts like weaving, whitewashing clay brick warming stove, foraging for mushrooms, and gardening. Gala is also focused on finding ways to offer relaxation and rejuvenation for those visiting the artistic space.

Today, Gala divides her time between Zakarpattia and Lviv, and she remains open to sharing her story with journalists, both in person and virtually.

• culture
• dead
• military
• women
• Lviv
• Uzhhorod

On October 25, celebrated British neurosurgeon Henry Marsh, a pioneer of neurosurgical care in Ukraine and best-selling author, will meet with Lviv doctors to deliver a lecture on the importance of teamwork in medicine. Marsh refers to the lecture as “Team Work.”

The event is open to accredited attendees only.

For reference: Marsh is a renowned British neurosurgeon with extensive experience performing thousands of brain and spinal cord surgeries across the UK and internationally. He was educated at Westminster School and later at Oxford University, where he studied political science, philosophy, and economics. He earned his medical degree with honors from the Royal Medical School. Throughout his career, he worked at Atkinson Morley Hospital, home to one of the most advanced neurosurgical units in the UK. In 2014, he authored Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death, and Brain Surgery, a memoir that, despite being aimed at medical professionals, became a global bestseller.

Marsh first visited Ukraine in the 1990s to share his expertise with local neurosurgeons, earning him the title of a pioneer in advancing Ukraine’s neurosurgical field. Since then, he has made around 30 visits to the country, often consulting and operating on critically ill patients, including those at the First Medical Union of Lviv. 

• doctors
• Lviv

Civilian training at the school will consist of two parts: theoretical and practical. The theoretical part of the course is divided into 19 video lessons, while the practical part will last five days. The founders of the school explain that the students will practice on a training ground, where they will learn all piloting techniques. They will also master flying in unstable conditions, as well as precise and automated video recording.

The instructors will use Sirko-2M UAVs for training. According to the school’s founders, more than 500 Ukrainian military personnel have already completed the course.

Journalists can talk to the founders both online and offline. The UAV pilot school is located in Lviv.

• Lviv

French journalist and blogger Sébastien Gobert, who has been living in Ukraine for years, has been a steadfast supporter of the Ukrainian Armed Forces since the start of russia’s all-out invasion. Recently, he discovered that Jonathan Delport, a former French soldier, is now serving with the Ukrainian military. During a mission, Delport was seriously wounded and almost died due to delays in evacuation caused by a lack of vehicles.

Motivated to make a difference, Gobert decided to take action by launching a charity bike ride from Lviv to Brussels. Over 25 days, he cycled through five countries, covering 2,000 kilometers, and raised 320,000 hryvnias to purchase a pickup truck for Delport’s unit.

Gobert plans to return to Ukraine soon. He is available for online conversations or in-person meetings in Lviv after his arrival.

• volunteers
• Lviv

On October 4, the media representatives are invited to the opening of “Memory of the Theater,” a new exhibition that merges theatrical artifacts with modern sculpture, as part of Lviv Sculpture Week 2024. This collaborative project, presented by the Maria Zankovetska Theater and Ya Gallery Art Center, is curated by Pavlo Gudimov and will be open to the public from October 5 through December 1, 2024.

The exhibition will transform the theater’s opulent space into an immersive installation featuring items tied to the theater’s history, alongside contemporary sculptures by renowned artists such as Mykola Malyshko, Olexa Furdiyak, Volodymyr Semkiv, Denys Shymanskyi, Ivan Samotos, Oleksii Abramov, Volodymyr Loboda, Vasyl Hrynevych, Rostyslav Karpukhin, Olha Bezpalkiv, Olena Blank, Vasyl Zvizhanskiy, Oleksii Konoshenko, Hanna Druhl, Yaroslav Motyka, Mariana Motyka, Oleksii Zolotariov, Ihor Kovalevych, and others.

The centerpiece of the exhibition includes a variety of items linked to the theater’s legacy and backstage life, many of which have never been showcased publicly before. These artifacts range from dressing room cabinets, stage models, and vintage wigs to unique objects like counterweights used for moving scenery and old containers for storing props—pieces typically hidden away in dressing rooms, storage areas, and even the theater’s museum collection.

Event speakers:

• Maksym Kozytskyi, Head of Lviv Oblast Military Administration;
• Andriy Sadovyi, Mayor of Lviv;
• Pavlo Gudimov, Curator of the Exhibition and Lviv Sculpture Week;
• Maksym Holenko, General Director and Artistic Director of the Maria Zankovetska National Theater.

• culture
• Lviv

Oleksandr Pivniev enlisted in the military at the age of 19. Before joining the Ukrainian Armed Forces, he studied at the Ivan Kozhedub Kharkiv University of Air Force but left before graduation to serve with the 203rd Training Aviation Brigade in Chuhuiv, Kharkiv region. Later, he transferred to the 53rd Separate Mechanized Brigade. In 2016, while stationed near Toretsk, he came under a mortar attack and sustained life-threatening injuries. Oleksandr survived four cardiac arrests, a shattered left leg, and the amputation of his right leg.

What followed was a two-year journey of rehabilitation and prosthetic fitting in the United States. 

Yet, in 2018, Oleksandr made the remarkable decision to return to active duty. At the onset of russia’s full-scale invasion, he took command of the anti-aircraft artillery unit of the 126th Separate Territorial Defense Brigade in Odesa. He attributes his comeback to his desire to reunite with his comrades. Sports, especially adaptive training under the “Games of Heroes” program and competing in various athletic events, played a crucial role in his recovery. Today, Oleksandr remains active in both sports and military service. 
Currently, Oleksandr Pivniev is abroad and available for online interviews. In November 2024, he plans to be in Lviv or Kharkiv and will be open to in-person meetings with journalists.

• military
• Kharkiv
• Lviv

To help children and their parents cope with the psychological effects of the war, mobile teams of psychologists from the Voices of Children charity foundation travel to villages and small towns where there are no specialists, relevant institutions or reliable public transport. They organize individual and group psychological and psychosocial support for children and parents affected by the war (IDPs with destroyed homes and other losses).  

By prior arrangement, journalists can cover the group sessions and talk to the participants (children and their parents).

Coverage can focus on the work of the mobile psychological teams in the Kyiv region (on 30 September at the modular town for temporarily displaced persons in the village of Liubymivka), as well as in the Mykolaiv and Lviv oblasts.

Background: Since the start of the full-scale invasion, 102,000 children and parents have received various types of support. In Ukraine, the Voices of Children Foundation currently operates 13 centers and an online helpline providing free psychological support. Over 200 psychologists and psychotherapists are working to preserve the childhoods and smiles of Ukrainian children.

• children
• psychological support
• Kyiv
• Lviv
• Mykolaiv

Oleh Hural enlisted in the Ukrainian military in April 2020, signing a contract with the 80th Separate Airborne Assault Brigade. He took part in the Kharkiv counteroffensive during the all-out invasion. In November 2022, a severe injury on the front line left him permanently blind.

Despite undergoing two surgeries, Oleh’s sight could not be restored. Unable to return to military service, he began working from home with his mother, producing and selling handmade dumplings. However, his career took a new direction when he trained to become a massage therapist. Today, Oleh works at the Halychyna Rehabilitation Center, helping fellow wounded soldiers on their path to recovery. His mother accompanies him to the bus, but he has since mastered navigating the commute alone, counting steps and memorizing landmarks over two years. While he continues his search for medical experts who might restore his sight, Oleh remains committed to his work. 

For reference: Oleh Hural lives in the Lviv region and is open to interviews, either online or in person, by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• military
• Lviv