Themes by tag: Lviv

A new recruitment center for the Unmanned Systems Forces, the latest branch of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, has opened in Lviv. This facility provides information on service opportunities and enables interested individuals to enlist in this innovative military unit. Established in partnership with the Lviv City Council, the center’s primary role is to interview candidates and guide them to the territorial recruitment centers. It features drone simulators, allowing prospective recruits to experience and understand the technology firsthand. 

For context: The Unmanned Systems Forces, inaugurated in May 2024, represent a pioneering military branch, integrating air, sea, surface, underwater, and ground unmanned and robotic systems into its operations.

• Lviv

On July 25, Lviv residents are invited to participate in the 17th Red Brunch Donor Day, organized by the Yanina Sokolova Foundation. This event aims to collect blood to support the needs of Ukrainian soldiers.

The primary goal of the event is to save lives and promote a culture of conscious donation in Ukraine.

For reference: Since 2019, the Yanina Sokolova Foundation has been working to change stereotypes about blood donation by hosting Red Brunch events in major offices of socially responsible companies, hotels, and hubs. These events feature treats for donors, networking opportunities, and incentive gifts. So far, 2,887 donors have contributed, helping to save over 8,661 lives.

• volunteers
• Lviv

The Lviv region has launched its first inclusive retreat, Veteran Camp, designed for veterans and their families. This initiative is part of the League of the Unconquered sports rehabilitation project for veterans, offering free training and entertainment for the defenders.

So far, 47 veterans undergoing rehabilitation in local medical facilities have participated. The heroes engaged in various activities, including rope park challenges, fishing, swimming, and Nordic walking.

These camps will be held at the end of each summer month. 

Journalists can cover the camp tentatively set for July by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• military
• Lviv

A social project in support of Ukrainian defenders has been operating in Lviv and Ternopil, since the beginning of the full-scale war. The project makes it possible for couples to undergo a free infertility treatment program, as well as to cryopreserve (freeze) their biological material (sperm and eggs).

Journalists have the opportunity to learn more about this project by talking to the doctor of medical sciences, reproductive endocrinologist Stefan Khmil. And, if possible, with couples who used the services provided by the initiative.

• children
• doctors
• military
• Lviv
• Ternopil

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