Themes by tag: military

The Contemporary View NGO has been organizing rehabilitation camps for wounded soldiers who have lost their vision for the past seven years. 

These two-week social adaptation camps are designed for servicemen blinded in combat. Trainers take an individualized approach with each veteran. Participants learn how to navigate their surroundings, cook, use digital devices, exercise at the gym, and swim. They also receive psychological support, massage therapy, and sessions in a salt room.

The camp is made possible through the support of donors and philanthropists. The next session is scheduled to begin on May 20 in Vinnytsia.

Interviews with the camp’s director, Olesia Perepechenko, and participating veterans can be arranged in advance for both online and in-person formats.

For reference: The All-Ukrainian League of Blind and Partially Sighted People Organizations – Contemporary View has been working with military personnel for several years. The first group of soldiers who lost their sight in the war joined the program in 2019. After the full-scale invasion began, the camp continued its work, actively seeking new ways to support service members.

• casualties
• military

The Kiev Municipal Cruising Yacht Club is implementing a rehabilitation initiative for military personnel and veterans – a free sailing course combining theoretical and practical training.

Recently, the first practical session of the sailing course took place. The participants prepared their training boat, refreshed their theoretical knowledge and the terminology they learned during the last two months. The next day, they set sail for their first wind-powered voyage.

Journalists are welcome to cover the next practical session in Kyiv upon prior arrangement.

Background: Kiev Municipal Cruising Yacht Club is the oldest active yacht club in the capital (a non-profit sailing organization).

• culture
• military
• Kyiv

When russia first attacked Ukraine in 2014, Viktor-Mykola Havryliuk was a student and an active member of Plast (a Ukrainian scout organization). He was offered the chance to mobilize into the “Harpun” unit, where many fellow Plast members were already serving.

When the full-scale invasion began in 2022, Viktor-Mykola was in a Plast camp. He immediately rejoined his former unit and fought first in the Kyiv oblast and then went to defend Ukraine in the east. In July 2023, he suffered a mine injury – an enemy drone strike tore the muscle in his leg. Thanks to the efforts of surgeons, his limb was saved.

After his injury, however, the veteran spent some time in a wheelchair. That’s when he realized how difficult it would be to leave the hospital unassisted – his hometown of Lutsk simply wasn’t designed for people with disabilities.

Later, BusMarket Group reached out to Viktor-Mykola to learn about his experiences navigating the city. Their goal was to create an accessibility map and develop the Better Mobility app, which highlights wheelchair-friendly establishments.

Today, the app is expanding, and volunteers are encouraged to photograph buildings so that people with disabilities can assess accessibility beforehand.

Viktor-Mykola can be contacted both online and offline by appointment.

• casualties
• military
• Lutsk

Maryna Mirzaieva, 28, is a professional historian with expertise in the lives of women fighters in the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA). Following the onset of russia’s full-scale invasion, she began volunteering with the Ukrainian military, and by October 2022, she had officially joined the Third Separate Assault Brigade.

Her motivation was clear: “To have the right to write about the war.” Maryna carefully considered her role in the army, exploring options in combat medicine, drone piloting, and even completing a sniper training course. Ultimately, she chose to serve in the brigade’s moral and psychological support unit, where she delivers historical and motivational lectures to fellow soldiers.

She is also the author of Women of Freedom, a book that compiles biographies of women involved in Ukraine’s liberation movement. The work weaves together their stories with her own reflections and research on the ongoing russia-Ukraine war.

Maryna Mirzaieva continues to serve on the front line. Interviews with her are possible both online and in person, subject to prior arrangement.

• military
• women

Roman Kashpur joined the Right Sector Ukrainian Volunteer Corps while still a student. Training to become a rehabilitation specialist, he also attended volunteer military camps and was first deployed to the front lines in 2016. Later, he was transferred to a reconnaissance battalion and served in some of the most dangerous combat zones.

In 2019, in the Donetsk oblast, Roman stepped on a PFM-1 mine and lost his leg. After receiving a prosthesis, he participated in the Games of Heroes project and won twice. In December 2021, Roman pulled a 16-ton An-26 aircraft for 6 meters and 40 centimeters; this record was registered in the National Register of Records of Ukraine.

When russia launched its full-scale invasion, Roman spent the first six weeks fighting with a special swimming prosthesis. He was about to undergo a prosthetic exchange and receive a different limb, but couldn’t because of the russian offensive. Despite the unsuitable prosthesis, he trained new recruits and even participated in assaults.

Later, Roman started preparing for marathons. In April 2023, he completed the 43rd London Marathon, followed by the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C., then races in New York, Berlin, Chicago, and Tokyo. Most recently, he conquered the 129th Boston Marathon. He dedicates his accomplishments to his daughter, Victoria, and has no plans to stop as he prepares for Ironman, the world’s toughest triathlon.

To get in touch with Roman Kashpur, you can contact him online or arrange a personal meeting in Vinnytsia oblast.

• casualties
• military
• Vinnytsia

Peaceful gatherings will be held in 28 cities to raise awareness for the defenders of Azovstal and other military personnel still held in enemy captivity.

On April 26, events will take place in Vinnytsia, Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Bila Tserkva, and Mykolaiv. On April 27, additional events are planned for Kyiv, Krolevets, Korop, Ovruch, Uzhhorod, Berdychiv, Dolyna, Kropyvnytskyi, Shostka, and Chernivtsi.

These actions are organized by the families of prisoners of war from the Mariupol garrison. Former prisoners of war who have been released from captivity will also participate in the events.

• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

When russia first attacked Ukraine in 2014, Dmytro was just 9 years old. The Revolution of Dignity and the subsequent onset of the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) deeply shaped his youth. As a boy, he wrote letters to the military and became a member of the Youth Patriotic Education Club. Although he was the youngest member, Dmytro actively participated in competitions and attended training centers and camps.

Dmytro always knew that a all-out russian invasion was inevitable, and he started preparing for it. By the time the war erupted in full force, he was still a minor, but he had already begun thinking about where he would serve. After graduating from the Ukrainian Leadership Academy, Dmytro received a call from a friend to join his unit, and that’s how he found himself in the medical unit of the 30th Kostiantyn Ostrozkyi Brigade.

A year later, Dmytro’s father also joined the service, and together, now they are in charge of evacuating the wounded and fallen from the front lines.

Dmytro Kunytskyi is available for interviews both online and offline by prior arrangement.

• military

Yevhen Turchynov, guitarist of the band Zhadan i Sobaky, is also a soldier of the 13th Khartiia brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine. Together with the band’s front man, Serhiy Zhadan, Yevhen signed a contract with the brigade in May 2024. Before that, they had long supported Khartiia through donations and fundraising at concerts.

The robot dog appeared in Yevhen’s life after the musicians saw a similar robot dog being used by the Brigade’s reconnaissance unit. Soon after, Zhadan i Sobaky bought a robotic dog from Ukrainian developers and named it Elvis.

The robot dog is resilient and sturdy, and can carry loads such as radios. Elvis weighs 15 kilograms, can reach speeds of up to 16 kilometers per hour, and can work for four hours without recharging. Until June 21, Elvis will accompany Zhadan i Sobaky on their tour, after which he will be transferred to a combat unit.

Journalists can speak with Yevhen Turchynov both online and offline, by prior arrangement and coordination with the press officer.

• military

Anastasiia Hondiul and Anna Lobova, wives of Ukrainian prisoners of war and members of the Olenivka Community NGO, are preparing for an indefinite hunger strike set to begin in the capital on April 24. Their husbands, Artem Hondiul and Oleh Lobov, defended Mariupol, surrendered on the orders of their command and survived the terrorist attack in Olenivka.

Anastasiia and Anna say they are taking this step because of the silence of the Ukrainian authorities. Through their hunger strike, the women aim to draw public and government attention to the soldiers who remain in enemy captivity.

The women will remain in the city center during the day, while at night (during the curfew) they will seek shelter in a safe place.

Journalists can speak with the women both online and offline by prior arrangement.

Background: The defense of Mariupol lasted 86 days, ending on May 20, 2022. On the night of July 28-29, 2022, russia committed a terrorist act by blowing up a barracks in the Olenivka penal colony, where Ukrainian POWs were held. At least 50 defenders of “Azovstal” were killed, and over a hundred were injured.

• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• women
• Kyiv

Until 2015, Artem Dubyna worked as a journalist in Nikopol, in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region. After the Revolution of Dignity and the onset of russian aggression in eastern Ukraine, he joined the military and served with the Azov regiment. Several years later, Artem left the service and was preparing for his wedding.

When russia launched its full-scale invasion, he immediately returned to his unit – the 12th Brigade of the Azov National Guard. He was first deployed to defend the airport in Zaporizhia but was soon transferred to Mariupol. On February 26, 2022, Artem and his comrades took up positions at the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works. During one of the missions, he was struck by a sniper’s bullet. The round pierced his temple and exited through his neck. Against all odds, he survived.

In May 2022, Artem and his fellow soldiers were ordered to surrender and were taken captive. He was first held in a penal colony in Olenivka, in the occupied Donetsk region, before being transferred to Taganrog, russia. While in captivity, Artem endured torture. He returned home only after two years and four months, during a recent prisoner exchange.

Interviews with Artem Dubyna are possible both online and in person, by prior arrangement through the press officer.

For reference: The defense of Mariupol lasted 86 days. On May 20, 2022, the city fell under russian occupation. According to Human Rights Watch, an estimated 8,000 civilians were killed during the russian assault. Out of Mariupol’s pre-war population of 540,000, approximately 400,000 had fled by mid-May 2022.

On the night of July 29, 2022, russia carried out a terrorist attack by detonating explosives inside a barracks at the Olenivka penal colony, where Ukrainian prisoners of war were being held. At least 50 Azovstal defenders were killed, and more than 100 others were injured.

• casualties
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes