Themes by tag: military

Olha and Serhii Hrianyk’s son, Oleksandr Hrianyk, joined the Azov Brigade shortly after graduating from university. From 2015, he served near Mariupol.

Later, Oleksandr joined a sniper unit known as “Znaky.” In early February 2022, he left military service and set off for the Carpathian Mountains, as he had always loved hiking.

However, when russia launched its full-scale invasion, he immediately returned to the military. He took part in battles in the Kyiv region and sought to rejoin his comrades in Mariupol. When Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) offered him the opportunity to join a special operation in the besieged city, he agreed immediately. Oleksandr was wounded on his first day in Mariupol but continued defending the city for another month.

He was killed when russian forces used white phosphorus munitions against the Azovstal steel plant, where Ukrainian defenders were holding out. His mother learned of his death through social media.

On the anniversary of his death, his father, together with Oleksandr’s friends, climbed Mount Hoverla. Around 150 people responded to the call to join the hike, leading his parents to realize that the initiative was needed, as it supports those who have lost loved ones in the war.

Today, families of fallen service members continue to join Olha and Serhii on these hikes.

Interviews with Serhii and Olha can be arranged online or in person upon request.

• dead
• military
• russian crimes

A rehabilitation sailing trip will begin in Greece on May 9, bringing together 25 Ukrainian service members with amputations as well as former prisoners of war. Participants will cover around 200 nautical miles.

“Titans Under Sail” is a charitable project that offers Ukrainian defenders physical and psychological rehabilitation through sailing.

During the seven-day journey, participants learn to operate a catamaran, face the challenges of the open sea and work as a team. The experience helps restore mobility and supports psychological recovery and reintegration.

Media can cover the sailing rehabilitation program online or in person in Athens, Greece. Interviews with participants and organizers are available upon request, and photo and video materials can also be provided.

Background: In 2025, similar rehabilitation sailing trips took place in the Canary Islands, Greece and Croatia. The project is run by the NGO Titans Under Sail.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• prisoners

A veteran bowling tournament, “Mitsni Shary: Spring Range” (Strong Frames), will take place in Kyiv on April 26 — an event aimed at bringing veterans together through sport, support and in-person interaction.

Thirty participants — including veterans, active service members and their family members from across Ukraine — will take part in the competition. The format includes individual and doubles games adapted to participants’ physical abilities.

Journalists are required to obtain accreditation to attend the event.

Background: The project was launched by the NGO Mitsni 300 as part of efforts to create a national veteran league. The first Mitsni Shary tournament in 2025 brought together dozens of veterans and laid the groundwork for scaling up the initiative.

• culture
• military
• Kyiv

Nataliia Ilina, a resident of Bucha in the Kyiv region, has been organizing peaceful rallies in her city since early 2026 to remind society about those who have yet to return home, and to draw attention to the issue of the missing and prisoners of war. A total of eight such actions have already taken place.

One of them, titled “Light of Hope,” saw participants release lanterns into the sky, while an empty chair stood at the center of a circle — a reminder of the place still waiting for its owner.

Nataliia met her future husband, Mykola, on February 6, 1998, at Bucha City Hospital, where they had both come as patients. She says it was love at first sight. Exactly a year later, on February 6, 1999, they got married. On February 6, 2004, they were married in church, and on February 6, 2007, their daughter was born.

The full-scale invasion found the family in Bucha. On the third day, they managed to evacuate to Ivano-Frankivsk. (Bucha was under russian occupation from late February to March 31, 2022).

On March 6, 2022, Mykola volunteered to defend the country. He served in Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces and took part in combat near Bakhmut in the Donetsk region. Later, he continued his service with the 46th Separate Airmobile Brigade of the Air Assault Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. On February 3, 2025, he went missing near the village of Dachne in the Donetsk region.

By prior arrangement, journalists can speak with Nataliia Ilina in Bucha. Another peaceful rally in support of the missing and prisoners of war is scheduled to take place in the city on May 2.

• military
• women
• Kyiv

Mariia Volia was born and raised in Mariupol, a city in southern Ukraine that was destroyed and occupied by russian forces in the spring of 2022. She joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2015, deciding to defend the country after the first russian attacks on Mariupol. During the full-scale war, she served as a mortar squad leader and later as a platoon commander in a signal company.

Before the occupation of her hometown, she kept her sexual orientation private. However, after being wounded in Mariupol and later breaking out of the russian encirclement, Mariia came out to her comrades. After 11 years of service, she left the army due to health reasons and was assigned a third-degree disability status.

Mariia says she felt relief, as her resources to remain in the military had been exhausted. She is now gradually returning to civilian life and trying to find her place outside the army.

Mariia Volia can be contacted both online and in person by prior arrangement.

• military
• women
• LGBT

Vladyslav and Stanislav Chuhuienko are twin brothers from Zaporizhzhia. From an early age, Stanislav dreamed of becoming a soldier, and his brother supported his decision. Together, they entered the Hetman Petro Sahaidachnyi National Army Academy in Lviv and later joined the Ukrainian Marine Corps.

The Chuhuienko brothers fought in the Donetsk sector and were in Mariupol at the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion. During one of the missions, Vladyslav sustained shrapnel wounds to his legs. He was evacuated to a hospital and later transferred to the Illich Iron and Steel Works in Mariupol, where the brigade command was stationed.

On April 4, 2022, Vladyslav and Stanislav were taken prisoner. At first, they were held together, but were later separated. In captivity, Vladyslav was subjected to torture, beatings, and electric shocks. He was returned to Ukraine during a prisoner exchange on August 14, 2025. While in captivity, he believed his brother had already returned home. Only after his release did he learn that Stanislav remains in russian captivity. Vladyslav now takes part in rallies supporting prisoners of war and missing persons and is waiting for the return of his closest person.

Vladyslav Chuhuienko can be contacted both online and in person in Lviv by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Lviv

January 2026 began with high-profile exposures: law enforcement uncovered a 3-billion UAH scheme involving defective mortar shells, while an investigative report revealed thousands of cans of inedible meat approved by official labs for frontline troops. This is only the tip of the iceberg regarding substandard defence supplies in the fifth year of the full-scale war.

Why did the decades-old “Military Representation” system fail to prevent systemic malpractice — from substituting meat with tendons to delivering faulty ammunition? How will the new reform, built on NATO standards and launched in Ukraine this year, put an end to this era of failure?

On April 21, as part of the “Defence Talks” series, the Independent Anti-Corruption Commission (NAKO), in partnership with the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine and the State Operator for Non-Lethal Acquisition (DOT), will analyze a fundamental shift in the rules of the game: the Government Quality Assurance (GQA) system. This event serves as a milestone in the strategic roadmap between the Public Anti-Corruption Council (GARC MoD) and the Main Directorate for GQA, who have joined forces to implement anti-corruption policies and new control standards within the Armed Forces.

SPEAKERS:

• Mstyslav Banik, Deputy Minister of Defence of Ukraine (TBD);
• Viktor Byvalkevych, Colonel of Justice, Department for Prevention and Detection of Corruption, MoD;
• Stanislav Haider, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, State Operator for Non-Lethal Acquisition (DOT);
• Anastasiia Shuba, Representative of the Public Anti-Corruption Council (GARC), MoD;
• Yevhen Krasnikov, Head of the Main Directorate for Government Quality Assurance, MoD;
• Olena Tregub, Executive Director of NAKO.

Accreditation for the event is required by April 20, 9:00 PM (the address will be provided upon confirmation of accreditation). 

Background: “Defence Talks” is a high-level discussion platform organized by NAKO for government officials, diplomats, and civil society to address critical challenges in the security and defence sector.

NAKO (The Independent Anti-Corruption Commission) is an NGO dedicated to strengthening Ukraine’s resilience through independent research and advocacy. NAKO provides institutional, legal, and communication support to the MoD’s Main Directorate for Government Quality Assurance in its mission to implement NATO-compliant reforms.

• military
• Kyiv

On April 16 The War Museum will host an event dedicated to the establishment and activities of the Kyiv Regional Center for National Resistance Training. This is one of Ukraine’s largest projects focused on preparing civilians for resistance.

The Center was the first to recruit veterans of the russo-Ukrainian War as instructors, achieving significant results through their dedicated work. Today, national resistance efforts in the Kyiv region serve as a model for similar organizations and actively contribute to the development of a nationwide network of training centers.

Speakers will discuss the organization’s history, the specifics of the training process, and how citizens can join the preparatory courses. A Q&A session will follow, offering attendees the opportunity to engage directly with the speakers and ask pressing questions.

Speakers:

Anastasiia Rymar – Officer of the 3rd Separate Army Corps, Founder of the Center

Volodymyr Avdieienko – Veteran of the russo-Ukrainian War, Head of the Center

Journalists are required to be accredited for the event.

• culture
• military
• Kyiv

Before russia’s full-scale invasion, Oleksii organized festivals and gastronomic tours and took part in a well-known Ukrainian cooking show. After 2022, he was mobilized and began improving food provision in the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade “Magura”: he raised funds and set up the first “food truck” — a mobile kitchen that can quickly move between positions.

So far, Oleksii has equipped two such vehicles, which are successfully operating on the frontline and providing Ukrainian soldiers with quality hot meals. He later transferred to the 3rd Army Corps, where he continues to develop the food truck initiative.

Oleksii aims to scale up his experience and create modern mobile kitchens for the frontline. He has also developed a trench “superfood” — nutritious, well-balanced snacks with a long shelf life.

Media can arrange interviews with Oleksii both online and offline in Kharkiv upon prior request.

• food
• military
• Kharkiv

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster. On April 15, Khartiia Hub will host a meeting with Kateryna Shavanova — a servicemember, radiobiologist, and co-author of the book “The Terrible, the Beautiful, and the Ugly in Chornobyl.”

During the discussion, she will share her research on present-day Chornobyl — a space she describes as “terrible, beautiful, and ugly.”

The event will also address the future of radiation and nuclear safety in Ukraine and globally after the end of the russian-Ukrainian war. Participants will discuss the period of the russian occupation of Chornobyl, the situation around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, and the broader context of nuclear risks during and after the war.

Registration is required to attend the event.

• military
• women