Themes by tag: military

Yakiv Tkachenko is a professional theater and film actor. He acted in the most expensive film in Ukraine’s history Dovbush, as well as in a number of films, such as Escape From Stalin’s Death Camp, Once Upon a Time in Ukraine and the Strayed.

On March 1, 2022, Yakiv signed up for the army. At first, he joined the Dnipro Territorial Defense Forces, and later he served in Vuhledar as a member of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In August 2022, an enemy sniper shot Yakiv, the bullet hit the soldier in the neck and mouth. At that time, doctors assumed that Yakiv could completely lose his voice, however, within a month of treatment, the soldier returned to the front line. Yakiv received his next wound when he came under the fire of an enemy tank. The soldier was taken to Dnipro for treatment and rehabilitation. Already after the injury, Yakiv acted in the Ukrainian TV series In Her Car, but he plans to return to the service again.

For reference: Yakiv Tkachenko is in Dnipro. The serviceman is ready to communicate with journalists, both online and offline, by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• culture
• military

On April 27, the “Strong 300” fun run obstacle course will be held in Kyiv to support war veterans, wounded soldiers and facilitate patriotic education of youth.

The purpose of the event is to popularize the benefits of sports and give children the opportunity to communicate directly with those who went through combat at the front via the unique “veteran + child” race format. It is also supposed to have a therapeutic effect on veterans and wounded soldiers.

Categories and distances:

• Individual race for adults/children, 1 km;
• Individual race for adults/children, 5 km;
• Pair race for adult + child, 3 km.

Each of the registered participants will receive a “STRONG 300” commemorative medal. To participate in the race, it is necessary to pay a charity contribution, the collected funds will be used to purchase sports equipment for the rehabilitation of wounded soldiers and veterans.

Various activities are also planned during the event (artifacts of war exhibition, disassembly/assembly of various types of (dummy) weapons, master classes on tactical medicine basics, etc.).

• casualties
• children
• military
• psychological support
• Kyiv

Mariia Volia was born and raised in Mariupol, a city in the south of Ukraine that was destroyed and occupied by the russians in spring 2022. She joined the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in 2015. She wanted to defend the country after the first russian attacks on Mariupol. Mariia Volia used to be a mortar commander at the front, and now she is a communications unit commander.

Before the occupation of her hometown, she had been hiding her orientation. However, after she was wounded in Mariupol, and later escaped from the russian encirclement, Mariia opened up to her brothers in arms. Currently, the commander of the communications unit hopes that civil partnerships will be legalized in Ukraine, because in the future she wants to get married with her partner.

Currently, Mariia Volia is along the Donetsk axis. The military woman is ready to communicate with journalists, both online and offline.

For reference: the defense of Mariupol lasted 86 days. On May 20, 2022, Mariupol was occupied by the russians.

• military
• occupation
• women
• Mariupol
• LGBT

The “Rehabilitation in the Carpathians” project was created as a part of the “Psychological support for women defenders” project of the Zemliachky NGO. Its purpose is to restore the mental and emotional health of military women. The initiative is open to all female defenders.

According to the organizers, the project gives women the opportunity to reboot, rest and spend time in a safe place surrounded by their people (“tribe” effect). It is also an opportunity to spend time alone with nature.

Preference in the formation of the group is given to military women who were held in captivity, as well as defenders who have worked in the combat zone for a long time, because they are the ones who need support and the opportunity to recover the most.

As part of the project, 5 groups have already undergone rehabilitation in the Carpathians, and the sixth group is set to start in the near future as well.

Journalists are welcome to learn more about the peculiarities of covering the initiative.

• military
• psychological support
• women

Ismail Kurt-Umer is a singer and member of the Song and Dance Ensemble of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In 2013 and 2014, Ismail studied at the capital conservatory. During the Revolution of Dignity, Ismail went to Crimea on vacation and saw with his own eyes how russia occupied the peninsula. After returning to Kyiv, Ismail decided to join the Armed Forces. Together with the Ensemble, the man often visited the military in the East of Ukraine, but after the start of the full-scale invasion, the concerts stopped, as it became dangerous for a large crowd of people to gather in one place.

Since then, the Ensemble has begun working on music videos congratulating the soldiers with various holidays to support the spirits and morale of the military. The Ensemble dedicated one of the videos to the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr: the musicians congratulated Muslims both in Ukraine and abroad. The clip was very positively received in Muslim countries, and Saudi Arabia even allocated USD 100 million for humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

Ismail believes that after Ukraine’s victory, the Ukrainian flag will fly over Crimea again, and there will be Crimean Tatar autonomy on the peninsula.

Journalists have the opportunity to talk with the serviceman in Kyiv.

• culture
• military
• Kyiv

Before russia’s full-scale invasion, Viktor Litovchenko served in the special forces. At the beginning of the big war, Viktor was drafted into the military. His unit operated in Kharkiv region, and together with his brothers in arms, the man searched for enemy positions. On May 7, 2022, Viktor was seriously injured. Then he was evacuated, and later Viktor underwent his first surgery in Kharkiv. At that moment, the doctors told Viktor that it was unlikely that he would restore his walking ability. Relatives helped the veteran to come to terms with the new reality: within two months of rehabilitation, he managed to master a wheelchair and began to take care of himself without help. Later, Viktor joined the “Group of Active Rehabilitation” NGO in Volyn region and became an instructor for those who are just learning to use a wheelchair – both civilians and military personnel.

• casualties
• military
• Lutsk

Svitlana Trubachova is from Luhansk region. She is the mother of two children: 11-year-old Ihor and 5-year-old Polina. Svitlana’s husband, Volodymyr, served in Ukraine’s Border Guard Service for 18 years. The last time the woman saw her beloved was on February 24, 2022, when he left for work. And at the beginning of March, Troitske village, where the family lived, was occupied by russian troops. The russian soldiers started coming to Svitlana’s house, took the woman away for questioning, and even searched her. They also burned down all the clothes of her husband.

On April 13, 2022, Volodymyr died near Lysychansk. He was buried in Dnipro, and Svitlana could not even go to the funeral, because she was in the occupied territory. She managed to leave Luhansk region only in the summer, and the first thing she did was visit her husband’s grave. And then she went to Kyiv with her children.

Currently, Svitlana works at a center that helps children with autism spectrum disorders. She entered the university and is studying to become a psychologist. Svitlana also runs fundraisers for the Border Guard Service, because she wants other parents to return to their children.

By prior agreement, journalists have the opportunity to talk with Svitlana in Kyiv.

For reference: The Children of Heroes Charity Fund takes care of this family. The fund helps children who lost one or both parents as a result of russia’s full-scale invasion. The fund also provides financial assistance, psychological and legal support, facilitates education and development of children until they reach adulthood.

• dead
• military
• occupation
• women
• Kyiv

Before the full-scale invasion, Andrii Pentsak worked as a physical therapist. He headed the rehabilitation department in the network of medical centers in Kyiv and helped Ukrainian defenders recover. With the beginning of the big war, Andrii joined the Hospitallers Medical Battalion (a volunteer organization of paramedics), but later he was mobilized to the 38th separate marine infantry brigade as a combat medic.

In October 2023, Andrii and his brothers in arms came under mortar fire in Kherson region. In the enemy shelling the soldier’s leg got crushed, and his Achilles tendon was damaged. In total, the man underwent 10 operations, was treated in 3 cities of Ukraine, and is currently in Lviv’s Unbroken center. Doctors predict that Andrii will be able to fully restore his walking ability. The veteran himself dreams of returning to work as a physical therapist to help people.

• casualties
• doctors
• military
• Lviv

Soldier Karma, withholding her identity for safety, fled Luhansk in 2014 with her young daughter amidst militant occupation. A routine visit to her parents in 2016 turned into over three years of enemy detainment after she was accused of associating with detained football ultras. Despite her captivity, Karma’s daughter remained with her parents.

Finally, on December 29, 2019, Karma, alongside 75 others, was freed and returned home. Following rehabilitation, she resumed her studies, earning her diploma. A year later, she resolved to enlist in the Ukrainian Defense Forces.

While Karma maintains contact with her family, who still reside in the occupied territory with her daughter, she remains committed to her military service. 

Furthermore, she is stationed on the front lines and open to engaging with journalists online.

• doctors
• military
• prisoners
• women

Kyiv has recently kicked off an equine therapy program catered to both female and male veterans, including those in wheelchairs. 

This holistic approach, known as hippotherapy, utilizes interactions with horses to enhance both physical and psychological well-being.

The initiative, titled “Equine Assisted Therapy for Veterans and Wounded,” aims to accommodate 30 participants over a three-month period from April to June 2024. Notably, participation in the program is free of charge.

For reference: This project is spearheaded by the NGO “Union of Wounded Military of Ukraine ‘Strong 300’,” in collaboration with the Veterans Reintegration Program supported by IREX and the US Department of State.

• casualties
• military
• Kyiv