Themes by tag: military

From August 9 to 11, the Kolochava village in Zakarpattia Oblast will host a special festival blending ecology and cinema in honor of the late soldier Roman Zhuk. 

Organized by the CHYSTO.DE NGO, this event will feature a diverse lineup of activities including ecological awareness, film education, screenings, and tourism. The Eco Film Festival will engage attendees through hands-on workshops where young participants will create videos about nature and produce stop-motion animations highlighting the impact of waste on wildlife, guided by professional directors. The festival will also offer open-air film screenings, lectures, masterclasses with industry experts, and discussions on pressing environmental issues.

Roman Zhuk, who passionately advocated for environmental preservation, envisioned a grand festival like this one. Before his untimely death in May 2022, Zhuk, who was serving as a scout with the 128th separate mountain assault brigade, and his wife had organized numerous eco-picnics at the Vilshany Reservoir, a location marred by litter. Following his death, more than 20 tons of garbage were removed from the reservoir to uphold Zhuk’s legacy in tribute to his dedication.

For reference: For several years, the CHYSTO.DE team has been effectively cleaning up the Carpathians, participating in environmental protection efforts, and promoting environmental education.

• culture
• dead
• ecology
• military

The idea for ​​the project came to the writer Serhiy Zhadan (now he serves in the “Khartiia” (Charter) 13th brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine) even before the beginning of the full-scale invasion when he worked at the volunteer radio “Tryzub FM” (Trident FM). That is when he realized the importance of communication between the military and civilians, between the rear and the front. Therefore, after the mobilization, Zhadan returned to the idea of ​​a media platform, which will make the voices of the vanguard heard. The first guests of the radio show included: paramedic Yuliia “Taira” Paievska, commander of the “Khartiia” brigade, colonel of NGU Ihor Leskiv and frontman of the band “Pyrig and Batig” Marjan Pyrozhok. Episodes of the traveling show “Radio Khartiia” will be released once a week. Each episode will be broadcast from a new location and with new guests.

The authors of the traveling “Radio Khartiia” project are ready to communicate with journalists, both online and in person, by prior agreement.

• culture
• military

The 13th Operational Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine has launched a photo project titled “Women of the Khartiia,” highlighting the roles of female defenders. Among those featured are Svitlana “Chuma” (Plague) a 25-year-old sanitary instructor with the Khartiia brigade’s drone strike unit, and Iryna “Hera,” a 22-year-old UAV operator. Before the large-scale invasion, Chuma managed a motorcycle parts and equipment store. She has since transitioned to a combat medic role, training soldiers in life-saving techniques on the battlefield. Hera, previously employed in social media management, now operates drones. 

Both Chuma and Hera are stationed on the front lines and are available for interviews with journalists, by prior arrangement.

• culture
• military
• women

Aiden Aslin, originally from the UK, never served in the British military. His journey into conflict began in 2015, when, at 21, he traveled to Syria and spent a year and a half there. 

His interest in Ukraine led him to follow events in the East, and in 2018, he enlisted in the Armed Forces of Ukraine with the 137th Marine Battalion of the 35th Brigade. He later transferred to the 1st Battalion of the 36th Marine Brigade, where he served for nearly four years. Aslin found himself in Mariupol during the full-scale invasion, where his unit was encircled for over a month. Captured by russian forces, he endured six months in captivity, during which he faced allegations of mercenarism, terrorism, and attempting to overthrow Donetsk’s “constitutional order,” leading to a death sentence. Subjected to torture, he despaired of ever returning home.

In September 2022, Aslin was released in a prisoner swap. After receiving psychological support in the UK, he has returned to Ukraine and now serves with the International Legion of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine. 

Aslin is available for interviews by prior arrangement, both online and in person.

• casualties
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes

Tamara Koriahina and her husband, Serhii Mykhailenko, both hail from Mariupol. In 2019, Serhii enlisted in the Azov unit, which has since been absorbed into Ukraine’s National Guard.

When the full-scale invasion began, Serhii, who had been training in the Lviv region, returned to Mariupol to defend their home. Meanwhile, Tamara endured the relentless russian shelling, struggling to survive in the besieged city.

On March 18, 2022, Tamara managed to escape. She later discovered that, in early April, Serhii had suffered a shrapnel wound. Tragically, he was unable to undergo surgery due to a shortage of medical supplies.

Tamara last heard from her husband on May 16, 2022: he informed her that he had received orders to surrender and added, “See you soon, get ready for the wedding.” Tamara says this message has sustained her for the past three years. During this period, she has not received any letters from him and has only seen him in russian propaganda videos. She is convinced that her husband is being tortured in the Polar Wolf penal colony in Siberia, where he is currently held. Before being transferred there, Serhii underwent an illegal trial in occupied Donetsk and was sentenced to life imprisonment.

In June 2024, Tamara joined a delegation of POWs’ wives who appealed to the Pope for assistance in securing the release of Ukrainians unlawfully detained in russia. 

Tamara Koriahina resides in Dnipro. Serhii Mykhailenkos’s wife is willing to speak with journalists, both online and offline, by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• women
• Dnipro

Dmytro Kutsenko joined the army in 2014. And in 2015, he planted the first cherries in the family garden. For 9 years, Dmytro and his father were working on their own business with his garden expanding to 450 trees.

However, with the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Dmytro returned to the front line. He joined the 93rd brigade and fought with the occupiers in Sumy, Kharkiv and Donetsk regions. Dmytro was defending Bakhmut from August 2022 until March 2023 when the soldier found himself in the basement of a high-rise building, which was attacked with two enemy aerial bombs. Five floors of the building collapsed over Dmytro, who had to fight for his life under tons of concrete for 33 hours. Dmytro’s brothers in arms cleared the rubble with their own hands, pulled the man out and evacuated him to the hospital.

Dmytro lost both legs, underwent a number of surgeries as well as rehabilitation and mastered prostheses. In 2024, the President of Ukraine awarded the veteran with the Order of the Gold Star and the title of Hero of Ukraine. Nowadays, Dmytro has returned to the family business, bought a wheelchair and an electric scooter, which he uses to take care of his garden.

Dmytro Kutsenko lives in the Nikopol district of Dnipropetrovsk region. The veteran is ready to communicate with journalists, both online and in person, by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• military
• Dnipro

On July 28, Kyiv will unveil the exhibition “OLENIVKA: The Quintessence of Cruelty,” marking the second anniversary of the Olenivka terrorist attack. This event, organized in collaboration with the National Museum of the Revolution of Dignity, aims to highlight the suffering endured by Ukrainian prisoners of war.

The exhibition’s opening coincides with an action organized by the Association of Azovstal Defenders’ Families, which has been holding weekly demonstrations across Ukrainian cities. Their posters, featuring slogans such as “They saved us, now we have to save them” and “Fight for them as they fought for us,” call for support for prisoners of war and missing persons under the #FREEAZOVSTALDEFENDERS campaign.

Journalists planning to attend the exhibition must register in advance.

Additionally, on the same day, Kyiv will host a requiem event titled “Olenivka – pain that will never go away.”

For context: The attack occurred on the night of July 29, 2022, when the russian federation targeted a barracks at the Olenivka penal colony, resulting in the deaths of at least 50 Azovstal defenders and injuring over a hundred.

• casualties
• dead
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

Vitalii Lytvyn, raised in a military family, initially pursued a different path—studying at a pedagogical university with aspirations of becoming a legal historian. However, when russia invaded Ukraine in 2014, Lytvyn followed in his grandfather’s and father’s footsteps by enlisting in the army. He began his service with the 4th Kruk Battalion of the National Guard of Ukraine and later transferred to the 4th Rubizh Brigade of the NGU, where he served as a scout. Lytvyn currently leads the same battalion as its commander.

In June 2022, his exceptional bravery earned him the title of Hero of Ukraine. Recently, he became an ambassador for the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation, committed to supporting his former comrades, both active and retired.

Lytvyn is based in Kyiv and is available for interviews with journalists by appointment, either online or in person.

• military
• Kyiv

A serviceman known as “Demon,” commander of the FPV drone unit in the 37th Marine Brigade, played a crucial role in delivering supplies to his comrades. Due to security concerns, “Demon” keeps his identity undisclosed. 

Last winter, when the Dnipro River froze over, Ukrainian troops stationed on the left bank in the Kherson region faced severe supply shortages. “Demon” and his unit stepped in to aid these soldiers. Using drones, the 37th Brigade successfully transported food, medicine, and other essential items to the isolated troops. They devised unique ways to mark the drones to ensure their comrades could distinguish Ukrainian copters from enemy ones. In a remarkable feat, “Demon’s” unit completed 23 drone missions in a single day.

“Demon” is currently stationed in the Kherson region and is available for interviews with journalists by prior arrangement, either online or offline.

• military

On July 24, Media Center Ukraine will hold a press conference entitled: “Missing 16 Sailors: The Fate of the Crews from the Sunken ‘Sloviansk’ and ‘Stanislav’ Boats.” Two Ukrainian ships sank in the spring of 2022 following missile strikes by the russian forces in the Black Sea. Some of the sailors were saved. The fate of 16 remains unknown. For two years, the United by the Sea NGO, founded by the families of missing sailors, has been collecting information about how the ships went down. However, there is still no information about what happened to the 16 sailors. At the same time, some unofficial reports have started circulating claiming that the sailors were captured by the russians.

During the press conference, representatives of the families of the missing sailors, the Navy Command and the Media Initiative for Human Rights will talk about the search for the crews, attempts to reach the boats, cooperation with the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Maritime Coalition led by the UK and Norway.

Participants:

– Olesia Aulina, Head of the United by the Sea NGO, wife of the missing Damir Aulina, commander of the patrol boat “Sloviansk”;

– Tetiana Sherishorina, mother of the missing Nikita Sherishorin, sailor of the patrol boat “Sloviansk”;

– Olena Bieliachkova, Coordinator for Groups of Families of Prisoners of War at Media Initiative for Human Rights;

– Andrii Ursol, Captain (First Rank), Deputy Commander of the Ukrainian Navy for Moral and Psychological Support, Department Head. 

For reference: The Sloviansk sank on March 3, 2022, in the area between the Kinburn and Tendra spits, 2 km from the coast. The vessel was the first combat casualty of the Ukrainian Navy during russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Stanislav sank on May 7, 2022, 20 meters from Snake Island, it now lies at a depth of about 20 meters.

Pre-registration is required.

• casualties
• military
• russian crimes
• Kyiv