Themes by tag: military

On July 28, Kyiv will host a requiem event entitled “Olenivka – pain that will not go away.” The organizers invite everyone to commemorate the brave and loyal heroes of Ukraine who went through the defense of Mariupol with dignity. The enemy could not defeat all of them on the battlefield, and on the night of July 29, 2022, the adversary made a despicable act and blew up almost 200 Azov soldiers in the colony in occupied Olenivka.

For reference: the defense of Mariupol lasted 86 days, 82 of them – completely besieged. From May 16 to 20, 2022, the Mariupol garrison carried out the order to stop the defense of the city and go into captivity.

On the night of July 29, 2022, the russian federation committed a terrorist attack, setting off an explosion in the barracks of the penal colony in Olenivka, which housed Ukrainian prisoners of war. At least 50 defenders of Azovstal were killed in the act.

• casualties
• dead
• military
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

Accessible Wakeboard is an initiative for participants of projects by ONE TEAM FORCES NGO. Its goal is to show that even extreme sports like wakeboarding are accessible to warriors recovering from injuries, as well as to give veterans an opportunity to test their own strength and help regain confidence in themselves and their bodies.

Training sessions take place once a week. Project participants include defenders who have lost their upper and/or lower limbs.

By prior agreement, journalists can cover classes in Kyiv.

For reference: ONE TEAM FORCES is a community that helps combatants who were in service BEFORE and/or AFTER February 24, 2022 and were injured or psychologically traumatized as a result of russia’s armed aggression.

• casualties
• military
• Kyiv

In Kyiv, wounded defenders take part in free clay sculpting and pottery master classes organized by the Azov’s Angels Patronage Service together with Kust ceramics studio. Creative activities are part of the rehabilitation of the military.

During the class, defenders make dishes or other objects – by hand or with a potter’s wheel. Soldiers often donate completed works for various charity events.

By prior agreement, journalists have the opportunity to cover a clay sculpting master class.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• Kyiv

Anna Yaroshenko, a seasoned diver with over 20 years of experience, believes diving is accessible to everyone. She has dived with children, elderly individuals, and people with hearing and visual impairments, mental disorders, and various injuries. Underwater, the effects of gravity diminish, allowing everyone to experience a sense of “weightlessness.”

Following the onset of the full-scale war, Anna saw diving as a potential rehabilitation tool for injured military personnel. Recognizing its benefits for both physical and psychological recovery, she launched the project “Gravity? WTF?”. Her mother, a rehabilitation therapist, introduced her to the first volunteers—wounded defenders with injuries and amputations.

The project’s aim is to provide military veterans with a new and engaging hobby, teaching them the complete set of skills needed to become independent divers. Initially, the soldiers train in a shallow, barrier-free pool accessible by wheelchair. The next phase involves a 3.8-meter deep pool. Those who gain confidence in scuba diving progress to open water dives.

To date, 25 veterans with various injuries and amputations have participated in the project.

Journalists are invited to learn more about “Gravity? WTF?” and to cover the diving lessons held in Kyiv pools and open water sessions. 

• casualties
• military
• women
• Kyiv

“Ukrainian LGBT+ Military and Veterans for Equal Rights” NGO opened the first veteran hub for LGBT+ military personnel in Ukraine’s capital, which is also the first one in Eastern Europe. The goal of the hub is to create a safe space to assist LGBT+ military personnel and reintegrate queer veterans in the society. In particular, the hub will host events to help with the mental and physical health of defenders. Psychological and legal assistance as well as services by friendly sexologists will be available in the hub.

For reference: The association “Ukrainian LGBT+ Military and Veterans for Equal Rights” was created in 2018 after Anton Shebetko’s exhibition “We Were There.” During the exhibition, one of the soldiers, currently the Head of the organization, Viktor Pylypenko, came out as gay combat veteran.

The association includes hundreds of LGBT+ military personnel and veterans, some open about their identity and others keeping it private. The military is rallying to fight for the rights available to other citizens of Ukraine. Members of the association actively participate in both the defense of the Motherland against russian invaders and the protection of rights and freedoms.

• military
• Kyiv
• LGBT

The Rehabilitation in the Carpathians project was created within the framework of Zemliachky NGO’s Psychological Support for Women Defenders Project. Its purpose is to restore the psychological and emotional state of military women. The initiative is open to all female defenders.

The organizers note that the project gives women the opportunity to recharge, rest, be in a safe place among their people (“tribe” effect). It is also an opportunity to be 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.

Over 80 women defenders have participated in the project since it was created.

Journalists have the opportunity to learn more about the peculiarities of covering the initiative.

• military
• psychological support
• women

Peaceful gatherings are planned in at least 16 Ukrainian cities to highlight the plight of Azovstal defenders and other military personnel still in enemy captivity. 

On July 13, rallies will occur in Okhtyrka, Chernihiv, Vinnytsia, Pavlohrad, and Irpin. 

The following day, July 14, demonstrations are scheduled in Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Kremenchuk, Krolevets, Ovruch, Kropyvnytskyi, Trostianets, Kryvyi Rih, and Chernivtsi. 

These events are organized by the families of POWs from the Mariupol garrison.

• military
• prisoners
• Kyiv
• Odesa

Artem Hondiul has held numerous roles, including fire rescuer and security guard for merchant ships against Somali pirates in the Gulf of Guinea and Oman. Eventually, he joined the National Guard and later transferred to the Azov Regiment, now part of the National Guard of Ukraine’s Azov Brigade. Artem and his wife Anastasiia moved to Mariupol.

On February 23, 2022, Artem was on duty and convinced Anastasiia to leave Mariupol, despite her reluctance. She managed to escape in late February.

Anastasiia later discovered that Artem was at “Zaliziaka” (“Piece of Iron”), an improvised hospital at the Azovstal plant, suffering from a shrapnel injury to his pelvis. In May 2022, under orders from higher command, Artem and his comrades entered honorable captivity. On the night of July 29, 2022, Artem was seriously injured in the Olenivka massacre. 

Following the explosion in the colony’s barracks, Anastasiia saw her husband several times in videos released by the russians. Since September 2022, she has had no news of Artem’s whereabouts or condition.

In May 2023, Anastasiia and the relatives of other Olenivka victims traveled to Geneva to meet with representatives of the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross. It was only after this visit, 16 months into Artem’s captivity, that Russia officially confirmed his status as a prisoner of war.

Journalists can learn more and speak with Anastasiia in Kryvyi Rih, with online communication also available.

For reference: On the night of July 29, 2022, russia carried out a terrorist attack by detonating a barracks in the Olenivka penal colony, where Ukrainian prisoners of war were detained. At least 50 Azovstal defenders were killed, and over 100 were injured.

• casualties
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• women

Svitlana Solonska worked as a kindergarten teacher in Zaporizhia region. Her husband, Vladyslav, was a teacher by education. At one time, he graduated from the Zaporizhia Police School. After the Revolution of Dignity, he joined the ranks of the Azov volunteer formation. Vladyslav was very happy when the unit later became part of the National Guard of Ukraine (now it is the Azov Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine). Having started as a driver, Vladyslav was promoted to the position of company commander, and then to the position of logistics officer.

On February 22, 2022, Vladyslav came home and told his wife that they were being sent to Mariupol. It was the last time Svitlana saw her husband.

Svitlana and her 13-year-old daughter were in Zaporizhia region when the full-scale invasion began. During the first days, their settlement was occupied by the russians. The woman saw enemy tanks driving through her village in the direction of Mariupol. Later, her husband called and said that Svitlana and her daughter needed to leave urgently, as the invaders would come to their home. On March 19, they were able to leave for Ukraine-controlled territory.

Vladyslav was at the Azovstal plant in Mariupol. Despite the blockade of the city and constant shelling, he was assigned the task of delivering products and supporting the rear. He delivered food and water to the field hospital under the shelling. A “Starlink” allowed him to keep in touch with his wife.

In May 2022, Vladyslav together with other defenders followed the order of the high command and surrendered. On the night of July 29, 2022, Vladyslav was injured during an explosion in the barracks in Olenivka, he did not receive proper medical care. There was no information about his condition for a long time. Later, Svitlana found out that her husband had died: they could find him only by DNA matching.

Journalists are welcome to learn more and talk with Svitlana in Kyiv.

For reference: On the night of July 29, 2022, the russian federation committed a terrorist attack, setting off an explosion in the barracks of the penal colony in Olenivka, which housed Ukrainian prisoners of war. At least 50 defenders of Azovstal were killed in the attack.

• dead
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• women
• Kyiv

Ukraine’s National Guard fighter and combat medic Serhii Korshun was in Mariupol when the full-scale invasion began. He provided medical care to wounded soldiers in the city and later at Azovstal. Serhii received the order to surrender with composure. Initially, he was held in a colony in Olenivka, in the occupied Donetsk region, before being transferred to Sverdlovsk, russia. There, the russians permitted him to tend to injured Ukrainians. Serhii dressed wounds, removed shrapnel, and ensured that the 198 people in his barracks did not contract tuberculosis. He didn’t believe he was part of a prisoner exchange until he saw the Ukrainian flag. He returned home on February 8 this year, after spending more than a year and a half in russian captivity.

Currently, Serhii is undergoing rehabilitation and always carries a combat first aid kit. 

Serhii Korshun is in Kryvyi Rih and is available for interviews with journalists, both online and offline.

• doctors
• military
• prisoners