Themes by tag: military

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

The Lviv region has launched its first inclusive retreat, Veteran Camp, designed for veterans and their families. This initiative is part of the League of the Unconquered sports rehabilitation project for veterans, offering free training and entertainment for the defenders.

So far, 47 veterans undergoing rehabilitation in local medical facilities have participated. The heroes engaged in various activities, including rope park challenges, fishing, swimming, and Nordic walking.

These camps will be held at the end of each summer month. 

Journalists can cover the camp tentatively set for July by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• military
• Lviv

Anna and Oleh’s journey began in 2020 when they met while Oleh was serving in the Azov Brigade. Their connection blossomed from phone calls and letters into a committed relationship. Their daughter was born just before the outbreak of the full-scale war.

Oleh and his twin brother Vitalii both served in the Azov Brigade, defending Mariupol from the war’s outset. In April 2022, while attempting to reach the Azovstal steel plant, their unit was ambushed. Vitaliy was killed, and Oleh, though wounded, managed to reach Azovstal before being captured a month later.

On the night of July 28-29, 2022, Oleh and 192 fellow prisoners were detained in Volnovakha Penal Colony No. 120 in Olenivka. Several explosions that night killed over 50 Azov Brigade members and injured more than a hundred. When russian media released lists of the wounded and deceased, Anna was horrified to see her husband’s name on both. Later, she discovered that Oleh had survived. Since then, Anna has tirelessly worked to secure his release, joining the Olenivka Community NGO to aid her efforts.

Anna Lobova is currently in Zhytomyr and is available for interviews, both online and in person.

• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• women
• Zhytomyr

A social project in support of Ukrainian defenders has been operating in Lviv and Ternopil, since the beginning of the full-scale war. The project makes it possible for couples to undergo a free infertility treatment program, as well as to cryopreserve (freeze) their biological material (sperm and eggs).

Journalists have the opportunity to learn more about this project by talking to the doctor of medical sciences, reproductive endocrinologist Stefan Khmil. And, if possible, with couples who used the services provided by the initiative.

• children
• doctors
• military
• Lviv
• Ternopil

Mariia Aleksieievych is 26 years old, for two of which she has been waiting for her husband Serhii Aleksieievych, a soldier from Azov Regiment. On May 16, 2022, he carried out the order and surrendered to the enemy.

Mariia and Serhii met before the full-scale invasion. Both studied in Khmelnytskyi, majoring in psychology. The couple lived for several years in a civil marriage, and officially married online in April 2022, when Serhii was already in surrounded Mariupol.

While Serhii was fighting in Mariupol, he tried to get in touch, asked his wife to hold on, work and study. The last time Mariia communicated with her husband was on May 13, 2022. The woman came across a video where she saw Serhii being captured, later she found confirmation that he was in Olenivka. After the explosion in the barracks of the Olenivka colony, the woman found her lover’s name on the list of the wounded.

Mariia says that Serhii Aleksieievych was officially recognized as a prisoner of war only on August 31, 2023. Every once in a while Mariia learns about her husband’s condition from former captives who return in prisoner exchanges.

Currently, Maria heads Olenivka Community NGO. She is also actively involved in public work to investigate the events in the Olenivka colony, bring the culprits to justice, and help Ukrainian prisoners of war and their families.

Mariia Aleksieievych is in Vinnytsia region and is ready to communicate with the media, both in person and online.

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 blast.

• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• women
• Vinnytsia

Mykola Velychko from Khmelnytskyi had gotten interested in pottery even before the full-scale invasion. He had even planned to create a pottery residence next to his workshop. The website of the residence was supposed to be launched on February 24, 2022. However, the big war broke out and Mykola joined the army.

In the summer of 2023, the man returned to the workshop and decided to restore the residence project, but now he wants to turn it into a center for the military to recover after service. Mykola plans to produce and sell 10,000 small pots, and use the proceeds to equip the residence.

• culture
• military
• Khmelnytskyi