Themes by tag: military

Roman Didera is a veteran of the russian-Ukrainian war who served as a paratrooper and machine gunner. In 2015, he was drafted into the 95th Separate Airborne Brigade. By the end of the year, however, Roman began to experience severe knee pain. He gradually lost the ability to walk, and faced the threat of amputation. Timely prosthetic surgeries provided him with two hip replacements and set him on a new path.

Following the start of the full-scale invasion, Roman discovered a passion for embroidery, inspired by his wife, Mariana. His first piece was a beaded image of Jesus Christ. He also created a Bayraktar shirt. Since then, Roman has mastered approximately 40 traditional stitches to create authentic vyshyvankas, traditional Ukrainian embroidered shirts.

In three years, he has created 33 unique shirts, each a one-of-a-kind piece. In recognition of his skill, he was granted special permission to recreate a copy of Taras Shevchenko’s personal vyshyvanka. His expertise has earned him the title of Folk Master of Ukraine in Vyshyvanka and membership in the National Union of Folk Art Masters.

A dedicated online page, “Sorochka z rodu v rid” (A Shirt from Generation to Generation), now showcases and sells the embroidered works created by Roman and his wife.

Journalists can speak with Roman and his wife Mariana in Lviv or online, by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• Lviv

In western Ukraine’s Lviv region, local authorities are offering a unique form of rehabilitation for military personnel and their families, a chance to reconnect with nature through horseback riding and a mountain ascent.

The Department of Sports, Youth, and Tourism of the Lviv Oblast State Administration has announced two upcoming events as part of its Travel Therapy initiative. On October 18, defenders and their families are invited to take part in a horseback riding trip at a local ranch. A week later, on October 25, participants will have the opportunity to climb Pikui – the highest mountain in the Lviv region.

Media outlets are welcome to cover both activities by prior arrangement.

For reference: The Travel Therapy program was launched by the Department of Tourism and Resorts of the Lviv Oblast State Administration to promote emotional recovery and leisure for service members, female defenders, and their families. The initiative offers guided trips and outdoor activities across the region for those currently undergoing rehabilitation or on rotation.

• culture
• military
• Lviv

On October 11, media representatives are invited to witness a remarkable display of resilience and creativity in Lviv, where a Ukrainian veteran will set a new national record by creating a painting from his wheelchair.

Valentyn Oleksiienko, 28, a patient at the UNBROKEN Center, was a tank driver in Ukraine’s 3rd Separate Tank Iron Brigade. His life changed dramatically on the front lines when, after digging fortifications, he dove into a pond to wash off the dirt, struck his head on the bottom, and sustained a complete spinal cord injury, leaving him with no feeling from the chest down.

Once indifferent to art, Valentyn discovered a passion for painting during his rehabilitation. With the guidance of Lviv-based artist Zirka Savka, he developed a unique technique that allows him to create expressive, one-of-a-kind works with his wheelchair.

The upcoming event will offer journalists a rare opportunity to observe Valentyn’s creative process and document the moment he officially sets a new national record. 

Journalists are required to be accredited to attend.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• Lviv

On October 13, Kyiv will host an interactive exhibition called RECONstruction, created by the 150th Separate Reconnaissance Strike Battalion. Since the beginning of 2024, this military intelligence unit has been engaged in combat in the east, including participating in the liberation of the Dobropillia salient.

Through information stands, photographs, art objects, and interactive zones, the exhibition will offer civilians a glimpse into the world of military intelligence. Visitors will be able to experience elements of a reconnaissance officer’s work, from piloting drones to signals intelligence.

The opening will also feature the introduction of the RECON FAMILY ambassador community. The first members are Olympic champion Olha Kharlan and actress and public figure Rymma Zyubina. They will represent military intelligence to the home front.

Media representatives are invited to attend the event.

• military
• Kyiv

In collaboration with the Invictus Games, the Ukrainian fitness app MadMuscles has created an adaptive training program for people with amputated limbs or limited mobility. The program focuses primarily on wounded veterans and those recovering from surgeries or other injuries.

The MadMuscles program provides everything necessary for safe, convenient, and effective training:

• Six training categories for different physical abilities.
• Exercises from professional adaptive sports trainers;
• Free video workouts that can be done at home.

The program was created by Oleksii Prokopenko, an endurance, mountain running, skyrunning, and cross-country skiing coach, and Nataliia Meleshchuk, a rehabilitation specialist, yoga instructor, and massage therapist. They were both involved in preparing the national team for the 2025 Invictus Games in Canada.

Veterans from the Invictus Games community also contributed to the project’s development.

Journalists can speak with the course creators in Kyiv by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• military
• Kyiv

Lee Byoung-Hoon, 58, from Seoul, South Korea, has been no stranger to discipline and danger. In the 1980s, he served in the Republic of Korea Marine Corps. But nothing could have prepared him for the front lines in Ukraine, where he joined the international legion to defend the country during Russia’s full-scale invasion.

During one attack, a kamikaze drone hit him, costing him his arm. For 14 hours, he survived with only a tourniquet until his comrades managed to save his life.

Now, Lee channels his resilience onto the soccer field. He plays for “Bartka,” an Ivano-Frankivsk team for amputees and people with limb impairment. While he speaks English, communication with some teammates still comes through gestures, a reminder of how far he’s come and the barriers he continues to overcome.

Journalists can meet Lee Byoung-Hoon in person or online by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• military
• Ivano-Frankivsk

Maksym Kharkivskyi is a Ukrainian Armed Forces soldier serving in the Zaporizhzhia sector. In the spring of 2023, a bull found its way to his position. His comrades sent a message: “You have visitors”, and the soldier saw the animal walking along a mined path towards them. That same day, Maksym and a comrade evacuated the bull, named Martyn, to a safe location. Maksym started posting videos with the animal on TikTok, and Martyn became popular.

Shortly after, the soldier’s comrades rescued a wild boar: the animal had been injured by enemy shelling. Maksym took the boar in and named her Mashka. After recovering, she became a social media star alongside Martyn. A malnourished roe deer, found in a Kyiv forest, also joined “Maksym’s Ark”, as the soldier calls his animal farm. The young animal had lost its mother, so caring people fed it from a bottle and later contacted Maksym for help.

Thanks to the animals’ popularity on TikTok, Maksym manages to meet his unit’s needs — the soldier hosts live streams to raise funds. Over five streams, he managed to raise enough to purchase 100,000 hryvnias worth of drones. Maksym calls his animals military volunteers. He hopes that after the war, people will visit the farm to meet the animals and learn their stories.

Interviews with Maksym Kharkivskyi can be arranged online or in person, by prior appointment.

• animals
• military
• Zaporizhzhia

Oleksii Prytula is a veterinarian from Odesa. During the full-scale invasion by russia, he defended the country. In September 2022, he sustained severe injuries and lost both legs. He received prosthetics and underwent rehabilitation at the Superhumans Center in Lviv. Subsequently, he returned to work as a veterinarian in Odesa.

Oleksiy joined the national team that represented Ukraine this year at the first-ever Winter Hybrid Invictus Games in Canada (disciplines: curling, skeleton, alpine skiing, rowing on simulators). He also participated in the All-Ukrainian wheelchair rugby competitions. Additionally, he practices archery and wheelchair basketball.

Upon prior arrangement, journalists can speak with Oleksii in person in Odesa or online.

• animals
• casualties
• doctors
• military
• Odesa

A 20-year-old servicewoman in the 63rd Separate Mechanized Brigade with the call sign Bilka became a widow when her husband, Pavlo, was killed on the front lines. After losing her beloved husband, she joined the army to fight the enemy.

Bilka chose to specialize in drone operations because Pavlo was also a drone operator. Initially, she wanted to work with reconnaissance drones, but she currently pilots FPV drones. After completing her training, she began serving in the brigade, carrying out combat missions. She believes that, through her flights, she feels her husband’s presence because she is continuing his work.

Interviews with Bilka can be arranged online or in person by scheduling an appointment with the press officer in advance.

• dead
• military
• women

He once brewed coffee amid the chaos of the sprawling steel factory. Today, he runs his own coffee shop in Kyiv, serving the distinctive “shaman coffee” he perfected while holed up in the Azovstal steel plant, Ukraine’s last stronghold during the siege of Mariupol, alongside hundreds of outnumbered and outgunned soldiers, many wounded and emaciated, as well as more than 1,000 civilians. This is the story of a veteran and former prisoner of war, who goes by the call sign ‘Marquis.’

Marquis joined the Ukrainian army in 2015, when russia first launched its attacks on the country. Before the war, he ran a furniture manufacturing business and worked abroad, but he returned home to volunteer with the Ukraine’s ultra-nationalist Right Sector.

On the front lines, he met a medic named Olena, who crafted a unique coffee blend that quickly won his admiration. Inspired, Marquis began making the drink himself, refining it over the years. Soldiers on the front came to know it as “shaman coffee,” a brew he prepared both at military posts and later, during his time as a civilian after the Anti-Terrorist Operation. When russia launched its full-scale invasion, he rejoined the army immediately.

Marquis fought to defend Mariupol and endured the harrowing siege of Azovstal. He recalls having to crush coffee beans with a grenade to make his signature brew. In May 2022, he and his comrades were ordered to surrender, spending over seven months in captivity. Upon returning home, he intended to continue his military service, but lingering health issues forced him to step back.

Determined to bring a piece of his front-line experience to civilian life, Marquis opened Shaman Coffee in Kyiv. His brew is prepared in a cezve over a burner and infused with 15 different spices. He has also developed a portable field version — bags of ready-made coffee and spice blend. Looking ahead, Marquis hopes to expand Shaman Coffee into a chain of shops.

Marquis is available for conversations about his journey, both online and in person in Kyiv, by appointment.

• military
• prisoners
• Kyiv