Themes by tag: military

Early this winter, Kyiv will host HART, Ukraine’s first national multisport event for military veterans recovering from injuries, wounds, or illnesses sustained in the defense of the country. From November 30 to December 7, participants from across Ukraine will compete in nine adaptive sports.

Team events will include wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby, and sitting volleyball. Individual competitions will feature archery, indoor rowing on a simulator, laser run, powerlifting, cycling, and swimming.

Athletes are free to join.

Around the world, adaptive athletics have become a cornerstone of veteran rehabilitation. In the United States, the Warrior Games have spurred thousands of recovery programs. In the United Kingdom, the Invictus Games reshaped public attitudes toward wounded service members. Similar initiatives in Canada, the Netherlands, and Australia have helped build statewide “sport-based recovery” programs that integrate rehabilitation, mentorship, and social inclusion.

Ukraine is following suit. With support from Ukrgasbank, the Come Back Alive Initiative Center and the Ministry of Veterans Affairs have launched HART as a comprehensive sports-based rehabilitation effort for veterans.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• Kyiv

Valentyn Polianskyi is 24, but three of those years were spent in Russian captivity. A native of Ukraine’s Kherson region, he signed a contract with the 36th Separate Marine Brigade at 21 and soon found himself on the front lines of Russia’s full-scale assault. By February 26, 2022, he was stationed at the Illich steel plant in Mariupol, helping to secure provisions for approximately 130 troops as the siege tightened.

When the order to surrender was issued, his partner pleaded with him to do whatever it took to survive and come home. She was pregnant at the time; their daughter was born after he had already been taken prisoner.

Polianskyi says he endured three years of severe abuse in detention. He recalls beatings, electric shocks, routine humiliation, food deprivation, and being forced to memorize Russian songs. He was released on April 19, 2025, as part of a prisoner exchange.

After returning home, Polianskyi married and initially considered rejoining his brigade, but his wife asked him not to go back to the front. He is now working to rebuild his life and adjust to civilian routines.

Those wishing to meet or speak with him can do so, both online or in person in Khmelnytskyi, by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Khmelnytskyi

On November 25, the Human Rights Center for Military Personnel and Veterans, ‘Pryncyp’, will unveil its newly developed Legal Navigator for foreign service members in Kyiv. Representatives from units where international fighters serve will attend the event.

During the presentation, experts will introduce the Navigator, a tool designed to help foreign troops, veterans, and their families navigate legal issues and protect their rights. The resource will be available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. 

There will also be a discussion on the specific legal challenges faced by international service members in Ukraine.

Journalists must register to attend the event.

• military
• Kyiv

The Union of Wounded Military Personnel of Ukraine ‘Mitsni 300’ invites the media to the open bowling tournament, “Mitsni Shary”, which will take place on November 22 in Kyiv.

The competition will feature 30 participants, including wounded servicemen and veterans from various regions of Ukraine.

The media will have the opportunity to speak with the participants, organizers, and partners.

Accreditation is required for the event.

• culture
• military
• Kyiv

Yaroslava Shevtsova is from Svatove, in the Luhansk region of Ukraine. She owned a fitness studio there. On March 8, 2022, she and her young son were forced to flee their home when enemy troops captured Svatove. The city is now under russian occupation.

She relocated to France, where she found work, and her son started kindergarten. In October 2022, Yaroslava met Oleksandr Kolomiiets, a Ukrainian soldier who had served since 2015. The couple communicated online and dreamed of meeting in person. They met for the first time on January 2, 2023, and spent a month together. They decided that Yaroslava would return to Ukraine in June to get married.

However, on March 27, 2023, Yaroslava was informed that Oleksandr had been caught in a mortar attack and died in the hospital. Yaroslava decided to return to Vinnytsia, a city that Oleksandr considered the best in Ukraine, and live there. There, she planned to open a café in his memory.

Yaroslava lacked the necessary funds, but she was supported by a friend and Oleksandr’s brothers-in-arms. Thus, the family-friendly café “Simba” was born in Vinnytsia. The café holds charity fundraisers and supports Oleksandr’s fellow soldiers.

Yaroslava Shevtsova is available for interviews online and in person in Vinnytsia by prior arrangement.

• dead
• military
• women
• Vinnytsia

A Ukrainian Armed Forces veteran who lost three limbs in combat has set a national record for climbing the country’s highest peak. The official announcement will take place in the Lviv region on November 17, recognizing Zakhar Biriukov for the first ascent to the summit of Hoverla by a person with three amputated limbs.

Biriukov, 35, sustained devastating injuries in 2022 while serving on the front lines – losing both arms, one leg, an eye, and part of his hearing, along with severe facial wounds. Despite the trauma, he has dedicated his recovery to helping other service members find purpose after injury.

With his mission focused on supporting fellow service members to rebuild their lives, this climb up Hoverla, Ukraine’s 6,762-foot mountain, became a testament that physical loss is no match for inner strength and determination. “Life is not over, it’s just beginning,” Biriukov said, reflecting on his achievement and his determination to inspire others facing similar challenges.

Journalists are invited to attend the record announcement. Media accreditation is required.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• Lviv

A project by Lviv-based reproductive specialist and four-time Fertility Award winner Liubov Mykhailyshyn, “Preserve Your DNA for the Future,” offers free egg cryopreservation to 20 women in the military who risk their lives every day. The program is open to women between the ages of 21 and 41.

More than 80 women submitted their applications. The program will run until the end of 2025.

Journalists can arrange interviews with Liubov Mykhailyshyn in Lviv or online, and, if possible, with program participants.

Background: The “Preserve Your DNA for the Future” project is funded by a grant from L’Oréal Paris and UNFPA Ukraine (the United Nations Population Fund in Ukraine).

Similar programs have been successfully implemented in the United States (Fertility Preservation Program) and Israel. According to American researchers, service members experience a significant decline in reproductive potential compared to control groups, even without physical injury. Chronic stress is a major contributing factor.

While sperm cryopreservation is a relatively quick and simple process for military personnel, egg freezing is more complex and requires an initial consultation with a reproductive specialist; controlled ovarian stimulation with specific medications; egg retrieval from the ovaries; cryopreservation and long-term storage of the oocytes.

• doctors
• military
• women
• Lviv

Before russia’s full-scale invasion, Roman Chernenko worked as a bartender in Kharkiv, leading an ordinary civilian life. But in the summer of 2022, he enlisted in Ukraine’s Defense Forces and was later deployed to the embattled Bakhmut area.

Two years later, in 2024, Chernenko’s life changed in an instant when he stepped on an anti-personnel mine and lost his leg. After undergoing extensive treatment, he began rehabilitation at the UNBROKEN National Rehabilitation Center in Lviv, where he learned to walk again using his first prosthesis.

Determined to help others facing the same challenges, Chernenko stayed on at the center – this time as a member of its team. Drawing from his own experience, he now supports fellow veterans on their path to physical and emotional recovery.

Looking ahead, Chernenko plans to introduce golf therapy for wounded soldiers, saying the sport helps alleviate phantom pain and restore confidence.

Those who wish to meet or speak with Roman Chernenko can do so by prior arrangement, either online or in person in Lviv.

• casualties
• military
• Lviv

Maksym Maksymenko is a veteran of the russo-Ukrainian War and a participant in the Revolution of Dignity. While still a student in 2014, Maksym and his friends traveled to Maidan Square and joined the protests. He served as a “sotnyk”, or unit commander, on the Maidan. With the start of the russian occupation of Crimea and attack on eastern Ukraine, he joined the Azov unit.

In 2016, Maksym returned to civilian life. He recalls this period as a time of self-discovery, during which he volunteered, engaged in civic activism, and started a small business.

When the full-scale invasion began, Maksym immediately returned to the military. Several months later, he was wounded and had to leave the army again. However, he adapted more quickly this time, as he had his beloved wife to support him.

While shopping for gifts, Maksym and his wife noticed a lack of websites in Ukraine dedicated exclusively to handmade products. This inspired the idea for Create4Me, an online marketplace that connects Ukrainian artisans, including veterans and volunteers. The Ukrainian Veteran Fund helped bring the project to life. Maksym believes that Ukrainian artisans create items that can captivate the entire world.

Maksym Maksymenko is available for interviews, both online and in person in Ternopil, by prior arrangement.

• culture
• military
• Ternopil

Ukrainian veteran and public advocate Andrii Madzharov has completed a 1,500-kilometer trek from Ukraine to Brussels, a symbolic journey meant to remind Europe of the price Ukrainians continue to pay in their fight for freedom.

Madzharov, a longtime member of a veterans’ union, has served in Ukraine’s defense since 2015. After russia launched its full-scale invasion, he joined the Safari special forces unit of the National Police and took part in operations across the Kyiv, Kharkiv, Kherson, and Donetsk regions.

In August 2025, he set out on foot toward the Belgian capital, determined to share the voices of his fellow soldiers and draw attention to the cost of Ukraine’s ongoing resistance. During his journey, Madzharov met with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, presenting him with the chevron he had worn in combat as a token of respect and solidarity.

After three months on the road, the veteran arrived in Brussels in early November, where he plans to stay for several days. 

Those wishing to speak with Andrii Madzharov about his mission and experiences can arrange an online conversation in advance.

• military