Themes by tag: military

Kariakin was just 17 when russian-backed forces seized his hometown of Kadiivka, formerly known as Stakhanov, in Ukraine’s Luhansk region in 2014. While most of the world’s attention had shifted elsewhere, Artem began documenting life under occupation on an anonymous Twitter account. He posted maps showing the location of russian forces, tracked their movements, and shared dispatches from behind enemy lines. Eventually, his work caught the attention of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and he began secretly collaborating with the military.

For years, Kariakin led a double life. He avoided friendships, shut himself off from romance, and trusted no one. “Anyone could report me to the occupiers,” he said.

The losses mounted. In 2020, his mother passed away. The following year, he lost both his grandmother and father. With his immediate family gone, Artem moved to Kyiv, hoping for a fresh start. But his time in the capital was short-lived. When russia unleashed an all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Kariakin joined the Territorial Defense Forces just weeks later. By June, he was fighting near Bakhmut, one of the war’s fiercest battlegrounds.

Now serving officially in Ukraine’s military, Artem continues gathering intelligence from occupied territories, a task he once carried out in secret. He receives data from spotters and artillery correctors working in the field. critical information that helps the Armed Forces target russian positions.

In February 2023, after nine years of resistance, Kariakin made a bold decision: he revealed his identity publicly on social media. With that move, he launched a new campaign #FreeCivilResistance aimed at drawing attention to Ukrainian civilians imprisoned by russian forces. He added that this cause is deeply personal to him because he knows people who have been thrown into russian prisons.

Artem Kariakin remains stationed near the front lines and continues to serve actively. He is available to speak with journalists, online and in person by prior arrangement.

• military
• occupation

Before the full-scale invasion, Chaika had no military experience. In 2019, she married an officer of the 12th “Azov” National Guard Brigade. The couple split time between Mariupol and Zaporizhia. Just before the full-scale war began, Chaika was about to travel to Mariupol, but her husband forbade it. Her beloved, whose callsign was Buinyi, died defending the city.

A year and a half after this loss, she began dating another soldier. His death in 2024 marked the end of Chaika’s civilian life.

Joining the army became her way of fighting back against the enemy for all the pain she endured. She joined the “Stryzh” unit of the Ukrainian Volunteer Army and now serves as a drone operator. Although she dreams of starting a family and having children, she says that will only happen after victory.

Chaika is available for online/offline meetings in Zaporizhia by prior arrangement.

• military
• women

When russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Olha and her daughter Mariia had already taken very different paths, one in healthcare, the other in military training. Two years later, they serve together in the same unit of the National Guard.

Mariia, originally from Lysychansk in Ukraine’s Luhansk region, entered the National Guard Academy in Kharkiv in 2020. After the war began, her family evacuated to Dnipro. Her mother, Olha, who had worked for more than 20 years as a nurse in a maternity ward in Lysychansk, found a new job at a private clinic.

Soon after, Olha saw a recruitment ad calling for volunteers to join the Ukrainian military. Encouraged by her daughter, she applied to the 13th Khartiia Brigade of the National Guard. After graduating from the academy, Mariia joined the same unit. Today, Olha serves as a junior sergeant and nurse in a mobile dental clinic. Mariia is an officer in the brigade’s personnel department.

At home, the two women are supported by Mariia’s father, a retired State Emergency Service officer with more than 30 years of service. Her older brother serves in the Armed Forces as a combat medic.

For reference: russian forces occupied Lysychansk on July 3, 2022, after Ukrainian troops were ordered to withdraw. According to the Luhansk regional governor at the time, the retreat was conducted without casualties.

Interviews with Mariia and Olha are available online or in person by prior arrangement with a press officer.

• military
• women

On June 28, the Lviv oblast will host an adaptive CrossFit competition for wounded soldiers, veterans, amputees, and people with disabilities in wheelchairs. These competitions have become a crucial step in the rehabilitation and social reintegration of our heroes.

The competition will be attended by 25 adaptive athletes from all over Ukraine – veterans and active military personnel who were injured while defending their homeland, underwent treatment and continue their rehabilitation.

Registration is required (the exact location will be shared after sign-up). Registered media representatives will be provided with transportation from Lviv.

Background: The event is organized by the ‘Games of Heroes’ NGO and the Charitable Foundation ‘Kharkiv with You’ with the support of the King Baudouin Foundation (Belgium).

The competition’s history dates back to 2015, when the psychological rehabilitation of severely wounded soldiers first became a pressing issue following russia’s aggression in 2014. The growing number of wounded required not only medical and psychological support but also active efforts to help them reintegrate into society and return to an active life.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• Lviv

YOUkraine Hub is a support space for military personnel released from captivity, initiated by former prisoners of war themselves. It hosts meetings and peer-to-peer support sessions built on trust and mutual understanding. The goal is to create a safe environment and assist our Heroes in adapting to civilian life.

The hub provides free services, including medical, legal, social, and psychological support, as well as organizing off-site events.

YOUkraine Hub invites foreign media to collaborate in order to draw the international community’s attention to the severe physical and psychological consequences of captivity, and the need for systemic support for soldiers who have already been liberated. The hub also aims to raise global awareness of the ongoing situation and help free those still held captive.

Journalists can arrange to speak with hub representatives in Kyiv and, when possible, with defenders who have returned from captivity.

• military
• prisoners
• Kyiv

Born in Mariupol, 22-year-old Illia Iliashenko graduated from a nautical lyceum and enlisted in the 23rd Marine Guard Detachment of Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service. From the earliest days of russia’s full-scale invasion, Illia and his comrades worked to repel enemy forces from the sea.

When his ship docked in Mariupol and the commander called for volunteers to reinforce ground positions, Illia stepped forward. He transitioned from a naval gunner to a machine gunner on land. Later, he was ordered to move to Azovstal in what became a special operation, his unit was already encircled. Illia recalls enduring “hell” on the way to the steel plant.

In May 2022, alongside other defenders of Azovstal, he was captured by russian forces after the Ukrainian military command ordered a surrender. Initially, he was held in the notorious Olenivka prison in the occupied Donetsk region and later transferred to Taganrog, russia. It was there that Illia “celebrated” his birthday, in captivity.

He spent 10 months as a prisoner of war. Illia only realized he was being exchanged when he heard Ukrainian spoken on the bus transporting him. The date was February 16, 2023.

After his release, he underwent rehabilitation and began writing a book about the defense of Mariupol. Due to health reasons, Illia was discharged from military service. He now works at the YOUkraine Hub, a support center for former POWs, where he helps fellow soldiers navigate their recovery.

Illia Iliashenko is based in Kyiv and available for interviews, online and in person, by prior arrangement.

• military
• prisoners
• Kyiv

Vitalii Kostohlodov is 22 years old. At the start of russia’s full-scale invasion, he was working in Germany, but returned home without hesitation to support Ukraine’s defenders. In December 2023, he signed a contract and joined the 505th Marine Battalion as a sailor.

Kostohlodov served in multiple combat zones, taking part in the landings on the left bank of the Dnipro River near Krynky, and later in the defense of Toretsk. In November 2024, while on a mission in the Kurakhiv sector, he was wounded and lost a leg.

Within six months, he learned to walk with a prosthetic limb and made the decision to return to active duty. He now serves as a gunner-operator of an armored combat vehicle. Though his injury prevented him from completing the psychological obstacle course in June, he was awarded the Marine beret in recognition of his dedication and service.

Vitalii Kostohlodov is available for interviews, online and in person, by prior arrangement through the unit’s press officer.

• casualties
• military

Nadiia Hvozdyk has been serving her country since 2014, when russia launched its initial assault on Ukraine. After her demobilization from the Ukrainian army, she returned to the frontlines in a different way, first as a volunteer in 2022, and later as a driver for the humanitarian mission On the Shield.

For over a year now, Nadiia has been behind the wheel of a refrigerated truck, transporting the bodies of fallen soldiers back to their families in Rivne and nearby regions. She says driving the refrigerated vehicle is her way of fulfilling a solemn duty, helping grieving families lay their loved ones to rest with dignity and respect. For her, this role feels more meaningful than driving other vehicles in the convoy.

Beyond her work on the road, Nadiia also manages social media for the Rivne-based On the Shield mission. She writes about the emotional toll the job takes on drivers, sharing personal reflections and stories of those who make the final journey with the fallen.

Interviews with Nadiia Hvozdyk are available by appointment, either online or in person in Rivne.

• dead
• military
• women
• Rivne

In April, Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces announced the formation of an all-female drone operator unit called “Harpy.” The unit was created for women who want to defend their families, children, and country using unmanned and robotic technologies. Although men can also join the unit, only women are assigned as strike pilots responsible for final target engagement.

The unit is commanded by Daria, call sign “DShK,” an active participant in the Revolution of Dignity who has been carrying out combat missions in multiple special units since 2022.

New recruits will undergo a 45-day basic military training course, followed by over a month of specialized instruction and additional time for crew coordination before combat deployment.

Journalists can interview — either in person or online — women who have joined the “Harpy” unit, by prior arrangement and with approval from the press officer.

Background: According to Ukraine’s Defense Ministry, as of January 1, 2025, more than 70,000 women serve in the Armed Forces, with over 5,500 currently deployed on the front lines.

• military
• women

Maryna Muzyka and Dmytro met after russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. At the time, they lived in different countries, Maryna in Ukraine, Dmytro in the Czech Republic. A former soldier, Dmytro had served in the Ukrainian army until 2019, when he was discharged after sustaining injuries. But when the war escalated in 2022, he didn’t hesitate. On March 4, just days after the invasion began, Dmytro returned to Ukraine and enlisted in the 59th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade.

Their paths crossed in Mykolaiv, where Dmytro and fellow soldiers were looking for a place to stay. The two quickly grew close. Eventually, Maryna moved to the Donetsk region to be near him, waiting for him to return from combat missions.

On July 1, 2024, Dmytro Muzyka was killed in action during a mission in the Donetsk sector.

The couple had often talked about building a future together, dreaming of launching their own business someday. After Dmytro’s death, Maryna decided to turn that dream into reality on her own. She opened a coffee shop in Mykolaiv and named it Mykyta the Cat, a tribute to her fallen husband, who, she says, had remarkable night vision and moved with the silent grace of a feline.

Maryna designed the space with a theme she calls “combat cats”, a nod to the qualities she saw in Dmytro and the soldiers he served with.

Maryna can be reached for interviews in Mykolaiv or virtually, by appointment.

• dead
• military
• women
• Mykolaiv