Themes by tag: military

On January 22, the exhibition “Dali: I Will Take My Life Back” will open in Kyin. It is dedicated to the memory of the poet and soldier Maksym “Dali” Kryvtsov.

The exhibition will feature 24 photographs by Maksym Kryvtsov with his poems. The official opening will be timed to the poet’s birthday (January 22). During the event, everyone will be able to listen to poetry from Kryvtsov’s collection “Poems from the Gun Slits,” which will be read by Maksym’s friends and relatives.

All works, as well as postcards with illustrations by Ukrainian artists, will be available for purchase. The proceeds from the sales will be donated to preserve the memory of Maksym Kryvtsov.

For reference: A machine gunner, poet and photographer, Maksym “Dali” Kryvtsov died on the front line on January 7 at the age of 33. On January 11, Ukrainians paid tribute to Maksym in Kyiv, and the soldier was buried in his native Rivne on January 12.

Maksym Kryvtsov participated in the Revolution of Dignity in 2013–2014, and joined the ranks of the Armed Forces as a volunteer in 2014. When the kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Kryvtsov volunteered to fight again. 

• culture
• dead
• military
• Kyiv

“The Superhumans Center” (a state-of-the-art center specializing in advanced rehabilitation and prosthetic services for war victims and amputees) assists patients with job opportunities. They have developed a program to help people with prosthetic devices find jobs (currently, they offer about 230 positions).

For example, agricultural companies, restaurants, and IT careers are those businesses hiring veterans most of all. 

Recently, one of the Center’s patients (a civilian with an upper limb prosthetic) got employment in catering.

Journalists can learn more about this program and talk to the participants who have been helped to find a job, wherever possible.

• casualties
• military
• Lviv

As a civilian, Olha Rukavishnikova is a violinist. She started music education at the age of four and in the eighth grade, she took up conducting and performed in particular at the Mykolaiv Regional Philharmonic and the Kyiv Conservatory Great Hall. On February 24, 2022, at 8 a.m., Olha was standing ready at the local military registration and enlistment offices. She was issued a firearm by the evening of that day and used it for the first time against the enemy the next day. Now Olha is fighting in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, her main weapon is a hand-held RPG-7 anti-tank grenade launcher, but she also works with a sniper rifle, an automatic easel grenade launcher, a machine gun, and a mortar.

During one of her combat missions, Olha sustained a blast injury to her cervical vertebrae. This exposure to an explosion also resulted in eye loss. Despite this, she refused to be discharged from military service. Now she is performing active military duty at the front line area again.

The servicewoman is ready to talk to the media online by prior arrangement.

• culture
• military
• women

Artur Bukevych has spent almost all his life at a hair salon, at first, as his mother used to bring her kid to a place she’d been doing her job as a hairdresser and then as he started his first barbershop in Khmelnytskyi.

In 2023, an acquaintance invited Artur to give a cut and a face shave to the military personnel at the front. Since then, the barber has been visiting the military at the front every month for frequent services. It takes him about 20 hours to cater, so he stays with the military for several days to refresh the haircut for as many soldiers as possible. In addition to haircuts, Arthur says he creates relaxing grooming sessions for the soldiers: the place where he works smells of lavender and plays music.

The barber shop Arthur opened in Khmelnytskyi is running. The business donates its income to the military. In particular, before the New Year, the barber bought and brought a Starlink satellite system to the front line for military use.

• military
• volunteers

In 2023, pizzaiolo Vitalii Koloshytsia launched the Military Chef project. The chef made a mobile oven on wheels that could be attached to a car so it would be possible to cook pizza in the field. Vitalii first tested his oven in Kyiv region, and later went to soldiers at the front lines.

Since the beginning of the project, Vitalii has also founded his own charitable foundation, which he also named “Military Chef.” And he also prepared more than 3,000 pizzas for the Ukrainian military. All expenses for such things as ingredients and car repairs are paid by the man himself out of his own pocket. He visits the front line 1-2 times a month.

With the help of the charitable fund, Vitalii plans to enlist the support of concerned citizens and expand the project: build several more mobile ovens and buy another car that can withstand longer distances.

• food
• military
• volunteers

Anna Chepynoha is a third-year student at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. In July 2023, 20-year-old Anna joined the separate UAV service in the Ukrainian Volunteer Army. Already in August, the military woman started going on combat missions in the Zaporizhia direction. Anna continues to study: combines her service with online lectures and university seminars. The woman says that sometimes she must get in touch with her university right while being at the positions, in the break between performing combat tasks. Anna does not plan to take an academic leave from the university. Currently, she serves as a navigator and plans to become a drone operator.

For reference: Anna Chepynoha is at the front lines. She is ready to communicate with journalists, both online and offline, by prior arrangement.

• military
• women

The first days of russia’s full-scale enemy invasion caught 25-year-old Viktor Lakhno in Berdyansk, Zaporizhia region. The man joined the territorial defense forces, and together with his brothers in arms he patrolled nearby settlements. Once the territorial defense soldiers even managed to capture some of the occupiers. After Berdyansk was occupied by the russians, Viktor became a resistance fighter. And later he left for the Ukraine-controlled territory.

Viktor was one of the people who volunteered to take a helicopter ride to Mariupol surrounded by the russians. The Ukrainian military man managed to take several rides. He helped to deliver the cargo and pick up seriously wounded soldiers.

Starting on April 4, 2022, Viktor fought in Mariupol. Later, together with other defenders of the city, he ended up at the Azovstal plant. By order of the command, the soldier left Azovstal on May 17. He spent 4 months in the infamous colony in occupied Olenivka, Donetsk region. Later he was transferred to occupied Horlivka. In general, Victor spent 13 months in enemy captivity. The military returned home in June 2023.

For reference: the defense of Mariupol lasted 86 days. Following the order of the command, the Ukrainian defenders stopped the defense, left Azovstal and surrendered to the enemy. On May 20, 2022, russia occupied Mariupol. 

• military
• prisoners

Kyiv set up the “Free inclusive transportation for defenders” pilot project delivered by the Doves of Peace charitable foundation. An inclusive minibus as a transportation system supplement is available for soldiers unable to move around easily due to injuries and wounds. In particular, transportation services operate for people wearing prostheses and wheelchairs or crutches users. The vehicle is equipped with an installed lift, comfortable seats, and climate control. The foundation’s employees and volunteers provide the necessary assistance to passengers.

• casualties
• military
• Kyiv

The announcement of the upcoming United States Air Force Trials 2024 team will be held at the Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform on January 10. The USAF Trials is an adaptive sports competition for wounded members of the United States Air Force and Marine Corps. The competition will take place in March 2024 in Las Vegas (Nevada). Ukraine will be represented by 30 participants in the competition. They were selected by a special commission based on the results of the All-Ukrainian adaptive sports competitions held in mid-December in Kyiv.

Participants:

– Svitlana Kashenets, Deputy Minister for Veteran Affairs;

– Ihor Krytsak, Coordinating Manager at the United States Air Force Trials competition;

– Olena Yanovska, Head Coach of the team that will compete in the United States Air Force Trials;

– Ivan Naumenko, Director of Strategic Initiatives Department of “Come Back Alive”;

– Anna Bielorusova, Chief Operating Officer at the Centre for Strategic Communications StratCom Ukraine;

– Oleksandra Lokhvytska, Head of the Program Department at the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation.

• casualties
• military
• Kyiv

On January 13-14, Kyiv will host a new masterclass session as part of the project “Thousands of Love Stories. Paintings of Wives of Real Heroes.” At the event, women who lost their husbands during the war will paint pictures.

The charity project was started by the artist Oleg Yurov in January of last year. Since then, over 200 women took part in art workshops, during which they created paintings in memory of the men who had died defending Ukraine. In particular, women made pictures of their dreams, objects or sensations associated with their deceased loved ones. An exhibition of paintings by those who took part in the charity project has recently been held in Kyiv.

• culture
• dead
• military
• women
• Kyiv