Themes by tag: military

In the Lviv Oblast, soldiers with amputations are taking part in a specialized cycling rehabilitation program. This initiative offers the defenders a unique opportunity to reintegrate into active life, regain their physical fitness, and experience the freedom of movement once again.

The sessions are led by a physical therapist, and the bicycles used in the program were generously donated by benefactors from the Netherlands. The inaugural class saw 10 participants, including veterans with both upper and lower limb amputations, many of whom use prosthetics.

The next cycling rehabilitation session is scheduled for Saturday, March 29, in Lviv.

Journalists interested in covering the sessions are invited to attend by prior arrangement.

The program is being carried out through a collaboration between the “With an Angel on A Shoulder” Charitable Fund, the NGO “Sports Club Power of the Nation,” the State Noncommercial Enterprise “Center of Complex Rehabilitation ‘Halychyna’,” and the Lviv Municipal Art Center.

• casualties
• military
• Lviv

Vitalii Lykhobytskyi, 38 is originally from Volyn, but has been living in the capital for the past 13 years. Before the full-scale invasion, he was running his own business related to construction equipment. 

On February 24, 2022, Vitalii took his family to Volyn and soon mobilized for territorial defense. He fought in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, in particular, near Serebryansky Forest and Kreminna.

On May 2, 2023, Vitalii was seriously wounded—an enemy sniper hit the thermal imager the soldier was holding. The soldier lost his eye and was most worried about how his family would react to the injury and whether his little girl would be scared. 

Vitalii was enrolled in the Neopalymi rehabilitation program. The veteran underwent eye surgery, was fitted with a prosthesis, and underwent laser grinding of the sutures. The man says that now people do not immediately notice his injury.

You can talk to Vitalii Lykhobytskyi both online and offline by appointment. 

For reference: Neopalymi (Unburnt) is a national program for the external rehabilitation of war-affected individuals. As part of the project, anyone who needs it can receive free treatment for burns or scars of a non-domestic nature.

• casualties
• military
• Kyiv

Halyna Hrytseniak, a medical doctor and Marine Corps veteran, spent 1 year, 7 months, and 12 days in captivity following the defense of Mariupol. Today, she volunteers with the Stalevi charitable organization and is an active member of the Stalevi veterans’ movement.

Her husband, Mykola Hrytseniak, is also a soldier—a Marine who fought in the defense of Mariupol. He endured four months in captivity before returning to military service as an instructor at the Marine Training Center.

Halyna recalls receiving her first marriage proposal on April 1, 2022, in a bunker at the Ilyich plant, where the hospital was located. Mykola, wounded with a gunshot to his leg, was lying there when he asked her to marry him.

More details on Halyna’s story are available here. 

Journalists can arrange an online interview with her by prior agreement.

• military
• prisoners
• women

On March 25, Kyiv will host the forum “Gender Equality in Defenсe – On the Way to Justice and Human Dignity”. The forum aims to strengthen equality and justice in the Security and Defence sector, improve military service conditions, and analyze barriers to implementing inclusive and gender equality policies. 

Additionally, it seeks to lay the foundation for an effective strategy that integrates a human-centred, gender-sensitive, and inclusive approach into the defence system at all levels. The event is part of the UK Special Defence Advisor’s Program.

Featured speakers include

• Kyle Sargon, Deputy National Security Adviser of the United Kingdom
• Olha Reshetylova (Kobylynska), Presidential Commissioner for the Protection of the Rights of Servicemen and their Families
• Colonel Petro Fivkin, Head of the Central Department for the Protection of the Rights of Military Personnel
• Members of the Ukrainian Parliament, representatives of civil society and active servicemen (both women and men)

The Forum program includes panel discussions on the following topics:

• Institutionalizing gender equality in the Security and Defense sector;
• Protecting the rights of service members and combating gender-based violence;
• Material support in the Armed Forces of Ukraine;
• Inclusion and diversity in the Security and Defense sector.

Kateryna Pryimak, head of the VETERANKA movement, will moderate the panel “Protecting the rights of service members and combating gender-based violence”.

Accreditation is required to participate in the event.

Note: The Forum is organized with the support of the following partners: British Embassy in Ukraine, Special Defense Advisor Program, VETERANKA Movement, StateWatch, and UK International Development.

• military
• women
• Kyiv

Peaceful gatherings will take place in 24 cities to draw attention to the defenders of Azovstal and other military personnel still held in enemy captivity.

On March 22, rallies will be held in Okhtyrka, Chernihiv, Arbuzynka, Vinnytsia, Irpin, Svitlovodsk, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Pavlohrad, and Obukhiv.

On March 23, events are planned in Kyiv, Pivdennoukrainsk, Uman, Krolevets, Korop, Ovruch, Kremenchuk, Cherkasy, Mykolaiv, Pryluky, Dolynske, Ostroh, Shostka, Odesa, Brovary, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi, Korosten, Uzhhorod, Kharkiv, Lozova, Poltava, Berdychiv, and Kropyvnytskyi.

The rallies are organized by the families of prisoners of war from the Mariupol garrison, with former captives often taking part in the events.

• casualties
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

The sledge hockey team consists of 11 veterans with lower limb amputations. They practice four times a week at an ice rink in the Lviv oblast. This summer, the team will decide whether to compete in the 2026 World Championship.

Journalists can cover the team’s training sessions by prior arrangement.

Background: Sledge hockey, also known as Sled hockey, was developed in Sweden in the early 1960s specifically for people with physical disabilities. It became a Paralympic sport in 1994.

• casualties
• military
• Lviv

Olena Herhel’s beloved Vasyl was Belarusian. Back home, he fought against the regime of self-proclaimed President Aleksandr Lukashenko—a struggle that led to his imprisonment. In 2015, he joined Ukraine’s fight, believing that by defending Ukraine, he was also taking a step toward freeing his own country.

In the summer of 2022, Olena received word that Vasyl was missing. But she says she knows for certain that he is dead—his comrades witnessed his death in battle. Later, she found footage on an enemy propaganda channel that showed Vasyl’s body, along with the chevron and belt she had given him.

Now raising three children alone, Olena made the decision to mobilize when her eldest son came of age. She was offered a role in the patronage service of the 93rd Separate Mechanized Brigade Kholodnyi Yar, where she now leads efforts to locate missing soldiers. Having lived through the anguish of uncertainty, she says she deeply understands what these families endure—and she is committed to doing everything she can to support those who receive the dreaded news that a loved one is missing.

Olena Herhel is available for interviews both online and in person by appointment.

• military
• women

Before russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine, Mykola Hradnyi-Savytskyi worked in theater and film. He calls meeting his wife, Kateryna—also part of the arts community—a gift of fate. In April 2022, he decided to enlist, visiting multiple recruitment offices before finally joining a National Guard unit in Chernihiv.

Determined to serve in a combat role, Mykola soon transferred to the National Guard of Ukraine’s 12th Special Forces Brigade Azov, where he became a UAV operator. In March 2024, while operating near the Serebrianskyi Forest in Luhansk Oblast, he and his unit were caught under a collapsing concrete slab.

For four hours, his comrades worked to pull him from the rubble under enemy fire. Once freed, they waited another two hours for evacuation. Doctors had no choice but to amputate both of his legs. Throughout his treatment, rehabilitation, and prosthetic fitting, Kateryna remained by his side. She says the injury was not a tragedy for them—they always understood the risks of military service.

Mykola is now undergoing rehabilitation at the Superhumans Center in Lviv Oblast. 

The Hradnov-Savytskyi family is available for interviews both online and in person by appointment through their press officer.

• casualties
• military
• Lviv

On March 20, Kyiv will host the inaugural Reform Platform organized by the 3rd Assault Brigade. The event will focus on sharing a decade of experience in building combat-ready units, developing an effective management system, and enhancing motivation and recruitment strategies.

Colonel Andrii Biletskyi is set to speak at the event. The program will also include two introductory sessions, discussions, and the launch of a lecture series featuring speakers from the brigade.

Registration is required to attend.

• military
• Kyiv

Oksana Starodub, a mother of two from Chernihiv, faced unthinkable challenges after deciding to stay in her hometown when the war began. Her husband, Mykola, joined the territorial defense forces on the second day of the all-out invasion, determined to protect his family and city. On March 6, 2022, russian mortars struck Oksana’s home, leaving her severely injured and unable to move. Her teenage son bandaged her wounds as they awaited help, but continued shelling prevented an ambulance from reaching them. Eventually, Mykola and his unit managed to return home, where a military medic applied a tactical tourniquet to Oksana’s leg before she was taken to a hospital. The hospital, overwhelmed with wounded, was operating under dire conditions. Power was down due to nearby shelling, staff was stretched thin, and resources were scarce. Drinking water arrived only once daily, and food for both patients and doctors was cooked outdoors over an open flame. Oksana later traveled to Vinnytsia for multiple surgeries and, by September 2022, was able to walk on her own again. 

Meanwhile, Mykola continued defending the Chernihiv region until his battalion was deployed to Donetsk. On June 17, 2024, during a combat mission, Mykola sustained fatal wounds, leaving Oksana a widow.

The Children of Heroes charity foundation is currently supporting the family. Dedicated to aiding children who have lost one or both parents due to russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the foundation offers financial assistance, psychological counseling, legal aid, and educational support to help these children grow and thrive until adulthood.

• casualties
• dead
• military
• russian crimes
• women
• Chernihiv