Themes by tag: military

Oleksandr Hurzhov, a resident of Mariupol, signed a contract with Ukraine’s Defense Forces in 2020. He was in his hometown when russia launched its full-scale invasion. Within days, he was wounded and later taken captive. russian forces repeatedly transferred him between detention sites, subjected him to torture and deprived him of food. After three years in captivity, Hurzhov weighed just 45 kilograms.

On May 25, 2025, Hurzhov returned home as part of a prisoner exchange. He recalls being struck by the appearance of russian prisoners of war, who “looked like normal people,” while Ukrainians returned from russian captivity as “living skeletons.” One of the first comforts he remembers after the exchange was taking a hot shower. In the prison colony, detainees had to wash themselves in the toilet using a 1.5-liter bottle of water.

Even before his captivity, Hurzhov loved music and enjoyed singing karaoke. Since returning home, he says he has attended more concerts than during the rest of his life combined.

Oleksandr Hurzhov is available for interviews both online and in person in Kyiv by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

A public event titled “To Lay Down One’s Life for One’s Friends” will take place at the War Museum in Kyiv on May 24 in memory of Ukrainian defenders Liubomyr Sochenko and Anton Balanchuk.

Brothers-in-arms Sgt. Liubomyr Sochenko and Pvt. Anton Balanchuk served as part of a strike drone crew operating Vampire unmanned aerial systems within the 65th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. While carrying out combat missions in the Zaporizhzhia direction, they destroyed enemy assault groups, military equipment, and fortifications. The soldiers continued combat operations even after sustaining injuries.

During their service, the crew destroyed more than 20 armored and military vehicles, eliminated 72 russian troops, and disabled or destroyed nearly 500 enemy fortifications.

Liubomyr Sochenko and Anton Balanchuk were killed on Sept. 16, 2025, near the village of Novodanylivka in Zaporizhzhia Oblast as a result of an enemy drone strike.

The event will focus on the defenders’ personal stories, memories shared by their relatives, and discussions on remembrance as a way of preserving human lives in national history.

As part of the event, Marina Sochenko — an artist, volunteer, and mother of Liubomyr Sochenko — and Yuliia Balanchuk, Anton Balanchuk’s wife, will speak with attendees. The families will also donate personal belongings and archival materials of the fallen defenders to the War Museum’s collection.

The event will feature photo and video materials, as well as paintings by Marina Sochenko related to the war.

The discussion will be moderated by Liubov Krupnyk, senior research fellow at the War Museum

• dead
• military
• Kyiv

Before the full-scale invasion, a serviceman with the callsign “Space” lived in Kyiv and worked in marketing and advertising. After the start of the full-scale war, he joined the military as a combat medic.

Over time, he served in various roles, including in a rapid response unit and military intelligence. Later, he joined a UAV unit and headed a division that eventually became the strike company known as “Practice.”

Soon, “Space” realized his company needed additional financial support. That is how “Practice” drip coffee packs were created. Most of the profits from sales go toward supporting the unit, while the remaining funds cover production costs.

He currently sells around 2,000 drip coffee packs per month.

“Space” is currently stationed on the frontline and is available for interviews online or offline by prior arrangement.

• military

The goal of the event is to remind society about those who remain in russian captivity and to support the families of prisoners of war.

• military
• prisoners
• Kyiv

Participants:

– Nataliia Yepifanova, Head of the NGO Warriors Liberation;

– Nataliia Kravtsova, mother of a captured “Azov” fighter, defender of Mariupol;

– Dmytro “Diplomat”, defender of Mariupol, veteran of the “Azov” brigade, former prisoner of war;

– Bohdan Okhrymenko, representative of the Coordination Headquarters — Head of the Secretariat of the Coordination Headquarters.

Topics for discussion:

– systemic issues in returning “Azov” fighters from captivity;

– persecution of “Azov” members in captivity: the Olenivka terrorist attack, intensified torture, mass criminal prosecution, and illegal verdicts by russian courts;

– the role of the international community and the state in returning the defenders of Mariupol.

The press conference will take place on the fourth anniversary of the final end of the defense of Mariupol and the surrender of the Mariupol garrison.

Speakers will address the issue of the prolonged captivity of servicemen of the 12th Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine “Azov,” who defended Mariupol and went into captivity in May 2022. More than 700 fighters remain in captivity.

How did it happen that soldiers who became a national and international symbol of Ukraine’s resistance to russian aggression in the early months of the full-scale invasion are often left out of prisoner exchanges?

The purpose of the press conference is also to discuss possible mechanisms to strengthen efforts to secure the release of “Azov” fighters from captivity.

• military
• prisoners
• Kyiv

On May 31 in Bucha, Kyiv region, the event “Match of Expectation: Every Voice Saves” will take place. As part of the event, the Ukrainian national veterans’ team will play an advocacy football match against the Kyiv regional team to draw attention to the families of missing and captured Ukrainian defenders.

The Ukrainian national veterans’ team will include well-known Ukrainian football players and former professional players: Andriy Biba, Yevhen Seleznyov, Yevhen Khacheridi, Serhiy Nazarenko, Oleksiy Bielik, Mykola Morozyuk, Yuriy Maksymov, Eduard Tsykhmeistruk, Oleh Sobutskyi, Volodymyr Lysenko, Mykola Ishchenko, Viacheslav Sviderskyi, Volodymyr Bondarenko, and Serhii Pohorilyi.

The Kyiv regional team will consist of war veterans, service members, volunteers, representatives of the Kyiv Regional State Administration, the Kyiv Regional Council, local communities, the National Police in Kyiv region, and the State Emergency Service of Ukraine.

A symbolic installation will be created in the stadium stands: military uniforms will be placed on 500 seats as a symbol of presence. Each seat will represent a defender whose fate remains unknown and a family that continues to wait. Nearby, photographs of missing soldiers, their words, and links to personal stories will be displayed.

Before the match, participants will form a circle of solidarity around the pitch with lit torches. The first kick of the ball will be taken by a child of a missing defender together with a man from Bucha who was released from captivity.

Within the “Match of Expectation: Every Voice Saves” initiative, families and relatives of missing defenders will be able to receive free legal and psychological support from partner organizations and, if they wish and consent, fill out a needs assessment form for further assistance and follow-up.

Journalists must register in advance to attend the event.

Background: The advocacy event is organized by the NGO “Voices of Silence.” It is an association of families of missing and captured Ukrainian defenders, founded in Bucha by Nataliia Ilyina, the wife of a missing defender.

• military
• prisoners
• psychological support
• Kyiv

At the start of the full-scale invasion, Dmytro Kanupier was serving in the 12th Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine “Azov” in Mariupol. In April 2022, he sustained two shrapnel wounds. Together with his comrades, the serviceman defended “Azovstal.” Ultimately, at the end of May 2022, the fighters were ordered to go into russian captivity.

Until September 26, 2022, Dmytro was held in a penal colony in Olenivka in the occupied part of Donetsk region, and later he was transferred to Taganrog in russia. There, according to the serviceman, prisoners were beaten and subjected to severe torture in order to obtain so-called confessions under duress to fabricated crimes. He was later sentenced to 29 years in a maximum-security penal colony for a war crime he did not commit.

Dmytro returned to Ukraine on October 18, 2024, during a prisoner exchange. After rehabilitation, he decided to return to military service, and recently published his book titled “Okraiets,” in which he describes in detail what he endured in captivity. The book serves as testimony to the crimes committed by russians against him over 886 days. The fighter says writing was extremely difficult, as he had to relive painful memories.

It is possible to meet Dmytro Kanupier online or in person by prior arrangement and coordination with his press service.

• casualties
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes

After the russian occupation of Luhansk in 2014, Oleksandr Ivantsov left his hometown. In 2015, he joined the Azov Brigade. He spent five years fighting in eastern Ukraine before being demobilized. When russia launched its full-scale invasion, Ivantsov was near Africa, protecting ships from pirates. But just three weeks later, he was flying to Mariupol aboard one of the helicopters that broke through to the city and reached the Azovstal steel plant.

Ivantsov informed his wife about his decision to join the defense of Mariupol only after he had arrived at the steel plant. The defense of Mariupol lasted 86 days, with Ukrainian troops surviving under constant shelling almost without water, food or essential medicine for the wounded. On May 16, 2022, the defenders still holding out at Azovstal received orders to surrender in order to save their lives. Ivantsov did not want to surrender to russian forces, so with his commander’s permission he remained at the plant.

For seven days, he hid in one of the tunnels with only limited supplies and a sleeping bag. He later got rid of his weapon, found civilian clothes and left the plant. For 18 days, Ivantsov walked without any contact with the outside world as he made his way back to Ukrainian-controlled territory. He lost 11 kilograms but eventually reached safety. Later, the serviceman returned to duty. In June 2025, Ivantsov was awarded the title Hero of Ukraine.

Interviews with Oleksandr Ivantsov can be arranged both online and offline in the Kharkiv region by prior agreement and coordination with his press officer.

• military
• Mariupol

Sofia and Volodymyr met through sports. Sofia came to a gym in Kyiv where her future husband worked as a coach. She is a trained teacher of Ukrainian language, literature, and history, while Volodymyr is a professional CrossFit athlete and coach with 15 years of experience.

The couple decided to open their own gym. That is how the T11CF sports space was established in Kyiv.

On March 4, 2022, Volodymyr joined a combat unit of the National Guard of Ukraine. He took part in the battles for the village of Moshchun in Kyiv region, the liberation of the Kyiv region, and later fought on the Zaporizhzhia front.

During that time, the project was put on hold. The gym eventually opened in September 2024. Later, thanks to a grant from the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation, the sports space expanded into a network of two locations.

Today, T11CF is not only about sports, but also about community. Soldiers, veterans, professional athletes, and people with disabilities train there.

Interviews with Sofia and Volodymyr can be arranged both online and in person in Kyiv by prior appointment.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• Kyiv

Kyiv Military Hub, together with the Kyiv Hippodrome, holds horse riding classes twice a week for Ukrainian defenders and veterans.

Each session lasts 40 minutes — enough time to learn basic riding skills, enjoy the experience and simply recharge.

Equine-assisted therapy for veterans includes:

• physical impact, as the horse transmits rhythmic movement impulses to the rider, activating muscles and the vestibular system;
• psychological and emotional support, as interaction with animals — even without riding — helps reduce stress, alleviate depression and support emotional recovery.

By prior arrangement, journalists are welcome to attend and cover the classes held in Kyiv.

Background: Since the initiative was launched, more than 2,000 defenders, veterans and their family members have taken part in the classes.

• animals
• culture
• military
• Kyiv