Themes by tag: military

Valerii and Tetiana Popovych live in Vyshkovo, a village in the Zakarpattia region. Valerii is a carpenter, and Tetiana is a teacher. Their 35-year-old son serves in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. After the full-scale invasion began, the couple took on the mission of returning fallen soldiers to their hometowns for burial. Valerii volunteers with the Na Shchyti (On the Shield) mission, and Tetiana often accompanies him on his trips. 

Together, they organize exhibitions of war artifacts to collect donations for their journeys. Previously, they traveled as far as the eastern front to retrieve fallen soldiers’ bodies. Now, they travel to neighboring regions to meet with other Na Shchyti volunteers to expedite the return of fallen soldiers whose families await them in Zakarpattia.

Valerii has organized a team of seven drivers, including two priests. The drivers take turns on missions to retrieve fallen soldiers’ bodies. Valerii and Tetiana explain that these journeys are psychologically exhausting, yet they feel they cannot stop.

Valerii and Tetiana Popovych are available for interviews online and in person in the Zakarpattia region by prior arrangement.

For reference: The Na Shchyti (On the Shield) project, run by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, is dedicated to locating and evacuating the bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers.

• dead
• military
• volunteers
• Uzhhorod

Alina enlisted with the 13th Khartiia Brigade of Ukraine’s National Guard in 2023. Before the war upended everything, she was building an online presence, shooting and editing content for various social media platforms.

When mobilization became a reality, she took a deliberate, no-nonsense approach: researching what service actually entailed, weighing different roles, and deciding where her skills might fit best. She started out in the brigade’s communications unit, heading out to frontline positions as a photographer to document the fighters and their work.

Spending time embedded with the troops, listening to their stories and seeing the demands of the battlefield up close, she realized where she wanted to contribute next. She retrained and transitioned into operating unmanned aerial vehicles, a shift from capturing images on the ground to directing eyes in the sky.

She remains on active duty today and makes a point of mentoring and supporting other women who have already mobilized or are considering enlisting, sharing practical advice and encouragement drawn from her own path.

Those interested in speaking with Alina, whether for interviews or deeper conversations, can reach out online or arrange an in-person meeting, subject to prior coordination with the brigade’s press officer.

• military
• women

Sofiia Pidvalna has been fascinated by martial arts since childhood. At age 13, she tried kickboxing and later pursued professional sports, competing for the Ukrainian national team.

At 19, Sofiia joined the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, where she began training in practical shooting. She eventually became a judge in the discipline.

On February 24, 2022, the first day of russia’s full-scale invasion, her brother, Vladyslav, was killed while defending the Luhansk region.

For Sofiia, this became a sign to fight for her country as her brother had done. During her service, she noticed that many women joining the army lacked sufficient prior training. She decided to leave active duty to focus on training enlistees.

Sofiia now teaches subjects including firearms and physical training. In the future, she plans to organize emergency driving courses for women.

Sofia Pidvalna is available for interviews, both online and in person in Lutsk, by prior arrangement.

• military
• women
• Lutsk

Before the russian aggression began, Natalia Lishchyshyna lived in the Luhansk region. When russia first attacked Ukraine in 2014, she began volunteering and providing support to the military.

In 2021, Natalia signed a contract with the 80th Separate Air Assault Brigade. Her husband supported this decision. She met the beginning of the full-scale invasion in the Mykolaiv region, where her unit was based.

In 2024, Natalia became seriously ill and was diagnosed with Mintz’s disease, which involves the formation of intraductal papillomas in the mammary glands.

Natalia underwent three surgeries, including a complete bilateral mastectomy (removal of both breasts). She is the only female veteran in Ukraine who has succeeded in proving that her condition was caused by the prolonged wearing of body armor.

Natalia has begun working as an expert supporting war veterans and demobilized military personnel. She is also studying in veteran programs, including the Tribe Project by Amnesty International Ukraine. She is also trying to draw the authorities’ attention to the problem of injuries sustained by women in military service.

Natalia Lishchyshyna is available for interviews, both online and in person in the Vinnytsia region, by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• military
• women
• Vinnytsia

Zoia Kovalets was in Vysokopillia, Kherson oblast, when the full-scale invasion began. When russian soldiers occupied her home, she started sharing information about enemy movements with the Ukrainian Armed Forces. She was betrayed to the occupiers by her neighbor. Zoia hid with her fellow villagers for two months, living in basements to avoid capture by the russians. She eventually managed to escape the occupation.

Once in Ukrainian-controlled territory, Zoia began working immediately as a nurse in a hospital and later joined the Ukrainian army. She currently serves as an operating room nurse in the 47th Mechanized Brigade “Magura”.

Zoia remembers everything she endured under occupation and seeks revenge against the enemy.

Zoia Kovalets is available for interviews online and in person by prior arrangement with the press officer.

• doctors
• military
• women

When russia launched its full-scale invasion, the servicewoman known by the call sign Minion was with her parents in the Kharkiv oblast. Their village, Mali Prokhody, was quickly occupied. For six months, she lived under russian rule, cut off from the outside world, before she and her parents managed to escape to Germany.

Upon turning 18, Minion chose to return to Ukraine and join the fight. Her first application at a Territorial Recruitment Center was rejected. Undeterred, she tried again a year later, succeeded in getting a brigade assignment, and completed her training.

Now, Minion has served for a year in the 1st Separate Medical Battalion as a drone operator. Looking ahead, she dreams of pursuing higher education to become a veterinarian.

Minion is available for online interviews by prior arrangement with her unit’s press officer.

• military
• women

In 2025, Cooper, a 20-year-old Canadian, came to Ukraine and joined the 13th National Guard Khartiia Brigade as a combat medic. That same autumn, he participated in the Kupiansk operation with the Khartiia search and strike group.

Cooper managed to provide aid to over 50 soldiers involved in assault operations. During the operation, Cooper was wounded when he stepped on a mine. He applied a tourniquet and stopped the massive bleeding himself. He documented the entire process on camera, from the insertion and clearing of the landing zone, to rescuing his comrades, to his own injury and evacuation.

As a result of the injury, the soldier lost his leg. He is currently in the hospital awaiting a prosthesis and plans to return to the military.

Cooper is available for interviews, both online and in person, by prior arrangement with the press officer. His video of the combat mission is also available.

• casualties
• military

To keep public attention on the defenders of Azovstal and other Ukrainian soldiers still held in russian captivity, peaceful rallies under the slogan “Don’t Be Silent. Captivity Kills!” are scheduled across the country on January 17 and 18. Events will take place in 30 cities in total.

On January 17, gatherings are planned in Okhtyrka, Chernihiv, Zaporizhia, Vinnytsia, Irpin, Dnipro, Shpola, Volochysk, Pavlohrad, and Lviv.

On January 18, rallies will be held in Kyiv, Krolevets, Pivdennoukrainsk, Kremenchuk, Mykolaiv, Uman, Obukhiv, Ovruch, Dolynska, Cherkasy, Poltava, Lozova, Korostyshiv, Kovel, Uzhhorod, Berdychiv, Kropyvnytskyi, Rivne, Chernivtsi, and Odesa.

Families of prisoners of war from the Mariupol garrison organize the actions. Released captives frequently join the demonstrations to help amplify calls for the return of those still held.

• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes

Mykhailo Varvarych joined the Ukrainian military in 2016. He served in the 80th Separate Air Assault Brigade, defending eastern Ukraine. He was supposed to return to civilian life in February 2022, but due to the start of the full-scale invasion, he continued his service.

On May 29, 2022, while on a combat mission in the Luhansk oblast, Mykhailo sustained severe injuries, losing both legs and severely damaging his arm. After treatment and rehabilitation, the veteran learned to use prosthetics and married his fiancée, Iryna. The couple faced profound joy and tragedy when their daughter, Martusia, was born in December 2024, only to pass away three months later in March 2025.

Now, Mykhailo and Iryna share their ongoing journey through social media, offering an intimate look at their life, their struggles, and their hard-won perspective on maintaining hope.

You can connect with Mykhailo and Iryna Varvarych online or in person in Lviv by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• military
• Lviv

A soldier who goes by the callsign “Dobby” enlisted at 18 and initially served as a Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) engineer. Harsh conditions and disillusionment with his unit eventually drove him to go AWOL.

Rather than abandon the fight entirely, he set out to find a better fit. He soon linked up with the 505th Separate Marine Battalion, where commanders offered him a role as a drone operator, a position that matched his interest and gave him a fresh start.

The nickname “Dobby” – borrowed from a Harry Potter character – stuck after his commander caught him passing a pair of socks to a fellow marine, a small act of camaraderie that became his unit’s running joke.

He learned to fly drones on the job, mentored by more experienced operators in the battalion, and was later issued his own ground control station.

Dobby is open to interviews, either online or in person, provided the battalion’s press officer gives prior approval.

• military