Themes by tag: military

“Active Parks” is initiating an adaptive sit ski training session for veterans with lower limb disabilities, set to take place on February 19 in Kyiv.

Training on these specialized bucket seats with two skis underneath is part of a broader effort to create an inclusive environment for veterans injured in the war, enabling them to maintain an active physical and social life.

The session will be conducted in collaboration with professional instructors from Golosiiv Ski Park. Participants will train using Tempo Dualski equipment for seated skiing, a safe and specialized tool designed for adaptive skiing and snowboarding.

Accreditation is required to attend the event.

Background: The training is part of the “Sport for All” initiative under the State Institution, supported by Ukraine’s Ministry of Youth and Sports. It is organized within the framework of the presidential social project “Active Parks – Locations of Healthy Ukraine.”

• casualties
• military
• Kyiv

Lviv has inaugurated its first social home for severely wounded soldiers undergoing rehabilitation at the UNBROKEN Center. The new housing facility is designed to accommodate up to 60 people at a time, including both patients and their relatives.

The six-story building features 24 fully accessible apartments—20 two-room units and four one-room units. Each apartment is equipped with a kitchen and a bathroom, ensuring a comfortable living environment. The entire facility is barrier-free, designed to meet the needs of residents using crutches, wheelchairs, prosthetics, or those with visual impairments. Each unit is also fitted with a panic button for emergency assistance.

The primary goal of the social housing project is to support patients through the critical adaptation period following their injuries in a comfortable and accommodating environment.

The first residents, along with their families, have already moved in. In the coming months, the building will be further equipped with shared community spaces, and the terrace will serve as a public area for events. This is just the beginning—seven more buildings are planned for social housing to support the UNBROKEN Center’s patients.

Background: The initiative is managed by NEFCO as part of the “Housing for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and Reconstruction of Liberated Cities in Ukraine” project, funded by the European Union.

• casualties
• military
• Lviv

Petro Krasytskyi from Kyiv has served in Ukraine’s armed forces twice—first in 2015 with the 25th Separate Airborne Brigade and again following the full-scale invasion as part of the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade. During his service, he suffered two strokes, requiring extensive treatment and rehabilitation in both Ukraine and the Czech Republic.

Throughout his recovery, Petro was supported by his family doctor, Yuliia Barbolina. She was the one who called an ambulance when he arrived at her office experiencing his second stroke.

Together, they decided to establish a medical center—a vision that quickly became reality with the launch of the Razom Medical Center in Kyiv, which recently marked its first anniversary.

Yuliia serves as the center’s medical director, providing patient consultations and performing ultrasound diagnostics. A modern ultrasound machine was purchased through a grant from the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation.

The Petro Krasytskyi Clinic offers medical care to both civilians and military personnel. On designated days, military members can receive free medical checkups, while service members, veterans, their families, and families of fallen defenders are eligible for a 20% discount.

Journalists can arrange interviews with Petro and Olha by prior request.

• casualties
• doctors
• military
• Kyiv

On February 18, Media Center Ukraine will host a briefing on military recruitment, focusing on how the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade attracts new enlistees and prepares them for service.

Participants:
– Dmytro Kukharchuk, head of recruitment for the 3rd Assault Brigade;
– Oleksandr Borodin, press officer of the 3rd Assault Brigade;
– Call sign “Student”, chief sergeant of the Test Week project. 

Topics of focus:
– The effectiveness of recruitment campaigns and the most successful strategies;
– The role of specialized projects in recruitment—how they work and their benefits;
– Raising public awareness about recruitment initiatives and available opportunities. 

Those interested in joining the 3rd Brigade can visit recruitment centers in Odesa, Dnipro, Lviv, and Kyiv.

Recruits undergo intensive training under the guidance of experienced combat instructors. Before taking up arms, they complete a rigorous program covering tactical operations, medical preparedness, and firearms training.

Background: The 3rd Separate Assault Brigade was established on March 9, 2022, from the Kyiv-based Azov Army’s Territorial Defense Battalion. On January 26, 2023, it was restructured into a separate assault brigade within the Land Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

• military
• Kyiv

Before russia’s full-scale invasion, Volodymyr Symanyshyn lived in Poland. But when the war began, he returned home to join the Ukrainian Defense Forces. In July 2023, during a combat mission, he suffered severe injuries that resulted in the amputation of both hands.

Shortly thereafter, Volodymyr’s girlfriend left him — a devastating blow on top of his physical loss. But instead of giving in to despair, he focused on rehabilitation. He started with sports and later discovered a passion for painting. Attaching a brush to his arm stump, he learned to create artwork and embraced a new form of self-expression.

In the summer of 2024, he traveled to the United States, where he received a prosthetic hand. Upon his return to Ukraine, he enrolled in the Theological Academy of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, taking his first steps toward becoming a chaplain. Now, Volodymyr is preparing to dedicate his life to helping soldiers and veterans of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Journalists can arrange an interview with Volodymyr Symanyshyn both online and in person in Ternopil by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• military
• Ternopil

Fedir Samburskyi, a 29-year-old from the Donetsk oblast, was in Irpin, Kyiv Oblast, when russia launched its full-scale invasion. In the early days of the war, he volunteered to help civilians. Later, he managed to escape the occupation with his mother and sister and moved to Prykarpattia. A few weeks later he joined the army.

The veteran fought in the Donetsk and Zaporizhia oblasts and took part in the liberation of the Kherson oblast. During a combat mission in November 2023, he suffered a serious injury: an explosion from an enemy FPV drone cost him his leg, an arm, and partially his sight.

After several surgeries and nine months of rehabilitation, Fedir learned to use his prosthetics and decided to start his own business. Using the funds he received as compensation for his injury, he opened an inclusive café in Kyiv called Tytanovi — after the rehabilitation center where he received his prosthetics. The center’s founder helped him buy some of the equipment. Today, Fedir donates half of the cafe’s profits to support the Tytanovi Rehab Center.

Journalists can arrange an interview with Fedir Samburskyi both online and in person in Kyiv upon prior agreement.

• casualties
• military
• Kyiv

On February 18, Media Center Ukraine will host a briefing on military recruitment, focusing on how the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade attracts new enlistee and prepares them for service.

Participants:

– Dmytro Kukharchuk, head of recruitment for the 3rd Assault Brigade;

– Oleksandr Borodin, press officer of the 3rd Assault Brigade;

– Call sign “Student”, chief sergeant of the Test Week project. 

Topics of focus:

– The effectiveness of recruitment campaigns and the most successful strategies;

– The role of specialized projects in recruitment—how they work and their benefits;

– Raising public awareness about recruitment initiatives and available opportunities. 

Those interested in joining the 3rd Brigade can visit recruitment centers in Odesa, Dnipro, Lviv, and Kyiv.

Recruits undergo intensive training under the guidance of experienced combat instructors. Before taking up arms, they complete a rigorous program covering tactical operations, medical preparedness, and firearms training.

For reference: The 3rd Separate Assault Brigade was established on March 9, 2022, from the Kyiv-based Azov Army’s Territorial Defense Battalion. On January 26, 2023, it was restructured into a separate assault brigade within the Land Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

• military
• Kyiv

The soldier known by the call sign “Pinky” is just 18 years old. When russia’s full-scale invasion broke out, he was in Chernihiv, only 16 at the time. That was when he first witnessed artillery in action—and experienced the horrors of occupation. He later left for Germany but returned home after just two months.

Pinky had been fascinated by the military since childhood. Growing up, he studied weapons alongside his father, a police officer who has also been mobilized. After finishing high school, he was determined to fight. He waited until he was old enough, then joined the rear guard. Initially, he assured his commanders he would enroll in the Ukraine’s National Guard Military Academy. But when exam time came, he deliberately flunked the tests—his real goal was to transfer to a combat unit. He set his sights on the 13th Khartiia Brigade of the National Guard, known as Now, Pinky is serving on the front lines. 

Interviews with him can be arranged both online and in person, with prior coordination through the brigade’s press officer.

• military

Ivan Soroka joined the ranks of the defense forces at the beginning of the full-scale invasion. On February 24, the military draft office was recruiting soldiers for the 72nd separate mechanized brigade, named after the Black Zaporozhians — and Ivan joined them. He defended the village of Moshchun in the Kyiv oblast, and later his unit was sent to the East. In August 2022, an enemy mine exploded just a few steps away from him.

His comrade was killed instantly, while Ivan lost his sight. “Who would ever need me blind?” was the first thought that crossed his mind when he regained consciousness. His fiancée, Vladyslava, whom he met online in April 2022, answered that question for him. She visited him in the hospital during his recovery, hoping along with Ivan that his sight would return, but it never did. In September 2023, Ivan and Vladyslava got married.

Journalists can arrange to speak with Ivan Soroka online or in person in Kyiv.

• casualties
• military
• women
• Kyiv

The Doctors for Heroes charity project is dedicated to helping both military personnel and civilians by performing facial and head reconstructive surgeries following severe injuries. To date, the initiative has enrolled 240 soldiers and two civilians in its program.

Through a collaboration of surgeons and bioengineers, all medical services are provided free of charge to patients. However, the reconstruction of lost skull bones requires the creation of specialized implants. The Doctors for Heroes Charity Foundation funds the production of these implants for each participant. It raises donations from philanthropists, organizes case support throughout treatment, and ensures that funds are used responsibly and effectively.

The project is also expanding into the field of eye prosthetics and ecto prosthetics.

By prior arrangement, journalists are welcome to speak with the project’s organizers, doctors, and patients in Kyiv and other cities across Ukraine.

• casualties
• doctors
• military
• Kyiv