Themes by tag: military

Oleksii Naidenko joined Ukraine’s defense in 2014, serving in the 28th Separate Mechanized Brigade. Prior to that, he had worked for more than 15 years as a boatswain on gas carriers. After the start of the full-scale invasion, he returned from abroad to defend the country again, this time serving in the 67th Separate Mechanized Brigade (DUK PS).

In 2023, he was discharged from military service due to health reasons. On November 25, 2024, he died in hospital as a result of complications from his injuries.

His wife, Olena, has been involved in volunteer work since 2016. She founded the initiative group “Cherkasy Charivnytsi,” which prepares dry rations and ready-to-eat meals in retort pouches for soldiers on the frontline and visits wounded defenders in hospitals.

The couple has a 13-year-old son, Matvii Naidenko. He is an eighth-grade student and actively participates in sports, including competitions under the “Side by Side” initiative (rugby, football, handball). Since 2020, the family has also taken part in charity runs and marathons in support of the military.

According to his mother, Matvii was very close to his father. While his father worked at sea, the boy helped at home, and after his loss, he became a strong support for his mother and actively participates in volunteer work.

The family has remained in Cherkasy. Matvii is a beneficiary of the “Children of Heroes” Charitable Foundation.

In 2025, one of Matvii’s dreams was to receive an autograph from Ukrainian footballer Artem Dovbyk. This wish was fulfilled with the support of Daniel Salem and Lida Lee. He is now focused on football and preparing to enter a football academy.

Journalists can arrange interviews with the family online by prior arrangement.

• children
• dead
• military
• women

A memorial run in honor of Hero of Ukraine and Azov fighter Maksym Kahal will take place in Kyiv on March 29. The event is organized by the NGO “Association of Azovstal Defenders’ Families.”

Maksym Kahal, call sign “Piston,” was a Hero of Ukraine and served as a senior lieutenant in the Azov Regiment (now the 12th Special Forces Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine). He was also a professional athlete and a world champion in ISKA kickboxing among adults.

Maksym Kahal was killed on March 25, 2022, during the defense of Mariupol.

Registration is required to participate.

• dead
• military

Dafna Sosnovska is the co-founder of the “Zavdyaky” project. The idea for the initiative emerged from her frustration with how Ukraine has commemorated those killed since the beginning of the russian-Ukrainian war in 2014. In 2023, she decided to take action, bringing together a team of like-minded people, and the project began to take shape.

“Zavdyaky” aims not only to honor those who died for Ukraine, but also to tell the stories of their lives, dreams, values, and contributions to the fight for freedom. Anyone can contribute to the project, as the team’s main priority is to preserve every memory of the fallen.

The platform combines a database, documentary films, and personal profiles that allow relatives, friends, fellow service members, and acquaintances to share their memories. The team is currently working on an ambitious goal to collect information on everyone who has been killed since 2014 and to create documentary films telling their stories.

Journalists can speak with Dafna Sosnovska and the project team both online and in person in Kyiv, by prior arrangement.

• dead
• military
• women
• Kyiv

Oleksandr Darmoros’s life changed in March 2016, when he was serving as a scout in the ATO zone (Anti-Terrorist Operation—the fight against russian aggression in eastern Ukraine, which lasted from 2014 to 2018). During one of his combat missions, the soldier stepped on an anti-personnel mine; shrapnel mangled nearly his entire body. Thanks to his comrades, Oleksandr was evacuated in time, though his vision and leg could not be saved. What followed was a series of surgeries, years of treatment and rehabilitation—both in Ukraine and abroad. He had to learn to use a prosthetic limb, relearn how to walk, and take care of himself—all in complete darkness.

In the USA, Oleksandr received a running prosthesis and participated in the Marine Corps Marathon. Afterward, the veteran took up a new profession—military psychologist—and worked with soldiers who needed psychological support.

Today, Oleksandr is setting up his own farm—raising quails and tending a garden. Together with his family, the veteran built a greenhouse and collects various plant varieties. He also runs a blog where he writes about his life.

You can connect with Oleksandr Darmoros both online and in person in the Khmelnytskyi region, by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• military
• Khmelnytskyi

Ania Tatu call sign “Ksena” — a UAV operator with the 37th Marine Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces — is a Polish woman with a Belgian passport. Despite living with a prosthetic limb, she chose the front lines and earned the right to serve in the Marine Corps. Her superpower is her incredible accuracy and ability to be the first to spot a threat in the night sky, saving thousands of lives.

She became one of the heroines of the large-scale communication campaign “Women Can Do Anything!”, launched by the VETERANKA Movement. The initiative tells the real combat stories of four Ukrainian female servicemen in comic book format. The campaign’s main mission is to change society’s perception of women’s roles in the Ukrainian Armed Forces and highlight their impact on civilian safety.
By prior arrangement, journalists have the opportunity to speak with Anna about her service and her participation in the “Women Can Do Anything!” campaign.

• military
• women

On March 16, 2026, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed Law No. 13037 amending the Disciplinary Statute of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Statute of Internal Service of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The VETERANKA Movement initiated this bill—in 2024, the Movement’s leader, combat medic Kateryna Pryimak, registered a petition demanding the implementation of an already developed mechanism to combat sexual harassment and violence in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Experts from the VETERANKA Movement were involved in every stage of the document’s development. Member of Parliament Maria Mezentseva submitted the bill to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.

On February 25, 2026, members of the Verkhovna Rada unanimously supported and adopted this bill: 276 voted “for,” with no abstentions. The document provides for amendments to the Disciplinary Statute of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and establishes new norms intended to ensure a dignified and safe environment for military personnel.

By prior arrangement, journalists may obtain comments from representatives of the VETERANKA movement.

For reference: The VETERANKA movement is the first and only community of women in Ukraine with combat experience that has been defending the rights of female service members since 2018. Today, it comprises over 3,000 members—active-duty female service members, veterans, and volunteers. In 2018, thanks to the organization, 63 combat positions were opened for female service members that had previously been inaccessible. Over the course of four years of full-scale invasion, the Movement has supported 107 brigades and units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the National Guard (amounting to over 140 million UAH in aid to female defenders and their units).

• military
• women

Khartiia Hub invites civilians to an open discussion with the electronic warfare (EW) unit of the 13th Operational Brigade “Khartiia”. The meetings will take place in Poltava (March 19), Dnipro (March 20), and Kyiv (March 21).

Service members will explain how EW works, how the “war of frequencies” affects the battlefield, what tasks EW specialists perform and under what conditions, as well as share insights about the unit, its commanders, training, and professional development.

Accreditation is required to attend the event.

• military

Daria Ulman is the wife of soldier Kirill Ulman, who was killed on February 15, 2024. At the start of the full-scale invasion, her husband joined the ranks of the Territorial Community Volunteer Unit in Dnipro, which was formed by veterans of the 12th Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine “Azov.” In December 2022, he joined the Third Separate Assault Brigade as part of an anti-tank battalion. Kirill was killed by a sniper’s bullet.

Daria says her husband was passionate about military affairs. After his death, she regretted not having started training alongside Kirill. Over the course of a year, Daria completed six courses and underwent two full training programs. She later founded her own community dedicated to military training for women. She named it Community Ulman in honor of her fallen loved one.

Over 80 women have already completed the training, and thanks to the project, 115,000 hryvnias were donated to Kirill’s comrades-in-arms.

Journalists will have the opportunity to cover the training on March 22.

Media can arrange interviews with Daria Ulman both online and in person in Kyiv by prior arrangement.

• dead
• military
• women
• Kyiv

Hanna is the mother of two sons and the wife of a soldier who died in the war. Their family first lost their home back in 2014. Before that, the family lived in Olenivka in the Donetsk region. After hostilities began, the family left with their four-year-old child, leaving their home and all their belongings behind in the occupied territory. After several moves, they settled in the town of Bilozerske in the Ukraine-controlled part of Donetsk Oblast. They bought a home, her husband won a grant and started his own business, and the couple had a second son.

In 2022, due to the full-scale russian invasion, they were forced to leave everything behind once again. The family donated their home to the Ukrainian Armed Forces—Ukrainian soldiers lived there for a time.

In the summer of 2024, the husband joined the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. He completed training and served as an operator of a multiple launch rocket system. He was listed as missing in action as of October 23, 2024. Four months later, the family was informed that the DNA of a body repatriated during an exchange matched his samples. He was buried in March 2025.

After her husband’s death, the woman was left with her children in a new city without the support of relatives. The hardest part, she said, was telling her sons about their father’s death.

The family received psychological support from the “Children of Heroes” charitable foundation. The support of specialists became a crucial part of helping the children and their mother adapt to their new reality.

The family currently lives in Kyiv, renting an apartment. The older son spent almost his entire childhood moving from place to place, while the younger one was born during the war.

By prior arrangement, journalists can speak with the family online.

• children
• dead
• military
• women

Stepan Vlasyuk joined the Ukrainian military in 2014, when russia first attacked Ukraine. While carrying out one of his combat missions, Stepan was seriously wounded and lost his leg.

After his injury, treatment, and prosthetics, Stepan found a new calling—a job at the technology company BlueBird Tech, where veterans and specialists are trained to work with modern military technologies, including drones and electronic warfare systems.

Journalists can connect with Stepan Vlasyuk and the BlueBird Tech team both online and offline, by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• military