Themes by tag: military

In April, Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces announced the formation of an all-female drone operator unit called “Harpy.” The unit was created for women who want to defend their families, children, and country using unmanned and robotic technologies. Although men can also join the unit, only women are assigned as strike pilots responsible for final target engagement.

The unit is commanded by Daria, call sign “DShK,” an active participant in the Revolution of Dignity who has been carrying out combat missions in multiple special units since 2022.

New recruits will undergo a 45-day basic military training course, followed by over a month of specialized instruction and additional time for crew coordination before combat deployment.

Journalists can interview — either in person or online — women who have joined the “Harpy” unit, by prior arrangement and with approval from the press officer.

Background: According to Ukraine’s Defense Ministry, as of January 1, 2025, more than 70,000 women serve in the Armed Forces, with over 5,500 currently deployed on the front lines.

• military
• women

Maryna Muzyka and Dmytro met after russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. At the time, they lived in different countries, Maryna in Ukraine, Dmytro in the Czech Republic. A former soldier, Dmytro had served in the Ukrainian army until 2019, when he was discharged after sustaining injuries. But when the war escalated in 2022, he didn’t hesitate. On March 4, just days after the invasion began, Dmytro returned to Ukraine and enlisted in the 59th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade.

Their paths crossed in Mykolaiv, where Dmytro and fellow soldiers were looking for a place to stay. The two quickly grew close. Eventually, Maryna moved to the Donetsk region to be near him, waiting for him to return from combat missions.

On July 1, 2024, Dmytro Muzyka was killed in action during a mission in the Donetsk sector.

The couple had often talked about building a future together, dreaming of launching their own business someday. After Dmytro’s death, Maryna decided to turn that dream into reality on her own. She opened a coffee shop in Mykolaiv and named it Mykyta the Cat, a tribute to her fallen husband, who, she says, had remarkable night vision and moved with the silent grace of a feline.

Maryna designed the space with a theme she calls “combat cats”, a nod to the qualities she saw in Dmytro and the soldiers he served with.

Maryna can be reached for interviews in Mykolaiv or virtually, by appointment.

• dead
• military
• women
• Mykolaiv

Oleksandr Romenskyi, 29, joined Ukraine’s Defense Forces in September 2022. He was first wounded during combat operations near Kherson and hospitalized. After recovering, he returned to the front, serving in the Donetsk region. In 2023, near Bakhmut, Oleksandr suffered a traumatic head injury and multiple concussions caused by artillery fire. The damage left him struggling to see and with a stutter that made speaking difficult. But singing makes the stutter disappear.

Through intensive treatment and rehabilitation, Oleksandr slowly began to walk again. As his story gained attention, Ukrainian singer Serhii Lazanovskyi reached out, and the two eventually recorded a song together titled “Black Cloud.”

Today, Oleksandr performs on stage with Ukrainian artists, including Anna Trincher and the Kozak System. He says he doesn’t dwell on the hardships he’s endured. Instead, he’s focused on building a new life.

Currently based in Kyiv, Oleksandr is available for interviews in person or online, by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• military
• Kyiv

The NGO “Live Despite Everything” invites media representatives to a community workday at the Memory Garden — a unique space dedicated to preserving the memory of soldiers who lost their lives fighting for Ukraine. The event will take place on June 22 in Kyiv.

In March 2025, 38 large trees — a gift from the Netherlands — were planted in the garden. During the workday, participants will install supports and prepare tree pits to ensure the trees root properly.

Speakers:

• Olha Zhurba, co-founder of the NGO “Live Despite Everything”, author of the Memory Garden concept, project lead, and wife of a fallen soldier;
• Olena Balzhyk, initiative coordinator, landscape designer of the Memory Garden, and head of the company TERi-TORi.

Accreditation is required to attend.

• culture
• dead
• military
• Kyiv

On September 4, 2023, Taras Kozub was injured and lost his left arm during a combat mission in the Zaporizhzhia sector. He served as a soldier in the 25th Separate Assault Battalion, which was part of the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade “Magura” at the time.

Before his service, Taras worked as a craftsman, making ancient musical instruments such as the kobza, bandura, lyre, and torban, and he taught at a kobzar art school.

A recent video of Taras playing the traditional beggars’ song “There Is No Truth in the World” on the lyre has gone viral online. Taras performs the piece using a custom device attached to the shoulder of his amputated arm. He crafted the lyre himself, in 2017. Taras is also a member of the Veterans Theater.

Journalists can talk to Taras in Kyiv or online by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• Kyiv

The third international ophthalmic surgery mission, Vision for Ukraine, organized by the Christian Medical Association of Ukraine, is underway in Kyiv and Lviv. Three surgeons from the United States arrived in Ukraine to collaborate with local specialists on complex clinical cases.

Among the mission’s patients are military personnel who have lost sight in one or both eyes and part of their faces due to mine and explosive injuries. Organizers describe these free surgeries as unprecedented because surgeons use an innovative approach involving 3D implants to reconstruct eye orbits, jaws, and skulls.

Background: Since the start of the full-scale invasion, the Christian Medical Association of Ukraine team has conducted over ten international missions, providing free surgeries to more than 850 patients.

Arrangements can be made to speak with surgeons and patients in person in Lviv until June 20.

• casualties
• doctors
• military
• Lviv

“Wake Accessible” is a powerful initiative within the One Team Forces NGO community, brought to life thanks to the skill and commitment of the STAV14 cable wakeboarding parks teams.

The project’s mission is simple but inspiring: to prove that even an extreme sport like wakeboarding can be adapted for veterans on the road to recovery.

Since launching in the summer of 2024, over 150 military personnel and veterans have had the chance to try cable wakeboarding. Currently, about 20 participants are regularly training in adaptive wakeboarding.

Training sessions take place twice a week in Kyiv. Thanks to experienced coaches and specialized adaptive equipment, individuals who have lost limbs are able to ride the waves alongside others.

Journalists interested in covering the sessions can arrange access in advance.

For reference: One Team Forces community supports military members who served before or after February 24, 2022, and who have suffered physical injuries or psychological trauma as a result of russia’s armed aggression.

STAV14 is a growing network of wakeboarding parks across Ukraine, STAV14 is a leading force in making adaptive wakeboarding accessible, not just in Kyiv but throughout the country.

• casualties
• military
• Kyiv

Before russia’s full-scale invasion, Taras Ostapchuk worked as an electrician manufacturing lighting poles. As early as 2017, he had mastered drone piloting in order to inspect these structures. After February 24, 2022, he used the same drones to conduct reconnaissance in the Kyiv oblast and later joined an aerial reconnaissance unit.

Taras had observed that soldiers were risking their lives by carrying anti-tank mines manually. This inspired him to create kamikaze robots to transport explosives instead. Leveraging his background in metalworking, Taras crafted the robots’ chassis himself. Workshops originally designed for lighting fixtures helped assemble the internal components. 

Taras invested his entire savings — approximately $270,000 — to build the first 50 robots, which he donated to troops on the front lines. A friend later invested in the project, enabling mass production. 

The current robot model can carry 40 kg of explosives, reach speeds of 24 km/h, and is remotely controlled. Taras has also designed two drones to improve logistics and evacuate wounded soldiers.

Journalists can interview Taras Ostapchuk online or in person in Kyiv, subject to prior coordination.

• military
• Kyiv

Before russia’s full-scale invasion, Mykyta Kozachynskyi lived and worked in Dnipro. In 2016, he and his friends launched a Module nightclub, which later evolved into a music label. Kozachynskyi recorded up-and-coming artists and released vinyl records.

On the second day of the war, he reunited with the club’s bartender and administrator at the enlistment point for the 128th Territorial Defense Brigade, known as “Dyke Pole.” They were assigned to the same battalion. Not long after, another co-founder of the club joined their ranks. Following their first combat operations in April 2022, Kozachynskyi and his comrades began forming an eponymous drone unit, Module. Initially focused on aerial reconnaissance, the unit eventually became an assault force.

Today, Kozachynskyi is leading the development of a training center that prepares drone pilots for all five battalions of the brigade. There, service members are trained on existing platforms and introduced to emerging technologies being adopted across the Ukrainian military.

Interviews with Mykyta Kozachynskyi can be arranged in advance, online, or in person in Zaporizhia, with approval from the brigade’s press officer.

• military
• Zaporizhzhia

Before the full-scale invasion, Svitlana worked as an intensive care nurse at Mechnikov Hospital in Dnipro. In the early days of the war, she joined the Ukrainian military as a combat medic.

In May 2024, her unit was stationed at a stronghold in Donetsk oblast when russian forces surrounded their position. While her comrades held the line, Svitlana grabbed a grenade launcher and maneuvered toward the enemy. She flanked the building where the russians were stationed and fired, eliminating the entire hostile group in one strike.

Her actions allowed Ukrainian forces to conduct a rotation and evacuate personnel from the besieged positions. For her bravery, Svitlana was awarded the Cross of the Land Forces.

Journalists can interview Svitlana online or in person in Zaporizhia, by prior coordination with her press officer.

• doctors
• military
• women
• Zaporizhzhia