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The Veteranka movement has launched the “Plan B Center of Strength” project, spearheaded by Tetiana Borys, whose husband, a soldier with the 58th Mechanized Brigade, was killed in action in February 2023. The initiative aims to reshape how Ukraine supports families of fallen soldiers, addressing their grief and guiding them toward healing.
The project’s key goal is to study the experiences of those coping with loss and use that insight to reform how government agencies work with bereaved families. As part of the initiative, families will receive a bereavement guide designed to help them re-engage with society and rebuild their lives.
Tetiana Borys also plans to share her personal story of loss in a series of articles that highlight the emotional journey of losing a loved one in war.
Journalists can arrange interviews with Tetiana in Kyiv to learn more about the “Plan B Center of Strength” project.
Feliks Rasko, a 36-year-old Ukrainian Armed Forces veteran, has a remarkable story of resilience. He enlisted in the military at 18, first serving through conscription before signing a contract to continue his service. After his military career, he worked as a conductor for Ukraine’s Railways, Ukrzaliznytsia.
When russia’s full-scale invasion began, Feliks promptly re-enlisted. For eight months, he fought in some of the most intense battle zones, including Sievierodonetsk, Lysychansk, Rubizhne, and Yampolivka. In October 2022, while stationed in Donetsk, enemy missiles struck the building where Feliks and his fellow soldiers were sheltering. Trapped under debris and engulfed by flames, Feliks put out the fire on his burning hands himself, while his comrades helped extinguish the fire on his head. Despite their injuries, the soldiers managed to escape and were evacuated by medics.
Feliks sustained serious injuries, which greatly impacted his mobility. His wife learned about the Unburned project, a free rehabilitation program, and applied on his behalf, submitting photos of his burns. A month later, Feliks began his treatment. Today, after completing rehabilitation, he has returned to work with Ukrzaliznytsia, now as a service center engineer in Kyiv, rather than his previous role as a conductor.
For reference: The Unburned project, supported by Ukraine’s Ministry of Health and partners, offers free, comprehensive treatment for military personnel, volunteers, civilians, and children affected by burns and scars caused by the war.
Oleksandr Derevianko was killed by enemy tank fire in April 2022. Together with his comrades from the Azov Brigade he was defending occupied Mariupol. Oleksandr’s mother, Anna, says she felt when her son died, and the next day she received the news from the brigade’s patronage service. Anna describes “Adams” as a passionate young man and a warrior at heart. At one point, Anna found the money to allow Oleksandr to start boxing. He also attended football matches in Cherkasy and joined the Ultras fan movement. Anna says that Oleksandr was someone who young people listened to; he encouraged them to take up sports, while he himself won first places in boxing, combat sambo and free fighting competitions.
In 2020, Oleksandr completed basic training, signed a contract with the 12th Brigade “Azov” of the National Guard of Ukraine, and in 2022 he defended Mariupol. After her son’s death, Anna started attending football matches and getting tattoos. She became a contact person for one of Oleksandr’s comrades-in-arms, who is now in captivity and has no relatives. Anna says she promised her son that she would live, and she is keeping her word.
For reference: Anna Derevianko lives in Cherkassy. The mother of the fallen soldier is ready to talk to journalists, both online and offline, by prior arrangement.
Before russia’s full-scale invasion, a soldier with the callsign “Fartovyi” (meaning “Lucky”) was living abroad, working in construction in Warsaw. When war broke out, “Fartovyi” didn’t hesitate. He packed his bags, returned to Ukraine, and immediately enlisted. In January 2023, at age 22, he signed a military contract, initially hoping to serve as a mortar operator. However, he was assigned to the 505th Separate Marine Battalion as a grenadier. Starting as a senior grenade launcher gunner, he quickly rose to squad leader, serving in Donetsk and Zaporizhia before returning to Donetsk. His most challenging post came in Krynky, a fiercely contested area. Upon his return, “Fartovyi” was promoted to sergeant major of an anti-tank platoon and took on the role of acting company sergeant major. He earned his nickname during training, although there was no special meaning behind it at the time. Yet, his battlefield experiences suggest the name fits: after 18 months in some of the most dangerous areas, he’s managed to avoid being hit by shrapnel. In one particularly close call near Urozhaine, a russian shell struck the trench where he and a colleague were taking cover. His comrade was killed, but “Fartovyi” escaped with only a concussion. In another incident in Krynky, a russian drone dropped a shell just two meters away. All his nearby comrades were injured, yet he walked away without a scratch. Though he doesn’t believe he’s a lucky charm, “Fartovyi” credits his survival to the trust and camaraderie he shares with his fellow soldiers.
For reference: The soldier is open to interviews with journalists, available both online and in person by prior arrangement.
Mykhailo Kmytiuk, commander of the Typhoon unit, was first mobilized in 2015. After serving for four years, he transitioned back to civilian life, working as a bodyguard and later as a tactical training instructor. However, with the onset of the full-scale invasion, he returned to the military. Pavlo Hvozdenko, the unit’s deputy commander, faced a different choice when the war escalated. As a father of three, he could have opted out of service or left the country, but instead, he joined the territorial defense. Eventually, Pavlo enlisted in the National Guard and, alongside Kmytiuk, helped form the Typhoon UAV unit.
The unit is composed of veterans—many who served during the Anti-Terrorist Operation/Joint Forces Operations campaigns—along with new recruits whom Pavlo trains, helping them transition from civilian life to military service. Women are also part of the team, including Liliia, whose husband has been missing since defending Mariupol with the Azov regiment during the city’s siege. After advocating for prisoners of war, Liliia decided to join the Defense Forces herself, enlisting in the National Guard, where she now serves in the Typhoon UAV unit.
For reference: The military is open to interviews with journalists, available both online and in person by prior arrangement.
Mariia Ksondzyk is the daughter of a fallen ATO veteran, she worked as a journalist before the full-scale invasion. Petro Shuklinov also worked in the media in civilian life and was mobilized into the Defense Forces in 2023. When the big war began, Mariia and Petro joined forces to volunteer, focusing primarily on providing vehicles for the military. They select, purchase, transport, repair, and deliver vehicles to the troops – a mission Mariia and Petro continue to this day. In 2023, they founded the Nesemos Fund charity and later opened a donation shop, soon followed by a service station for military vehicles. Every month, Mariia and Petro attract numerous donors and work with various foundations that help cover the cost of vehicle repairs. Currently, the Nesemos Veteran Autohub repairs between 20 and 30 military vehicles each month. The team covers repair costs up to 40,000 UAH, and if the cost exceeds this amount, they seek additional supporters to fund the work of the Autohub. Besides, Mariia and Petro decided to open a civilian vehicle repair shop to get additional funding. The service station also operates as a veterans’ center, focusing on the professional adaptation of veterans, so that they can acquire new skills and a civilian profession. The civilian repair shop is scheduled to open this fall. Looking ahead, Mariia and Petro plan to expand their business by opening new repair stations not only in the capital, but across Ukraine, with veterans at the helm.
An innovative program is bringing adaptive wakeboarding to soldiers with various injuries and amputations in Kyiv. The initiative, “Wake Accessible,” is part of the ONE TEAM FORCES public organization’s efforts to demonstrate that even extreme sports can be accessible to those recovering from significant injuries. The program aims to help military veterans test their limits and rebuild their confidence and physical self-assurance.
Training sessions are held weekly and involve defenders who have lost one or more limbs. The project has been active for two months and has engaged approximately ten participants so far.
Journalists interested in covering these sessions can arrange to observe the classes in Kyiv.
For context: ONE TEAM FORCES supports combatants who served BEFORE and AFTER February 24, 2022, and who have experienced injuries or psychological trauma due to russia’s armed aggression.
On September 8, the “Beloved, I Live!” project will launch its fifth group of support classes in Zaporizhia. This initiative, dedicated to providing psychological assistance to women who have lost their husbands in the war, will welcome seven new participants.
The project was conceived in March 2023 when Yaryna Herashchenko, a social activist, was approached by a family friend grieving her military husband. The idea for “Beloved, I Live!” emerged from this interaction, with Herashchenko and her mother, a psychologist, coming together to offer support.
Participants in the program receive counseling and engage in various therapeutic activities such as archery, yoga, and Thai boxing. The initiative also includes off-site events. For example, on Khortytsia Island, participants wrote letters to their lost loved ones, crafted boats from these messages, and set them afloat on the Dnipro River. Additionally, they prepared and shared meals featuring their Beloveds’ favorite dishes. The women have also been involved in two photo projects: “In Memory of You,” which features images with memorabilia to tell the stories of their husbands, and “Beloved, I Live!,” a photo session designed to inspire renewal.
On August 29, Kyiv will open a photo exhibition “Days of Remembrance of the Heroes of the Battle of Ilovaisk (2014)” to commemorate the Day of Remembrance of the Defenders of Ukraine. This year marks 10 years since one of the most tragic events in our fight against russia. The photo exhibition is a reminder of those events and a tribute to all those who were the first to defend our country in 2014.
Photos that have already become historic and were taken by photographers who worked in the area of the fiercest fighting near Ilovaisk, Donetsk region, in August 2014, in the deployment area of “Donbas” Special Purpose Battalion of the National Guard of Ukraine will be presented in the capitol’s downtown. A kind of photo anthology of those events was created by Maxim Dondyuk, Oleksandr Glyadyelov, Markiian Lyseiko and Maksym Levin, who managed to get out of the Ilovaisk encirclement alive.
Maksym Levin died in occupied Kyiv region during the full-scale invasion in the spring of 2022, when he was documenting the crimes of the russians.
These more than fifty photos are just part of a large collection, which represents facts about the battle of Ilovaisk from August 10 to the “green corridor of death” on August 29, 2014.
At the opening of the exhibition, the Ilovaisk events will be told by:
- Nataliia Kharchenko, mother of Yevhen “Red” Kharchenko, a participant in the Revolution of Dignity and the russo-Ukrainian war, who died in the battles for Ilovaisk;
- photographers Oleksandr Glyadyelov and Markiian Lyseiko;
- Roman Zinenko, soldier, participant in the battles for Ilovaisk;
A representative of the organizers of the photo exhibition will also speak at the event, mainly Olha Salo, Deputy Director General for Development, Cultural and Educational Work of the National Museum of the Revolution of Dignity.
For reference: Organizers of the event are “’Sarmat’ Military-Patriotic Association of Combatant” NGO, “Invincible Mothers of Ukraine” NGO, Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine and the National Memorial Complex of the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred – Museum of the Revolution of Dignity.
On Thursday, August 29, military personnel who sustained injuries will swim 1,000 meters in Kyiv. The participants include defenders with upper and lower limb amputations. The event will take place in one of the capital’s swimming pools.
The event takes place within the “Swimming from 0 to 1000 m” project. This is a swimming initiative for military personnel recovering from injuries. Its goal is to help fighters regain confidence in themselves and their bodies. During training in the pool, participants learn to swim, develop strength and endurance.
Training takes place three times a week, twice a week massage therapists attend to the injured military. In total, since October 2023, more than 150 people have attended the training.
For reference: The project was created by “ONE TEAM FORCES” NGO. It is a community that strives to implement a comprehensive approach to open up personalized opportunities for the comprehensive recovery of the wounded military. It helps combatants who were in service BEFORE and/or AFTER February 24, 2022 and were injured or psychologically traumatized as a result of the armed aggression of the russian federation.
