Themes by tag: military

TMS HUB is a sports facility where servicemen and veterans with amputations or injuries can practice Brazilian jiu-jitsu free of charge. The project promotes the physical rehabilitation and social reintegration of military personnel.

The initiative is led by Artem Kuzmich, a veteran of the Ukrainian Special Forces. Originally from Belarus, Kuzmich has been defending Ukraine since 2014. In 2019, he stepped on an enemy mine and lost a leg. Despite this, he became a champion in Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitions held in Ukraine, Europe and Brazil.

Twelve TMS HUB branches now operate across Ukraine, including in Kyiv, Odesa, Lviv, Chernihiv, Chernivtsi, Mykolaiv, Zhytomyr, Rivne, Dnipro and Khmelnytskyi. More than 200 veterans have already joined the program.

The “TMS Victory Cup” competition will be held at the end of May.

Journalists may arrange to cover this sports initiative in Kyiv by prior coordination.

• casualties
• military
• Kyiv

Oksana is a soldier in the 13th Khartiia Brigade of the National Guard. She is 19 years old and openly identifies as bisexual.

Oksana was still a teenager when the full-scale invasion began. When the girl turned 18, she decided to join the military. She chose the 13th Khartiia Brigade of the National Guard – in part because of its tolerant attitude toward LGBTQ+ service members.

After completing her training, Oksana specialized in assembling FPV drones.

Currently, Oksana is on the front lines. You can communicate with her both online and offline by prior arrangement and with the approval of the press officer.

• military
• women
• LGBT

Tribute exhibition commemorating Hero of Ukraine Andrii Pilshchykov, call sign “Juice”, will open on April 17 at one of Kyiv’s libraries. Visitors will have the opportunity to learn more about the life and legacy of the legendary Ukrainian defender through materials provided by his mother, Liliia Averianova.

For reference: Andrii Pilshchykov (1993–2023), a military pilot with the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade, played a key role in Ukraine’s air defense from the outset of the full-scale Russian invasion. Known widely as one of the figures behind the “Ghost of Kyiv” legend, he was posthumously conferred the title Hero of Ukraine in 2024. He also received the Order “For Courage” III Class in 2022 and II Class posthumously in 2023.

Recognized as a leading reformer of the Air Force, Pilshchykov made a significant impact on its development. In June 2022, he joined an official delegation to the United States, helping to secure the delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine and laying the groundwork for pilot training. He died on August 25, 2023, in the Zhytomyr region and was buried at Askold’s Grave in Kyiv.

• culture
• dead
• military
• Kyiv

Yuliia and Serhii shared 27 years of a happy marriage. Together, they raised two daughters, Victoriia and Valeriia. The couple built their home with their own hands – Serhii oversaw the construction, while Yuliia, skilled in painting and plasterwork, contributed her expertise. Their teamwork eventually grew into a small family business, renovating apartments from start to finish.

Russia’s full-scale invasion found the couple at home in the Kyiv region. On the war’s first day, Serhii attempted to enlist in the Armed Forces, but long lines at military registration offices held him back. For a year, he kept trying – and in the meantime, he volunteered.

He later joined the 15th Border Guard Detachment. Though frequently deployed to the front line, Serhii always managed to send a few words to his wife. But after one mission, he never came back. For his unwavering commitment and courage, he was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal “For the Defense of Ukraine.”

For reference: The Children of Heroes charitable foundation is currently supporting the family. The organization assists children who have lost one or both parents due to Russia’s full-scale invasion by providing financial aid, psychological and legal support, and resources for education and personal development until they reach adulthood.

• dead
• military
• women
• Kyiv

The Tytanovi Charitable Foundation, within the framework of the Tytanovi Rehab project, invites you to the presentation of the “Tytanovi Arts & Culture Center” for rehabilitation of veterans. During the event, veterans and journalists will get a preview of what the center will offer after its official opening.

The Foundation explains that war leaves not only physical wounds, but also deep psychological scars. Creative rehabilitation is one of the most effective ways to address them. The center will offer veterans the opportunity to participate in art therapy, try their hand in a photo lab, take the stage in a theater, and attend educational workshops.

The presentation will feature Viacheslav Zaporozhets, the founder and head of the Tytanovi Charitable Foundation – a veteran who lost a limb and has mastered a bionic prosthesis.

Background: Founded by Viacheslav Zaporozhets, a veteran of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Tytanovi Charitable Foundation specializes in the rehabilitation of servicemen and veterans after severe injuries. According to the organizers, Tytanovi is the only foundation  that provides custom-made titanium bone implants for military personnel with high-level and severe amputations.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• Kyiv

Nataliia Tarabalka, mother of the late Ukrainian Hero and renowned fighter pilot Stepan Tarabalka, has opened a rehabilitation center for service members in memory of her son, who was killed in an air battle in March 2022.

Working with a psychologist helped Nataliia process her grief. Inspired by this experience, she used the state compensation she received for her son’s death to establish the “Warmth of a Winged Soul” rehabilitation center in Prykarpattia. The facility offers both physical and psychological support for active-duty and former military personnel.

Nataliia Tarabalka is available for consultations—both in person in Kolomyia, Ivano-Frankivsk region, and online—by appointment.

For reference: Captain Stepan Tarabalka, 29, was killed in an aerial battle on March 13, 2022, in the skies over Zhytomyr. On the first day of russia’s full-scale invasion alone, he reportedly shot down six enemy aircraft, including a Su-27, MiG-29, two Su-35s, and two Su-25s. Flying a MiG-29, he went on to destroy a total of 40 enemy aircraft. Tarabalka served with the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade of the Ukrainian Air Force, which in 2024 was awarded the honorary title “The Ghost of Kyiv.”

• dead
• military
• women
• Ivano-Frankivsk

Before the full-scale invasion, Andrii was a musician, played bass guitar, ran his own auto repair shop, and repaired cars for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. With the start of the full-scale war, he was mobilized into the military and became a sapper.

In the summer of 2023, Andrii and his comrade were assigned to demine a road. Before completing the task, the soldier suffered a concussion, but continued working and stepped on a mine. He applied a tourniquet while his comrades evacuated him to safety. 

Doctors were unable to save his leg. Despite the loss of his limb, Andrii was determined to return to the military. For eight months, he underwent treatment and rehabilitation, and learned to use a prosthetic limb. Now, the soldier has returned to duty and has become a sapper instructor for infantry soldiers. Between combat missions, Andrii performs at concerts, including for soldiers undergoing rehabilitation.

You can communicate with Andrii both online and offline, by prior arrangement and with the permission of the press officer.

• casualties
• military

Before russia’s full-scale invasion, the man who now goes by the call sign “Leshy,” named after a forest spirit from Slavic pagan mythology, worked as a forester and crafted wooden furniture. He had no ties to the military and never imagined himself in uniform.

That changed in Mariupol, where “Leshy” found himself at the outbreak of war. When the first shells hit, he joined the territorial defense forces, helping to evacuate the wounded and administer first aid.

In March 2022, a 120-millimeter russian mortar exploded just three meters away from him. The blast cost him his arm—but not his life.

Even while hospitalized, “Leshy” was determined to support his fellow soldiers. Just days after his injury, he launched a fundraiser to help his unit.

A year of rehabilitation followed. Fitted with a prosthetic arm, “Leshy” eventually rejoined the army.

He is available for conversations both online and in person, by prior arrangement. 

• military
• Mariupol

On April 7, at the Media Center Ukraine, the Media Initiative for Human Rights will present the research “Interaction with military units and support for families of fallen and missing service members”. 

The event will address the most common problems faced by families of fallen and missing servicemen in their interactions with military units and territorial recruitment centers; as well as how the state can improve its interaction with families and make it less traumatic.

Speakers:

• Olena Kopina, Author of the Analysis, Expert, MIHR;
• Olena Bieliachkova, Coordinator for Groups of Families of Prisoners of War and Missing Soldiers, MIHR;
• Yulia Sharapaniuk, Head of the Association of Families of Missing Soldiers and Prisoners of War; 
• Dmytro Bohatiuk, Head of the Department for Persons Missing Under Special Circumstances of the Secretariat of the Ombudsman;
• Oleh Neshchadim, Head of the Search Department of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Registration for the event is required.

• dead
• military

Anna’s husband, Illia, was half Ukrainian and half Georgian. His mother’s family was forced to flee the war in Abkhazia, so his childhood was spent in Ukraine.

In 2014, Illia began his compulsory military service, and when russia occupied Crimea and attacked Ukraine in the east, he voluntarily went to fight in the Donetsk oblast. Illia was demobilized in 2015. He met Anna, they got married, and later had a daughter, Polina.

On February 24, 2022, the family woke up to explosions. From the first days of the full-scale invasion, Illia defended the Kyiv oblast, participated in the liberation of Chernihiv and Sumy oblasts. His comrades tell how he shot down enemy helicopters, assisted reconnaissance groups, defended positions even in the most dangerous conditions. 

During one of those missions he was seriously wounded and could not be evacuated from the battlefield. Illia’s family is convinced that his merits should be recognized at the highest level. His wife is making every effort to secure for him the title of Hero of Ukraine, as his deeds are examples of courage and self-sacrifice for the sake of the country.

Background: Currently, the family is supported by the charitable foundation “Children of Heroes”. It helps children who have lost one or both parents as a result of the full-scale invasion of the russian federation. The foundation provides financial assistance, psychological and legal support, and promotes education and development for children until they reach adulthood.

• casualties
• military
• Kyiv