Themes by tag: military

Oleksii Iukov is a commander of the exploration team of the Military and Historical Heritage Researchers Association “Platsdarm”. Since 2014, he and his team have been finding and evacuating the bodies of dead Ukrainian soldiers and civilians (for his work, Oleksii was nearly shot by invaders in 2014).

They have to work even under fire, and the enemy often mines the bodies of killed people. The explorers find tortured and raped people. Sometimes they have to work with bodies that have been knocked down by vehicles and enemy tanks.

Among other things, the team also worked at the scene of Kramatorsk tragedy: they took out the bodies and fragments of bodies of the dead people. (Recall that on April 8, russians hit the railway station of the city with a Tochka-U missile. As a result, 61 people were killed and 121 were injured).

• dead
• military
• volunteers

Khrystyna holds the rank of a senior lieutenant of the National Guard of Ukraine and is the Deputy Commander of a mortar battery. She is 29 years old. In early February 2022, she and her group came for reconnaissance to Stanytsia Luhanska, where they met with the beginning of the full-scale russian invasion. She defended the country, in particular, in Sievierodonetsk, Rubizhne, Lysychansk and near Bakhmut. She took part in offensive operations aimed at the liberation of Lyman.

• military
• women

The volunteer project “Marriage for a Hero” was launched in early summer last year. During this time, thanks to this charity initiative, turnkey weddings were organized for several couples. (The project operates in Cherkasy city and region, but recently newlyweds from Kyiv city have also applied).

For reference: The Cherkasy city resident Svitlana Olifer, who has been engaged in the wedding business for seven years, decided to organize a volunteer project entitled “Marriage for a Hero” after the full-scale russian invasion of Ukraine. The woman gathered a team of photographers, cameramen, make-up artists and florists who helped in implementation of the holiday for free. Sometimes restaurants or catering establishments are ready to provide services under special terms. In general, newlyweds will have to spend only on wedding outfits.

• military
• volunteers
• Cherkasy

Thousands of Ukrainian families live in their own personal hell and have no information about the fate of their relatives who came to the defense of Ukraine and ended up in hands of the enemy or went missing. Therefore, relatives of Ukrainian prisoners of war continue to fight to return their loved ones home. Among those who strive for soldiers’ release from captivity at all cost: Iryna Latysh, wife of a prisoner of war, representative of the 95th Air Assault Brigade; Svitlana Bohdanenko, wife of a prisoner of war, representative of military medics of Mariupol; Natalia Kravtsova, mother of a prisoner of war; Nataliia Lukovska, wife of a prisoner of war; Illia Honchar, brother of a civilian prisoner; and Nora Storozhuk, wife of a prisoner of war.

• military
• prisoners
• Kyiv

Paramedic Julia Paevska (Taira) is opening “Mria” (Dream) charity fund, which will take care of families of prisoners of war and civilian captives. According to her, there are about 10,000 such families in Ukraine. Julia Paevska plans to sign a memorandum with the center for assistance to prisoners and with other institutions and organizations that, in cooperation with government agencies, help to locate prisoners and assist with obtaining statuses and receiving payouts.

For reference: Julia Paevska (Taira) is a Ukrainian military servicewoman, paramedic and volunteer, commander of “Taira’s Angels” unit. Since 2014, as a paramedic, she has participated in the Revolution of Dignity and the war in the eastern part of Ukraine. On March 16, 2022, during the siege of Mariupol, she was captured by the russians. She was released on June 17, 2022.  

• casualties
• military
• volunteers
• Kyiv

On December 24, at 2 PM, relatives of captured AZOV fighters will gather on Sofia Square in Kyiv to remind the world of those who are still held in russian captivity. The families of the prisoners call on the governments of the world and international organizations to redouble their efforts to get their relatives out of the clutches of the aggressor.

For reference: “Azovstal” Iron and Steel Works became a stronghold during the defense of Mariupol. On May 20, 2,500 Ukrainian soldiers left the territory of the plant and were immediately captured by the occupiers. Some of them were released within several exchanges. But most of the defenders of Azovstal, in particular, those from the AZOV regiment, remain imprisoned.

• military
• prisoners
• Kyiv

Non-governmental organization “Vidchuy” buys devices for protecting the hearing organs of the Ukrainian military. Individual tactical sound filters are earplugs specifically designed for military use. They reliably protect against dangerous peaks of noise, preserving the ability to hear those who are nearby. 1,150 sound filters have already been purchased.

In addition, the non-governmental organization “Vidchuy”, together with the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, works on the rehabilitation of military personnel who received hearing injuries at the front. The Ministry of Health and the non-governmental organization “Vidchuy” signed a memorandum that will allow attracting activists from the non-governmental organization for rehabilitation of the military.

For reference: The non-governmental organization “Vidchuy” has been systematically engaged in support and social adaptation of people with hearing impairments since 2011.

• casualties
• doctors
• military
• volunteers
• Kyiv

For the first time ever in Ukraine, an exhibition of female military uniforms and gear was presented, which had been developed as part of the “Arm Women Now” project. Previously, Iryna Nykorak, Deputy of the Kyiv City Council, the project initiator, noted that this uniform is made in such a way that women with any size and type of body feel comfortable. It is known that now the uniform is being officially tested in the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. 

For reference: In late November, the Minister of Defense of Ukraine reported that almost 60,000 women serve in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

• military
• volunteers
• women
• Kyiv

Andriy Zelinskyy, the priest, is one of the first army chaplains in Ukraine. In June 2014, he was offering spiritual support to Ukrainian soldiers in the east of the country. In particular, in the Armed Forces of Ukraine units near Slovyansk, Kramatorsk, Staroihnativka, in the Avdiivka industrial zone, in Pisky, Debaltseve, Shyrokyne and Vodiane of Donetsk region. And in Kyiv, he visited the first wounded soldiers in the Central Military Hospital.

Now the Armed Forces of Ukraine need hundreds of chaplains for the army. In October, Ukraine even established a military chaplaincy service, which organizes the training of chaplains. The course is provided that should help to acquire the basic competencies of a serviceman in a very short time, so that it is easier to integrate the team. 

For reference: Army chaplains are clergymen who combine their ecclesiastical rank with other activities. A chaplain can be a Ukrainian citizen with a degree in theology, who is a clergyman of a church or religious organization registered in Ukraine. He must also receive a mandate from his church to be entitled to carry out chaplaincy activities.

• military
• religion
• Kyiv

Italian newspaper “Il Foglio” chose the defender of Ukraine and journalist Anastasia Blyshchyk as its person of the year. Former correspondent of TV channel “Ukraine 24” Anastasia Blyshchyk defends Ukraine with a weapon in her hands. The woman made this decision after her fiancé, paratrooper and journalist Oleksandr Makhov died at the front. Oleksandr died on May 4, 2022 in the village of Dovhenke in Kharkiv region.

• military
• women