Themes by tag: military

Before the full-scale Russian invasion, the medic with the call sign Shining got a degree in history and archaeology and planned to enter the field. With the outbreak of the great war, Shining decided that the history teacher’s classroom could wait, but evacuating the wounded from the front line was urgent business. So she volunteered to join the Hospitallers medical battalion. She rescued the injured military personnel in the hottest spots of the frontline, and now she is working in one of the stabilization centers. This is a place to stabilize wounded soldiers’ health conditions as quickly as possible, and everything is done to help them get to a hospital. The girl often had to perform resuscitation in extreme conditions, bringing defenders back to life. But sometimes doctors are powerless. In such cases, Shining is afraid to see the face of a soldier whose life they failed to save on the news.

The girl is not disclosing her real name for security reasons.

• doctors
• military
• women

Vinnytsia based volunteer Maksym Huzii received a trophy from the Ukrainian defenders from the Avdiivka axis – a used tube from the Javelin anti-tank system. Then Maksym got the idea to make something out of these weapons that could once again be useful for the Ukrainian army. Together with Vinnytsia engineers, Maksym created powerful audio systems based on the tubes. One speaker weighs 47 kilograms and produces a powerful sound. The volunteer plans to auction and raffle off these speakers among foreign donors in order to receive funding to buy ambulances, which are needed at the frontline. The first speaker has already been purchased by a Ukrainian IT worker who lives in the U.S. He bought it for UAH 500,000. 

• culture
• military
• volunteers
• Vinnytsia

Before the start of russia’s full-scale invasion, Yuliia Vitova worked as a journalist, her husband was a TV cameraman. In the first days of the war, he was mobilized and became a fighter in the territorial defense forces. The woman made news reports, and a little later became a TV presenter. Yuliia often had to hold back her emotions during live broadcasts, because her husband was in the area attacked by the enemy. In the end, Yuliia decided that it was time to join her beloved: on March 13, 2023, the woman joined the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Currently, Yuliia has the call sign “Volyn” and serves together with her husband as a rifleman. She admits that with her height of 1.57 centimeters and a weight of 45 kilograms, the military service was not easy at first. After the victory of Ukraine, the servicewoman plans to become a psychologist and support those who need her help.

Important notice: Yuliia Vitova is in a war zone. She is ready to talk to journalists online and provide the necessary video and photo materials.

• military
• women

Denys Dudnyk is a professional pilot who served at the Sevastopol international airport in Belbek from 1993 to 1995. In 2014, he joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine and participated in the battles near Volnovakha and Debaltseve. After his demobilization in 2015, Denys set up a knifemaking workshop as a therapy for the military. When the full-scale invasion began, Denys enlisted in the army again. Russians destroyed his workshop and home in the Kyiv region, and the soldier was injured at the front. Later, Denys took part in the Ukrainian Veterans Fund’s Varto 2.0 project, secured financial support, and opened the Tanto psychological assistance hub in Irpin. The hub employs psychologists ready to provide psychological assistance to veterans and those who lost loved ones during the war.

• military
• psychological support
• Kyiv

Oleksii Kushner took up arms in 2014 and fought as an Azov regiment member. After demobilization, he experienced problems with socialization. The man began his rehabilitation with long walks and hikes in the mountains. Over time, he realized that the mountains made him feel a sense of calm. In 2016, Oleksii started work as a mountain hiking trip guide for other military personnel. On February 24, 2022, Kushner enlisted in the army again and is now defending Ukraine at the front. But he is already looking for a location to go back to practice mountain therapy for the military, however, not including hiking this time. After all, many service members who have been injured and need rehabilitation may be unable to handle long climbs. Oleksii plans to implement the mountains rehab project with the money he received as compensation for the death of his military father.

Journalists can contact Oleksii online. In addition, the soldier can send journalists photos and videos of his previous projects on mountain therapy.

• military
• psychological support

Dmytro is an anesthesiologist-intensivist by profession. He joined the army on February 25, 2022, took part in battles along the Bakhmut axis. Even in civilian life, the man was interested in electric vehicles: unicycles and electric scooters. And in May 2022, he decided to try a unicycle at the front. He bought a used device, camouflaged it and took it with him to the East. Since then, he has successfully used the unusual transport. The military man says that the unicycle saves him a lot of time, especially in those places where you have to walk for a long time. He also uses a unicycle on combat missions. Now he is teaching his brothers in arms a new way of moving at the front. Dmytro is currently on vacation in the capital and is willing to talk about his experience.

• military

The preparation of Ukraine’s national team for the Invictus Games continues. This year the competition will be held in the German city of Düsseldorf (September 9-16).

Ukraine will be represented by a team of 24 athletes. These are servicemen and veterans of the russo-Ukrainian war, who were injured during or as a result of performing official duties in the combat zone.

They will participate in archery, athletics, cycling, powerlifting, indoor rowing competitions, etc.

For reference: the Invictus Games is an international Paralympic sports competition. It was founded by British Prince Harry in 2014.

• casualties
• military

Antonina is a Crimean and a non-binary person in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. She moved from Simferopol back in 2014 after the occupation of the peninsula by Russia. Antonina’s occupation is a filmmaker. She has worked as an actress and participated in performances. On February 25, 2022, Antonina went to the army recruiting office and enlisted in the Territorial Defense Forces of Kyiv. During the full-scale war with Russia, Antonina took part in the battles for Kherson and Kharkiv regions and fought in the Bakhmut sector. Antonina is currently a mortar gunner in the 206th Territorial Defense Battalion. Despite making a titanic effort every day, she manages to be vegan and even play the ukulele occasionally.

• military
• LGBT

The Strongman Federation of Ukraine continues to implement a project for the sports rehabilitation of war veterans and bringing them to civilian life through sports. A sports event for veterans is scheduled to take place in Kyiv on July 8. The competition program will include crossfit, bench press, and rowing.

The program is adapted to different categories of wounds suffered by the defenders. Honored athletes and coaches of Ukraine will be the competition’s judges: Serhii Konyushok, Oleksandr Lashyn, and Vasyl Virastyuk.

• casualties
• military
• Kyiv

On the first day of the full-scale war, Andrii went to the army recruiting office and enlisted in the army to defend the country. At the time, he was 18 years old. In October last year, an enemy mine injured his leg. He was talking on the phone with his mother, who heard the explosion and how her son was applying a tourniquet to his leg. Andrii was admitted to the Superhumans Center in Lviv. This year in June, a few days after his discharge, Andrii rode 100 km on a bicycle with a prosthetic left leg.

Last year, the man proposed to his beloved. He made an engagement ring out of a shell casing. The couple paints paintings together and puts them up for charity auction, and donates the proceeds to the needs of the military.

• casualties
• doctors
• military