Themes by tag: military

25-year-old Valeria, callsign “Osa” (Wasp), signed a contract with Ukraine’s Armed Forces eighteen months ago voluntarily; a week before the invasion, she signed up for a course for Javelin and NLAW operators. However, she prefers using the Ukraine-made Korsar anti-tank missile system. She managed to destroy several russian tanks and armored vehicles on the first day of the full-scale invasion.

• military
• women

According to the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, 9,120 marriages were registered in Kyiv from February 24 to July 23 2022. For comparison, during the same period in 2021, the number of couples that got married in the capital was almost nine times fewer — only 1,110. Such determination of the newlyweds is explained by their desire to cope with the stress associated with the war. Also, the number of marriages was probably influenced by the simplification of the marriage registration procedure during the war.

Among the newlyweds, there are many soldiers, because according to the new rules, the military, police officers and employees of health care facilities can register their marriage online, without personal presence.

• military
• Kyiv

On July 30, a running flashmob called “Running for Azovstal” will take place on Trukhaniv Island in Kyiv in support of the defenders of Mariupol. The project was organized by the Association of “Azovstal” Defenders Families.

The participants are free to choose to run a longer or shorter distance, or choose a route on their own. The race in Kyiv will not have a finish line, because, as the organizers explain, the finish line of the project will be upon the return of all the captured Azovstal heroes.

The goal of the race is not to let the world forget about Mariupol defenders.

• military
• prisoners
• Kyiv

In Odesa, volunteers launch a project to provide women on the front line with uniforms and ammunition aiming to support female defenders of Ukraine with everything they need for combat missions. For instance, the volunteers found superlight body armor plates weighing 2.7 kg (versus regular plates of 4.1 kg) at the same protection level. The foundation emphasizes that they can supply not only lightweight armor plates but also appropriately sized helmets, footwear and uniform, hats and gloves, specific medicines, backpacks, first aid kits, underwear, and hygiene items.

• military
• volunteers
• women
• Odesa

Thousands of cats and dogs remained in settlements near the frontlines, from which most of the residents had left. That’s why Pavlo Vyshebaba, an animal rights activist and a fighter of the 68th Separate Jager Infantry Brigade, together with his brothers in arms, installed special feeders for animals in these settlements. “Yedyna Planeta” (one planet) NGO gave the feeders to the soldiers. Each feeder holds a week’s worth of food.

• animals
• military
• volunteers

Serhii Khrapko, a Ukrainian veteran severely injured in Ukraine’s east in 2015, started a campaign to raise funds to buy an SUV for Ukraine’s Armed Forces. He walked 2 km on his prosthetic leg on July 12; 4 km on July 14; 6 km on July 16; and 8 km on July 18. He will keep increasing the distance until he raises the requisite amount. The veteran is now in Vienna, Austria.

• military
• volunteers

Serhii Khrapko, a Ukrainian veteran severely injured in Ukraine’s east in 2015, raised enough funds to buy an SUV for Ukraine’s Armed Forces. Throughout July, the man on a prosthetic leg walked several kilometers every two days, increasing the distance every time. The longest distance Serhii had to walk in a day was 10 km. The SUV, for which the veteran has managed to raise funds, is heading east. It will be handed over to the Armed Forces of Ukraine soon. Serhii Khrapko is now in Vienna, Austria.

• military
• volunteers

The training of the first 150 pilots for the Army of Drones began at the Dronarium school in Ukraine. This was announced by Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov. According to him, in training the military will practice real flight tasks, camouflage skills, the development of tactics, drone control, as well as other tasks that will be performed at the frontlines.

For reference: United24 fundraising platform together with the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Ministry of Digital Transformation announced the launch of the “Army of Drones” project. This is a program that includes the systematic purchase of drones, their repair and prompt replacement, as well as a pilot training course.

• military

“Riding into the Future” project works with military personnel suffering from musculoskeletal disorders, in particular, amputated limbs after participating in combat. In addition to riding lessons, military personnel have the opportunity to try a new type of therapeutic exercise — yoga on horses. The project was founded by a married couple, Oleksandra and Vasyl. Vasyl himself is at the frontlines now, so Oleksandra, together with Natalka, the founder of the public organization “Doloni Dotyk” (palm touch) holds horse riding classes for wounded soldiers every week.

Many of the horses used in therapy are rescued animals. These horses were evacuated out of Kyiv region at the beginning of the full-scale russian-Ukrainian war.

• animals
• military
• volunteers
• Lviv

Wall-e mobile surveillance systems are one of the products manufactured by the Come Back Alive charity. These systems have already helped the Ukrainian military personnel to see the enemy from enclosed positions, acquire recon data, and properly adjust fire. They also rescued lives. No soldier has been killed or wounded by the enemy sniper fire at front line sections where 45 Wall-e systems were installed 1.5 years ago. However, most of the systems were destroyed due to active fighting. The first batch of 30 upgraded systems is currently undergoing final testing.

• military
• volunteers