Themes by tag: military

Vitalina “Baba Yaga” is a junior sergeant with the 208th Separate Territorial Defense Battalion. Every day, she prepares care packages for soldiers that are then airlifted by units of the 114th Brigade’s Strike Drone Company to the front lines where they’re needed most.

The drones deliver anything that can’t be sent by other means — as long as the payload doesn’t exceed the drone’s weight limit. Typical packages include medicine, sleeping mats and thermal blankets. Vitalina has also perfected special packaging techniques, such as freezing drinking water beforehand because bottles can break on impact during the drop, wasting precious cargo.

Sometimes soldiers make special requests, like one soldier who asked for birthday cake and milk. Thanks to the drone, his request was delivered directly to his position.

Vitalina is currently stationed on the Kupiansk axis. You can contact her online or in person, subject to prior coordination with the press officer.

• military
• women

Mykola Velychko from Khmelnytskyi oblast became interested in pottery even before the full-scale invasion. He planned to open a pottery residency next to his workshop. The website of the residency was supposed to be launched on February 24, 2022. However, the full-scale war began and Mykola joined the military.

In the summer of 2023 he returned home and decided to revive the residency project — but now for active soldiers and veterans, giving them a place to recover after the frontlines. Mykola started making and selling mugs and investing the proceeds in the construction of the residence. Now he is finishing the construction and still needs to buy furniture and equipment.

This summer, Mykola plans to start pottery classes with soldiers who come to the residency.

You can contact Mykola Velychko online or offline in Khmelnytskyi oblast by prior arrangement.

• culture
• military
• Khmelnytskyi

Before russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Viacheslav Kut’in was living and working abroad. When the war began, he returned home and was mobilized into the Ukrainian Armed Forces. He served on the front lines, including in the defense of Zaporizhia.

During a combat mission near the village of Robotyne in the Zaporizhia region, Viacheslav sustained severe leg injuries and was captured by russian forces. He spent over a year in captivity before being released and brought home on January 15, 2025.

Since his return, he has undergone intensive treatment and rehabilitation. Now adapting to life with prosthetic legs, Viacheslav has already made remarkable progress. On the day he was discharged from the rehabilitation center, he proposed to his longtime partner – the woman who had waited for him through his captivity and stood by him during his recovery.

Viacheslav Kut’in is available for interviews both online and in person in Kharkiv by appointment.

• casualties
• military
• prisoners
• Kharkiv

After the beginning of the full-scale war, Viktoriia lost her job and turned to working with clay. The young woman created numerous pieces, including tableware. Her work caught the attention of a company that was looking for a craftswoman to make platters. The key feature of these plates is their pins, which help to secure food so that it can be cut with just one hand.

Viktoriia studied the necessary information, consulted with an occupational therapist, and created her first inclusive plate. Today, she donates her creations to restaurants, hospitals, and veterans who have lost an arm in combat. She doesn’t charge the military for her work – instead, her social media followers cover the cost.

You can contact Viktoriia Beliavska online or in person in Kyiv by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• women
• Kyiv

The Contemporary View NGO has been organizing rehabilitation camps for wounded soldiers who have lost their vision for the past seven years. 

These two-week social adaptation camps are designed for servicemen blinded in combat. Trainers take an individualized approach with each veteran. Participants learn how to navigate their surroundings, cook, use digital devices, exercise at the gym, and swim. They also receive psychological support, massage therapy, and sessions in a salt room.

The camp is made possible through the support of donors and philanthropists. The next session is scheduled to begin on May 20 in Vinnytsia.

Interviews with the camp’s director, Olesia Perepechenko, and participating veterans can be arranged in advance for both online and in-person formats.

For reference: The All-Ukrainian League of Blind and Partially Sighted People Organizations – Contemporary View has been working with military personnel for several years. The first group of soldiers who lost their sight in the war joined the program in 2019. After the full-scale invasion began, the camp continued its work, actively seeking new ways to support service members.

• casualties
• military

The Kiev Municipal Cruising Yacht Club is implementing a rehabilitation initiative for military personnel and veterans – a free sailing course combining theoretical and practical training.

Recently, the first practical session of the sailing course took place. The participants prepared their training boat, refreshed their theoretical knowledge and the terminology they learned during the last two months. The next day, they set sail for their first wind-powered voyage.

Journalists are welcome to cover the next practical session in Kyiv upon prior arrangement.

Background: Kiev Municipal Cruising Yacht Club is the oldest active yacht club in the capital (a non-profit sailing organization).

• culture
• military
• Kyiv

When russia first attacked Ukraine in 2014, Viktor-Mykola Havryliuk was a student and an active member of Plast (a Ukrainian scout organization). He was offered the chance to mobilize into the “Harpun” unit, where many fellow Plast members were already serving.

When the full-scale invasion began in 2022, Viktor-Mykola was in a Plast camp. He immediately rejoined his former unit and fought first in the Kyiv oblast and then went to defend Ukraine in the east. In July 2023, he suffered a mine injury – an enemy drone strike tore the muscle in his leg. Thanks to the efforts of surgeons, his limb was saved.

After his injury, however, the veteran spent some time in a wheelchair. That’s when he realized how difficult it would be to leave the hospital unassisted – his hometown of Lutsk simply wasn’t designed for people with disabilities.

Later, BusMarket Group reached out to Viktor-Mykola to learn about his experiences navigating the city. Their goal was to create an accessibility map and develop the Better Mobility app, which highlights wheelchair-friendly establishments.

Today, the app is expanding, and volunteers are encouraged to photograph buildings so that people with disabilities can assess accessibility beforehand.

Viktor-Mykola can be contacted both online and offline by appointment.

• casualties
• military
• Lutsk

Maryna Mirzaieva, 28, is a professional historian with expertise in the lives of women fighters in the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA). Following the onset of russia’s full-scale invasion, she began volunteering with the Ukrainian military, and by October 2022, she had officially joined the Third Separate Assault Brigade.

Her motivation was clear: “To have the right to write about the war.” Maryna carefully considered her role in the army, exploring options in combat medicine, drone piloting, and even completing a sniper training course. Ultimately, she chose to serve in the brigade’s moral and psychological support unit, where she delivers historical and motivational lectures to fellow soldiers.

She is also the author of Women of Freedom, a book that compiles biographies of women involved in Ukraine’s liberation movement. The work weaves together their stories with her own reflections and research on the ongoing russia-Ukraine war.

Maryna Mirzaieva continues to serve on the front line. Interviews with her are possible both online and in person, subject to prior arrangement.

• military
• women

Roman Kashpur joined the Right Sector Ukrainian Volunteer Corps while still a student. Training to become a rehabilitation specialist, he also attended volunteer military camps and was first deployed to the front lines in 2016. Later, he was transferred to a reconnaissance battalion and served in some of the most dangerous combat zones.

In 2019, in the Donetsk oblast, Roman stepped on a PFM-1 mine and lost his leg. After receiving a prosthesis, he participated in the Games of Heroes project and won twice. In December 2021, Roman pulled a 16-ton An-26 aircraft for 6 meters and 40 centimeters; this record was registered in the National Register of Records of Ukraine.

When russia launched its full-scale invasion, Roman spent the first six weeks fighting with a special swimming prosthesis. He was about to undergo a prosthetic exchange and receive a different limb, but couldn’t because of the russian offensive. Despite the unsuitable prosthesis, he trained new recruits and even participated in assaults.

Later, Roman started preparing for marathons. In April 2023, he completed the 43rd London Marathon, followed by the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C., then races in New York, Berlin, Chicago, and Tokyo. Most recently, he conquered the 129th Boston Marathon. He dedicates his accomplishments to his daughter, Victoria, and has no plans to stop as he prepares for Ironman, the world’s toughest triathlon.

To get in touch with Roman Kashpur, you can contact him online or arrange a personal meeting in Vinnytsia oblast.

• casualties
• military
• Vinnytsia

Peaceful gatherings will be held in 28 cities to raise awareness for the defenders of Azovstal and other military personnel still held in enemy captivity.

On April 26, events will take place in Vinnytsia, Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Bila Tserkva, and Mykolaiv. On April 27, additional events are planned for Kyiv, Krolevets, Korop, Ovruch, Uzhhorod, Berdychiv, Dolyna, Kropyvnytskyi, Shostka, and Chernivtsi.

These actions are organized by the families of prisoners of war from the Mariupol garrison. Former prisoners of war who have been released from captivity will also participate in the events.

• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Kyiv