Themes by tag: military

To keep public attention on the defenders of Azovstal and other Ukrainian soldiers still held in russian captivity, peaceful rallies under the slogan “Don’t Be Silent. Captivity Kills!” are scheduled across the country on January 17 and 18. Events will take place in 30 cities in total.

On January 17, gatherings are planned in Okhtyrka, Chernihiv, Zaporizhia, Vinnytsia, Irpin, Dnipro, Shpola, Volochysk, Pavlohrad, and Lviv.

On January 18, rallies will be held in Kyiv, Krolevets, Pivdennoukrainsk, Kremenchuk, Mykolaiv, Uman, Obukhiv, Ovruch, Dolynska, Cherkasy, Poltava, Lozova, Korostyshiv, Kovel, Uzhhorod, Berdychiv, Kropyvnytskyi, Rivne, Chernivtsi, and Odesa.

Families of prisoners of war from the Mariupol garrison organize the actions. Released captives frequently join the demonstrations to help amplify calls for the return of those still held.

• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes

Mykhailo Varvarych joined the Ukrainian military in 2016. He served in the 80th Separate Air Assault Brigade, defending eastern Ukraine. He was supposed to return to civilian life in February 2022, but due to the start of the full-scale invasion, he continued his service.

On May 29, 2022, while on a combat mission in the Luhansk oblast, Mykhailo sustained severe injuries, losing both legs and severely damaging his arm. After treatment and rehabilitation, the veteran learned to use prosthetics and married his fiancée, Iryna. The couple faced profound joy and tragedy when their daughter, Martusia, was born in December 2024, only to pass away three months later in March 2025.

Now, Mykhailo and Iryna share their ongoing journey through social media, offering an intimate look at their life, their struggles, and their hard-won perspective on maintaining hope.

You can connect with Mykhailo and Iryna Varvarych online or in person in Lviv by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• military
• Lviv

A soldier who goes by the callsign “Dobby” enlisted at 18 and initially served as a Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) engineer. Harsh conditions and disillusionment with his unit eventually drove him to go AWOL.

Rather than abandon the fight entirely, he set out to find a better fit. He soon linked up with the 505th Separate Marine Battalion, where commanders offered him a role as a drone operator, a position that matched his interest and gave him a fresh start.

The nickname “Dobby” – borrowed from a Harry Potter character – stuck after his commander caught him passing a pair of socks to a fellow marine, a small act of camaraderie that became his unit’s running joke.

He learned to fly drones on the job, mentored by more experienced operators in the battalion, and was later issued his own ground control station.

Dobby is open to interviews, either online or in person, provided the battalion’s press officer gives prior approval.

• military

Before the full-scale invasion, Ruslan Ivanov worked as a production designer in the film industry. On the first day of the full-scale war, he joined the Ukrainian military. Initially, he fought near Kyiv, later defending eastern Ukraine alongside his brothers-in-arms. In the fall of 2023, Ruslan was severely injured and lost his arm.

During evacuation, Ruslan lost a critical amount of blood. Medics could not find a pulse and presumed he had died. Ruslan was about to be taken to the morgue when he groaned. This is what saved him.

After receiving treatment and undergoing rehabilitation, the veteran was fitted with a prosthesis and adaptive training straps. He later returned to his work in film. Ruslan is currently employed and training for a new record: performing a one-armed push-up with 100 kilograms. He has already set another record: he and seven other amputees pulled two buses full of passengers.

You can contact Ruslan Ivanov online or in person in Kyiv by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• military
• Kyiv

A meeting and discussion on intimacy, sexuality, and relationships after military experience will take place on January 17 at the veterans hub. The event will include a lecture by sexologist Olena Lysenko, followed by an open dialogue where veterans can share personal stories and ask questions in a supportive environment. 

The discussion will cover the impact of combat experience on intimacy and sexual health, rebuilding emotional openness with partners, and post-traumatic adaptation. 

Journalists are required to register in advance to attend.

• military
• LGBT

Before Russia’s full-scale invasion, 25-year-old Iryna Masna was a student at the Zhytomyr College of Culture and Arts. In 2021, she moved to Poland. When the war escalated in February 2022, she began volunteering at a support center for Ukrainian refugees there.

After returning to Ukraine, she enrolled at the Zhytomyr Medical Institute to train as a nurse.

In March 2024, Iryna Masna, operating under the call sign “Prymara” (Ukrainian for “ghost”), joined the 12th Special Forces Brigade “Azov.” Since October 2025, she has served with the 20th Liubart Operational Brigade of the 1st Azov Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine. 

Her first truly intense experience came in the summer of 2024 in the Serebryanskyi Forest. While working alone at a casualty evacuation (CASEVAC) point, a group of combat engineers detonated a mine at the casualty transfer site, leaving several men badly wounded. “Prymara” and another medic divided the patients: he took the less severely injured, while she handled the more critical cases. Inside the moving evacuation vehicle, she struggled to insert catheters and control bleeding.

One soldier, his leg badly torn, insisted she first give pain relief to his comrade suffering from severe burns. She followed his request, and later second-guessed herself intensely. “I made a terrible mistake then,” she said. “I’m thankful both are alive, but I realized the man with the thigh wound needed urgent blood control, and I didn’t properly assess whether he was in shock.” The episode became a defining lesson; she has never again allowed herself to become rattled in high-pressure moments.

Across her service, Iryna has worked as a medic at triage points, a CASEVAC and MEDEVAC evacuation specialist, and a tactical medicine instructor for fellow troops.

Not every life she helps save results in a message of thanks. Not all the wounded track her down later through messengers or mutual contacts. Yet every note that does arrive serves as a quiet confirmation that she is exactly where she is meant to be.

Today, “Prymara” continues serving as both a frontline medic and an instructor. For her dedication to saving lives, Iryna Masna has been awarded the “For Saving Lives” medal.

Journalists interested in interviewing Iryna Masna can arrange online or in-person interviews through the brigade’s press service.

• doctors
• military
• women

Peaceful events are planned in 28 cities across Ukraine to raise awareness of the defenders of Azovstal and other soldiers still in enemy captivity.

On January 10, events will be held in Okhtyrka, Chernihiv, Zaporizhzhia, Vinnytsia, Dnipro, Shpola, Volochysk, Pavlohrad, and Lviv.

On January 11, events are planned in Kyiv, Krolevets, Pivdennoukrainsk, Kremenchuk, Mykolaiv, Korop, Korosten, Obukhiv, Ovruch, Dolynska, Cherkasy, Kharkiv, Lozova, Uzhhorod, Berdychiv, Kropyvnytskyi, Rivne, Chernivtsi, and Odesa.

The events are organized by families of prisoners of war from the Mariupol garrison. Recently released Ukrainian captives also often join these actions.

• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

Tetiana is the mother of four-year-old Nazar. Before russia’s full-scale invasion, she and her husband enjoyed an ordinary family life in Ukraine – a home, plans for the future, and dreams they shared.

Her husband, Vitalii, was a career officer, a captain in Ukraine’s Armed Forces. After graduating from the military academy, he dove straight into service. For him, it wasn’t just a job; it was a deliberate calling, a lifelong commitment to protecting his country, his family, and their son’s future.

When his father died, Nazar was just one year and six months old. The boy has no memories of him, but he’s growing up hearing stories, looking at photographs, and learning that his dad was a Hero of Ukraine, a man defined by honor, responsibility, and duty.

Vitalii’s death upended Tetiana’s world. With him gone, she lost her pillar of support, her sense of security, and the happy life they had built. “Three years have passed since my loss. The pain has not gone away – it has become part of my life. I am still living with this loss and every day I am learning to live in a reality that I did not choose. The only thing that kept me from breaking down and forced me to move forward was our son. He became the force that keeps me going despite all the pain,” she says.

By prior arrangement, journalists can speak with Tetiana online.

For reference: The Children of Heroes Charitable Foundation supports children who have lost one or both parents due to the war. The foundation provides tailored immediate aid, including humanitarian assistance, psychological and medical support, along with educational and developmental opportunities that continue until the children reach adulthood.

• dead
• military
• women

Serhii Herasymenko had spent 15 years immersed in martial arts before russia’s full-scale invasion. An international master of sports in kickboxing and a European champion, he stepped away from his professional career in 2019, unable to earn a living from the ring.

When the war erupted, Herasymenko and his wife threw themselves into volunteering in Kyiv. He tried to enlist right away, but his documents were stuck in Chernihiv, then under heavy russian assault.

Once the city became accessible, he made his way there and joined the 63rd Separate Mechanized Brigade. In early 2024, the soldier transitioned to infantry, assuming the role of platoon commander. On July 28 that year, Herasymenko suffered devastating injuries: advancing on a position in the Lyman sector with his unit, an enemy drone strike shattered a bone in his arm and cost him his leg.

After a grueling series of operations, treatment, and rehabilitation, Herasymenko turned his focus to preparing for a veterans’ boxing tournament. He went on to compete in the event, held at Kyiv’s Palace of Sports. Today, he coaches boxing while continuing to train on his own.

You can reach out to Serhii Herasymenko for an interview, either online or in person in Kyiv, by arrangement.

• casualties
• military
• Kyiv

Sofiia Zalozna, now raising her six-year-old daughter Myroslava alone, first fled conflict in 2014. To escape russia’s aggression in the Donbas, she moved to Volnovakha in Donetsk oblast (the city that has been under russian occupation since March 2022).

In 2017, she joined the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine. There, she met the man she would marry. Their daughter Myroslava was born in 2019.

The young family left the service in 2020 and relocated to Poland, seeking stability. In January 2022, they chose to return to Ukraine, with plans to eventually move to another country. But before they could, the full-scale invasion began.

They were staying with Sofiia’s parents in Kharkiv oblast when the shelling started. For weeks, they sheltered in basements, fearing russian troops would enter their village.

Sofiia eventually fled to Poland with their daughter. Her husband remained — and enlisted in Ukraine’s Defense Forces.

He was killed on July 31, 2022, in Velyki Prokhody, Kharkiv oblast, after detonating three anti-tank mines. He was 27.

“Time just stopped,” Sofiia recalls. “We were supposed to see each other soon. He dreamed of coming home on leave, holding our daughter… He never got the chance to be a real father, even though he loved Mira with all his heart.”

Sofiia Zalozna is available for interviews, in person in Irpin, Kyiv oblast, or online, by prior arrangement.

For reference: The Children of Heroes Charitable Foundation offers sustained support to children who have lost one or both parents due to the war. Its programs include urgent personalized assistance, humanitarian aid, medical and psychological services, and long-term educational opportunities until the children reach adulthood.

• dead
• military
• women