Themes by tag: military

The sledge hockey team consists of 11 veterans with lower limb amputations. They practice four times a week at an ice rink in the Lviv oblast. This summer, the team will decide whether to compete in the 2026 World Championship.

Journalists can cover the team’s training sessions by prior arrangement.

Background: Sledge hockey, also known as Sled hockey, was developed in Sweden in the early 1960s specifically for people with physical disabilities. It became a Paralympic sport in 1994.

• casualties
• military
• Lviv

Olena Herhel’s beloved Vasyl was Belarusian. Back home, he fought against the regime of self-proclaimed President Aleksandr Lukashenko—a struggle that led to his imprisonment. In 2015, he joined Ukraine’s fight, believing that by defending Ukraine, he was also taking a step toward freeing his own country.

In the summer of 2022, Olena received word that Vasyl was missing. But she says she knows for certain that he is dead—his comrades witnessed his death in battle. Later, she found footage on an enemy propaganda channel that showed Vasyl’s body, along with the chevron and belt she had given him.

Now raising three children alone, Olena made the decision to mobilize when her eldest son came of age. She was offered a role in the patronage service of the 93rd Separate Mechanized Brigade Kholodnyi Yar, where she now leads efforts to locate missing soldiers. Having lived through the anguish of uncertainty, she says she deeply understands what these families endure—and she is committed to doing everything she can to support those who receive the dreaded news that a loved one is missing.

Olena Herhel is available for interviews both online and in person by appointment.

• military
• women

Before russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine, Mykola Hradnyi-Savytskyi worked in theater and film. He calls meeting his wife, Kateryna—also part of the arts community—a gift of fate. In April 2022, he decided to enlist, visiting multiple recruitment offices before finally joining a National Guard unit in Chernihiv.

Determined to serve in a combat role, Mykola soon transferred to the National Guard of Ukraine’s 12th Special Forces Brigade Azov, where he became a UAV operator. In March 2024, while operating near the Serebrianskyi Forest in Luhansk Oblast, he and his unit were caught under a collapsing concrete slab.

For four hours, his comrades worked to pull him from the rubble under enemy fire. Once freed, they waited another two hours for evacuation. Doctors had no choice but to amputate both of his legs. Throughout his treatment, rehabilitation, and prosthetic fitting, Kateryna remained by his side. She says the injury was not a tragedy for them—they always understood the risks of military service.

Mykola is now undergoing rehabilitation at the Superhumans Center in Lviv Oblast. 

The Hradnov-Savytskyi family is available for interviews both online and in person by appointment through their press officer.

• casualties
• military
• Lviv

On March 20, Kyiv will host the inaugural Reform Platform organized by the 3rd Assault Brigade. The event will focus on sharing a decade of experience in building combat-ready units, developing an effective management system, and enhancing motivation and recruitment strategies.

Colonel Andrii Biletskyi is set to speak at the event. The program will also include two introductory sessions, discussions, and the launch of a lecture series featuring speakers from the brigade.

Registration is required to attend.

• military
• Kyiv

Oksana Starodub, a mother of two from Chernihiv, faced unthinkable challenges after deciding to stay in her hometown when the war began. Her husband, Mykola, joined the territorial defense forces on the second day of the all-out invasion, determined to protect his family and city. On March 6, 2022, russian mortars struck Oksana’s home, leaving her severely injured and unable to move. Her teenage son bandaged her wounds as they awaited help, but continued shelling prevented an ambulance from reaching them. Eventually, Mykola and his unit managed to return home, where a military medic applied a tactical tourniquet to Oksana’s leg before she was taken to a hospital. The hospital, overwhelmed with wounded, was operating under dire conditions. Power was down due to nearby shelling, staff was stretched thin, and resources were scarce. Drinking water arrived only once daily, and food for both patients and doctors was cooked outdoors over an open flame. Oksana later traveled to Vinnytsia for multiple surgeries and, by September 2022, was able to walk on her own again. 

Meanwhile, Mykola continued defending the Chernihiv region until his battalion was deployed to Donetsk. On June 17, 2024, during a combat mission, Mykola sustained fatal wounds, leaving Oksana a widow.

The Children of Heroes charity foundation is currently supporting the family. Dedicated to aiding children who have lost one or both parents due to russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the foundation offers financial assistance, psychological counseling, legal aid, and educational support to help these children grow and thrive until adulthood.

• casualties
• dead
• military
• russian crimes
• women
• Chernihiv

In the Lviv Oblast, mountain hiking trips are being organized for defenders undergoing rehabilitation, including veterans with prosthetic limbs. These therapeutic hikes are arranged by the charity foundation With an Angel on a Shoulder.

Recently, the defenders climbed Mount Makovytsia and Mount Smerichok in the Ivano-Frankivsk region. The next hike is planned for mid-April.

Journalists can cover the mountain therapy by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• Lviv

Ivona Kostyna has been working with military personnel and veterans since 2015. Initially, she and the Pobratymy Foundation organized trips for psychologists to the front lines to provide mental health support to Ukrainian defenders. Over time, Ivona realized that soldiers would need continued care long after leaving the service.

Determined to address this, she collaborated with specialists to develop psychosocial adaptation programs. Soon after, she and her partners launched the first Veteran Hub in Kyiv—a space where service members and their families can access legal assistance, psychological counseling, and guidance on employment, education, and grant opportunities.

Within two years, the team expanded, opening another Veteran Hub location in Vinnytsia. To ensure equal access to services regardless of a veteran’s location or mobility, the organization also launched mobile offices in Kyiv, Vinnytsia, and Dnipro in 2020, bringing support directly to those in need.

Since 2018, Ukraine’s Veteran Hub has operated without public fundraising. However, in January 2025, after the U.S. Department of State suspended funding for international assistance programs, the organization was forced to close its Vinnytsia branch and its Support Helpline. For the first time, the team publicly appealed for donations from the community and businesses.

Thanks to the support of Ukrainian businesses and the community in Vinnytsia, the team has raised over UAH 9 million, ensuring the continued operation of the organization’s services for at least three months.

The Veteran Hub team is now seeking regular donors to sustain their support for soldiers and their families.

Ivona Kostyna is available for meetings in Kyiv, both online and offline, by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• military
• psychological support
• women
• Kyiv

On March 14, the Ukrainian Volunteer Day, the First Chernihiv Veterans Theatre will perform the play “Hospital Rhapsody”. The author of the play is Yurii Vietkin, a veteran of the russian-Ukrainian war who lost his leg during an enemy shelling. The play is based on real events that took place in a ward of the Chernihiv military hospital in March 2022.

The premiere of “Hospital Rhapsody”, staged by the Chernihiv Veterans Theatre “Sercevir”, took place at the end of February. The cast consists entirely of veterans and military personnel — three of the actors are amputees, while two others have experienced post-traumatic stress disorder. Widows of fallen soldiers and director Anastasiia Kuzyk, the wife of a serving soldier, also took part in the performance.

The lead role is played by veteran Ruslan Ivanov, who has an amputated arm. Before the full-scale invasion, he worked as a production designer in a movie studio. He volunteered to defend Ukraine, fought in the Kyiv oblast and was wounded near Bakhmut in October 2023.

Guests from Poltava — partners involved in supporting veterans through the “Shoulder to Shoulder: United Communities” project — attended the performance alongside Chernihiv residents. Poltava and Chernihiv had previously launched a joint initiative, the “Veteran Spaces Opportunity Map”, which helps returning soldiers find the psychological, legal, and social support they need.

Journalists will have the opportunity to interview the cast, attend the dress rehearsal, and cover the performance of “Hospital Rhapsody” on March 14.

Background: On April 6, 2022, the Ukrainian Defense Forces completely liberated the Chernihiv oblast from the russian occupiers.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• Chernihiv

At the UNBROKEN Center in Lviv, defenders recovering from serious injuries are exploring a new form of rehabilitation—golf.

Participants have already completed three training sessions under the guidance of Volodymyr Shevchun, a certified trainer and rehabilitation specialist. Shevchun is actively developing this approach as a method of both physical and psychological recovery in Ukraine. He explains that golf engages various muscle groups while also helping to relieve stress, promote relaxation, and provide a mental escape.

The coach sees significant potential in golf as a rehabilitation tool for veterans. To expand the program, he is currently training three specialists at the UNBROKEN Center, preparing them to lead similar sessions for patients in the future.

• casualties
• military
• Lviv

Peaceful rallies will be held in 24 cities to remind the world of the defenders of Azovstal and other soldiers still held in enemy captivity.

On March 8, rallies will be held in Okhtyrka, Chernihiv, Arbuzynka, Vinnytsia, Irpin, Zaporizhia, Zhytomyr, Pavlohrad and Obukhiv.

On March 9, events are planned in Kyiv, Pivdennoukrainsk, Uman, Krolevets, Korop, Ovruch, Kremenchuk, Cherkasy, Korosten, Uzhhorod, Kharkiv, Lozova, Poltava, Berdychiv, and Kropyvnytskyi.

The rallies are organized by families of POWs from the Mariupol garrison, with former POWs often attending to share their experiences.

• casualties
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Kyiv