Themes by tag: military

Natalia Tarabalka is the mother of Stepan Tarabalka, the Ukrainian hero and the protector of skies. The pilot died in air combat in March 2022. Working with a psychologist helped Natalia cope with the loss of her son. Later, when the woman received monetary compensation for the death of her son, she already knew what she would do with hers. In memory of her son, Natalia decided to create the rehabilitation center “Warmth of the Winged Soul” for servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The center provides both physical and psychological rehabilitation services to the military personnel. In addition, fighters will later be able to fish on the lake near the center, engage in art therapy or work in the garden.

• dead
• military

Serhii Yevtushenko is 34 years old. With the beginning of the enemy invasion, the man joined the Territorial Defense Forces in Rivne region. Later, he transferred to the 3rd Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Serhii was wounded near Bakhmut when he decided to save the life of his brother in arms, who was blown up on a mine right in front of him. The man says he knew he shouldn’t go, but he couldn’t leave his brothers. When Serhii applied the tourniquet, the enemy mine, which was under the wounded man, detonated. That’s how Serhii lost his foot and ankle. Two months have passed since the amputation, and the soldier is already learning to walk on a prosthesis. Serhii dreams of returning to the army, building a career and getting married.

Serhii is undergoing treatment in Lviv oblast. The soldier is ready to communicate with journalists online and, by prior agreement, in person. He is currently on vacation in Rivne region and will return to continue his treatment later.

• casualties
• military

Kateryna Pryimak is one of the leaders of the Ukrainian Women Veteran Movement and a veteran of the russo-Ukrainian war. Kateryna knows firsthand how uncomfortable a uniform for women can be, if it has been sewn by man’s uniform standards. Therefore, when servicewomen began to request uniforms, the Ukrainian Women Veteran Movement, led by Kateryna and her sister in arms Yuliia Sidorova decided that it was time to create one on their own. The workshop started its work about a year ago, later Kateryna turned to the Ukrainian Veteran Fund for help in order to receive a grant and financial support for the development of production. They succeeded. With the grant, the workshop was able to expand to include workstations for volunteers and start courses on sewing technique. Civilians and three female veterans became their first students.

Kateryna is in Kyiv. The veteran woman is ready to communicate with journalists, both online and offline.

• military
• women
• Kyiv

Before the full-scale enemy invasion, Oleksii, who went by the nickname “Yogurt” in the army, organized festivals and gastronomic tours and participated in a famous Ukraine cooking show. After the Russian army invaded Ukraine, the man entered active duty service. He took up the food reform in the anti-aircraft missile artillery division of the 47th Mechanized Brigade ‘Magura,’ raising funds and setting up a food truck. It’s a vehicle equipped to cook that isn’t tied to one specific location and can quickly change a place of stay. Oleksii dreams that the General Staff will find out about his project, replace the military kitchen with a mobile field one, and display the food truck at the Victory Day parade.

Currently, Oleksii is in active service on the front line. The soldier is ready to give an interview online and offline by prior arrangement. 

• food
• military

On August 23, at a briefing at the Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform, wives of Ukrainian captured border guards will tell the stories of their husbands. Journalists will also be able to learn about the struggle that the wives of prisoners are waging to bring their loved ones home. 

Participants:

Yaryna Herasymova, wife of a captured border guard;

Anzhela Zvereva, wife of a POW border guard;

Svitlana Shakirova, wife of a POW border guard;

Svitlana Polishchuk, wife of a POW border guard.

• military
• prisoners
• women

On Independence Day, a photo exhibition, “Generation of the Unbreakable. The Art of Creating,” dedicated to the defenders and their families whose lives were changed by their service. On August 23, the exhibition will be opened by its heroes, patients of the National Rehabilitation Center UNBROKEN. Each of them was seriously injured and now needs long-term treatment and rehabilitation. 

The five defenders will share their stories and the challenges they face on a daily basis. Together with the specialists of the Mental Health Center of the National Rehabilitation Center UNBROKEN, they will tell how to communicate with defenders who have been seriously injured in the war, how to behave properly, and what not to ask.

The National Rehabilitation Center UNBROKEN patients are among the participants:

Volodymyr Rudkovskyi, a military man and young father. Before Russia’s full-scale aggression, he had been living an active lifestyle, running his own business, and was involved in sports. His right leg was amputated.

Mykhailo Bakaliuk, a soldier, originally from the Donetsk region. Father of three sons, the youngest is three months old. A serviceman had his left leg amputated.

Valentyn Anokhin, a soldier, dreams of playing basketball and making children fall in love with sports.

Oleksandr Zhuravel, a military paramedic, is the second patient in Ukraine to have a prosthesis implanted in his bone. His right leg was amputated. 

Pavlo Patseruk, soldier, junior lieutenant, platoon commander. Multiple shrapnel injuries of two lower limbs. 

Other participants:

Andrii Sadovyi, mayor of Lviv, ambassador of UNBROKEN.

Oleh Samchuk, Director General of the First Medical Association of Lviv.

Iryna Zaslavets, development director of the First Medical Association of Lviv, UNBROKEN project manager, moderator of the event

Oleksandr Kobzarev, Executive Director of the UNBROKEN Foundation.

Natalia Grodz, a psychologist at the Mental Health Center of the National Rehabilitation Center UNBROKEN. 

Victoria Khemych, mentor at the National Rehabilitation Center UNBROKEN. 

Event accreditation is required for the exhibition.

• casualties
• culture
• doctors
• military

Serhii Karnaukhov first joined the defense of Ukraine in 2014: he fought at the Donetsk airport, and later served in the east of Ukraine. Alina and Serhii met during the war: the woman came to the front as a volunteer. They later married, and when Serhii’s contract expired, he returned to civilian life. However, for a short time, with the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion, the man took up arms again. And in May 2022, Serhii Karnaukhov died. Alina joined the army to continue what her husband started. However, with her disability, the woman wasn’t allowed to fight at the front itself: she became a military financier and founded “Zhyva” NGO, which supports women who lost their loved ones in the war.

Important notice: Alina Karnaukhova is ready to speak to journalists online and, by prior arrangement, to meet in Dnipro in person.

• dead
• military
• women
• Dnipro

On August 21, Media Center Ukraine — Ukrinform will host the presentation of the US-Ukraine Veterans Bridge. This is the first organization created by American veterans to support Ukrainian combatants.

Participants: 

• George Chewning – a U.S. veteran, executive director of the US-Ukraine Veterans Bridge, former White House Presidential Innovation Fellow.
• William Attig – a U.S. veteran, Executive Director at Union Veteran Council, member of the US-Ukraine Veterans Bridge.
• Dennis DJ Skelton – a U.S., Co-Founder of Paradox Sports, member of the US-Ukraine Veterans Bridge.
• Cory Bythrow — Chief of Staff of the American Federation of Government Employees, a member of the US-Ukraine Veterans Bridge.
• Lindsay Church – a U.S. veteran, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Minority Veterans of America, Strategic Advisor at the US-Ukraine Veterans Bridge.
• Colonel Volodymyr Lahuta – Ukrainian veteran, active military serviceman, Chair of the Board of Veteran’s Movement of Ukraine public union.
• Dmytro Shatrovskyi – Ukrainian veteran, active military serviceman, Head of Veteran Brotherhood All-Ukrainian NGO.
• Kateryna Pryimak – Deputy Head of the Ukrainian Women Veteran Movement NGO.

The topics of focus will include cooperation within the framework of the US-Ukraine Veterans Bridge, as well as solutions for Ukrainian veterans and their family members that can be implemented now.

Pre-registration is required.

For reference: the US-Ukraine Veterans Bridge is a coalition of leading US veterans’ organizations and human rights activists united in a common cause to support Ukraine’s developing veteran community.

• military

Ihor Bezkaravainyi is a veteran who in 2015 was injured in a mine explosion. In October 2022, together with his wife Olena, they created the “Unconquered” charitable foundation, which aims to help and support other veterans and their families. After all, spouses know from their own experience how to navigate the path after receiving injury and undergoing rehabilitation, and how to support their partner and return to life.

Currently, the charitable fund is focused on helping the veterans of the russo-Ukrainian war with physical and psychological recovery, as well as with retraining and acquiring a new profession.

Journalists will have the opportunity to talk to Ihor Bezkaravainyi, as well as other veterans who are currently in the charitable foundation’s care.

For reference: Currently Ihor also holds the post of Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine. And in 2020, the man was a member of the Ukrainian team at the Invictus Games.

• military

Sarah Ashton-Cirillo is 46 years old. She is an American journalist and transgender woman. Sarah came to Ukraine at the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion. In March 2022, she covered the topic of Ukrainian refugees in Poland, and later joined the territorial defense forces of Ukraine and became a combat medic. At the same time, Sarah continued to write reports for foreign media about enemy shelling. In 2023, the woman was injured, and soon after she received an invitation to join the public relations team of the Territorial Defense Forces. Sarah Ashton-Cirillo’s new position has sparked a lot of discussion. However, this did not affect Sarah’s motivation to serve in the Armed Forces.

• doctors
• military
• women
• LGBT