Themes by tag: military

An innovative program is bringing adaptive wakeboarding to soldiers with various injuries and amputations in Kyiv. The initiative, “Wake Accessible,” is part of the ONE TEAM FORCES public organization’s efforts to demonstrate that even extreme sports can be accessible to those recovering from significant injuries. The program aims to help military veterans test their limits and rebuild their confidence and physical self-assurance.

Training sessions are held weekly and involve defenders who have lost one or more limbs. The project has been active for two months and has engaged approximately ten participants so far.

Journalists interested in covering these sessions can arrange to observe the classes in Kyiv.

For context: ONE TEAM FORCES supports combatants who served BEFORE and AFTER February 24, 2022, and who have experienced injuries or psychological trauma due to russia’s armed aggression.

• casualties
• military
• Kyiv

On September 8, the “Beloved, I Live!” project will launch its fifth group of support classes in Zaporizhia. This initiative, dedicated to providing psychological assistance to women who have lost their husbands in the war, will welcome seven new participants.

The project was conceived in March 2023 when Yaryna Herashchenko, a social activist, was approached by a family friend grieving her military husband. The idea for “Beloved, I Live!” emerged from this interaction, with Herashchenko and her mother, a psychologist, coming together to offer support.

Participants in the program receive counseling and engage in various therapeutic activities such as archery, yoga, and Thai boxing. The initiative also includes off-site events. For example, on Khortytsia Island, participants wrote letters to their lost loved ones, crafted boats from these messages, and set them afloat on the Dnipro River. Additionally, they prepared and shared meals featuring their Beloveds’ favorite dishes. The women have also been involved in two photo projects: “In Memory of You,” which features images with memorabilia to tell the stories of their husbands, and “Beloved, I Live!,” a photo session designed to inspire renewal.

• dead
• military
• psychological support
• women
• Zaporizhzhia

On August 29, Kyiv will open a photo exhibition “Days of Remembrance of the Heroes of the Battle of Ilovaisk (2014)” to commemorate the Day of Remembrance of the Defenders of Ukraine. This year marks 10 years since one of the most tragic events in our fight against russia. The photo exhibition is a reminder of those events and a tribute to all those who were the first to defend our country in 2014.

Photos that have already become historic and were taken by photographers who worked in the area of ​​the fiercest fighting near Ilovaisk, Donetsk region, in August 2014, in the deployment area of “Donbas” Special Purpose Battalion of the National Guard of Ukraine will be presented in the capitol’s downtown. A kind of photo anthology of those events was created by Maxim Dondyuk, Oleksandr Glyadyelov, Markiian Lyseiko and Maksym Levin, who managed to get out of the Ilovaisk encirclement alive.

Maksym Levin died in occupied Kyiv region during the full-scale invasion in the spring of 2022, when he was documenting the crimes of the russians.

These more than fifty photos are just part of a large collection, which represents facts about the battle of Ilovaisk from August 10 to the “green corridor of death” on August 29, 2014.

 At the opening of the exhibition, the Ilovaisk events will be told by:

• Nataliia Kharchenko, mother of Yevhen “Red” Kharchenko, a participant in the Revolution of Dignity and the russo-Ukrainian war, who died in the battles for Ilovaisk;
• photographers Oleksandr Glyadyelov and Markiian Lyseiko;
• Roman Zinenko, soldier, participant in the battles for Ilovaisk;

A representative of the organizers of the photo exhibition will also speak at the event, mainly Olha Salo, Deputy Director General for Development, Cultural and Educational Work of the National Museum of the Revolution of Dignity.

For reference: Organizers of the event are “’Sarmat’ Military-Patriotic Association of Combatant” NGO, “Invincible Mothers of Ukraine” NGO, Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine and the National Memorial Complex of the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred – Museum of the Revolution of Dignity.

• culture
• military
• Kyiv

On Thursday, August 29, military personnel who sustained injuries will swim 1,000 meters in Kyiv. The participants include defenders with upper and lower limb amputations. The event will take place in one of the capital’s swimming pools.

The event takes place within the “Swimming from 0 to 1000 m” project. This is a swimming initiative for military personnel recovering from injuries. Its goal is to help fighters regain confidence in themselves and their bodies. During training in the pool, participants learn to swim, develop strength and endurance.

Training takes place three times a week, twice a week massage therapists attend to the injured military. In total, since October 2023, more than 150 people have attended the training.

For reference: The project was created by “ONE TEAM FORCES” NGO. It is a community that strives to implement a comprehensive approach to open up personalized opportunities for the comprehensive recovery of the wounded military. It helps combatants who were in service BEFORE and/or AFTER February 24, 2022 and were injured or psychologically traumatized as a result of the armed aggression of the russian federation.

• casualties
• military
• Kyiv

On August 29, Kyiv will hold an event to support prisoners of war and missing persons, bringing together relatives, friends, and officials.

Families and friends of prisoners of war, along with representatives from the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, are expected to participate in the event.

The gathering is organized by the Association “Strength of the Marines Corps.”

• casualties
• military
• prisoners
• Kyiv

Oksana Vedmid, 32, was a world champion powerlifter before russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Alongside her husband and coach, Pavlo Vedmid, she achieved global recognition by securing the title in the equipped bench press category. But their lives took a sharp turn at the onset of war. When news of the invasion broke, the couple was in western Ukraine’s Carpathian Mountains. Without hesitation, they returned to their hometown of Dnipro. 

Pavlo quickly enlisted in the local territorial defense forces, playing a critical role in the liberation of Izium in the Kharkiv region. Tragically, his life was cut short when an enemy shell struck his vehicle during a mission. Devastated but determined, Oksana decided to join the Ukrainian Defense Forces, driven to carry on the fight Pavlo had started. Today, Oksana serves on the front lines, using drones to target enemy positions.

Oksana Vedmid is currently serving on the frontline and is available for interviews with journalists, both online and in person, by prior arrangement.

• dead
• military
• women

Mariia Peshko raised her son Ivan alone while living in a village in the Rivne region, where she taught math at the local school. As a child, Ivan frequently played in the schoolyard or in a nearby vacant lot.

In 2014, as an adult, Ivan  joined the army. He served for a year before being mobilized again in 2021. His contract was set to end in April 2022, but during one of his combat missions, Ivan Kliuiko and his unit were caught in enemy fire. Ivan was killed. Devastated by her loss, Mariia frequently gazed at the empty lot where Ivan once played, yearning to restore its sense of joy. In a poignant tribute, she decided to transform the space into a vibrant community hub. Using the state compensation she received after Ivan’s death, Mariia, with the support of Ivan’s wife Olha, constructed a playground and a soccer field in his honor. Today, the village of Orvianytsia boasts these new facilities, which have become focal points for community activities. Mariia and Olha continue to organize various events, ensuring that Ivan’s memory lives on through the laughter and camaraderie of the village.

• dead
• military
• women
• Rivne

A groundbreaking adaptive yachting project for people with disabilities, including military veterans, has been launched in Kyiv. The initiative has already attracted more than 20 participants, both men and women, many of whom are veterans. Among them are individuals who have lost limbs and rely on wheelchairs for mobility.

The classes, which are offered free of charge, take place twice a week and cover both theory and practical training on the water. Participants are taught essential sailing skills, such as determining the boat’s position relative to the wind and managing the sails.

Currently, the project is in an experimental phase, but the organizers have ambitious plans to expand it across Ukraine and enhance the program’s resources and equipment.

For context: The adaptive yachting project was founded by Ihor Yatluk, a seasoned yacht captain and sailing athlete with five decades of experience, who also leads the NGO Vodnyk. He is joined by co-founder Nataliia Tyshchuk, a business consultant and fellow yacht captain.

• casualties
• military
• Kyiv

In 2019, Vladyslav Zadorin enlisted in the Ukrainian army, becoming part of the 35th Marine Brigade. When russia launched its full-scale invasion, he found himself stationed on Snake Island. Alongside his fellow defenders, Zadorin was captured by russian forces in the early days of the conflict.

Over the course of two grueling years in captivity, Zadorin endured both physical and psychological torture. His body, once strong, was ravaged by starvation—he lost 60 kilograms, nearly half of his total weight. In the dire conditions of the prison, prisoners were left to starve. Vladyslav recalls the extreme measures they took to survive, with some resorting to eating worms and even chewing on toilet paper.

Vladyslav only learned of his release on a bus ride, a moment filled with disbelief as he had been led to believe he was being transferred to yet another prison. On January 3, 2024, he was finally brought back to Ukraine. Now, Zadorin is undergoing rehabilitation in Odesa. Despite the trauma, he plans to return to military service—this time as an instructor, determined to share his experiences and knowledge.

Vladyslav is open to speaking with journalists, both online and in person, by appointment.

For reference: The battle for Snake Island began on February 24, 2022, with a missile strike on the Ukrainian border garrison. Despite the destruction of all structures on the island, Ukrainian forces continued to resist. After hours of intense fighting, the russian military captured the island and took its defenders prisoner. 

However, on June 30, 2022, the russian forces hastily withdrew from Snake Island, and on July 4, the Ukrainian military raised their flag over the reclaimed territory.

• casualties
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Odesa

Iryna Shmatko lost her husband and mother in the war. Iryna met her beloved Oleksandr back in 2014 at the Azov training center, where her future husband was serving at the time. The relationship developed, in 2017 Oleksandr was discharged and the couple became parents of three children.

With the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion, Oleksandr Shmatko immediately returned to the ranks of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, and Iryna took up volunteering.

On April 15, 2022, Iryna lost her mother, Nataliia Strebkova (call sign Zoriana), who defended Mariupol and died during the bombing of the Azovstal plant.

Later, Iryna found out that she was pregnant with her fourth child. However, Oleksandr didn’t live long enough to meet his youngest daughter. He died in November 2023 in Donetsk region. The girl, who was born three weeks after her father’s death, was named Zoriana after her heroic grandmother.

Journalists can talk to Iryna in person in Poltava or online. Iryna is raising two sons (ages 9 and 5) and two daughters (age 7 and an 8-month infant).

For reference: Nataliia Strebkova (call sign Zoriana) was posthumously awarded the Order for Courage 3rd degree. The “Memorial” platform created a documentary film about Nataliia.

Currently, the family is being cared for by the Children of Heroes charitable foundation. The organization helps children who lost one or both parents as a result of russia’s full-scale invasion. The foundation provides financial assistance, psychological and legal support, promotes education and development of children until they reach adulthood.

• children
• dead
• military
• women
• Poltava