Themes by tag: Mykolaiv

Alina, a volunteer from Ukraine’s Mykolaiv region, is raising two sons while supporting the nation’s defenders. When russia launched its full-scale invasion, she began by cooking meals with a friend and sending them to the frontlines. Soon after, she acquired a car, allowing her to personally deliver essential supplies to soldiers.

Her commitment led her to establish a charity named “Unbreakable Kitty,” inspired by her call sign. She recalls being called “Kitty” since her school days, with “Unbreakable” added as her resolve deepened. Her foundation continues to prepare meals and dry rations, storing all donated and purchased supplies at its facility.

In a separate room, Alina keeps cherished mementos: flags signed by soldiers, shell casings, certificates, letters of gratitude, and a photo banner honoring her brother, who was killed by a drone strike on March 17, 2024.

Alina is based in Nova Odesa, Mykolaiv region, and is open to interviews with journalists, both online and in person, with prior arrangement.

• volunteers
• women
• Mykolaiv

On October 28-29, 2024, a press tour will take place in Mykolaiv Oblast, where volunteers of the international humanitarian project “Let’s Do It Ukraine SOS” will present renovated shelters in two educational institutions. These institutions were severely damaged by the floods caused by the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam.

As part of the press tour, volunteers will also donate dehumidifiers, air purifiers and charging stations that work without electricity. These will be delivered to the facilities where repairs have already been completed. This equipment will help ensure healthy and comfortable conditions for learning and use of school shelters in the future.

Transportation for journalists from Kyiv and back will be arranged. Accreditation is required.

Background: The restoration work was carried out as part of the project to deal with the aftermath of the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam explosion “Flood relief in Mykolaiv and Kherson oblasts, assistance to households and social infrastructure facilities “Cleaning, disinfection, restoration and preparations for winter”,  with the assistance of AWO International and with the financial support of Aktion Deutschland Hilft. 

On June 6, 2023, the russian forces blew up the dam of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station in the Kherson region, causing almost 14 billion dollars of damage in Ukraine.  This is stated in the “Post Disaster Needs Assessment report of the Kakhovka Dam Disaster” prepared by the UN and the Ukrainian government.

• casualties
• ecology
• russian crimes
• volunteers
• Mykolaiv

To help children and their parents cope with the psychological effects of the war, mobile teams of psychologists from the Voices of Children charity foundation travel to villages and small towns where there are no specialists, relevant institutions or reliable public transport. They organize individual and group psychological and psychosocial support for children and parents affected by the war (IDPs with destroyed homes and other losses).  

By prior arrangement, journalists can cover the group sessions and talk to the participants (children and their parents).

Coverage can focus on the work of the mobile psychological teams in the Kyiv region (on 30 September at the modular town for temporarily displaced persons in the village of Liubymivka), as well as in the Mykolaiv and Lviv oblasts.

Background: Since the start of the full-scale invasion, 102,000 children and parents have received various types of support. In Ukraine, the Voices of Children Foundation currently operates 13 centers and an online helpline providing free psychological support. Over 200 psychologists and psychotherapists are working to preserve the childhoods and smiles of Ukrainian children.

• children
• psychological support
• Kyiv
• Lviv
• Mykolaiv

At 30 years old, Iryna Nomerovska is a certified economist and the mother of a fifth-grader, Eva. In the spring of 2022, her family was trapped under russian occupation in their hometown of Kherson, a city in southern Ukraine. By a stroke of luck, they managed to escape, evading enemy checkpoints and fleeing toward the Kyiv region. Along the way, Iryna was struck by the extent of the devastation and the proliferation of mine warning signs.

A year later, Iryna returned to Mykolaiv, a city near Kherson, where she joined the HALO Ukraine team. Today, she leads a non-technical survey team, working to identify hazardous areas in her native southern region.

Journalists interested in speaking with Iryna can arrange interviews in the Mykolaiv region.
For reference: The HALO Trust is the world’s largest international non-profit organization dedicated to clearing mines and unexploded ordnance. For 35 years, it has operated in 30 countries and territories.

• occupation
• women
• Mykolaiv
• demining

The apiary near Mykolaiv (a city in the south of Ukraine) was founded by Yakiv Fedosov’s father. After his father’s death, Yakiv continued the family business. Before the full-scale invasion, Yakiv had bought new equipment and increased the number of bee colonies. Over time, he began making honey infused with medicinal herbs.

However, with the beginning of the Big War, the village in which the farm was located became the epicenter of the russian offensive. Heavy shelling destroyed the house, some of the beehives burned down, and the occupiers stole the already produced honey.

However, this did not stop Yakiv. He distributed the remaining honey to the military. Then he bought more honey from beekeepers he knew, and based on it, he created a honey paste for the soldiers, which quickly replenishes their energy.

Now Yakiv is waiting for compensation for the destroyed property from the state. He plans to rebuild the house and continue to work on the apiary.

Yakiv Fedosov is in Mykolaiv oblast. He is ready to communicate with journalists, both online and offline.

• casualties
• reconstruction
• russian crimes
• Mykolaiv

Before the full-scale invasion, Yevheniia Kim from Mykolaiv (a city in the south of Ukraine) was an icon painter. However, with the first explosions in February 2022, Yevheniia put down her brush and started volunteering. She even turned her workshop into a volunteer hub.

At first, Yevheniia evacuated women and children from Mykolaiv, and after the death of her friend, she joined the efforts to evacuate the wounded from the battlefield. Currently, the woman cooperates with the local Voluntary formation of the territorial community as a volunteer paramedic. Yevheniia does not receive a salary, however, she is able to go to the front line and return home at her own request. Yevheniia is not sure that she will be able to paint again after the Victory.

For reference: Yevheniia Kim is either in Mykolaiv or at the front line. The paramedic is ready to communicate with journalists, both online and in person, by prior arrangement.

• culture
• doctors
• volunteers
• women
• Mykolaiv

In the South of the country, particularly in Mykolaiv and Kherson regions, volunteers of “Let’s do it Ukraine” movement are currently working on drying and disinfecting premises damaged due to the explosion of the Kakhovka HPP dam. Journalists are welcome to cover the work of volunteers and communicate with local residents.

Under the auspices of the AWO International and with the financial support of Aktion Deutschland Hilft the All-Ukrainian youth movement “Let’s do it Ukraine is implementing the project aimed at eliminating the consequences of the Kakhovka HPP dam explosion “Overcoming the consequences of the flood in Mykolaiv and Kherson regions, helping households and social infrastructure objects: cleaning, disinfection, restoration works, preparation for winter.”

A total of 192 households will be gradually restored as a part of the project. Organizers, volunteers and specialized companies will help people dry the premises, carry out disinfection and pest control measures. In addition, some of the participants will even receive resources for carrying out basic works on liquidating flood consequences, and special equipment will be provided free of charge to speed up repairs.

For reference: one of the largest man-made disasters in Europe occurred on June 6, 2023, as the russians blew up the Kakhovka HPP dam. 600 km2 of territory was flooded, 30 settlements came under water in Kherson region, and 31 more in Mykolaiv region.

A huge wave of water from the Kakhovka Reservoir washed away everything in its path – garbage dumps, sewers, cemeteries, animal corpses, dangerous chemicals, etc. This contaminated water stayed in the houses for several days. In order to live in these premises, they must first be properly dried and disinfected.

• casualties
• ecology
• reconstruction
• russian crimes
• volunteers
• Kherson
• Mykolaiv

The future Mykolaiv School No. 48 will become one of the most modern educational institutions in the south of Ukraine. Before the war, 690 children had studied here, and after the reconstruction, its capacity will double to 1,326 students. According to the architects, the top priorities of the team working on the project were energy efficiency, a human-centered approach and the ergonomic design.

The territory of the new school is to be 17,500 square meters, and its building is designed for 49 classrooms. The premises will also have 3 open classrooms in gazebos with solar panels for conducting master classes in the open air, a greenhouse for growing plants and recreation areas for junior and senior schoolchildren. The architects also plan to add solar thermal collectors and heat pumps. The school will have a well functioning as its water source. Laboratories, conference halls and workshops, as well as several gyms, a museum of local history and a museum of military and patriotic education are all part of the school building design. The school will have a shelter with control and engineering rooms, bathrooms and inclusive infrastructure.

All this will become possible if the city manages to collect the necessary funds. Therefore, the National Union of Architects of Ukraine brokered the signing of a memorandum between the Mykolaiv City Council and the American Sweetanok Foundation. Sweetanok raises funds for the Ukrainian front, but the management and employees of the foundation have always dreamed of the opportunity to help children.

• children
• reconstruction
• russian crimes
• Mykolaiv

In Mykolaiv, the “DREAM Recovery Management Ecosystem for Regional and Local Authorities Presentation” recently took place, backed by the Ministry of Community Development, Territorial and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine, and the DREAM Project Office. The event aimed to rally regional authority figures and local community representatives around leveraging the DREAM ecosystem. Its objectives included showcasing its utility in executing regional recovery and modernization initiatives, as well as reshaping perceptions regarding collaboration with international donors and securing investments for community initiatives.

For reference: The Digital Restoration Ecosystem for Accountable Management (DREAM) serves as a comprehensive state reconstruction management system, streamlining the digital pathway for reconstruction projects and ensuring their transparent and effective execution at national, regional, and local tiers. Positioned as a “one-stop shop” for managing recovery endeavors, DREAM aims to facilitate smoother project execution.

• reconstruction
• Mykolaiv

In a span of one year and three months, the Mykolaiv region has witnessed the complete reconstruction of 22 bridges destroyed by Russian military forces during their aggression. Among these bridges are vital crossings like the one by the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant and the Inhulets River bridge, a crucial link between the Mykolaiv and Kherson regions. The restoration efforts have been a collaborative endeavor involving the Oblast Military Administration, military personnel, the State Special Transport Service, United24 donors, district military administrations, Snihuriv City Military Administration, Mykolaiv Oblast Road Service, Inhulets River Canal Authority, and the State Enterprise “Agency of Local Roads of Mykolaiv Region”. 

Journalists are invited to access visual documentation of the bridge reconstruction process and conduct necessary interviews.

• reconstruction
• russian crimes
• Mykolaiv