Themes by tag: Mykolaiv

When the full-scale invasion began, Diana Rudenko was 17 years old. She worked as a waitress in her hometown of Mykolaiv and dreamed of becoming a tattoo artist. Her beloved was a defender of Mariupol and was captured by the russians. While waiting for his return, Diana learned tattooing and piercing techniques.

In January 2024, she began attending events in Mykolaiv to support prisoners of war. She had the idea to create “Needle Storm”, a project that would unite tattoo and piercing artists and involve them in charity work.

In April 2025, her beloved returned from captivity, and now he supports her work.

The third round of the “Needle Storm” initiative will take place on December 20–21. Artists from all over Ukraine are organizing charity workdays, donating all proceeds to support military needs.

You can speak with Diana Rudenko online or in person in Mykolaiv by prior arrangement.

• culture
• women
• Mykolaiv

Yuliia Matvieieva, 32, lived in Mykolaiv with her husband, building an ordinary life until a russian drone attack changed everything. In July this year, a drone struck their home, sending nearly 300 shards of metal into Yuliia’s face and eyes.

Since then, she has undergone seven surgeries – four of them on her eyes. Her treatment continues, and she remains hopeful that one day she will regain her sight.

Together with her husband, Yuliia runs a blog on social media where she shares her journey of treatment and recovery. Despite the trauma, she says she dreams of seeing her husband’s face again and watching the sun set over the river.

Yuliia Matvieieva is available for conversations both online and in person in Mykolaiv, by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• russian crimes
• women
• Mykolaiv

In partnership with IREX and with funding from U.S. taxpayers, the savED Charitable Foundation has opened modular, temporary learning spaces in the Pervomaiska and Shevchenkivska communities of the Mykolaiv oblast. This initiative will enable over 500 local children to resume in-person learning.

Throughout 2022, the Pervomaiska community — which received one of the temporary learning spaces — was on the frontline of combat and suffered significant destruction. Specifically, a russian attack destroyed a secondary school in one of its villages. In 2023, savED established an educational center called “Vulyk” (The Hive) in a local family medicine clinic, where students could participate in interactive extracurricular sessions with tutors. However, this was insufficient to restore full-scale education for the hundreds of children in the community. The new modular space will enable 220 local students to resume in-person schooling.

Shevchenkivska is the second community to receive a modular temporary learning space. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the community has been on the frontline, with some of its settlements enduring eight months of occupation.

The temporary learning spaces are barrier-free and child-friendly. Each of the six classrooms features high ceilings, comfortable furniture, tablets, and interactive multimedia panels. The facilities also include a large inclusive restroom, a teachers’ lounge, and a server room. The entrance is equipped with a ramp. Alternative power sources enable the spaces to operate fully during electricity outages.

It is worth noting that students in Bohdanivka, a village in the Kyiv oblast, where russians burned down the local school, students now study in a similar modular temporary learning space.

Background: Temporary learning spaces are built by benefactors using reliable modular structures in communities where schools have been damaged due to russian aggression or where the infrastructure needs to be expanded due to an increase in student enrollment, including internally displaced persons.

• children
• occupation
• russian crimes
• Kyiv
• Mykolaiv

On July 22 and 23, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine will host a two-day press tour to Mykolaiv Oblast for regional, national, and international media. The tour will highlight several sites established by UNDP in cooperation with international partners, including the European Union (EU), and the governments of Denmark and Germany.

The itinerary includes a visit to a dedicated space for veterans, where journalists will meet with veterans and their families; a tour of a public health and rehabilitation center; and a demonstration of mobile medical teams specially equipped to serve communities in need. Participants will also visit a newly opened Administrative Service Center and an inclusive youth hub in Mykolaiv. There, they’ll have the opportunity to speak with visitors and students from the Mykolaiv Higher School of Physical Education, the alma mater of Olympic champion Olga Kharlan and other elite Ukrainian athletes.

Journalists will have the chance to speak with UNDP’s local partners, community leaders, service users, and local authorities, gaining firsthand insight into the efforts to rebuild and empower war-affected communities.

The tour will cover eight key locations in Mykolaiv and Voznesensk, including sites heavily impacted by the war.

Transportation from Kyiv, hotel accommodations, and meals will be provided.

Submission of accreditation requests is open until 6:00 p.m. on July 20.

For reference: The press tour is organized as part of the UNDP-EU flagship initiative EU4Recovery – Empowering Communities in Ukraine.

• Mykolaiv

On July 22 and 23, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine will host a two-day press tour to Mykolaiv Oblast for regional, national, and international media. The tour will highlight several sites established by UNDP in cooperation with international partners, including the European Union (EU), and the governments of Denmark and Germany.

The itinerary includes a visit to a dedicated space for veterans, where journalists will meet with veterans and their families; a tour of a public health and rehabilitation center; and a demonstration of mobile medical teams specially equipped to serve communities in need. Participants will also visit a newly opened Administrative Service Center and an inclusive youth hub in Mykolaiv. There, they’ll have the opportunity to speak with visitors and students from the Mykolaiv Higher School of Physical Education, the alma mater of Olympic champion Olga Kharlan and other elite Ukrainian athletes.

Journalists will have the chance to speak with UNDP’s local partners, community leaders, service users, and local authorities, gaining firsthand insight into the efforts to rebuild and empower war-affected communities.

The tour will cover eight key locations in Mykolaiv and Voznesensk, including sites heavily impacted by the war.

Transportation from Kyiv, hotel accommodations, and meals will be provided.

Submission of accreditation requests is open until 6:00 p.m. on July 20.

For reference: The press tour is organized as part of the UNDP-EU flagship initiative EU4Recovery – Empowering Communities in Ukraine.

• Mykolaiv

Before 2022, Ihor Kazmin repaired passenger and commercial vehicles. When fighting broke out in the Mykolaiv oblast, he began helping the military fix armored vehicles.

In May 2022, he built his first buggy for soldiers and has since completely repurposed his auto shop to meet the army’s needs. To date, his team of mechanics has assembled 70 buggies and sent them to the front lines. Fitting out a single buggy takes anywhere from two to three weeks up to two months, depending on the base vehicle being modified. Initially, volunteers worked with Ladas, then moved on to Fords and Skodas, and later began using all-wheel-drive cars.

Some vehicles are handed over after being damaged at the front or in accidents, while others have to be purchased using personal or donated funds. Currently, eight people work in the workshop. In the future, Ihor plans to open a hostel and café for soldiers, who are frequent visitors to the auto shop.

You can connect with Ihor Kazmin online or in person in Mykolaiv by prior arrangement.

• military
• volunteers
• Mykolaiv

Maryna Muzyka and Dmytro met after russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. At the time, they lived in different countries, Maryna in Ukraine, Dmytro in the Czech Republic. A former soldier, Dmytro had served in the Ukrainian army until 2019, when he was discharged after sustaining injuries. But when the war escalated in 2022, he didn’t hesitate. On March 4, just days after the invasion began, Dmytro returned to Ukraine and enlisted in the 59th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade.

Their paths crossed in Mykolaiv, where Dmytro and fellow soldiers were looking for a place to stay. The two quickly grew close. Eventually, Maryna moved to the Donetsk region to be near him, waiting for him to return from combat missions.

On July 1, 2024, Dmytro Muzyka was killed in action during a mission in the Donetsk sector.

The couple had often talked about building a future together, dreaming of launching their own business someday. After Dmytro’s death, Maryna decided to turn that dream into reality on her own. She opened a coffee shop in Mykolaiv and named it Mykyta the Cat, a tribute to her fallen husband, who, she says, had remarkable night vision and moved with the silent grace of a feline.

Maryna designed the space with a theme she calls “combat cats”, a nod to the qualities she saw in Dmytro and the soldiers he served with.

Maryna can be reached for interviews in Mykolaiv or virtually, by appointment.

• dead
• military
• women
• Mykolaiv

On June 5, a learning space will be opened in the shelter of one of the kindergartens in Mykolaiv.

Participants:

• savED Foundation (Anna Novosad, Anna Putsova);
• LEGO Foundation representatives;  
• MES (Oksen Lisovyi);
• Danish Embassy (Ole Egberg Mikkelsen, Jakob Torrild Hansen).

* Local educators, children, and parents.

Thanks to the LEGO Foundation’s support, the savED charitable foundation is completing the construction of modern, safe shelters at four kindergartens in Mykolaiv. Now, over a thousand local children will be able to study and develop their skills in a comfortable environment.

The shelters have been converted into spaces equipped with play areas and study zones for classes during air raid alerts. Children will also be able to sleep in special beds. The renovation of the shelters began in February 2025. Two locations have been completed, and two more are in the final stages.

The total renovated area is over 2,000 square meters. One of the renovated centers will be the largest underground educational space in the city. Two shelters will also serve as educational spaces for secondary school students.

Background: Over 130 kindergartens (one-third) in Mykolaiv oblast currently operate remotely, according to the Ministry of Education and Science. One of the reasons is the security factor and lack of equipped shelters in educational institutions.

• children
• Mykolaiv

The social project “Come Out and Play!” was launched in Bucha and Irpin in June 2022 in response to the challenges these towns faced after liberation. Its main goal was to help children recover emotionally after living under occupation. Free soccer training was organized for school children, and in November 2022, the NGO “Come Out and Play!” was officially registered.

The training sessions are designed for boys and girls between the ages of 5 and 12, including internally displaced children. Since its inception, over 600 children from Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, Bucha, Irpin and Odesa have participated in the football program.

Today, the NGO “Come Out and Play!” also provides comprehensive psychosocial support to IDPs, children and people affected by the war. Services include individual and family counseling, group therapy, and art therapy. In addition, free legal counseling is provided, including assistance in recovering lost documents and applying for social benefits.

By prior arrangement, the project’s activities can be covered in Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, Odesa, and Mykolaiv. Psychosocial football training takes place in these cities, and in Dnipro and Kryvyi Rih, art therapy and legal training sessions are also conducted.

• casualties
• children
• psychological support
• Dnipro
• Odesa
• Mykolaiv

On March 5, a renovated bomb shelter in one of the gymnasiums in Mykolaiv will be opened. The shelter was restored by “Dobrobat” volunteers, who carried out demolition work, wall reinforcement, and floor and ceiling replacement. The three-month renovation was funded by the international organization “Nova Ukraine”.

The shelter will serve as a safe space for 400 children and staff. This is the second shelter restored at the gymnasium, helping to ease the transition to face-to-face learning.

Speakers:
– Mykhailo Bryzhko, Head of Regional Development, NGO “Dobrobat”
– Yurii Osipov, Coordinator of the Mykolaiv branch, NGO “Dobrobat”
– Representatives of “Nova Ukraine”
– School administration

Accreditation is required to participate in the event.

• reconstruction
• volunteers
• Mykolaiv