Themes by tag: occupation

Valeriia Vershynina was born and raised in Donetsk. In 2014, when russia launched its first assault on Ukraine and occupied her hometown, she and her family fled to Kyiv.

After settling in the capital, Valeriia joined Stabilization Support Services, a charitable foundation focused on assisting internally displaced persons (IDPs). She became part of a working group responsible for developing legislation related to displaced populations. In 2024, Valeriia stepped into the role of executive director of the foundation.

“Stabilization Support Services received funding from American donors, with one of the foundation’s key programs dedicated to helping IDPs rebuild their homes. However, that funding was recently cut, putting several projects at risk,” Valeriia explained. Now, she is working to secure support from donors in other countries to keep the foundation’s initiatives moving forward.

Interviews with Valeriia Vershynina can be arranged both online and in person in Kyiv by appointment.

Background: Stabilization Support Services is a Ukrainian charitable foundation that has been operating since 2016, working to address the social impacts of the war and provide comprehensive support for internally displaced persons. The foundation offers humanitarian and legal assistance, helps repair damaged homes, strengthens Ukraine’s social protection system, and has built a national network of IDP Councils, launched between 2019 and 2020. Its programs span the entire country, with a focus on restoring war-affected communities and improving access to social services for Ukraine’s most vulnerable populations.

• casualties
• occupation
• reconstruction
• women
• Kyiv

On March 6, a crucial roundtable discussion titled “Media of Occupied Territories: How to Stay Connected with the People” will take place. The media outlets relocated from temporarily occupied areas serve as one of the few reliable, trusted, and open communication channels for those who have been displaced across the front lines, in different countries, and on different continents due to the ongoing war.

However, these newsrooms are facing a perfect storm of challenges: cuts to grant programs, the ongoing war, and economic difficulties. According to a study by the Institute of Mass Information (IMI) in Kyiv, over half of regional media have experienced significant funding losses.

This roundtable, hosted at the Media Center Ukraine, will bring together editors, journalists, media experts, and government officials to discuss potential solutions and steps to help Ukrainian regional media emerge from this crisis.

Speakers:

– Oksana Romaniuk, Director of the Institute of Mass Information (IMI);

– Andrii Dikhtiarenko, Co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of Realna Gazeta;

– Anna Murlykina, Editor of Mariupol local news outlet 0629.com.ua, Project Manager of the Relocated Media Cluster;

– Yevheniia Virlych, Editor-in-Chief of Kherson online media Kavun.city;

– Hanna Bokova, Editor-in-Chief of Bakhmut IN.UA;

– Valeriia Melnyk, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Tribun publication;

– Valeriia Krupoderia, Coordinator of the Eastern Variant hotline. 

This event promises to be a pivotal conversation about preserving the voice of Ukrainian regional media during these challenging times.

• occupation
• Kyiv

On March 1, the Stations of the Cross, a religious processional will take place in Bucha, Kyiv Oblast, along Yablunska Street, to honor the memory of the victims tortured during the russian occupation. The procession will feature 14 stations, each marking a site where civilians were tragically killed. Among the stops, participants will pause to pray for and remember those who suffered at 144 Yablunska St., including the first boys to fall victim to the russians: Andrii Verbovyi, Andrii Matviichuk, Andrii Dvornikov, Vitalii Karpenko, Sviatoslav Turovskyi, Anatolii Prykhidko, Valerii Kotenko, and Denys Rudenko.

The procession will conclude at the chapel of St. Luke Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.

For context: The Stations of the Cross is a prayer tradition centered on meditations about the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ for humanity’s salvation. Originating in Jerusalem, it is observed within the liturgical practices of both the Catholic and Greek Catholic Churches.

• dead
• occupation
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

In 2019, Yevheniia Vyrych became the head of Kavun.City, a Kherson-based media outlet, that covered local news. She worked on developing the platform, securing grants, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, launched a project to debunk myths about the disease and vaccination.

After the russians occupied Kherson, Kavun.City continued its work, covering everything that happened in the city, from russian raids to the distribution of bread to the residents. The occupiers searched for Yevheniia, forcing her to constantly go into hiding — changing her residence, dyeing her hair, and taking extra precautions. She remained in occupied Kherson for four months before finally deciding to escape under a false name.

After reaching Kyiv, Yevheniia began working to revive Kavun.City. The media team launched projects focused on local governance, documenting russian war crimes, and, most recently, debunking fake news about the Kherson oblast and its still-occupied territories.

To support Kavun.City, the team launched an online store selling branded merchandise and handmade items from Kherson artisans.

Yevheniia Vyrych is available for interviews both online and in person in Kyiv, upon prior arrangement.

• occupation
• women
• Kyiv

On February 21, the Kyiv War Museum and the DOCU/CLUB network of the NGO Docudays will hold a screening of the documentary Witnesses. To the North of Kyiv.

The film is based on materials from the Ukraine War Archive project, which was launched by Docudays in cooperation with Infoscope in the early weeks of russia’s full-scale invasion. The initiative aims to document wartime events and firsthand testimonies that could support future investigations into russian war crimes and help bring those responsible to justice.  

The documentary follows residents of Pushcha-Vodytsia, a northern suburb of Kyiv, as well as the nearby villages of Moshchun and Horenka. The protagonists recount how they endured the russian occupation, volunteered, supported the Ukrainian military, and resisted the invaders.  

Following the screening, a discussion will take place with the film’s director, Tetiana Symon, who also serves as the coordinator of the Ukraine War Archive project’s interviewing department. The conversation will be moderated by Olha Babchuk, a journalist and communications manager at DOCU/CLUB.  

Registration is required to attend the event.

Background: From the earliest days of the conflict, Ukrainian documentary filmmakers have been diligently recording eyewitness testimonies. These recordings not only capture the unvarnished truth of the war but also serve to convey its realities to a global audience. Ultimately, they may be employed as crucial evidence in international courts to hold perpetrators accountable.

• occupation
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

On February 24, the town of Bucha in Kyiv oblast will hold commemorative events to honor the memory of Ukraine’s fallen civilians and defenders.

Bucha, which has become a symbol of Ukrainian resilience and a witness to the horrific war crimes of the russian army, will bring together families of the fallen, local residents, government officials, and the international community to pay tribute to all those who gave their lives for Ukraine’s freedom.

Program of events:

• Memorial Rally, a requiem service and tribute to the fallen heroes
• Memorial Rally, a requiem service and tribute to the innocent victims of russian aggression at the Wall of Remembrance
• Unveiling of a Fallen Defender memorial plaque
• Memorial event “Bells of Remembrance”

• dead
• occupation
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

Liudmyla is 77 years old, a trained anesthetist and resuscitator. When russia launched its full-scale invasion, she stepped in to help treat wounded civilians in occupied Hostomel, Kyiv oblast (two people had shrapnel wounds). With no medical instruments available at the local clinic, she had to sew up wounds with an ordinary sewing needle and thread.

Today, Liudmyla continues to support Ukraine’s defense by weaving camouflage nets with a group of local women volunteers known as “Chervona Kalyna”. She dedicates herself to volunteering almost every day.

Journalists can speak with Liudmyla in the Kyiv oblast.

Background: February 24, 2025 will mark the third anniversary of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

• casualties
• occupation
• volunteers
• women
• Kyiv

For the past 15 years, Tetiana Hrek has dedicated herself to teaching karate to children and adults. Before the all-out invasion, she and her husband owned a gym in Bucha, a town in the Kyiv region. But when the war broke out, their lives took a dramatic turn. The family found themselves under occupation, their gym looted by russian forces, and their home shot at. After enduring two weeks of occupation, Tetiana and her family managed to escape to Ukrainian-controlled territory.

A year later, Tetiana decided to return to Bucha. In the interim, other coaches who had remained in the city had restored the gym and resumed teaching local children. Upon her return, Tetiana was welcomed back by eager students. A public martial arts school in Bucha also reopened its doors, inviting her to teach there.

Today, Tetiana offers lessons both online and offline, available by appointment.

• occupation
• reconstruction
• russian crimes
• women
• Kyiv

Before the full-scale invasion, 29-year-old Mykola Petrovskyi lived with his father and grandmother in Kherson. Mykola is disabled — after a car accident, part of his left foot was amputated and he now wears a prosthesis.

When Kherson was occupied by russian forces, Mykola became a volunteer, helping people in the city. One day, russian security forces abducted him from his home.

In September 2023, the so-called “Supreme Court of Crimea” sentenced Mykola Petrovskyi to 16 years in a maximum security penal colony, falsely accusing him of “espionage”.

Letters from Mykola reveal that he was tortured in captivity, beaten, denied proper medical care, which is crucial for a person with a disability, and starved.

Read his full story here.

Journalists can arrange interviews with Mykola’s mother (online) and with his lawyer and human rights experts in Kyiv (in person).

• casualties
• occupation
• russian crimes
• volunteers

On February 12, Kyiv will host the first retrospective exhibition entitled “The Universe of Lyubov”. This exhibition will serve as a symbolic tribute to the life and artistic legacy of the brilliant Ukrainian artist Lyubov Panchenko, who tragically died as a result of the russian occupation of Bucha in 2022.

The exhibition will feature sketches of clothing designs, garments and accessories, paintings, collages and decorative murals, as well as photographs and personal items of the artist.

The exhibition explores Lyubov Panchenko’s life in the socio-political context of her time, as well as her relationships with influential figures such as Viacheslav Chornovil, Mykola Plakhotniuk, Alla Horska, Liudmyla Semykina, and others.

The curators aim to show how Panchenko’s artistic works are reinterpreted, transformed, and inspire contemporary artists.

Journalists must be accredited for the event. (Presentation to the media on February 12)

Background: Lyubov Panchenko survived the russian occupation in her home in Bucha, Kyiv oblast. After the liberation of the region, she was found in a state of extreme exhaustion. Reports indicate that she was forced to starve during the russian occupation. She was hospitalized but died at the age of 85.

February 24, 2025, marks three years since the start of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

• culture
• occupation
• Kyiv