Themes by tag: occupation

Realna Gazeta will present its new large-scale study, “Map of International Support for the Occupiers. How russia Uses Foreigners to Legitimize Its Occupation of Eastern Ukraine.”

Analysts from Realna Gazeta examined the role of third countries in supporting the occupiers’ infrastructure in Donetsk and Luhansk regions and identified which international political, cultural, and business organizations actively participated between 2014 and 2026. The study also examines the Kremlin’s efforts to create the illusion of international approval of the russian occupation.

Speakers:

• Andrii Dikhtiarenko, Editor-in-Chief and founder of Realna Gazeta;
• Olena Fietisova, News Editor-in-Chief and researcher;
• Sofiia Dikhtiarenko, researcher (online).

• occupation
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

Participants:

– Oleksandra Dvoretska, head of policy development at the President of Ukraine’s Bring Kids Back UA initiative;

– Oleksii Riabykin, Deputy Minister for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine;

– a representative of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine;

– Radmila Sehol, Vice-Rector for Research and International Cooperation at Kyiv Aviation Institute State University;

– a young person who left a temporarily occupied territory since 2022 and is currently studying at a Ukrainian university.

Topics for discussion:

– Safe departure of young people from temporarily occupied territories;

– State support and integration after leaving;

– Admission to Ukrainian higher education institutions: the 2026 admission campaign, Quota 2, education centers and the admission process;

– Opportunities for students from temporarily occupied territories: benefits, adaptation and real-life stories of those who have left.

Background: Ukraine’s admission campaign is underway, and young people from temporarily occupied territories have access to specific mechanisms and guarantees. The briefing will explain how to leave safely, enter a Ukrainian university without taking the National Multi-Subject Test (NMT) and without a full set of documents, as well as what support students receive after admission. A particular focus will be placed on practical step-by-step guidance and the real-life experience of a young person who has already gone through the process. The event will provide answers to questions that remain among the most pressing for applicants from temporarily occupied territories and their families each year.

• children
• occupation

On July 11, Odesa will host the opening of “Kherson: NOT/Stolen”, an exhibition based on studies and homages inspired by artworks stolen by russia. The project was conceived as an exploration of the collection of the looted Kherson Art Museum and was created by artists who continue to live and work in Ukraine despite ongoing russian attacks and destruction.

In art, a study is both an exploration and a preparatory sketch. A homage is a work created as a tribute to another artist. It is neither an exact copy nor a replica, but rather an expression of respect and gratitude to those who made the world a better place through their art.

The exhibition “NOT/Stolen. Studies and Homages” was shown from November to December 2025 at Zenyk Art Gallery in Lviv, from February to April 2026 at the War Museum in Kyiv, and from May to June 2026 at the Ukrainian Canadian Art Foundation KUMF Gallery in Toronto, Canada.

On July 11, Kherson will be brought to Odesa through new works by Ukrainian artists.

• culture
• occupation
• russian crimes
• Odesa

On July 7, Media Center Ukraine will host the presentation of the analytical report “Loyalty Under Coercion.” Over the past year, lawyers from the Regional Center for Human Rights have examined one of the key instruments used to suppress dissent and maintain control in the occupied territories — the prosecution of people under articles on the “discrediting” of the russian army in Crimea and Sevastopol. Violations of these provisions are punishable by fines or prison sentences of up to 15 years. In practice, russia has created legal mechanisms that allow it to punish anyone deemed “disloyal” to the occupation authorities or opposed to their policies.

After analyzing more than 1,500 decisions issued by occupation authorities, the team concluded that russia has established a system in the occupied territories that suppresses freedom of expression and violates the right to a fair trial. On the one hand, these measures are intended to “legitimize” russian rule; on the other, they are designed to create a climate of constant fear and silence.

Speakers:

• Alina Hrihoras, Head of the Occupied Territories Unit at the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine;
• Olha Skrypnyk, Chair of the Board of the Crimean Human Rights Group;
• Kseniia Korniienko, Senior Lawyer at the Regional Center for Human Rights and co-author of the report;
• Volodymyr Viazovtsev, Lawyer at the Regional Center for Human Rights and co-author of the report.

Background: The project was implemented by the Regional Center for Human Rights with financial support from the National Endowment for Democracy. The content of the report does not necessarily reflect the views of the donor.

• occupation
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

Mariia and Serhii Bubnov are entrepreneurs from Mariupol. Before the start of russia’s full-scale invasion, the family ran their own food production business in the city, making fermented and pickled vegetables. On March 15, they managed to escape russian occupation, leaving all of their equipment behind in the city seized by russian forces.

From Mariupol, Mariia relocated to the Netherlands, where she came up with the idea for a new business. The couple decided to produce ready-to-eat soups in retort pouches.

Later, the Bubnov family moved to Slavutych, a town in northern Ukraine, where they started over from scratch. They began producing ready-made soups based on their own recipes. After securing grants, developing a business plan, and launching production, they opened their company, Nova Kukhnia (“New Kitchen”), in 2024 with just a few products. Today, they have successfully expanded both their production capacity and product range.

Once Mariupol is liberated, the couple plans to open a branch there.

Journalists can interview Mariia Bubnova both online and in person by prior arrangement.

• food
• occupation
• women

Azat Azatyan has become a displaced person three times in his life. As a child, he moved with his family from Armenia; in 2014, he fled the russian-occupied part of the Donetsk region; and in 2022, he found himself under occupation in Berdiansk, Zaporizhzhia region.

At the beginning of the full-scale russian invasion, Azat began volunteering in Berdiansk, feeding people waiting in lines at checkpoints and helping them evacuate to Ukraine-controlled territories.

This work angered the russian military, who subsequently abducted Azat. He was held in captivity for 43 days and subjected to torture. Only thoughts of his wife and three children helped Azat survive the abuse. After escaping the occupied area and undergoing medical treatment, he chose to continue helping those in need, opening 11 centers for internally displaced persons (IDPs).

In 2025, alongside other civilians who survived captivity, he founded the “Way of the Free” rehabilitation center in Zaporizhzhia for those who suffered in confinement. The center provides psychological and legal assistance free of charge, as well as physical rehabilitation sessions. Additionally, this summer, the NGO presented a documentary about captives titled “Fire Does Not Burn the Fierce.” The film compiles the stories of seven civilians who survived russian captivity.

Azat Azatyan is available for interviews both online and offline in Zaporizhzhia, by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• occupation
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Zaporizhzhia

Ukrainian and international experts, together with government officials, will examine how security in the Black Sea is changing today, which de-occupation scenarios appear realistic under the new geopolitics, and how to further strengthen the mechanisms for holding russia accountable for its war crimes.

The event will bring together government officials, independent experts, representatives of international think tanks, non-governmental organizations, human rights defenders, and members of the diplomatic corps.

The operation to isolate Crimea has moved from a strategic concept to active execution. Ukrainian drones are severing the russian army’s logistical routes in occupied Crimea. At the same time, the geopolitical environment is shifting just as rapidly. The positions of partners, the security architecture, and the negotiating process are all in motion. In response to that shift and to new challenges, the Crimea Platform Expert Network is convening its Fifth International Forum.

The working languages of the forum are Ukrainian and English. Simultaneous interpretation will be provided for participants.

Background: The forum is organized by the Crimea Platform Expert Network, with the support of the Crimea Platform Office, the Permanent Representation of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, and the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People.

The forum’s media partner is Media Center Ukraine.

• occupation
• Kyiv

Polina Kustariova was only a second-grader when russia occupied Crimea. Over time, russian textbooks replaced Ukrainian ones, russian flags and state symbols filled her school, and portraits of vladimir putin were hung in classrooms.

Polina shares that the internet became her lifeline against mass russification. On her own, she studied the Ukrainian language and history, read Ukrainian literature, and practiced her English. Her passion for history often made her a target at school; during propaganda lessons, she was told to keep quiet and avoid expressing her views.

Despite her parents’ pro-russian stance and their hopes that she would change her mind, Polina left Crimea as soon as she came of age and could cross the border independently. Her journey took her first to Kazakhstan, where she approached the Ukrainian consulate. Two months later, she arrived in Kyiv. In January 2026, Polina received her Ukrainian passport and completed training as a UAV engineer and pilot. She now plans to enlist in the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Interviews with Polina Kustariova can be arranged both online and in person upon prior request.

• occupation
• women

Olha Serhiienko is originally from the city of Bobrovytsia in the Chernihiv region. After graduating from high school, she enrolled in the Military Institute of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.

Instead of the usual student routine, the young woman lived in barracks and underwent basic combined-arms military training. Olha was a first-year student when russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The female cadets were released to go home for a single day. That was how Olha found herself in her native Bobrovytsia, which was immediately occupied by russian troops. The cadet did not have time to return to Kyiv.

The young woman’s family hid the fact that she was a future member of the military. She even had to bury her uniform in the garden. She recalls living with a sense of guilt, knowing that her relatives could have suffered because of her, as the occupiers were constantly hunting for anyone connected to the Ukrainian army.

Following the de-occupation, she returned to her studies. After graduating from the institute, she took the oath of allegiance to the Ukrainian people. Today, she serves as an officer in the psychological personnel support unit of the 141st Separate Mechanized Brigade.

Interviews with Olha “Pingvi” can be arranged either online or in person in Dnipro, by prior appointment and coordination with the press officer.

• military
• occupation
• women
• Dnipro

Tetiana Fedorova is originally from Enerhodar, Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Prior to the full-scale russian invasion, she balanced her job at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant with volunteering for the Ukrainian military. Following February 24, 2022, her son joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine to fight on the front lines. Tetiana herself refused to evacuate her native Enerhodar, believing that the enemy occupation of the city would be temporary.

She recalls that nuclear plant workers were intimidated and forced to submit to the occupiers; those who resisted were killed. When the russians discovered that Tetiana’s son was defending Ukraine, they abducted her from her own home. She endured torture as the russians attempted to extract information about Ukrainian servicemen and volunteers remaining in the city. They also questioned her about ordinary citizens who supported Ukraine. Tetiana takes pride in the fact that, despite the torture, she did not disclose any useful intelligence to the enemy. After a month in captivity, she was released, and she eventually managed to flee the occupied territory with her family.

Tetiana found refuge in Khmelnytskyi Oblast, where she underwent medical treatment and worked with a psychologist. In her new home, she enrolled in sewing classes and handcrafted a pair of small shoes for her dog, Luna. She immediately received orders for pet footwear from other owners. This sparked the idea for her own brand, Luna.animalshop. Tetiana began sewing pet clothes and various costumes, completed a business entrepreneurship course, won a grant, and purchased the necessary equipment. Today, Tetiana continues to run her business, support the military, and await both her son’s return from the war and the liberation of Enerhodar.

Interviews with Tetiana Fedorova can be arranged either online or in person in Khmelnytskyi Oblast by prior appointment.

• casualties
• occupation
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• women
• Khmelnytskyi