Themes by tag: occupation
Oleksandr Knyha has been the director of the Mykola Kulish Kherson Regional Academic Music and Drama Theater for over 30 years. He is also an honorary citizen of Kherson and a member of the regional council.
At the start of russia’s full-blown invasion of Ukraine, Oleksandr found himself under occupation. On March 23, 2022, he was arrested by russian forces. After interrogation, he was released, but a few days later, they returned to the theater, attempting to coerce him into cooperation. Determined to escape, Oleksandr managed to flee on April 1, 2022.
Despite these harrowing experiences, he remained committed to his work. In Ukrainian-controlled territory, he prepared for the annual Melpomene of Tavria festival, which had previously been held in Kherson. He also launched the theater in evacuation.
Following the liberation of Kherson on November 11, 2022, Oleksandr and some actors returned to their hometown. Amid ongoing shelling, they performed in art hubs within shelters and bomb shelters, managing to revive several major performances, which were staged at Mykolaiv theaters.
Oleksandr, along with other residents, faced severe flooding due to the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station dam. His house in occupied Oleshky was submerged, with water levels reaching two meters. The house was later looted. During this time, Oleksandr actively participated in flood relief efforts in Kherson.
Oleksandr is available for journalist interviews, welcoming inquiries from both online and offline.
For reference: On June 6, 2023, the russian military destroyed the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant dam in the Kherson region, causing Ukraine nearly $14 billion in damages, according to a report by the UN and the Ukrainian government.
Kateryna met her husband Volodymyr at KPI University. When the Maidan protests began, he felt compelled to join. In 2015, he volunteered for the front lines. A year later, during a combat mission, Volodymyr was hit by an enemy mine, losing both his legs.
The family was in Bucha at the start of the full-scale invasion. Volodymyr moved Kateryna and their 5-year-old son from their apartment to a private house. Despite his prosthetics, he eagerly joined the local defense forces, determined to protect his country.
Volodymyr died on Vokzalna Street in Bucha, a site later infamous for photos of destroyed Russian equipment. He was among the first to engage in the battle and was killed.
Kateryna and her son endured two weeks in a basement, suffering from constant darkness and running out of food and water. Finally, they ventured outside to find a car to escape the city. After hours of wandering outside in the cold temps, an elderly man picked them up. They traveled under fire for six hours in a frigid car, eventually reaching a village near Kyiv where Kateryna’s brother lived.
Journalists can arrange to speak with Kateryna in the Kyiv region for more details.
For reference: A street in Bucha has been renamed in honor of Volodymyr Kovalskyi. After his exhumation, he was reburied on the Walk of Fame and posthumously awarded the title of “Honorary Citizen of the City.”
The family is now supported by the Children of Heroes charity foundation, which aids Ukrainian children who have lost parents to the war.
Originally slated to celebrate its 50th anniversary in Mariupol in 2022, the Arkhip Kuindzhi Art School faced a setback due to Russia’s full-scale invasion. The institution’s building suffered significant damage, including the destruction of equipment, prompting a relocation to Lviv in April 2022.
Despite the upheaval, the school has resumed operations at its new location, welcoming 40 children for both in-person and online fine arts classes. These students, hailing from Mariupol but dispersed across Ukraine and beyond. Moreover, adults are finding solace and expression through art therapy sessions offered in Lviv, Kropyvnytskyi, and Dnipro. These sessions include oil painting sessions and the exploration of traditional Ukrainian murals. Additionally, the art school remains active in organizing various exhibitions.
For reference: The battle for Mariupol raged on for 86 harrowing days until May 20, 2022, when russian forces seized control of the city. Human Rights Watch’s grim assessment puts the civilian death toll from russian shelling at a staggering 8,000, with thousands more left maimed and traumatized. Many suffered life-altering injuries, including loss of limbs, sight, hearing, or memory, often due to traumatic brain injuries inflicted by relentless explosions. By mid-May 2022, an estimated 400,000 residents, out of a pre-war population of 540,000, had fled Mariupol in search of safety.
Daria-Olha, a resident of Mariupol, was 15 when she tried boxing for the first time. The girl learnt fast: just 3 months after starting she participated in an all-Ukrainian competition. In 2022, 18-year-old Daria-Olha was supposed to go to the European Championship, but russia launched its full-scale invasion, and enemy troops surrounded Mariupol. At first, the athlete’s family was hoping to wait out the russian shelling in an apartment together with friends. Later they had to relocate to the basement. At this time, the city had already been cut from communication, gas and electricity. Even in such conditions, Daria continued training to keep herself in shape. The family managed to leave the besieged Mariupol in a truck with strangers, and the road to Zaporizhia took more than a day, because they had to go through russian checkpoints. Already in the Ukraine-controlled territory, Daria-Olha found out that her coach had left for Ivano-Frankivsk, so she went to him. There, the girl entered the Carpathian National University’s Faculty of Physical Education and Sports, because she dreams of becoming a trainer. In May 2022, Daria-Olha won bronze at the International Boxing Tournament in Sweden in the category of up to 52 kilograms. Currently, the Ukrainian boxer is training to win gold at the Olympics.
For reference: the defense of Mariupol lasted 86 days. On May 20, 2022, Mariupol was occupied by the russians. According to the estimates of the human rights organization Human Rights Watch at least 8,000 people were killed in russian shelling of civilians in Mariupol. Thousands of people were injured: they lost limbs, sight, hearing and memory, particularly, as a result of craniocerebral injuries caused by the explosions. Also, according to Human Rights Watch estimates, from the pre-war population of 540,000 people, about 400,000 residents had fled Mariupol by mid-May 2022.
Maryna Shazhko began taking care of homeless animals more than 10 years ago. When city services started shooting stray dogs and cats in Bakhmut, Donetsk region, a woman brought a stray animal home for the first time to save it. Later, together with a team of volunteers, Maryna started the Bakhmut Animal Protection Society “Lada” NGO. On February 24, 2022, Maryna, shelter volunteers and 160 dogs were in Bakhmut. At first, the woman did not even think about moving, she hoped that the war would bypass the city. However, in August 2022, after the second explosion near the shelter and the death of one of her dogs, Maryna started the evacuation. All the animals had to be transported at once, the cages barely fit in the cars. They decided to take the dogs to Dnipropetrovsk region, where they had to pay a huge rent for a new place.
Meanwhile, animals from hotspots are still being brought to the shelter. The number of rescued pets has already reached 200, including dogs from Chasiv Yar, Krasnohorivka and Marinka. Every day, Maryna has to wake up at 5 in the morning, walk her own dogs, buy food for the animals of the shelter and go there to take care of the animals in the shelter. In addition, the woman did stop working as a teacher.
Georgian-born Rusudana Pavlichenko, found herself abroad attending her father’s funeral as the full-scale invasion unfolded. Her history with conflict traces back to childhood when, at the tender age of 10, she fled her first conflict, the war in Abkhazia, seeking refuge in Ukraine. Since then, she has called Ukraine home, living here throughout her adult years.
Rusudana’s husband, Serhii Pavlichenko, a stalwart defender of Ukraine against occupiers since 2014, bravely held the defense of Azovstal during the full-scale invasion before being captured. Tragically, he fell victim to a terrorist attack in Olenivka, a village within the occupied territory of Donetsk region, on the night of July 28-29, 2022. Left behind are their two children, Adelia, 10, and Nazar, 8.
Journalists seeking to delve into Rusudana’s story can arrange interviews with her in Cherkasy or online, by prior arrangement.
Meanwhile, the Children of Heroes charity foundation has stepped in to support the grieving family. Dedicated to aiding children who have lost parents due to russia’s full-scale invasion, the foundation offers financial aid, psychological counseling, legal assistance, and ongoing educational opportunities until the children reach adulthood.
For reference: In the late hours of July 29, 2022, russia executed a terrorist assault, igniting an explosion within a barracks at the Olenivka penal colony, where Ukrainian prisoners of war were detained. The attack resulted in the tragic loss of at least 50 Azovstal workers amidst the turmoil.
On February 24, 2022, as the invasion surged, Pavlo Ponomarenko persisted in his studio, passionately painting for four consecutive days. Tragically, his creations vanished amidst the russian occupation of Mariupol.
In the ensuing days, the Ponomarenko family adapted to survival tactics like cooking over open flames, sourcing water, and melting snow, all while bearing witness to russian assaults and pillaging. Eventually, they managed to reach occupied Berdiansk in the Zaporizhia region. Initially, Pavlo’s wife led the way with their younger daughters, followed by Pavlo and their eldest daughter. After a stint in Berdiansk, they embarked on an 11-hour bus journey to reach the government-controlled zone in Zaporizhia. Along the route, they endured relentless scrutiny at checkpoints, enduring intrusive searches and questioning. In Zaporizhia, their eldest daughter underwent surgery for appendicitis.
Presently, Pavlo resides in Lviv, continuing his work as an artist, while his wife and children have sought refuge in Belgium.
Next week, a press event will be organized for media representatives to raise awareness of the operation of the temporary waste sorting site in Bucha, Kyiv region. This project is focused on the disposal of waste from destroyed objects that had piled up after the occupation of the Bucha community. (The volume of construction waste is 75,000 m3).
Almost all the equipment for the operation of the temporary waste sorting station was provided by UNDP Ukraine. Currently, there is a construction waste sorting machine, a crusher, a screener and a front-end loader. Later, the site will be equipped with additional equipment. The unique project will make it possible to grind and sort waste by type, and later use it for the needs of the community.
Journalists have the opportunity to learn more about the upcoming press event.
For reference: Bucha, Kyiv region, was under enemy occupation for more than a month. On March 31, 2022, the city was liberated from the russian military.
Anatolii Levchenko, a prominent figure in Mariupol’s theater scene, who in 2015 spearheaded a new era of contemporary Ukrainian theater at the city’s renowned theater, previously labeled as a “russian” theater. Levchenko, along with his wife Hanna, cared for their non-verbal autistic son and his wife’s 90-year-old mother. When russian forces launched an offensive on Mariupol, the Levchenko family found themselves unable to evacuate promptly. While they successfully arranged their release in May 2022, Anatolii’s freedom was short-lived. He was apprehended by russian authorities the day prior, following betrayal by former colleagues turned collaborators.
Initially left in the dark about her husband’s whereabouts, Hanna later discovered he had been charged with extremism and transferred to occupied Donetsk. Over more than 10 grueling months, she tirelessly sent clothing, medications, and messages to the detention center. Occasionally, Anatolii would manage to call her, often in the dead of night. Throughout this ordeal, Hanna single-handedly cared for their autistic son, scrounging for food and water, and cooking meals over an open fire with the help of neighbors.
On March 9, 2023, Hanna’s phone finally rang with news of Anatolii’s impending release. However, his nearly year-long confinement had taken a toll on his health. In the summer of 2023, the family seized the opportunity to flee to Ukrainian-controlled territory, finding refuge in Kropyvnytskyi, Kirovohrad region. Despite the hardships, Anatolii resumed his theater work.
For reference: The battle for Mariupol raged on for 86 harrowing days until May 20, 2022, when russian forces seized control of the city. Human Rights Watch’s grim assessment puts the civilian death toll from russian shelling at a staggering 8,000, with thousands more left maimed and traumatized. Many suffered life-altering injuries, including loss of limbs, sight, hearing, or memory, often due to traumatic brain injuries inflicted by relentless explosions. By mid-May 2022, an estimated 400,000 residents, out of a pre-war population of 540,000, had fled Mariupol in search of safety.
On April 28, the Octave of My Life dance and theater performance by Kseniia Huz from Mariupol will take place in Kyiv. In it, the woman will talk about what she was forced to go through during the full-scale war: occupation, forced relocation, her husband’s death at the front, the struggle with oncology and depression.
Before the full-scale war, Kseniia Huz together with her husband Maksym had opened “Art House” creative space and “Urban Buddha” space for spiritual communication in Mariupol, where visitors had actively participated in self-development and creative activities. Maksym had conducted yoga, meditation, and spiritual practices classes. And Kseniia (Head of an event agency) organized various events, performances, cocoa ceremonies, poetry battles and master classes for children.
The woman and her 18-year-old daughter were at home when the full-scale invasion started. They had to survive in encircled Mariupol for 20 days. Despite running out of food, they shared it with others. In the end, they managed to leave the city.
When the big war started, Maksym was in Kyiv region, where he had come on a business trip. The man immediately joined the territorial defense. In November 2022, he joined the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (airborne assault troops). On February 13, 2023, he died near Bakhmut.
Maksym wanted his ashes to be scattered over the Sea of Azov, but since this is impossible now, Kseniia scattered her husband’s ashes over the Dnipro in Kyiv. Three months later, the woman was diagnosed with cancer. She underwent a successful operation in Belgium.
Journalists have the opportunity to talk with Kseniia in Kyiv.
