Themes by tag: occupation

In Bucha, Kyiv region, the restoration of apartment buildings damaged during the occupation is still underway. In particular, utility workers are replacing windows in entrances and corridors of high-rise buildings on one of the local streets.

For reference: at the beginning of the all-out war, russian troops occupied Bucha. On March 31, 2022, the Armed Forces of Ukraine liberated the city.

• occupation
• reconstruction
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

Iryna is a PE teacher from Bucha. In March 2022, the woman was held captive by the occupiers for nine days. Fortunately, she managed to escape. Today, Iryna continues to live in Bucha and work as a PE teacher. She also helps children cope with war trauma.

• occupation
• prisoners
• Kyiv

Since the beginning of the all-out war, volunteers of “Save Ukraine” charitable foundation have brought back 44 children who had been deported to russia and occupied Crimea. To do this, they even had to organize rescue operations. Volunteers also actively evacuate children from the war zone.

Journalists can ask Mykola Kuleba, Founder of “Save Ukraine”, Commissioner of the President of Ukraine for Children’s Rights (2014-2021) about how these processes take place, what difficulties have to be overcome in order to save deported children and those in the danger zone. You can find out more about the legal issues of the return of young Ukrainians from the foundation’s lawyer.

For reference: according to Children of War, a state platform for searching for missing children, as of February 7, more than 16,000 Ukrainian children were deported by the occupiers.

• casualties
• children
• occupation
• russian crimes
• volunteers

Zatyshok (a cozy place) anti-crisis transit hub for vulnerable categories of internally displaced persons from Donetsk region (persons with disabilities, orphans, the elderly, large families, single parents, families of military personnel, women and girls who have experienced gender-based violence) works in Dnipro.

The hub, among other things, provides free accommodation and meals for a period of 1 to 10 calendar days. And if necessary, they help with further evacuation, both within Ukraine and abroad (the length of stay is determined by the complexity of the specific situation of each person/family).

• casualties
• occupation
• russian crimes
• volunteers
• Dnipro

A lion has recently been evacuated to the Wild Animal Rescue Center in the Kyiv region from the Sumy region — the animal was in territory shelled by russians. Also, a lemur from Kherson city lives in the Center. He survived the occupation and a russian missile hit on the petting zoo where he was cared for. Now they and many other wild animals are recovering, the Center takes care of and treats them.

In general, since the beginning of full-scale invasion of the russian federation in Ukraine, the Wild Animal Rescue Center has hosted more than 600 animals of various species (lions, bears, tigers, wolves, leopards, wild birds, raccoons, etc.). The volunteers evacuated animals, in particular, from front-line zones and other dangerous territories.

• animals
• occupation
• volunteers
• Kyiv

Iryna Salikhova is a volunteer from Kherson city, who was recently awarded the Golden Heart award by the President of Ukraine. At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, she and her husband helped deliver vital medicines to hospitals for the wounded people. Subsequently, she gathered a whole team of volunteers (the initiative entitled “Kotyky-Patriotyky” (patriot catsie)), who coordinated and delivered food packages and medicines to those in need in different districts of the city, as well as in the region (there were no medical supplies in pharmacies during the period of occupation). People from other cities of Ukraine and from different countries helped with donations. In addition, the woman managed to attract grants from a humanitarian organization. Among other things, together with her husband, Iryna had to survive inquisitions, hide from the invaders and leave her hometown in late April.

• casualties
• occupation
• volunteers

On January 18, the Lviv Municipal Art Center will present animated works by participants of the Kherson “Residence Under Occupation” — artists who survived the occupation — as part of the project “Animation of Art Resistance in Occupation”.

For reference: “Animation of Art Resistance in Occupation” is a project aimed at promoting in the information space the artistic statements of Kherson artists who survived the occupation, or still remain in enemy gun sights. Some of the works resulted from the “Residence Under Occupation”, which was organized in April 2022 by the art critic and curator Yuliia Manukian. Then she was joined by artists who did not want to be passive observers of terrible events.

• culture
• occupation
• Lviv

Oksana Pohomii, the volunteer and Deputy of the Kherson City Council, spent the entire period of occupation of the city waiting for its liberation from russian invaders. She also helped those who were experiencing hard times with her. The woman even managed to post videos from the occupied city. “Please remain alive”: Oksana’s readers have always expected to see those words in her posts.

Now Oksana Pohomii works towards restoration of Kherson after the occupation and continues to help those who need it.

• occupation
• volunteers
• Kherson

The most famous football player of Ukraine, Andriy Shevchenko, has donated UAH 300,000 to Mariupol women’s football team. Now the athletes who were forced to leave their homes will be able to purchase equipment and run their own businesses.

After russia’s full-scale invasion, Mariupol women’s football team was forced to leave their hometown. The girls live and train in Kyiv now. In addition, they themselves earn money to support the team. Even back in Mariupol, football players sold ready-to-cook food: they made dumplings, varenyky, chebureki and baked pancakes. However, the sports women lost their production facility in their hometown, so they needed funds for new equipment. Keep Going project was raising UAH 350,000 for female athletes. Now, thanks to the contribution by Andriy Shevchenko, this amount has even been exceeded with over UAH 400,000 collected for the girls.

• occupation
• women
• Kyiv
• Mariupol

On Monday, January 9, the Ukrainian team of beauty industry masters will visit the Moshchun village of Buchanskyi district in Kyiv region. Beauty volunteers will make free haircuts, coloring and eyebrow correction, massages or hygienic manicures to those who wish.

For reference: The idea of beauty volunteering belongs to Olha Belytska, the make-up artist. Together with like-minded people, Olha comes to de-occupied settlements of the Kyiv region weekly to help people who survived the horrors of the occupation feel beautiful again.

• casualties
• occupation
• volunteers
• Kyiv