Themes by tag: occupation

For the past six years, Anton Tenyck has run a farm in the Kherson region of southern Ukraine. After the Ukrainian Armed Forces liberated the right bank of the Kherson region, the farmers decided to return to work. However, this proved to be difficult as most of the fields were mined. In order to continue their work, the farmers had to use hand-held mine detectors themselves. Together with the military, deminers and rescuers, Anton is clearing his territory of dangerous objects left behind by the occupiers. In one year of work, the farmer managed to demine more than 20 percent of his land. 

In addition, Anton tries to employ everyone who returns to the liberated regions of Kherson Oblast.

For reference: November 11, 2024 will be the second anniversary of the liberation of Kherson from the occupiers.

• casualties
• occupation
• russian crimes
• Kherson

Before facing the brunt of russia’s invasion, The Jin Roh Circus Studio & Entertainment has been running in Kherson for 15 years. The war caught its members in their hometown. In the chaos, they sought basic necessities like food and medicine, often taking refuge in makeshift shelters. Remarkably, one of the studio’s halls transformed into a bomb shelter, providing safety to around 40 individuals during the tumultuous early weeks. As russian forces tightened their grip on Kherson, civilians faced escalating repression, prompting many, including Jin Roh’s students, to flee. Even the studio’s founder and director, Roman Vashchenko, was compelled to leave to evade capture.

Since the city’s liberation in November 2022, Vashchenko has returned, dedicating himself to rebuilding the studio’s activities. However, the journey back to normalcy is fraught with challenges. Once bustling with 300 students, Jin Roh now sees a fraction of that number attending classes to 2-8, with safety concerns looming large amidst continued shelling by occupying forces.

For reference: Kherson fell under russian occupation at the onset of the full-scale invasion on March 1, 2022. It wasn’t until November 11, 2022, that the Ukrainian Armed Forces liberated the city from russian control. Despite this liberation, the occupiers persist in regularly shelling the city.

• occupation
• Kherson

10 years ago, Hanna lived and worked in Horlivka, Donetsk region. She was the head of a first-aid post in a mine. After the occupation of Horlivka by the Russians in 2014, she could not live under the enemy flag and moved with her family to Toretsk (Donetsk region), where she started her own business. The Horbachov family opened a shop serving pancakes and coffee, and soon began baking bread. The locals liked the bakery, and in 2022 the family opened another place, this time in Siverskodonetsk, Luhansk region. Hanna managed to bake bread there only once. When the full-scale war began, enemy shells destroyed the bakery. The one in Toretsk lasted longer, but it was also destroyed by the enemy.

The Horbachovs then had to move again, this time to Dnipro. In the new location, Hanna has been able to rebuild the family business from the ground up. Many of the bakery’s customers are from Toretsk: they were also forced to evacuate. Today, the Horbachov bakery employs internally displaced people, including those from Toretsk and Mariupol.

You can meet the Horbachov family in Dnipro. Hanna Horbachova is available for interviews with journalists, both online and offline.

• occupation
• women
• Dnipro

During russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church priests Bohdan Heleta and Ivan Levytskyi continued to serve their parish in occupied Berdiansk, located in the Zaporizhia region. On November 16, 2022, russian forces abducted them. The soldiers reportedly came directly to the church, offering Father Bohdan a chance to cooperate—an offer both priests declined. Soon after, the russians claimed they had allegedly discovered weapons inside the church.

Father Bohdan spent nine months imprisoned in Berdiansk before being transferred to a penal colony in Horlivka, within the occupied Donetsk region, where he endured another ten months. In total, he spent a grueling year and a half in captivity. Throughout his imprisonment, Father Bohdan endured harsh conditions, often sleeping on the floor and being subjected to the constant sounds of others being tortured by the russians. While in solitary confinement in Berdiansk, he was forced to listen to Soviet-era music playing through a speaker for hours on end, an experience that pushed him to the edge of sanity. The abuse only worsened in Horlivka.

On June 28, 2024, both Father Bohdan and Father Ivan were finally freed during a prisoner exchange.

Journalists can arrange interviews with Father Bohdan, either in person in Lviv or virtually, by prior agreement.

• occupation
• prisoners
• religion
• russian crimes
• Lviv

On September 10, the Media Center Ukraine will hold a press conference titled “Destruction of Freedom of Speech in Crimea: Causes, Methods, Results.” The event will delve into the deteriorating state of media freedom in Crimea under russian occupation.

The discussion will center on the second edition of journalist Yuriy Lukanov’s book, “The Press: How Russia Destroyed Media Freedom in Crimea”, published by the German Ibidem Verlag. The English translation of the book was presented earlier this year at prominent institutions, including the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, The Financial Times editorial office, London Metropolitan University, Oxford University, the University of Glasgow, and University College London.

The conference will highlight how the Crimean occupation authorities have intensified their crackdown on free speech compared to 2014, even leveraging Western media outlets in their efforts.

Participants:

• Yuriy Lukanov, freelance journalist, author of the book “The Press: How Russia Destroyed Media Freedom in Crimea”;

• Valentyna Samar, editor-in-chief of the Center for Investigative Journalism;
• Olha Skrypnyk, Chair of the Board of the Crimean Human Rights Group, co-coordinator of the Crimea Platform Expert Network. 

• occupation
• Kyiv

On September 5, a modular house will be unveiled in the Kyiv region, providing a new home for a big family from Kherson who fled the occupation. Dobrobat, a volunteer construction battalion, invites journalists to witness the near-completion of this significant project.

Ms. Olha, a 70-year-old teacher, escaped the war-torn region with her five adopted children. Dobrobat volunteers took on the task of building a new home for them. The family, who lost everything in the conflict, is now preparing to move into the half-installed modular house.

The event will feature both the volunteers and the family, offering a chance to hear their stories and see the completed work. Olha’s husband is seriously ill, and with her brother’s help, she managed to secure land in the Kyiv region where this new chapter begins.

• casualties
• occupation
• reconstruction
• volunteers
• Kyiv

Indira Urusova, a native of Mariupol, has transformed her harrowing experience of living under russian occupation into a force for good. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Indira began her studies at a university in Kyiv, but later switched to distance learning and returned to Mariupol. She was at home with her family when russia launched its full-scale invasion. Initially, they held out hope for a swift ceasefire, but as the conflict dragged on, it became clear that escape was their only option.

Their car was damaged by explosions, but Indira and her parents managed to reach russian-occupied Berdiansk. From there, they made a perilous journey through russian territory, eventually finding refuge in Bulgaria. The family remained in Bulgaria until October 2022, before returning to Kyiv.

Haunted by the devastation in her hometown, Indira sought a way to help her country. She created a drawing of a burning house in Mariupol, captioned: “We will survive, because the sun rises over the free Azov.” This artwork sparked the creation of KRYLATI, a charity project dedicated to raising awareness about Mariupol, Donetsk, and the Pryazovia region.

Alongside a colleague, Indira organizes workshops and lectures for young people, challenging myths and spreading the truth about the region. All proceeds from KRYLATI are donated to support the Ukrainian military.

• casualties
• occupation
• women
• Kyiv
• Mariupol

Dobrobat together with the Borodianka Village Council is launching a new major project entitled the Revival of Borodianka. The first step on the way to its implementation is a big community clean-up event, which will take place on August 21-23, 2024, on the village’s main square named after Taras Shevchenko.

The square near the culture center will soon turn into a conceptual park with thematic zones and Revival Source in its center — a wheat field, a symbol of energy that gives life to all living things. Recreation areas with wooden terraces, flower gardens, play areas for children, a fountain, the River of Life and much more will be located nearby.

For reference: Borodianka village, which is not far from the capital, was occupied by the russians at the beginning of the full-scale invasion. The russian aircraft dropped aerial bombs on houses. On April 1, 2022, Borodianka returned under Ukraine’s control. Damage sustained by Borodianka was one of the largest in Kyiv region. The number of casualties among local residents is in the hundreds.

• occupation
• reconstruction
• Kyiv

Twelve years ago, Ihor Tsyba and his family established an ostrich farm in their backyard in the village of Verkhnia Syrovatka, located in Ukraine’s Sumy Oblast. Over the years, the farm grew to house more than 50 different bird species. However, when russia’s full-scale invasion began, their tranquil village was occupied, putting all the animals at risk.

In early March 2022, heavy shelling ravaged the area, injuring several of the birds in their enclosures. Tragically, three ostriches had to be put down due to the severity of their injuries.

After the village was liberated, Tsyba’s farm took on a new mission: rehabilitating wild animals affected by the war. Among the new residents are a roe deer that lost a leg after being struck by a combine harvester and a swan that was rescued from the ice with its wings severely damaged. Despite the challenges, Tsyba uses his own funds to keep the farm running.

For reference, Ihor Tsyba is based in the Sumy region and is available for interviews with journalists, both online and in person, by prior arrangement.

• animals
• casualties
• occupation
• Sumy

In Irpin, a city in the Kyiv region, the Irpinski Lypky residential complex, which was heavily damaged during the early days of russia’s full-scale invasion, is now undergoing extensive restoration. The housing estate gained global recognition following the liberation of the Kyiv region, attracting numerous international delegations. The destroyed complex also featured in the music video for “Stefania” by the Kalush Orchestra, the band that won the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest.

Initial assessments deemed the building unsuitable for restoration, recommending its complete demolition. However, the residents, desperate to save their homes, pushed for a second evaluation. While the building’s fate remained uncertain, the community came together every Saturday to clean the area and maintain a sense of order. Eventually, a more in-depth examination brought the news they had been hoping for: the structure could indeed be restored. By the end of 2023, reconstruction work at Irpinski Lypky began, and repairs are now actively underway.

Journalists have been granted exclusive access to witness the progress inside the complex and, where possible, speak with local residents.

For context: On March 2, 2022, russian forces launched airstrikes on Irpin, with two missiles striking a multi-story building on Hostomelke Shose Street. Before the invasion, the complex was home to 206 families. 

The reconstruction of Irpinski Lypky is being overseen by the Kyiv Regional Military Administration in collaboration with the Fund for the Elimination of the Consequences of Armed Aggression.

• occupation
• reconstruction
• russian crimes
• Kyiv