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.

• dead
• military
• occupation
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• women
• Cherkasy
• Mariupol

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.

• casualties
• occupation
• russian crimes
• Lviv
• Mariupol

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.

• ecology
• occupation
• reconstruction
• Kyiv

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.

• casualties
• culture
• occupation
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Mariupol

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.

• casualties
• dead
• occupation
• women
• Kyiv
• Mariupol

Mariia Volia was born and raised in Mariupol, a city in the south of Ukraine that was destroyed and occupied by the russians in spring 2022. She joined the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in 2015. She wanted to defend the country after the first russian attacks on Mariupol. Mariia Volia used to be a mortar commander at the front, and now she is a communications unit commander.

Before the occupation of her hometown, she had been hiding her orientation. However, after she was wounded in Mariupol, and later escaped from the russian encirclement, Mariia opened up to her brothers in arms. Currently, the commander of the communications unit hopes that civil partnerships will be legalized in Ukraine, because in the future she wants to get married with her partner.

Currently, Mariia Volia is along the Donetsk axis. The military woman is ready to communicate with journalists, both online and offline.

For reference: the defense of Mariupol lasted 86 days. On May 20, 2022, Mariupol was occupied by the russians.

• military
• occupation
• women
• Mariupol
• LGBT

In the early days of the all-out war, russian forces seized control of Krasiatychi village in the Kyiv region, where Nadiia Smyrnova resided. Nadiia, alongside her mother and 9-year-old son Sashko, remained in the village. The invaders ransacked their home, even attempting to detonate a grenade, putting the family’s lives at risk. Sashko’s grandmother bravely intervened, shielding her loved ones from harm, despite facing the barrel of russian machine guns. Surviving nearly a month under occupation, the ordeal left a lasting impact on Sashko, who vividly recalls the harrowing experiences shared with his mother and grandmother.

At the onset of the full-blown war, Sashko’s father voluntarily served in defense of Ukraine. Tragically, on August 29, 2022, he fell victim to a russian mine in the Donetsk region. Now, the family receives support from the Children of Heroes charity foundation. 

Journalists seeking to interview Nadiia in the Kyiv region must arrange it in advance. 

For reference: As of April 2, 2022, the Kyiv region has been completely liberated from russian occupation. 

Children of Heroes Charity Fund aids youngsters who’ve lost one or both parents due to russia’s large-scale invasion, offering financial aid, psychological and legal assistance, and fostering their educational and personal growth until adulthood.

• casualties
• children
• dead
• occupation
• russian crimes
• women
• Kyiv

Before the full-scale invasion, Mariupol resident Mykhailo Konyk had set up his own apiary in the city. He took care of 40 hives. On February 24, 2022, when russia began destroying the city, Mykhailo and his family hid in the basement where they stayed for several days to protect themselves from heavy shelling. Mykhailo received a concussion. In the end, the family managed to move to Ternopil oblast, and later to Mykhailo’s native region – Khmelnytskyi oblast. He knew that one of the forest farms in the region had an apiary. So, he turned to its director and offered his help. The apiary was in a bad condition, but Mykhailo managed to improve its operation, he even got about two tons of honey. After that, Mykhailo went to Kamianets-Podilskyi and now he is taking care of another abandoned apiary. Mykhailo works as a consultant and helps to restore the production of honey.

Mykhailo’s 40 hives remained in Mariupol; he could not take them out. The man dreams of returning to Ukrainian Mariupol to start rebuilding the apiary in the city destroyed by the russians.

For reference: the defense of Mariupol lasted 86 days. On May 20, 2022, Mariupol was occupied by the russians. The human rights organization Human Rights Watch estimated civilian casualties caused by the russian shelling of Mariupol to amount to at least 8,000. Thousands of people were injured: they lost limbs, sight, hearing or memory, particularly, as a result of craniocerebral injuries caused by the explosions. Also, according to Human Rights Watch estimates, out of the pre-war population of 540,000 people, about 400,000 residents had fled Mariupol by mid-May 2022.

• casualties
• occupation
• Khmelnytskyi
• Mariupol

Oleh, Yaroslav, Hlib, and their grandmother Oleksandra left their native village of Hnutove, which was one of the first settlements to experience the horror of a full-scale Russian offensive. Seeking salvation, the family went to Mariupol, but later it was besieged by Russians. Later, there was no electricity, gas, water, or service. The children and their grandmother had to survive literally. They stayed in the basement for two months. They managed to escape the occupation in their native village by being subjected to filtration in the notorious camp system. Thanks to donors, the Voices of Children Charity Foundation bought a house for a family in the Kyiv region.

In 2017, Oleh became the protagonist of the Danish director’s documentary The Distant Barking of Dogs, which told the story of Ukrainians on the front line that was shortlisted among 15 candidates for the 2019 Oscars in the Best Documentary Feature.

• casualties
• children
• occupation
• Mariupol

Svitlana Trubachova is from Luhansk region. She is the mother of two children: 11-year-old Ihor and 5-year-old Polina. Svitlana’s husband, Volodymyr, served in Ukraine’s Border Guard Service for 18 years. The last time the woman saw her beloved was on February 24, 2022, when he left for work. And at the beginning of March, Troitske village, where the family lived, was occupied by russian troops. The russian soldiers started coming to Svitlana’s house, took the woman away for questioning, and even searched her. They also burned down all the clothes of her husband.

On April 13, 2022, Volodymyr died near Lysychansk. He was buried in Dnipro, and Svitlana could not even go to the funeral, because she was in the occupied territory. She managed to leave Luhansk region only in the summer, and the first thing she did was visit her husband’s grave. And then she went to Kyiv with her children.

Currently, Svitlana works at a center that helps children with autism spectrum disorders. She entered the university and is studying to become a psychologist. Svitlana also runs fundraisers for the Border Guard Service, because she wants other parents to return to their children.

By prior agreement, journalists have the opportunity to talk with Svitlana in Kyiv.

For reference: The Children of Heroes Charity Fund takes care of this family. The fund helps children who lost one or both parents as a result of russia’s full-scale invasion. The fund also provides financial assistance, psychological and legal support, facilitates education and development of children until they reach adulthood.

• dead
• military
• occupation
• russian crimes
• women
• Kyiv