Themes by tag: Odesa

To raise awareness about the defenders of Azovstal and other soldiers still held in enemy captivity, a performance entitled “Third Christmas in Captivity” will be held in Lviv, accompanied by peaceful rallies in 24 cities across Ukraine.

Scheduled events:

December 21: Peaceful rallies in Okhtyrka, Pivdennoukrainsk, Chernihiv, Irpin, Vinnytsia, Kolomyia, Zhytomyr, Obukhiv, Poltava, Pavlohrad, and Zaporizhia.

December 22: Peaceful rallies in Kyiv, Uman, Krolevets, Korosten, Ovruch, Cherkasy, Uzhhorod, Mykolaiv, Korostyshiv, Kovel, Kropyvnytskyi, Odesa, Ostroh, and Lviv.

The events are organized by the families of POWs from the Mariupol garrison. The rallies are often attended by Ukrainians who have been released from captivity.

• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Kyiv
• Lviv
• Odesa

Andrii Leinveber has been passionate about horses since childhood, and bought his first horse at the age of 14. In 2022, he founded his own equestrian club in Melitopol, a city in southern Ukraine. The club offered riding lessons for adults and children, and Andrii also taught jigiting – the art of trick riding.

After russia’s full-scale invasion began, Andrii’s stable was in danger. russian shelling damaged one of the buildings, and Andrii and his friends had to round up frightened horses scattered throughout the city. He took five horses to his home, while the others were cared for by friends.

When Melitopol was occupied by russian troops, the horses faced a new threat: hunger. The city lacked fodder, as the occupiers forbade travel to other settlements for supplies and deliberately destroyed the hay meant for the horses. One day, Andrii himself was captured by the russians. He was held in a cell for two weeks without contact with the outside world. After his release, Andrii decided to evacuate. He managed to take three horses with him, although it took three attempts to leave – twice he was turned back at russian checkpoints.

Now, Andrii has established a new equestrian club in the Odesa oblast, where he takes care of five horses and a pony. He also invites soldiers to participate in equine therapy.

• animals
• occupation
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Odesa

Olena Hrekova, an ethnic Bulgarian, traces her ancestry to settlers who came to the lands of Bessarabia in the 18th century.

Before the full-scale war, Olena was the director and owner of a successful construction company in Odesa. Today, she is a major and an officer in the Development department of the Naval Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Since 2014, Olena has been actively involved in the volunteer movement in Odesa, supporting the families of servicemen who left Crimea without betraying their oath. Responding to a call to meet a bus carrying belongings for those who fled the peninsula, she connected with other like-minded Odesa residents. Together, they created the “Help the Navy” social media group. The volunteers divided the city’s neighborhoods among themselves and worked to provide military families with everything they needed.

When russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, Olena evacuated her son and volunteered in Romania. However, in May, she decided to mobilize and join the army, which she had been helping since 2014. In the Navy, Olena continues her volunteer work, helping the defenders of Ukraine.

Journalists can arrange interviews with Olena in Odesa or online by prior arrangement.

Background: Bessarabia is a historic region in Eastern Europe located between the Prut and Dniester rivers, the Danube Delta and the Black Sea. Approximately 70% of Bessarabia’s territory is in present-day Moldova, while the rest is in Ukraine.

• military
• volunteers
• women
• Odesa

Before russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, environmentalist and scientist Vladyslav Mykhailenko was dedicated to teaching at a university. But after February 2022, he felt his academic work no longer met the urgency of the moment. Determined to contribute to the war effort, Mykhailenko sought ways to merge his expertise in ecology with the needs of the Ukrainian military. The result was the creation of the Plastic Saves Lives initiative.

The project focuses on collecting plastic bottle caps. Vladyslav rallied a team of volunteers to sort through the donations, ensuring only plastic that could be sold for recycling made the cut. The funds raised are then directed toward purchasing essential equipment for Ukraine’s Armed Forces.

The math is staggering: it takes 1.5 tons of plastic caps to fund a single FPV drone. Yet, the impact has been remarkable. Since its inception, Vladyslav Mykhailenko and his team have purchased a range of equipment, including an ambulance, two Mavic 3T drones, and three FPV drones, among other critical supplies.

The initiative invites everyone to participate. Individuals can drop off caps in Odesa or ship them to the volunteers via mail. 

For those who wish to connect with Vladyslav Mykhailenko, appointments can be arranged for online or in-person meetings. 

• ecology
• volunteers
• Kyiv
• Odesa

Ilias Sheikhisliamov, a Crimean Tatar and volunteer from the Odesa oblast, was born and raised in Crimea. After the russian occupation of the peninsula in 2014, he stayed there for another four years. Since 2019, he only visited Crimea in the summer to see his family.  Ilias met the beginning of the full-scale invasion abroad: he was studying at a university in Turkey. However, he soon decided to return to Ukraine to volunteer and support the Ukrainian army.

His professors discouraged him from returning, but he insisted and later came to Odesa. He immediately started working there and joined the NGO “Crimean Tatars of Odesa Oblast”. On March 5, 2024, Ilias learned that his father, Ali Mamutov, who was living with his family in occupied Crimea, had been arrested by the russian authorities. He learned the news from his younger brother. The occupiers falsely accused Ali Mamutov of participating in or creating a terrorist organization.

While his father was being held in a detention center in Simferopol, Ilias managed to communicate with him through the russian app Zonatelecom. However, Ali Mamutov was transferred to the russian city of Rostov, and communication with him was cut off. After his father’s arrest, Ilias decided to pursue his teenage dream of becoming a lawyer. He enrolled at the Tavrida National University, which had relocated to Kyiv after Crimea’s occupation. Ilias sees this as one of the ways to keep in touch with Crimea.

Ilias Sheikhisliamov is available for interviews, both online and offline, by prior arrangement.

Background: As of May this year, the Crimean Tatar Resource Center recorded 331 cases of political imprisonment and criminal persecution since the annexation of Crimea. Of these, 217 were against members of the Crimean Tatar community.

• casualties
• occupation
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• volunteers
• Kyiv
• Odesa

After two years in enemy captivity, 33-year-old Vadym Nesterenko returned home bearing both physical and psychological scars. Having served with Ukraine’s Defense Forces since 2011, Vadym began his military career with the Izmail Border Guard and later joined the 35th Separate Marine Brigade. When russia launched its full-scale invasion, Vadym found himself on Snake Island, where he and his fellow soldiers were ultimately captured.

During his two years and three months in captivity, Vadym endured harrowing conditions. He faced relentless torture, including gassing, electric shocks, and beatings that left him with broken bones and missing teeth. By the time of his release on May 31, 2024, Vadym weighed just 59 kilograms.

Following his return, Vadym underwent rehabilitation at a center in the Lviv region, working tirelessly over three months to regain his health and rebuild some of his lost weight. Now focused on recovery and future goals, he hopes to return to service and fulfill his dream of visiting Paris.

Vadym is currently in Lviv and will travel to Odesa on November 4. He is available for interviews with journalists, either in person or online, with prior arrangement.

• casualties
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Lviv
• Odesa

Khrystyna Drahomaretska, 27 years old, is an architect by profession. With the beginning of the full-scale war, the woman started rescuing homeless animals and evacuating them from the war zone. She continues working despite the enemy shelling. For example, recently in Toretsk, Donetsk region, three russian guided aerial bombs struck not far away from Khrystyna. And in Vovchansk, Kharkiv oblast, while rescuing animals, Khrystyna sustained a shrapnel wound from enemy mortar fire.

As a rescuer, she uses a catch pole and a blow-pipe. Khrystyna works with her dog (German shepherd) Miledi that helps to find animals, which Khrystyna has hit with a tranquilizer dart, as they still have a few minutes to run away.

Khrystyna also founded a shelter for four-legged friends in Odesa, where she evacuates some animals from the war zone. There they are treated, taught to behave in the society and put up for adoption (about 70% of the animals go abroad). Currently, there are 160 dogs in Khrystyna’s shelter.

Journalists can learn more about Khrystyna’s work and communicate with her online or in person by prior arrangement.

For reference: Khrystyna rescues animals from the war zone together with the 12 Vartovykh (Guards) Charitable Foundation. She also joined the UAnimals rescue mission.

• animals
• casualties
• women
• Odesa

In 2019, Vladyslav Zadorin enlisted in the Ukrainian army, becoming part of the 35th Marine Brigade. When russia launched its full-scale invasion, he found himself stationed on Snake Island. Alongside his fellow defenders, Zadorin was captured by russian forces in the early days of the conflict.

Over the course of two grueling years in captivity, Zadorin endured both physical and psychological torture. His body, once strong, was ravaged by starvation—he lost 60 kilograms, nearly half of his total weight. In the dire conditions of the prison, prisoners were left to starve. Vladyslav recalls the extreme measures they took to survive, with some resorting to eating worms and even chewing on toilet paper.

Vladyslav only learned of his release on a bus ride, a moment filled with disbelief as he had been led to believe he was being transferred to yet another prison. On January 3, 2024, he was finally brought back to Ukraine. Now, Zadorin is undergoing rehabilitation in Odesa. Despite the trauma, he plans to return to military service—this time as an instructor, determined to share his experiences and knowledge.

Vladyslav is open to speaking with journalists, both online and in person, by appointment.

For reference: The battle for Snake Island began on February 24, 2022, with a missile strike on the Ukrainian border garrison. Despite the destruction of all structures on the island, Ukrainian forces continued to resist. After hours of intense fighting, the russian military captured the island and took its defenders prisoner. 

However, on June 30, 2022, the russian forces hastily withdrew from Snake Island, and on July 4, the Ukrainian military raised their flag over the reclaimed territory.

• casualties
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Odesa

Alina Bahai, a bridge master with Odesa Railways, supervises a crew tasked with upgrading infrastructure. In a traditionally male-dominated field, Alina manages a team of all-male repairmen. Together, they replace old asphalt pavement with new reinforced concrete slabs, enhancing the durability and safety of the railway infrastructure. Despite the challenges that might come with being the only woman in her role, Alina finds the job rewarding. She finds it easy to manage a male team, as she performs her job exceptionally well.

• women
• Odesa

Since childhood, Dmytro Stepnov has been passionate about rowing yawls—small boats with multiple pairs of oars. In 2018, he began sharing his love for the sport with others in Mariupol, where he formed a team and even led them to compete in local events.

With the onset of the full-scale invasion, Dmytro and his team narrowly escaped russian-occupied Mariupol, seeking refuge in Dnipro. Undeterred by the upheaval, Dmytro started anew. He constructed a modern yawl and resumed training sessions.

In a heartening twist, a rehabilitation center from Odesa partnered with him, proposing a unique initiative: offering rowing classes to soldiers who had lost limbs on the front lines. Today, this inspiring program is available at no cost in Dnipro, Odesa, and Kyiv. The initiative has received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with soldiers not only finding a physical outlet but also competing in rowing competitions as part of their rehabilitation journey.

Currently based in Dnipro, Dmytro Stepnov is open to sharing his story with journalists, whether in person or via virtual interviews, upon request.

• casualties
• military
• Dnipro
• Kyiv
• Odesa