Themes by tag: Odesa
Odesa native Ruslan Khomutenko is a karate coach with over 20 years of experience and a volunteer. He is also the founder of the “Mowgli” Children’s Center in Odesa.
At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Ruslan was on vacation in Cambodia. On February 27, 2022, he returned to Ukraine via a long route through Cambodia, Thailand, Qatar, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, and Moldova. From the very first days, he organized the evacuation of families with children. He personally conducted more than 100 evacuations, including from the “gray zones” of the Kharkiv, Donetsk, Kherson, and Mykolaiv regions.
In the facilities of the “Mowgli” Children’s Center, he organized a shelter (a transit point) for evacuated families and internally displaced persons (IDPs) who reached Odesa on their own. He also established a humanitarian headquarters to provide assistance to families with children. As of May 2026, 1,700 families in Odesa and Kherson receive humanitarian aid through his initiative.
In addition, displaced children and children of military personnel have the opportunity to attend the “Mowgli” Children’s Center in Odesa free of charge. (Two of the club’s six sports halls were damaged during russian attacks).
Ruslan travels to Kherson every week to hold karate classes for children. Due to the security situation in the city, the classes take place in one of the bomb shelters. Children of various ages attend the training sessions, with the youngest participant being just 4 years old. Ruslan also conducts self-defense classes for women in both Kherson and Odesa.
By prior arrangement, journalists can interview Ruslan in Odesa, Kherson, or via an online format.
For the second consecutive year, Odesa will host “On the Wave” (Na Khvyli) — a large-scale sports competition for veterans and active-duty servicemembers. For many participants, these games will serve as an entry point into adaptive sports, including wheelchair basketball, archery, boccia, and indoor rowing.
The event’s primary mission is to bring defenders together for a few summer days within a supportive community, providing effective tools for physical rehabilitation, psychological decompression, and reintegration into active civilian life.
Attendees will have the opportunity to engage directly with representatives from the Ministry for Veterans Affairs of Ukraine, the Odesa Regional State Administration, leadership from the “Free Warriors” NGO, and the Invictus Games team in Ukraine. Media representatives will also have designated slots to interview veterans overcoming the consequences of severe battlefield injuries.
The event will take place on June 21 in Odesa. Due to security protocols, the precise venue and schedule will be provided solely to accredited media outlets. Media accreditation remains open until June 19.
Background Information: The event is organized by the Ministry for Veterans Affairs of Ukraine and the “Free Warriors” Non-Governmental Organization, in cooperation with the Odesa Regional State Administration, under the framework of the National Strategy for Creating a Barrier-Free Space initiated by First Lady Olena Zelenska.
The Stratcom Ukraine Center for Strategic Communications (the “Invictus Games” project in Ukraine) joins as a co-organizer under the regional initiative “Invictus Day in Your City”, supported by the Invictus Games Foundation.
Olena Velychenko is the founder of the Grand Dog canine training center in Kherson. Together with her team, she taught dog owners how to build connections with their pets, while training dogs to assist people.
However, everything changed after the start of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. For some time, Olena remained under occupation together with the dogs, even though her center had been destroyed by russian forces. Following the liberation of the city, she relocated to Odesa, where she began rebuilding her life’s work.
Today, the Grand Dog canine training center also operates in Odesa, providing support to children, internally displaced people, veterans, and individuals going through difficult periods in their lives. Velychenko conducts classes for children free of charge.
Olena Velychenko is available for interviews both online and in person in Odesa by prior arrangement.
Vadym Letunov, 34, is a corporal serving with Ukraine’s 118th Separate Mechanized Brigade. In late February, heavy enemy shelling destroyed his position and killed one of his comrades. Barefoot, Letunov managed to reach the nearest surviving dugout — only to discover it was occupied by a russian soldier, a former prisoner mobilized to fight against Ukraine.
Because the occupier was armed, Letunov effectively became his captive. Realizing that survival depended on gaining the soldier’s trust, he spent two weeks carefully navigating the situation. According to Letunov, the russian soldier showed severe mood swings and repeatedly threatened to execute him.
Conditions inside the dugout were extreme. Food and water were nearly gone, and Ukrainian command had already informed Letunov’s mother that he was presumed dead.
Over time, Letunov convinced the russian soldier that their only chance of survival was to surrender to Ukrainian forces. When supplies finally ran out, the two moved toward Ukrainian positions.
To avoid being mistaken for the enemy by Ukrainian drones, Letunov made a sign displaying his call sign and brigade number. When a Ukrainian drone appeared overhead, he dropped to his knees beside the sign to identify himself.
Ukrainian troops first delivered food, water, and a radio by drone. Shortly afterward, an armored vehicle arrived, evacuating Letunov and taking the russian soldier into captivity. Letunov is currently undergoing rehabilitation in Odesa after losing a toe due to gangrene caused by the conditions in the dugout.
Vadym Letunov is available for interviews online or in person in Odesa by prior arrangement and with approval from his press officer.
On the fourth anniversary of the terrible tragedy that occurred at the Mariupol Drama Theater, journalists are invited to attend memorial events and honor the memory of the civilian and military victims.
In particular, a prayer service will be held in Kyiv on March 15. On March 16, memorial events honoring those killed at the Mariupol Drama Theater will take place in various cities across Ukraine: Kyiv, Vinnytsia, Dnipro, Zhytomyr, Zaporizhzhia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Kalush, Kamensk, Kremenchuk, Kropyvnytskyi, Poltava, Kryvyi Rih, Odesa, Rivne, Ternopil, Uzhhorod, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy, and Chernivtsi.
For reference: On March 16, 2022, russian occupiers dropped aerial bombs on the Mariupol Drama Theater. The word “CHILDREN,” written in large letters and clearly visible from the sky, did not stop them. Hundreds of Mariupol families were taking shelter in the theater. Hundreds of innocent people were killed that day, including children.
The russian occupation authorities restored the building, permanently destroying any possibility of conducting a fair investigation into the deaths at the Drama Theater.
On March 2 in Odesa, the Representation of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Ukraine will continue its nationwide information campaign against human trafficking and exploitation titled “DOES THIS SOUND FAMILIAR TO YOU?”
The city will host an interactive installation designed to help people recognize signs of exploitation and dangerous situations, as well as learn where to seek assistance.
Invited speakers:
Anna Cherniavska, Protection Programme Specialist, IOM Representation in Ukraine;
Olena Kytaiska, Head of the Department of Labor and Social Policy, Odesa City Council;
Tetiana Bailuk, Head of the Gender Equality, Counter-Trafficking and Domestic Violence Prevention Unit of the Department of Social and Family Policy, Odesa Regional State Administration;
Kateryna Mazur, Head of the Department of Labor, Social and Veteran Policy, Odesa City Military Administration;
Oksana Sichkar, Acting Head of the Healthcare Department, Odesa City Military Administration;
Mariia Popova, Representative of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights in Odesa region;
Tetiana Semikop, Chair of the Board of the NGO “Civic Movement “Faith, Hope, Love.”
Journalist accreditation is mandatory. A registration form must be completed by March 1 at 5:00 PM. Journalists are required to bring a passport or ID card and a press credential. Speakers will be available for comments after the official part of the event.
Background: The campaign “DOES THIS SOUND FAMILIAR TO YOU?” is implemented by the IOM Representation in Ukraine with financial support from the Government of Sweden, in partnership with the Ministry of Social Policy, Family and Unity of Ukraine, the National Social Service of Ukraine, the National Police of Ukraine, and the All-Ukrainian Coalition of NGOs Against Human Trafficking.The initiative aims to raise awareness about the risks of human trafficking and exploitation and inform the public about available assistance services, including the National Anti-Trafficking and Migrant Counseling Hotline (527) and the website www.stoptrafficking.org, where consultations and help requests are available.
Before the full-scale invasion, Iryna Koval worked with metal constructions for the building industry. On February 24, 2022, however, her business had to pivot to support the military.
The first product developed by Iryna’s team was the Brammer tactical evacuation cart, which is designed to transport an adult over long distances. Weighing 25 kilograms with a load capacity of 150 kilograms, the cart allows one person to independently evacuate a wounded comrade. The team also developed lightweight drag stretchers for use in areas inaccessible to vehicles.
Their latest innovation is tactical trailers for ATVs (quad bikes), which can evacuate three wounded soldiers simultaneously. This work was recognized with the “Created by Women” award, which supports women entrepreneurs during the war.
Since starting this project, Iryna’s company has produced over 8,500 evacuation devices. With their help, soldiers on the front lines are saving the lives of their comrades.
Iryna Koval is available for interviews online and in person in Odesa by prior arrangement.
Khrystyna Drahomaretska, a 28-year-old trained architect, has stepped away from her profession to rescue animals amid Ukraine’s war, where she works as a stray animal catcher and evacuates pets from active combat areas.
She carries on despite constant danger from enemy shelling. In Toretsk in the Donetsk region, three russian guided aerial bombs detonated near her. In Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region, she sustained shrapnel wounds while rescuing animals as russian forces hammered the area with mortar fire.
Originally focused on sterilization missions, Khrystyna has spent the past year leading evacuation efforts, pulling abandoned and stray animals out of frontline zones and finding them foster or permanent homes.
She also founded a shelter in the Odesa region, where many of the evacuated animals are taken for treatment, socialization, and rehoming, about 70 percent eventually find adoptive families abroad. The facility currently houses around 250 dogs.
Journalists interested in learning more about her work or arranging an interview can reach out to speak with her online or in person in Odesa, Kyiv, or Kharkiv, by appointment.
For reference: Khrystyna Drahomaretska conducts her rescue operations in partnership with the 12 Vartovykh Charitable Foundation and Animal Rescue Kharkiv. She is also part of the UAnimals rescue mission.
The media are invited to a festive STEM science festival for schoolchildren on December 5, St. Nicholas Day, at an underground school in the Odesa oblast.
Since 2022, the savED Foundation has been restoring war-affected communities through educational and social projects. These projects include building underground schools, educational centers, STEM platforms, and programs that address youth engagement and educational setbacks.
In the Odesa oblast, in partnership with the European Union and the Government of Lithuania, the foundation is implementing a program to overcome educational setbacks in a lyceum that currently operates underground.
As part of this initiative, the foundation is organizing a St. Nicholas Day celebration for children in the form of a STEM festival. Children will be able to engage with robotics, chemistry, biotechnology, art, and physics experiments at eight interactive laboratory stations. The foundation hopes to spark students’ interest in science and STEM programs through this event to help them recover from educational setbacks.
The holiday celebration will also be attended by students’ parents, educators, and foundation representatives.
Before russia’s full-scale invasion, ecologist Vladyslav Mykhailenko taught students at Mechnikov Odessa National University. After February 2022, he began searching for ways to support Ukraine’s Armed Forces, a quest that led to the creation of his project, Plastic Saves Lives.
The initiative collects plastic bottle caps, which are then sorted by a team of volunteers to ensure only recyclable material that can be sold is processed. The funds generated from selling the plastic are used to purchase military equipment.
To acquire a single FPV drone, approximately 1.5 tons of caps must be sorted. Since its inception, Plastic Saves Lives has already helped fund an ambulance, two Mavic 3T drones, and three FPV drones.
Anyone can contribute by handing over caps to volunteers in Odesa. Vladyslav Mykhailenko is also available to discuss the project online or in person in Odesa, by prior arrangement.
