Themes by tag: Poltava

Olena Lehenchuk, a native of Zhytomyr and mother of four, moved to Spain with her children six years ago. When the full-scale war began, she began volunteering and later became a chaplain (military priest). Now Olena divides her time between Ukraine and Spain, returning to see her children.

Olena serves as a volunteer chaplain. Her duties include providing pastoral care to soldiers, but as she explains, her role has expanded significantly. In addition to spiritual guidance, she provides psychological support.

Chaplain Olena organizes retreats for soldiers and their families, holds weekly meetings for soldiers’ wives, and provides counseling for veterans and those returning from captivity. She also provides general support to the wives of POWs and visits widows.

By prior arrangement, interviews with Olena can be conducted in Kyiv or Poltava, as well as online.

• military
• religion
• women
• Kyiv
• Poltava

Before russia’s full-scale invasion, Oleh Bykov and his brother ran a legal firm as advisors. But their lives shifted after February 2022—Oleh paused his legal career to dedicate himself to volunteer efforts, while his brother joined Ukraine’s National Guard.

Oleh went on to establish the Kremenchuk Volunteer Defense Headquarters, delivering humanitarian aid to front-line regions. During one visit to a stabilization center for injured soldiers, he witnessed the challenges medics faced in removing shrapnel from wounds. Determined to help, Oleh collaborated with a technologist to develop magnetic extractors, innovative devices designed to remove shrapnel from hard-to-reach areas.

His team has since produced five types of extractors, each tailored to different parts of the body. Among their most advanced designs is the Hydra—a flexible tool for extracting shrapnel and bullets from the heart, currently undergoing testing at the Heart Institute and the Shalimov National Research Center for Surgery and Transplantation. Oleh provides these devices to civilian and military doctors free of charge, using their feedback to refine the designs further.

To arrange an interview with Oleh Bykov, you can meet him in Kremenchuk or Kyiv, either online or in person, by appointment.

• doctors
• volunteers
• Kyiv
• Poltava

Iryna Shmatko lost her husband and mother in the war. Iryna met her beloved Oleksandr back in 2014 at the Azov training center, where her future husband was serving at the time. The relationship developed, in 2017 Oleksandr was discharged and the couple became parents of three children.

With the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion, Oleksandr Shmatko immediately returned to the ranks of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, and Iryna took up volunteering.

On April 15, 2022, Iryna lost her mother, Nataliia Strebkova (call sign Zoriana), who defended Mariupol and died during the bombing of the Azovstal plant.

Later, Iryna found out that she was pregnant with her fourth child. However, Oleksandr didn’t live long enough to meet his youngest daughter. He died in November 2023 in Donetsk region. The girl, who was born three weeks after her father’s death, was named Zoriana after her heroic grandmother.

Journalists can talk to Iryna in person in Poltava or online. Iryna is raising two sons (ages 9 and 5) and two daughters (age 7 and an 8-month infant).

For reference: Nataliia Strebkova (call sign Zoriana) was posthumously awarded the Order for Courage 3rd degree. The “Memorial” platform created a documentary film about Nataliia.

Currently, the family is being cared for by the Children of Heroes charitable foundation. The organization helps children who lost one or both parents as a result of russia’s full-scale invasion. The foundation provides financial assistance, psychological and legal support, promotes education and development of children until they reach adulthood.

• children
• dead
• military
• women
• Poltava

From August 9 to 11, the Poltava region will host the Kobzar’s Family Tree festival, a celebration that brings together folk bands, cultural enthusiasts, and kobzars from across Ukraine and its diaspora. The event aims to revive and celebrate the rich heritage of kobza music.

The festival’s founder, Yuriy Fedynsky, was born in the United States but moved to Ukraine 25 years ago, drawn by his ancestral roots. Thirteen years ago, he settled in the village of Kriachkivka in the Poltava region, where he has been dedicated to reviving the traditional kobza art form. Fedynsky established a workshop in the village, where he teaches the craftsmanship and music of various kobza instruments, including the Veresaiev kobza, kobza bandura, pan bandura, mama kobza, and torbana.

Journalists are invited to explore and cover the festival program, offering a deeper insight into this vibrant cultural event.

• culture
• Poltava

Alona Kyryliuk is from Kharkiv region, and she currently lives in Poltava region. She is the mother of two children: 11-year-old Anastasiia and Timur, who is only one year old. The woman is a military officer.

Alona’s husband, Denys, is a lieutenant colonel, a fighter pilot (Deputy Squadron Commander, Squadron Flight Navigator). The man was called to duty on the night of February 23-24, 2022. He asked his wife to stay at home with the daughter. Later, Alona heard the first explosions.

Denis flew over 80 sorties. He was awarded the Order “For Courage” of the third class, as well as the “Firearms” award of the Ministry of Defense. The man died on March 27, 2023 while performing a combat mission. The enemy shot down his plane over Chernihiv region. The pilot was taking the plane away from a settlement and did not have time to eject.

By prior agreement, journalists can talk to Alona Kyryliuk in Poltava region or in Kyiv.

For reference: Currently, the family is being cared for by the Children of Heroes Charity Fund. It helps children who lost one or both parents as a result of russia’s full-scale invasion. The fund provides financial assistance, psychological and legal support, and helps with the education and development of children until they reach adulthood.

• children
• dead
• military
• women
• Kyiv
• Poltava

Yuriy Fedynsky was born in the U.S. However, 25 years ago he moved to the homeland of his ancestors – Ukraine (Kyiv). And 13 years ago, he settled in the village of Kriachkivka, Poltava region, where he is trying to revive Kobzar traditions. He even founded a Kobzar workshop in the village, where he teaches crafting and how to play the Veresai’s kobza, different versions of bandura, the Mamai’s kobza, and the torban. He also founded the Kobzar Family Tree festival.

After the start of the full-scale war, Yuriy founded Kobzar Armada club: together with his students, he toured the entire country with concerts. In particular, they performed in Kyiv and Chernihiv regions, as well as for the Ukrainian defenders at the frontlines. Yuriy says that they have visited almost the entire Eastern Front. They also recently completed a tour of Europe (Germany, Italy, Switzerland, the Netherlands), during which they introduced Kobzar traditions to people from other countries.

In April, Yuriy will go on a large UK tour “The Kobzar’s Prayer for Ukraine,” and then he will once again take his students to perform at the frontlines.

Journalists can learn more about Yuriy and chat with him either in person in Poltava region, or online. 

• culture
• Poltava

The Fedorchenko family from Kherson region stayed in the occupation for over a year and a half.

While still at home, Tetiana and her husband Raj (he is of Romani origin) did everything possible to avoid russian citizenship and not to send their daughter and grandchildren to a russian school. The family managed to survive hunger, rocket attacks, from which they hid in the basement, and the tyranny of the russian regime. Every day, the military went to the streets with surprise raids.

Once, a unit of russian soldiers broke into a neighbor’s place. Then a policeman approached Tetiana, who was on the street, and told her to be a “witness in the case.” And when Raj wanted to take his wife back to their yard, a machine gun was pointed at him. They shot in the air twice and again pointed the gun at him. The woman persuaded the man to go into the house and let her go to testify.

The family left the occupation in September 2023. For 4 months, they lived and received comprehensive support in the “Hope and Recovery” center of the “Save Ukraine” charitable organization. Among other things, specialists provided psychological assistance to adults and children.

Now the family lives in Poltava region. They are open to communication both in person and online.

• casualties
• children
• occupation
• Poltava

Oleh Bykov is a volunteer and activist from Kremenchuk, Poltava region. With the beginning of the full-scale war, Oleh started looking into how to make it easier for medics to work with projectile fragments that remain in the bodies of wounded soldiers after being injured. Oleh’s team managed to create magnetic devices, which they named “Edelweiss” and “White Angel.” These are special devices that help doctors detect metal fragments in the wounded and safely remove them.

Oleg and his team can produce up to 50 magnetic devices in a week. More than 800 devices have already been delivered to hospitals and front lines by volunteers. “Edelweiss” and “White Angel” are used in many medical institutions of Ukraine, in particular, in Kyiv Hear Institute and O. O. Shalimov National Institute of Surgery and Transplantology in Kyiv.

• casualties
• doctors
• military
• volunteers
• Poltava

Before the Big War, Olena Kravchenko organized concerts in her native village in Poltava region. But since February 24, 2022, the woman has turned her organizational skills to volunteering. At first, Olena collected products for the territorial defense fighters of the region. In a few days, there was so much food that she could send several buses with supplies to the military.

Currently, Olena’s work resulted in food being collected in more than 10 villages of the community. Olena’s sister used to take products to the front line herself. Now it’s Kravchenko who has got behind the wheel and visits the military almost every week. Olena brings dried borscht and grain products, which it is convenient for the army men to take on missions, and those celebrating their birthdays get home-made cakes.

• food
• volunteers
• Poltava

The Military Sewing Company is a voluntary association of people who volunteer to sew adaptive clothing for wounded soldiers: pants, shorts, underpants, T-shirts, etc. The adaptive clothing with Velcro, ties, or buttons is designed so injured defenders can put it on comfortably and painlessly. 

The Military Sewing Company has already produced over 30,000 pieces of such clothing. They are sent to more than 50 medical institutions across Ukraine, as well as to soldiers in need of such garments.

The Military Sewing Company was founded in Dnipro. People who have joined the initiative and sew clothes (in workshops, sewing shops, or home-based ones) are located in Kyiv, Dnipro, Rivne, Poltava, Zhytomyr, and Lviv. Some seamstresses are actively involved in sewing while residing in Norway, Germany, and Canada.

• casualties
• military
• volunteers
• Dnipro
• Kyiv
• Lviv
• Poltava
• Zhytomyr
• Rivne