Themes by tag: 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

The Victoria Drone School project goal is to create a talent pool for both the Armed Forces (future UAV operators and engineers) and civilian industries where drones are used. 

The three-block classes are a theoretical part, simulator exercises, and practical classes where teenagers can try flying a quadcopter independently. The training school is free of charge and accepts children aged 12 to enter. 

• children
• Poltava

In Poltava region, a private ethnographic museum was turned into a shelter for refugees from Kharkiv. At the beginning of the full-scale war, the owner of the museum took half of the exhibits to Lviv so that the guests could settle in comfortably. Currently, the refugees are setting up an improvised kitchen and a small work area with a computer among the historic items that remained in the building.

A total of ten people have applied for shelter at the ethnographic museum since the end of February. In addition, locals helped them with food or clothes.

• casualties
• volunteers
• Poltava