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On July 29, Kyiv will host the event “BASHTA. Memory That Unites,” dedicated to the anniversary of the deaths of Ukrainian defenders in Olenivka.

On the night of July 29, 2022, russia carried out one of the largest terrorist attacks against Ukrainian prisoners of war by blowing up a barracks in Olenivka, where more than 200 Azovstal defenders were held.

The event will commemorate those killed in Olenivka, discuss the challenges veterans face after returning from captivity, and present the online platform Bashta — a space bringing together veterans, military families, civil society organizations and everyone working on issues of memory, recovery and the development of the veteran community.

Speakers:

• Natalia Petrenko — founder of the Bashta platform; 
• Oleksandra Mazur — co-founder of the NGO Olenivka Community;
• Oleh Krisenko — veteran, former prisoner of war and founder of the IT Veterans NGO;
• Anton Kalakutskyi — representative of the IT Veterans NGO and the Veterans Movement of Ukraine;
• Semen Makhlin — veteran, professional adaptation specialist and career consultant at UNIT 6.0;
• Daria Ulman — founder of Community Ulman;
• Oleksandr Batalov — veteran and director of the Ankonkard Foundation;
• Yaryna Chuchman-Myno — founder of the Blast brand and communications manager at the Ankonkard Foundation.

Background: The organizers are the Bashta online platform, the National Museum of the Revolution of Dignity, the National Memorial Complex of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes — Museum of the Revolution of Dignity, and the Olenivka Community.

• dead
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

On July 28, the exhibition “Olenivka: The Quintessence of Cruelty” will reopen in Kyiv for the third time. The event is dedicated to the fourth anniversary of the Olenivka terrorist attack.

The exhibition was created in cooperation with the National Museum of the Revolution of Dignity and the NGO Media Initiative for Human Rights. The exhibition will be open until November 16.

Background: On the night of July 29, 2022, russia carried out a terrorist attack by blowing up a barracks at a penal colony in Olenivka where Ukrainian prisoners of war were held. At least 50 defenders of Azovstal were killed, and more than 100 were injured.

Ukrainian soldiers who were seriously wounded in the attack have remained in russian captivity for four years.

• dead
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

The press conference will present new information that should become the subject of thorough investigative work and remain under constant public scrutiny. The organizers will also raise the following questions:

Why have seriously wounded defenders still not been returned from captivity?

Why, despite high-profile promises, has not a single person from this category of prisoners been returned over the past year?

What are the results of the investigation into the tragedy four years after the attack? Why is there no information about the key witness?

Background: On the night of July 29, 2022, russia carried out a terrorist attack by blowing up a barracks at a penal colony in Olenivka where Ukrainian prisoners of war were held. At least 50 defenders of Azovstal were killed, and more than 100 were wounded.

The Ukrainian servicemen seriously wounded in the attack have remained in russian captivity for four years.

• casualties
• dead
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes

Peaceful rallies will be be held in 24 Ukrainian cities to remind the public about the defenders of Azovstal and other Ukrainian service members who remain in russian captivity.

On July 18, rallies will take place in Okhtyrka, Pavlohrad, Vinnytsia, Chernihiv, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, Bila Tserkva, Shpola, Volochysk, and Lviv.

On July 19, events are scheduled in Kyiv, Krolevets, Pivdennoukrainsk, Kremenchuk, Mykolaiv, Ovruch, Uman, Obukhiv, Dolynska, Lozova, Uzhhorod, Berdychiv, Kropyvnytskyi, and Odesa.

The events are organized by the families of prisoners of war from the Mariupol Garrison. Ukrainians who have been released from russian captivity also frequently join the rallies.

• military
• prisoners

Mykyta Shastun joined the military several years before the full-scale invasion. He served in the 56th Brigade, fought on the outskirts of Donetsk Airport, and trained to become a sergeant.

After the full-scale invasion began, he and his brother Ihor joined the Azov Regiment to defend Mariupol. On April 1, his brother was killed. In May 2022, Mykyta and his comrades were ordered to lay down their weapons and surrender.

He ended up in the Olenivka colony in the occupied Donetsk oblast. He recalls extreme hardship: prisoners starving due to a lack of food and water. Soon, the Azov fighters were moved to another barracks where an explosion rocked the facility at night. Miraculously, Mykyta survived with only a concussion. He helped wounded comrades, though the russians provided no medical aid. He was then transferred from Olenivka to Taganrog, russia, before finally returning to Ukraine on December 31, 2022.

Journalists can contact Mykyta Shastun online by prior arrangement.

Background: The defense of Mariupol lasted 86 days, 82 of which were in complete encirclement. From May 16 to 20, 2022, the Mariupol garrison received orders to cease defending the city and surrender.

On the night of July 29, 2022, russia committed a terrorist act blowing up the Olenivka penal colony barracks holding Ukrainian POWs. At least 50 defenders of Azovstal were killed, and more than a hundred were injured.

• casualties
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes

To keep the plight of the defenders of “Azovstal” and other military personnel still held in enemy captivity in the public eye, peaceful rallies are planned in 25 cities.

• July 4: Rallies will be held in Okhtyrka, Pavlohrad, Vinnytsia, Dnipro, Chernihiv, Irpin, Zaporizhzhia, Bila Tserkva, Shpola, and Volochysk.
• July 5: Events are scheduled in Kyiv, Krolevets, Yuzhnoukrainsk, Kremenchuk, Mykolaiv, Ovruch, Uman, Obukhiv, Dolynska, Lozova, Uzhhorod, Berdychiv, Kropyvnytskyi, Chernivtsi, and Odesa.

The events are organized by the families of prisoners of war from the Mariupol garrison. Released Ukrainian prisoners often join these rallies to show their support.

• prisoners

Ivan Kucher dreamed of a military career from a young age. While he was completing his mandatory service, russia occupied Crimea and attacked Ukraine’s eastern regions. His family hoped he would be kept away from the front line, but Ivan had other plans; as soon as his mandatory service ended, he signed a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He told his mother he was undergoing training, even as he was already fighting russian forces in the Luhansk region.

After his contract expired, Ivan settled in Kyiv. However, following the start of the full-scale russian invasion, he rejoined his former “Donbas” battalion to defend Ukraine in the east once again.

In late April 2022, Ivan was taken prisoner. Later, reports emerged that he might have been killed, though his military unit refuted this information and officially declared him missing in action.

Released Ukrainian prisoners recounted hearing about Ivan Kucher while in russian detention, though they had not seen him personally. In February 2023, his mother spotted him in a piece of russian propaganda footage and provided the material to the Red Cross and the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.

Ivan spent 1,388 days in captivity and was finally returned home on February 5, 2025, as part of a prisoner exchange. He is currently awaiting a medical clearance from the Military Medical Commission to return to service.

Interviews with Ivan Kucher can be arranged both online and in person in the Lviv region by prior appointment.

• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Lviv

Azat Azatyan has become a displaced person three times in his life. As a child, he moved with his family from Armenia; in 2014, he fled the russian-occupied part of the Donetsk region; and in 2022, he found himself under occupation in Berdiansk, Zaporizhzhia region.

At the beginning of the full-scale russian invasion, Azat began volunteering in Berdiansk, feeding people waiting in lines at checkpoints and helping them evacuate to Ukraine-controlled territories.

This work angered the russian military, who subsequently abducted Azat. He was held in captivity for 43 days and subjected to torture. Only thoughts of his wife and three children helped Azat survive the abuse. After escaping the occupied area and undergoing medical treatment, he chose to continue helping those in need, opening 11 centers for internally displaced persons (IDPs).

In 2025, alongside other civilians who survived captivity, he founded the “Way of the Free” rehabilitation center in Zaporizhzhia for those who suffered in confinement. The center provides psychological and legal assistance free of charge, as well as physical rehabilitation sessions. Additionally, this summer, the NGO presented a documentary about captives titled “Fire Does Not Burn the Fierce.” The film compiles the stories of seven civilians who survived russian captivity.

Azat Azatyan is available for interviews both online and offline in Zaporizhzhia, by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• occupation
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Zaporizhzhia

On June 27, a peaceful action titled “Voices of Silence” will take place in Bucha, Kyiv Oblast. Every day, hundreds of Ukrainian families live in painful anticipation of news from their loved ones who are in captivity or reported missing. This action serves as a poignant reminder that we remember everyone and continue to wait for their return home.

• military
• prisoners
• Kyiv

Tetiana Fedorova is originally from Enerhodar, Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Prior to the full-scale russian invasion, she balanced her job at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant with volunteering for the Ukrainian military. Following February 24, 2022, her son joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine to fight on the front lines. Tetiana herself refused to evacuate her native Enerhodar, believing that the enemy occupation of the city would be temporary.

She recalls that nuclear plant workers were intimidated and forced to submit to the occupiers; those who resisted were killed. When the russians discovered that Tetiana’s son was defending Ukraine, they abducted her from her own home. She endured torture as the russians attempted to extract information about Ukrainian servicemen and volunteers remaining in the city. They also questioned her about ordinary citizens who supported Ukraine. Tetiana takes pride in the fact that, despite the torture, she did not disclose any useful intelligence to the enemy. After a month in captivity, she was released, and she eventually managed to flee the occupied territory with her family.

Tetiana found refuge in Khmelnytskyi Oblast, where she underwent medical treatment and worked with a psychologist. In her new home, she enrolled in sewing classes and handcrafted a pair of small shoes for her dog, Luna. She immediately received orders for pet footwear from other owners. This sparked the idea for her own brand, Luna.animalshop. Tetiana began sewing pet clothes and various costumes, completed a business entrepreneurship course, won a grant, and purchased the necessary equipment. Today, Tetiana continues to run her business, support the military, and await both her son’s return from the war and the liberation of Enerhodar.

Interviews with Tetiana Fedorova can be arranged either online or in person in Khmelnytskyi Oblast by prior appointment.

• casualties
• occupation
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• women
• Khmelnytskyi