Themes by tag: russian crimes

Peaceful gatherings will take place in 24 cities to draw attention to the defenders of Azovstal and other military personnel still held in enemy captivity.

On March 22, rallies will be held in Okhtyrka, Chernihiv, Arbuzynka, Vinnytsia, Irpin, Svitlovodsk, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Pavlohrad, and Obukhiv.

On March 23, events are planned in Kyiv, Pivdennoukrainsk, Uman, Krolevets, Korop, Ovruch, Kremenchuk, Cherkasy, Mykolaiv, Pryluky, Dolynske, Ostroh, Shostka, Odesa, Brovary, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi, Korosten, Uzhhorod, Kharkiv, Lozova, Poltava, Berdychiv, and Kropyvnytskyi.

The rallies are organized by the families of prisoners of war from the Mariupol garrison, with former captives often taking part in the events.

• casualties
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

Hennadii Stukalo is an anesthesiologist and head of the anesthesiology department at the Chernihiv regional hospital. From the very beginning of the full-scale russian invasion, he stayed at the hospital around the clock.

During the most intense days of the encirclement, more than 50 wounded patients arrived within an hour, all requiring urgent surgery. With no electricity, heating or water, and under constant shelling and airstrikes, Stukalo and his team worked tirelessly to save lives, even performing complex surgical procedures under extreme conditions.

Due to frequent power outages, the doctors had to illuminate the operating room with headlamps, flashlights and cell phones. To keep patients warm, they used plastic bottles filled with hot water.

Journalists have the opportunity to interview Dr. Stukalo both online and in person.

Background: On April 6, 2022, the Ukrainian Defense Forces completely liberated Chernihiv oblast from russian occupation

• casualties
• doctors
• russian crimes
• Chernihiv

What could a tribunal for russia’s aggression against Ukraine look like, and will it happen? How does the changing geopolitical landscape affect the prosecution of war criminals? Is Ukraine’s national justice system prepared to investigate war crimes?

The global initiative “Tribunal for putin” (T4P) invites media representatives, international organizations, and members of government and civil society to present its work and discuss the future of justice. The event will take place in Kyiv on 25 March.

Over the past three years, the initiative — which includes some 40 civil society organizations — has been documenting incidents in all regions of Ukraine that bear the hallmarks of crimes under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. To date, nearly 85,000 such cases have been documented.

Speakers:
– Yevhen Zakharov, Director, Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group;
– Vladlena Padun, Analyst, Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union;
– Zera Kozlyieva, Legal Director, Truth Hounds;
– Yuliia Bohdan, Director, Centre of Law Enforcement Activities Research (CLEAR);
– Ihor Kotelianets, Head of the Board, Association of Relatives of Political Prisoners of the Kremlin.

Moderator: Oleksandra Romantsova, Executive Director, Center for Civil Liberties.

Registration is required to attend.

• russian crimes
• Kyiv

For more than 32 years, Valentyna Hantseva has worked at the library in the village of Soldatske, Sumy Oblast. Just months before russia’s full-scale invasion, the library underwent a modern renovation and received new equipment. But when a russian airstrike hit the village center during the occupation, the library building was left in ruins. Only the roof and walls remained intact, while the blast wave devastated the interior.

Despite the occupation and the constant threat of russian aircraft overhead, Valentyna and her husband began salvaging books, hiding them in grain sacks to keep them safe. In total, she managed to rescue more than 1,000 volumes.

In April 2022, Ukrainian forces liberated the village. With support from a benefactor in Germany, the library was restored, and by the fall of 2022, Valentyna was able to reopen its doors to readers.

For reference: By April 11, 2022, then-Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi announced that Ukraine had fully regained control of its state border in the Sumy region.

• culture
• occupation
• reconstruction
• russian crimes
• women
• Sumy

Larysa Zahryva has devoted 25 years to education. She worked as a teacher, and in 2022 she became the head of the Center for the Provision of Social Services in Chernihiv Oblast. When the full-scale war broke out, the village of Mykhailo-Kotsiubynske, where Larysa lived and worked, was under occupation. For 37 days, she continued to go to work and take care of the elderly people who remained in the village. Larysa hid documents from the russians and was shot at five times. The occupiers came to her house in the middle of the night and interrogated Larysa’s husband.

After Ukraine retook Mykhailo-Kotsiubynskyi from russian occupation, Larysa successfully founded the University of the Third Age (U3A) with support from the United Nations Development Program. Today, several areas of study are already available for lifelong learners, including the Healthy Lifestyles Program, the Philosophy Program, and the Arts and Crafts Program Larysa also created a mobile social assistance project: A car with volunteers who help residents with household chores runs around Chernihiv. The University has also recently opened a resilience space where women, children, IDPs, and war victims can work individually with a psychologist or attend support groups.

For reference: By April 6, 2022, the Defense Forces had completely liberated Chernihiv Oblast.

• culture
• occupation
• russian crimes
• volunteers
• women
• Chernihiv

On March 16, Ukraine will hold an annual event to honor the victims of the Mariupol Drama Theater tragedy. Mariupol residents and all those who remember are invited to light candles near theater buildings across the country in a tribute to those lost.

Commemorative gatherings will take place in Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Dnipro, Zaporizhia (March 15), Ivano-Frankivsk, Kalush, Lviv, Kyiv, Kamianske, Kremenchuk, Rivne, Ternopil, Uzhhorod, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy, Chernivtsi, Kropyvnytskyi, Poltava, Kryvyi Rih, and Odesa.

Background: On March 16, 2022, russian forces dropped bombs on the Mariupol Drama Theater, despite the russian word for “children,” “ДЕТИ”(DETY), written in large, clearly visible white letters on the pavement outside the building. At the time, hundreds of Mariupol families were sheltering there, seeking refuge from relentless russian shelling. The attack claimed the lives of hundreds of innocent civilians, including children.

The Mariupol Drama Theater has since become a harrowing symbol—of brutality and destruction, of Mariupol’s suffering, of Ukraine’s pain. It remains an enduring testament to a russian war crime the world must never forget.

• children
• dead
• russian crimes
• Dnipro
• Kyiv
• Lviv
• Odesa

Researchers from the Chernihiv historical museum named after V. Tarnovskyi travel to the village of Yahidne, Chernihiv oblast, to collect eyewitness testimony. (In the spring of 2022, russian occupiers detained over 300 local residents in inhumane conditions in the basement of the school for almost a month).

Since September 2023, historians have been documenting historical artifacts in Yahidne. They have examined and described over 1,000 objects, including clothing, shoes, personal items, backpacks, books, empty russian military ration boxes, antiseptic tubes, russian newspapers, wooden pallets used for sitting and sleeping, plastic water bottles used as makeshift toilets. Experts recorded descriptions of all basement rooms and photographed artifacts found throughout the village, including remnants of enemy equipment, uniforms and ammunition boxes.

At the request of the regional authorities, copies of occupation documents found in Yahidne have been turned over to the museum.

All documented artifacts will remain in place. There are plans to create a memorial complex in Yahidne, including the school basement where civilians were imprisoned.

Journalists can learn more, join researchers on the ground, and see the historical artifacts firsthand.

Background: Yahidne is a village near Chernihiv. At the beginning of the full-scale russian invasion, the occupying forces set up their headquarters in the local school. In its basement they imprisoned 299 adults and 67 children – almost the entire population of the village. The basement was only 197 square meters, forcing people to sleep sitting up, with limited oxygen. Ten people died as a result of the horrific conditions.

In February 2023, a photograph of the Yahidne basement appeared on the cover of TIME magazine.

• casualties
• dead
• occupation
• russian crimes
• Chernihiv

Oksana Starodub, a mother of two from Chernihiv, faced unthinkable challenges after deciding to stay in her hometown when the war began. Her husband, Mykola, joined the territorial defense forces on the second day of the all-out invasion, determined to protect his family and city. On March 6, 2022, russian mortars struck Oksana’s home, leaving her severely injured and unable to move. Her teenage son bandaged her wounds as they awaited help, but continued shelling prevented an ambulance from reaching them. Eventually, Mykola and his unit managed to return home, where a military medic applied a tactical tourniquet to Oksana’s leg before she was taken to a hospital. The hospital, overwhelmed with wounded, was operating under dire conditions. Power was down due to nearby shelling, staff was stretched thin, and resources were scarce. Drinking water arrived only once daily, and food for both patients and doctors was cooked outdoors over an open flame. Oksana later traveled to Vinnytsia for multiple surgeries and, by September 2022, was able to walk on her own again. 

Meanwhile, Mykola continued defending the Chernihiv region until his battalion was deployed to Donetsk. On June 17, 2024, during a combat mission, Mykola sustained fatal wounds, leaving Oksana a widow.

The Children of Heroes charity foundation is currently supporting the family. Dedicated to aiding children who have lost one or both parents due to russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the foundation offers financial assistance, psychological counseling, legal aid, and educational support to help these children grow and thrive until adulthood.

• casualties
• dead
• military
• russian crimes
• women
• Chernihiv

Serhii Pryschepa considers March 14, 2022, his second birthday. That day, he and his family attempted to escape from russian-occupied territory in Chernihiv Oblast but were caught in an attack. Their car was engulfed in flames, burning to the ground. Miraculously, he survived.

Serhii has been undergoing rehabilitation for over a year. The recovery process has been grueling and slow, yet he remains resolute. Not only has he regained his strength, but he has also grown even stronger—thanks to relentless training, he can now lift more weight than he could before his injury.

Background: Serhii Pryschepa is a participant in the Neopalymi (Unburnt) program, a national initiative providing free external rehabilitation and treatment for war-related injuries, burns, and scars. By April 6, 2022, Ukrainian defense forces had fully liberated Chernihiv Oblast from russian occupation.

• casualties
• dead
• doctors
• occupation
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

Since the start of the full-scale war, russian aviation has dropped over 51,000 guided bombs on Ukraine – 40,000 of them in 2024 alone, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.

These bombs are primarily modernized Soviet munitions weighing 500 to 3,000 kg, equipped with a unified gliding and correction module (UMPK kit). This module includes folding wings that extend range and GPS navigation for accuracy.

In its new study, NAKO examined the remnants of UMPC kits. The researchers found that 71% of the microelectronics in UMPK kits are from Western-oriented manufacturers. Of the 22 manufacturers identified, 10 are in the U.S., six are in China, four are in Switzerland, and two are in Ireland and Japan.

On March 11 in Kyiv, during the presentation of the thematic report, we will discuss how Western components end up in russian weapons. Can this supply chain be disrupted? What are our options for countering guided bombs?

 Participants:
– Vladyslav Vlasiuk, Presidential Advisor on Sanctions Policy
– Heorhii Tykhyi, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine
– Viktoriia Vyshnivska, Senior Researcher, Independent Anti-Corruption Commission (NAKO)
– Illia Kukharenko, Advisor on EW/ELINT, Ministry of Strategic Industries of Ukraine

Accreditation required. Deadline: March 10, 5:00 PM

Since the start of the full-scale invasion, NAKO researchers have analyzed over 2,500 components from 30 russian weapons, including fighter jets, Ka-52 “Alligator” helicopters, Kalibr missiles, Iranian drones, and North Korean KN-23/24 missiles.

Background information: The Independent Anti-Corruption Commission (NAKO) is a civil society organization focused on reducing corruption risks in Ukraine’s defense sector through research, advocacy, and public awareness. Since the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion, NAKO has launched a project to monitor and strengthen sanctions against russia’s defense industry.

• russian crimes
• weapon
• Kyiv