Themes by tag: russian crimes
Anna and Oleh’s journey began in 2020 when they met while Oleh was serving in the Azov Brigade. Their connection blossomed from phone calls and letters into a committed relationship. Their daughter was born just before the outbreak of the full-scale war.
Oleh and his twin brother Vitalii both served in the Azov Brigade, defending Mariupol from the war’s outset. In April 2022, while attempting to reach the Azovstal steel plant, their unit was ambushed. Vitaliy was killed, and Oleh, though wounded, managed to reach Azovstal before being captured a month later.
On the night of July 28-29, 2022, Oleh and 192 fellow prisoners were detained in Volnovakha Penal Colony No. 120 in Olenivka. Several explosions that night killed over 50 Azov Brigade members and injured more than a hundred. When russian media released lists of the wounded and deceased, Anna was horrified to see her husband’s name on both. Later, she discovered that Oleh had survived. Since then, Anna has tirelessly worked to secure his release, joining the Olenivka Community NGO to aid her efforts.
Anna Lobova is currently in Zhytomyr and is available for interviews, both online and in person.
On July 8, Media Center Ukraine will host a presentation of the trailer for the film “People of Steel.” The event will also feature a presentation of results of the pre-premiere screening of the film about the Mariupol defenders in front of European diplomats.
The documentary, which took more than a year to complete, uses unique footage from the prison in Olenivka and Mariupol, where the russians committed numerous war crimes.
Participants:
- Serhii Fomenko, musician and director, frontman of the band Mandry;
- Kateryna Prokopenko, Association Azovstal Defenders’ Families;
- Andrii Rizol, Head of the association “Watch Ukrainian!”;
- Petro Yatsenko, representative of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
For reference: This film was developed as part of the Culture VS War and Between Light and Evil projects, involving the NGO Association of Azovstal Defenders’ Families and the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
IMPORTANT NOTICE! Starting from the beginning of July, Media Center Ukraine will be located in the comfortable public space Urban Space 500, at 9 Hrinchenko Street in Kyiv. All events will take place there.
Mariia Aleksieievych is 26 years old, for two of which she has been waiting for her husband Serhii Aleksieievych, a soldier from Azov Regiment. On May 16, 2022, he carried out the order and surrendered to the enemy.
Mariia and Serhii met before the full-scale invasion. Both studied in Khmelnytskyi, majoring in psychology. The couple lived for several years in a civil marriage, and officially married online in April 2022, when Serhii was already in surrounded Mariupol.
While Serhii was fighting in Mariupol, he tried to get in touch, asked his wife to hold on, work and study. The last time Mariia communicated with her husband was on May 13, 2022. The woman came across a video where she saw Serhii being captured, later she found confirmation that he was in Olenivka. After the explosion in the barracks of the Olenivka colony, the woman found her lover’s name on the list of the wounded.
Mariia says that Serhii Aleksieievych was officially recognized as a prisoner of war only on August 31, 2023. Every once in a while Mariia learns about her husband’s condition from former captives who return in prisoner exchanges.
Currently, Maria heads Olenivka Community NGO. She is also actively involved in public work to investigate the events in the Olenivka colony, bring the culprits to justice, and help Ukrainian prisoners of war and their families.
Mariia Aleksieievych is in Vinnytsia region and is ready to communicate with the media, both in person and online.
For reference: On the night of July 29, 2022, the russian federation committed a terrorist attack, setting off an explosion in the barracks of the penal colony in Olenivka, which housed Ukrainian prisoners of war. At least 50 defenders of Azovstal were killed in the blast.
Media professionals are cordially invited to a press tour on June 28 to witness the unveiling of the newly restored library in the once-occupied village of Rudnytske, nestled in Kyiv region. In 2022, the village fell victim to russian military aggression, resulting in the destruction of its school, infrastructure, and numerous private residences.
Among the casualties was the local club, which housed the village library. Thanks to generous benefactors, the club has been transformed into a vibrant creative hub for Rudnytske’s youth. The latest endeavor in this revitalization effort is the restoration of the library, featuring complete refurbishment of its premises—walls, ceilings, and floors—alongside the acquisition of new furniture and a selection of books.
The library’s grand reopening will feature a presentation of “Piddubnyi: Victories and Unforgiven Love for Ukraine” by author Serhii Smahlicuk. Additionally, the philanthropists behind the restoration project will host 3-5 summer events for locals, including book presentations, literary readings, and poetry evenings.
During the press tour, a press conference will be convened with Natalia Vasylenko, head of the branch library, Oleksandr Pakholiuk, director of the MHP-Gromadi Foundation, and Iryna Borzak, village head, in attendance. Attendees will have the opportunity to be among the inaugural visitors and receive Rudnytske library cards.
Complimentary shuttle services will be provided. Journalists must secure accreditation for the event, with registration open until 12:00 on June 27.
Folklorist Yaryna Sizyk, animation director Maria Ozirna, and the Oleksii Shovkunenko Kherson Art Museum have launched a project focused on restoring paintings seized by russians during the city’s occupation. Museum staff estimate that about ten thousand artworks were taken. The project’s goal is to recreate these stolen pieces.
The team has successfully reproduced Mykhailo Bryansky’s painting “Portrait of a Girl in an Embroidered Dress.” Yaryna and Maria spent a month preparing this first piece, which was not only repainted but also modernized and animated. Ukrainian model and singer Daria Astafieva helped bring the painting to life, transforming herself into the girl in an embroidered dress made from the stolen canvas. During the animation, they used a shirt embroidered by Inna Mykutska, a Kherson guide, during the occupation.
The project founders are now preparing for their next restoration and are in discussions with Ukrainian influencers.
Yaryna Sizyk and Maria Ozirna are available for interviews with journalists in Kyiv.
On May 23, 2024, a Russian missile attack struck the Factor-Druk printing house in Kharkiv. The assault resulted in the destruction of more than 50,000 books, including those published by Vivat Publishing House. Despite numerous offers to purchase the damaged books, Vivat’s CEO, Yulia Orlova, declined and decided to send the salvaged books for exhibition at the Library of Congress and various foreign museums.
The printing house is currently assessing the damage and planning its restoration. Orlova mentioned that the Howard G. Buffett Foundation has expressed willingness to fund the purchase of new equipment for the facility.
Yulia Orlova, who is currently abroad, is available for online interviews with journalists.
For reference: Factor-Druk is one of Europe’s largest printing houses, producing books for nearly all Ukrainian publishers. The missile strike resulted in the deaths of 7 people and injuries to 21 others.
The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), the Center for Civil Liberties, and the Kharkiv Human Rights Group will present a submission to the International Criminal Court (ICC) detailing hate crimes committed by russians against Ukrainians. Ukrainian and foreign media are invited to the presentation, which will be held on June 6 at the Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform.
The submission highlights the accountability of five prominent russian propagandists—Vladimir Solovyov, Margarita Simonyan, Dmitry Kiselyov, Dmitry Medvedev, and Sergey Mardan—for inciting hatred against Ukrainians. It also addresses the responsibility of Alexey Gromov, the first deputy chief of staff of the presidential administration of russia.
The document is based on an analysis of 526 hours of broadcasts, from which over 300 statements were quantified as hate speech. These remarks not only urged russian troops to capture, mistreat, harm, or forcibly displace Ukrainians but also sought to garner approval from the russian populace for these heinous acts.
Journalists wishing to attend the event must be accredited.
Oleksandr Knyha has been the director of the Mykola Kulish Kherson Regional Academic Music and Drama Theater for over 30 years. He is also an honorary citizen of Kherson and a member of the regional council.
At the start of russia’s full-blown invasion of Ukraine, Oleksandr found himself under occupation. On March 23, 2022, he was arrested by russian forces. After interrogation, he was released, but a few days later, they returned to the theater, attempting to coerce him into cooperation. Determined to escape, Oleksandr managed to flee on April 1, 2022.
Despite these harrowing experiences, he remained committed to his work. In Ukrainian-controlled territory, he prepared for the annual Melpomene of Tavria festival, which had previously been held in Kherson. He also launched the theater in evacuation.
Following the liberation of Kherson on November 11, 2022, Oleksandr and some actors returned to their hometown. Amid ongoing shelling, they performed in art hubs within shelters and bomb shelters, managing to revive several major performances, which were staged at Mykolaiv theaters.
Oleksandr, along with other residents, faced severe flooding due to the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station dam. His house in occupied Oleshky was submerged, with water levels reaching two meters. The house was later looted. During this time, Oleksandr actively participated in flood relief efforts in Kherson.
Oleksandr is available for journalist interviews, welcoming inquiries from both online and offline.
For reference: On June 6, 2023, the russian military destroyed the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant dam in the Kherson region, causing Ukraine nearly $14 billion in damages, according to a report by the UN and the Ukrainian government.
Since the start of the all-out russian invasion, hostilities have impacted 20% of Ukraine’s territory, leading to the capture or deportation of hundreds of thousands of civilians. Their homes have been looted and destroyed, and liberated lands have been left heavily mined. The exact number of civilian prisoners and deportees remains unknown, and there are no established legal mechanisms for their return.
Ukrainian authorities, in collaboration with European institutions, are actively seeking ways to bring back Ukrainians who were forcibly deported to russia and belarus.
List of participants and speakers:
- Iryna Korobko, spokesperson for the EU Advisory Mission Ukraine;
- Maria Mezentseva, Member of the Verkhovna Rada, Head of the Permanent Delegation of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe;
- Oleksandr Tolokonnikov, Head of Internal and Information Policy Department of Kherson Regional Military Administration (online);
- Oleksandr Baulin, Head of Kurylivka Village Military Administration, Kupiansk District, Kharkiv Region (online);
- Khrystyna Shkudor, “Where Are Our People?” campaign advocacy manager, PR Army NGO;
- Yuliia Khrypun, co-founder of the NGO “Civilians in captivity”;
- Oleksandra Romantsova, Executive Director of the Center for Civil Liberties.
Prior accreditation is required.
The results of the fourth environmental mission will be published in the coming days. The mission was conducted in March 2024 by “Let’s do it Ukraine” volunteers together with the Ukrainian Scientific Center of Ecology of Sea. Water and bottom sediment samples were taken from reservoirs, wells and boreholes in settlements of Mykolaiv and Kherson regions with the goal to analyze how the quality of water changed due to the explosion of the Kakhovka HPP dam.
Research results will also be used in the criminal proceedings conducted by the Specialized Environmental Prosecutor’s Office of Ukraine and the Main Investigative Department of the Security Service of Ukraine.
As reported, environmental volunteers and scientists already conducted three such missions in the South of the country. The first water samples were taken in June 2023 in Mykolaiv and Kherson regions. The next environmental mission took place in July. The first results yielded disappointing forecasts. Starting from the Dnipro River near Kherson, the content of oil products, toxic metals (zinc, cadmium, arsenic) and organic chlorine compounds exceeded safe concentration levels in the Dnipro-Buh estuary, the Black Sea near Ochakiv, and the Odesa Bay. The third environmental mission didn’t show any significant changes, as the results were just as disappointing.
Journalists have the opportunity to learn more about the findings of the previous and latest missions as well as talk with representatives of the “Let’s do it Ukraine ” movement in Kyiv. Media representatives will also have the opportunity to talk with representatives of the Ukrainian Scientific Center of Ecology of Sea in Odesa.
In addition, it is possible to obtain photos and video materials from environmental missions.
For reference: on June 6, 2023, the russian military blew up the Kakhovka HPP dam in Kherson region. This caused Ukraine losses estimated at USD 14 billion, states the report “Post Disaster Needs Assessment report of the Kakhovka Dam Disaster” by the UN and the Ukrainian government.
