Themes by tag: russian crimes
Folklorist Yaryna Sizyk, animation director Mariia Ozirna, and the Kherson Art Museum named after Oleksii Shovkunenko have launched a project dedicated to the paintings stolen by russians during the occupation of the city. According to the estimates of the museum staff, the occupiers stole about ten thousand works of art.
The goal of the project is to try to recreate what was taken by the russians. So far, the team has “reproduced” Mykhailo Bryansky’s (1830-1908) painting “Portrait of a Girl in an Embroidered Dress.” The painting wasn’t just repainted, it was modernized and animated. Ukrainian model and singer Dariia Astafieva helped bring it to life as the artists transformed her into the girl in the embroidered dress from the stolen canvas. For the animation, the team used a shirt embroidered during the occupation by Inna Mykutska, a Kherson guide.
They also recreated the oil painting by Serhii Vasylkivsky (1854-1917) “Cossacks in the Steppe.” Ukrainian soldiers Roman “Dobryak” Kolesnyk and Stanislav “Ref” Zorii took part in the reproduction of this painting. Yaryna and Mariia added the Ukrainian folk song “Oh, There Beyond the Seas…” performed by the band Shchuka-Ryba to this animation.
The founders of the project are now preparing the next restorations and are in talks with Ukrainian influencers.
Yaryna Sizyk and Mariia Ozirna are available for interviews with journalists in Kyiv.
For reference: The russians occupied Kherson at the beginning of the full-scale invasion (March 1, 2022). Ukrainian forces liberated the city from russian troops on November 11, 2022. The occupiers continue to shell the city on a regular basis.
During russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church priests Bohdan Heleta and Ivan Levytskyi continued to serve their parish in occupied Berdiansk, located in the Zaporizhia region. On November 16, 2022, russian forces abducted them. The soldiers reportedly came directly to the church, offering Father Bohdan a chance to cooperate—an offer both priests declined. Soon after, the russians claimed they had allegedly discovered weapons inside the church.
Father Bohdan spent nine months imprisoned in Berdiansk before being transferred to a penal colony in Horlivka, within the occupied Donetsk region, where he endured another ten months. In total, he spent a grueling year and a half in captivity. Throughout his imprisonment, Father Bohdan endured harsh conditions, often sleeping on the floor and being subjected to the constant sounds of others being tortured by the russians. While in solitary confinement in Berdiansk, he was forced to listen to Soviet-era music playing through a speaker for hours on end, an experience that pushed him to the edge of sanity. The abuse only worsened in Horlivka.
On June 28, 2024, both Father Bohdan and Father Ivan were finally freed during a prisoner exchange.
Journalists can arrange interviews with Father Bohdan, either in person in Lviv or virtually, by prior agreement.
On September 13, the Media Center Ukraine will present a new study titled “(Non-)Return of Children: Ukraine Faces Its Greatest Challenge Since Independence.” The research, conducted by the Regional Center for Human Rights, the Ukrainian Child Rights Network, and the Voices of Children Charitable Foundation, delves into the legal and humanitarian challenges surrounding the return of Ukrainian children from russian control.
The study highlights the experiences of these three NGOs in defending the rights of children who were under russia’s control and have since been returned. It provides insights into the legal efforts, the return process, and the reintegration of these children. The findings are based on interviews with children, their parents or guardians, return specialists, and a detailed review of international humanitarian and child rights law.
Participants:
– Kateryna Rashevska, PhD in International Law, expert at the Regional Center for Human Rights;
– Olena Rozvadovska, co-founder and director of Voices of Children Charitable Foundation;
– Daria Kasyanova, Chairperson of the Board of the Ukrainian Child Rights Network, Program Director of SOS Children’s Villages Ukraine.
Moderator: Natalia Yemchenko, member of the Supervisory Board of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation.
For reference: Since russia’s full-scale invasion, over 19,500 Ukrainian children, including 4,000 orphans, have been forcibly displaced or deported, with the vast majority remaining under russian control. Among them are 1.6 million children from the temporarily occupied regions of Ukraine.
On September 7, the Kyiv Oblast Military Administration invites the public to visit the sites featured in its pilot project, Kyiv Region: Places of Memory. Participants will have the opportunity to explore historical landmarks tied to Ukraine’s heroic resistance and the devastation caused by russian occupation, accompanied by expert guides.
The project employs advanced technology to recreate key scenes from Kyiv’s defense against russian forces. Virtual reality installations at each location immerse visitors in the stark realities of brutal battles, widespread destruction, and the pain endured by the nation during the invasion.
The initiative aims to ensure the world remembers both the victims of the russian invasion and the resilience of Ukrainians. Organizers stress that the war crimes committed on Ukrainian soil must be acknowledged and never forgotten.
Accreditation is required to attend the event.
For reference: In July, the Kyiv Oblast Military Administration began training guides to work at the various sites connected to the russian-Ukrainian war as part of the Kyiv Region: Places of Memory project.
To speed up the restoration of buildings destroyed by russian forces, Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi has called on Ukrainian and international businesses to adopt one of these damaged buildings. In less than a day, two Ukrainian companies and one international organization have already joined the “Adopt a House” campaign.
On September 4, a massive missile attack on Lviv killed 7 people. 188 buildings were damaged by russia, 20 are in critical condition. These include historical monuments, residential buildings and schools.
The “Adopt a House” campaign is ongoing, and the Lviv City Council continues to call on local and international businesses, as well as international charitable organizations, to help restore the buildings destroyed by the enemy. What is important: the city does not announce a fundraising campaign, but invites participants to take responsibility for a building and restore it.
Efforts are underway to rebuild the National Literary and Memorial Museum of Hryhorii Skovoroda in Ukraine’s Kharkiv Oblast, after it was devastated by a russian missile strike. Recently, the “301 Skovoroda’s True Friend” campaign succeeded in raising 1.4 million Ukrainian hryvnias to support the museum’s restoration.
On May 6, 2022, a russian missile obliterated the Skovoroda Museum’s main building in Kharkiv Oblast. The explosion also caused significant damage to the 19th-century barn and the Manager’s House, both key elements of the museum complex. A large-scale fire erupted in the wake of the blast, scorching 280 square meters of the structure. Remarkably, a statue of Hryhorii Skovoroda survived the attack.
Journalists have documented the extensive damage left in the aftermath of the strike.
For reference: The museum is situated within the Memorial Complex dedicated to the renowned philosopher and poet Hryhorii Skovoroda, a site recognized as a national historical monument. The grounds also include Skovoroda’s gravesite, further cementing its cultural significance.
It’s worth noting that September 6, 2024, will mark two years since the start of the Slobozhanske counteroffensive by Ukrainian Defense Forces, a campaign that nearly liberated the entire Kharkiv region from russian occupation.
This August 30, the Center for Civil Liberties, a Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights organization, will host an evocative evening of poetry and solidarity in Kyiv to honor the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances. The event, titled “Hold on! I’m Holding On!”, aims to bring together human rights activists, artists, and families of those imprisoned by russian forces, creating a poignant space for reflection and resistance.
In this intimate gathering, participants will read aloud poems written from and about captivity, sharing the pain and resilience of those who have been forcibly disappeared. The event seeks to amplify these voices, highlighting the importance of speaking out against such injustices.
The evening’s participants include:
– Akhtem Seitablaev, soldier, actor, and director;
– Tetiana Vlasova, poet;
– Iya Kiva, poet;
– Olena Tsyhipa, wife of political prisoner Serhii Tsyhipa;
– Oleksandra Romantsova, Executive Director of the Center for Civil Liberties.
Attendance is by accreditation only.
For reference: “Hold on! I’m Holding On!” is a poetry initiative launched by the Center for Civil Liberties. The project showcases the writings of renowned Ukrainian poets alongside the poignant verses of individuals currently enduring captivity in russia. Its goal is to shed light on the suffering and unyielding spirit of Ukrainians who have been detained during the conflict.
According to the Center for Civil Liberties, at least 7,000 civilians are currently held in prisons across russia and its temporarily occupied territories. The exact number of prisoners of war remains unknown. Both civilians and soldiers suffer egregious violations of international law, enduring torture and being kept in a chilling information void.
In Irpin, a city in the Kyiv region, the Irpinski Lypky residential complex, which was heavily damaged during the early days of russia’s full-scale invasion, is now undergoing extensive restoration. The housing estate gained global recognition following the liberation of the Kyiv region, attracting numerous international delegations. The destroyed complex also featured in the music video for “Stefania” by the Kalush Orchestra, the band that won the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest.
Initial assessments deemed the building unsuitable for restoration, recommending its complete demolition. However, the residents, desperate to save their homes, pushed for a second evaluation. While the building’s fate remained uncertain, the community came together every Saturday to clean the area and maintain a sense of order. Eventually, a more in-depth examination brought the news they had been hoping for: the structure could indeed be restored. By the end of 2023, reconstruction work at Irpinski Lypky began, and repairs are now actively underway.
Journalists have been granted exclusive access to witness the progress inside the complex and, where possible, speak with local residents.
For context: On March 2, 2022, russian forces launched airstrikes on Irpin, with two missiles striking a multi-story building on Hostomelke Shose Street. Before the invasion, the complex was home to 206 families.
The reconstruction of Irpinski Lypky is being overseen by the Kyiv Regional Military Administration in collaboration with the Fund for the Elimination of the Consequences of Armed Aggression.
In a move widely condemned as illegal, russia has sentenced Ukrainian activist Irina Horobtsova to 10 years and 6 months in prison on charges of “espionage.”
Horobtsova, a resident of Kherson and an employee of a Ukrainian IT company, gained attention in the spring of 2022 for her outspoken posts on social media about life under russian occupation. She shared images featuring Ukrainian symbols and referred to her apartment as the “home base of the resistance.” However, on May 13, 2022, russian forces abducted her from her home. She was subsequently held in a pre-trial detention center in occupied Crimea, where she was kept in isolation with no access to the outside world or visits from family.
Horobtsova’s parents have expressed their willingness to speak with the media about her situation.
In 2019, Vladyslav Zadorin enlisted in the Ukrainian army, becoming part of the 35th Marine Brigade. When russia launched its full-scale invasion, he found himself stationed on Snake Island. Alongside his fellow defenders, Zadorin was captured by russian forces in the early days of the conflict.
Over the course of two grueling years in captivity, Zadorin endured both physical and psychological torture. His body, once strong, was ravaged by starvation—he lost 60 kilograms, nearly half of his total weight. In the dire conditions of the prison, prisoners were left to starve. Vladyslav recalls the extreme measures they took to survive, with some resorting to eating worms and even chewing on toilet paper.
Vladyslav only learned of his release on a bus ride, a moment filled with disbelief as he had been led to believe he was being transferred to yet another prison. On January 3, 2024, he was finally brought back to Ukraine. Now, Zadorin is undergoing rehabilitation in Odesa. Despite the trauma, he plans to return to military service—this time as an instructor, determined to share his experiences and knowledge.
Vladyslav is open to speaking with journalists, both online and in person, by appointment.
For reference: The battle for Snake Island began on February 24, 2022, with a missile strike on the Ukrainian border garrison. Despite the destruction of all structures on the island, Ukrainian forces continued to resist. After hours of intense fighting, the russian military captured the island and took its defenders prisoner.
However, on June 30, 2022, the russian forces hastily withdrew from Snake Island, and on July 4, the Ukrainian military raised their flag over the reclaimed territory.
