Themes by tag: russian crimes

Since the beginning of this school year, schoolchildren in the village of Bohdanivka, Kyiv oblast, have been able to study in a modular Temporary Educational Space (TES).  The space is accessible, with a generator for uninterrupted power supply, comfortable furniture, modern tablets and multimedia panels. The TES has six classrooms and now serves 250 schoolchildren who previously had to travel to a neighboring village.

Bohdanivka was occupied in 2022. russian soldiers set up camp in the local school and burned it down when they withdrew. They also blew up the kindergarten, where they had stored ammunition, leaving the village without any educational facilities.

By prior arrangement, journalists can cover the work of the modular temporary educational space in Bohdanivka.

Background: Temporary Education Spaces are being built as part of USAID Dream and Act program, implemented by IREX in partnership with the savED Foundation and the GoGlobal NGO. This project is being implemented in close cooperation with local communities who have lost their educational institutions due to russian aggression.

• children
• occupation
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

On October 28-29, 2024, a press tour will take place in Mykolaiv Oblast, where volunteers of the international humanitarian project “Let’s Do It Ukraine SOS” will present renovated shelters in two educational institutions. These institutions were severely damaged by the floods caused by the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam.

As part of the press tour, volunteers will also donate dehumidifiers, air purifiers and charging stations that work without electricity. These will be delivered to the facilities where repairs have already been completed. This equipment will help ensure healthy and comfortable conditions for learning and use of school shelters in the future.

Transportation for journalists from Kyiv and back will be arranged. Accreditation is required.

Background: The restoration work was carried out as part of the project to deal with the aftermath of the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam explosion “Flood relief in Mykolaiv and Kherson oblasts, assistance to households and social infrastructure facilities “Cleaning, disinfection, restoration and preparations for winter”,  with the assistance of AWO International and with the financial support of Aktion Deutschland Hilft. 

On June 6, 2023, the russian forces blew up the dam of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station in the Kherson region, causing almost 14 billion dollars of damage in Ukraine.  This is stated in the “Post Disaster Needs Assessment report of the Kakhovka Dam Disaster” prepared by the UN and the Ukrainian government.

• casualties
• ecology
• russian crimes
• volunteers
• Mykolaiv

Before the full-scale invasion, Nataliia Havrylenko was a businesswoman in Kherson. She prepared for the impending war and, together with her husband, planned to join the Territorial Defense Forces. On February 24, 2022, the couple went to the military recruitment office. Soon the Kherson Territorial Defense unit, which Nataliia had joined, received weapons. But they served for only two days.

Nataliia recalls how the commander entered the room where the newly formed Territorial Defense members were gathered and ordered them to lay down their weapons and flee home across the fields. At that moment Nataliia, her husband and the other civilians realized that they would have to defend their hometown on their own. This is how the partisan movement in Kherson was born. Nataliia and her comrades managed to set up a hospital and establish cooperation with the special forces.

On July 7, 2022, Russians broke into Nataliia’s home, where she was staying with her daughter-in-law, son, and grandson. Nataliia was taken to a temporary detention center for several months. The woman says she was not tortured, but was subjected to a lie detector test and forced to give an interview to Russian propagandists. On November 1, 2022, Nataliia was released – without papers, money or a phone. Today, she continues to volunteer and support the Ukrainian army.

Nataliia Havrylenko is currently in Izium, Kharkiv oblast. She can be contacted for interviews both online and offline by prior arrangement.

For reference: Kherson was occupied by the Russians at the beginning of the full-scale invasion (on March 1, 2022). Ukrainian forces liberated the city from Russian troops on November 11, 2022. The occupiers continue to shell the city regularly.

• occupation
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• volunteers
• women
• Kherson

Irpin, a city in Kyiv Oblast, has introduced a free demolition program for owners of private homes destroyed during the war. Launched by the Irpin City Council, the initiative is being executed by local utility services, which have already cleared dozens of plots for residents. This effort is designed to help homeowners begin reconstruction more quickly, while also reducing costs related to the initial cleanup.

The Irpin Housing and Utilities Department is using heavy machinery provided by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, including excavators, loaders, and crushers, to carry out the demolitions.

Journalists, with prior arrangement, are welcome to report on the demolition efforts underway in Irpin.

Background: During russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, 1,130 private homes in Irpin were damaged, and 1,483 were completely destroyed.

• casualties
• reconstruction
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

Twelve years ago, Yuliia Roshchenko and her husband opened a copy center in Chornobaivka, Kherson oblast. There, local people could make copies of documents or print out necessary papers. After the beginning of the full-scale russian invasion, Yuliia stayed up at night printing signs that read “Children” so that those fleeing the occupation could put them on their cars, hoping to protect their families from russian attacks.

Later, the occupiers came to the copy center and demanded that Yuliia and her husband print russian documents and take photographs for russian passports. The couple refused, even though the enemy threatened them with weapons. Fearing for their lives, Yuliia’s family fled to western Ukraine, where they lived until their village was liberated by Ukrainian forces.

Upon their return, the couple received a government grant to reopen the copy center in Chornobaivka. Later, Yuliia and her husband were able to open a second location in Kherson.

Yuliia Roshchenko and her husband are currently in Kherson and are open to communication with journalists, both online and offline, by prior arrangement.

Background: Kherson was occupied by russian forces at the beginning of the full-scale invasion (March 1, 2022). Ukrainian forces liberated the city from russian troops on November 11, 2022. However, the occupiers continue to regularly shell the city.

• occupation
• russian crimes
• women
• Kherson

An analysis of a North Korean KN-23/24 missile, downed by Ukrainian forces in the Poltava region in September, reveals that it contains microelectronics manufactured by companies from the U.S., Switzerland, and the U.K. The Independent Anti-Corruption Commission (NAKO), which examined the missile’s wreckage, found that most of the components were produced by American firms, with a total of seven manufacturers identified. Some parts were made as recently as 2021, 2022, and 2023.

On October 17 in Kyiv, NAKO will present a detailed analysis, shedding light on how Western-made components ended up in North Korean weaponry. The briefing will explore the origins of these components and address the challenges in regulating the flow of microelectronics across domestic and international markets.

Participants:

• Vladyslav Vlasiuk, Ukraine’s Presidential Commissioner for Sanctions Policy;
• Agiya Zagrebelska, Director for Partnership Development, Economic Security Council of Ukraine (ESCU);
• Olena Tregub, Executive Director of the Independent Anti-Corruption Commission (NAKO);
• Victoria Vyshnivska, Senior Researcher at the Independent Anti-Corruption Commission (NAKO). 

Journalists wishing to attend the event must be accredited by October 16 at 5:00 p.m.

Background: Since the start of russia’s all-out invasion, NAKO experts have examined over 2,500 components from 30 pieces of russian military equipment, including fighter jets, a Ka-52 “Alligator” attack helicopter, Kalibr missiles, and Iranian drones. The investigation found that 2,000 of these parts came from 22 countries, predominantly Western, with 64% sourced from U.S.-based companies.

• russian crimes
• weapon
• Kyiv

Before the full-blown war, Olena and Valentyn Bielozorenko dedicated 11 years to developing their eco-farm in Stanislav, Kherson Oblast. The couple cared for 30 goats, 11 dogs, and 10 cats, producing cheese and offering educational excursions for both children and adults. However, when the war erupted, their farm fell under enemy occupation.

For eight and a half months, the Bielozorenkos found themselves surrounded, relying on food exchanges with neighbors to survive. After Ukraine’s Armed Forces liberated their village, they continued to endure for another year in the reclaimed territory, facing persistent shelling. The farm suffered damage from enemy strikes, resulting in the loss of one animal, the destruction of feed supplies, and Valentyn sustaining a concussion.

In October 2023, the couple made the difficult decision to evacuate. They found refuge in the Kyiv region, where they were welcomed by displaced individuals from Donetsk, who generously provided them with a farm and a house at no cost. Within a year at their new location, the number of goats doubled. Looking ahead, Olena and Valentyn plan to establish a rehabilitation center for Ukrainian soldiers on their farm.

For those interested, Olena and Valentyn Bielozorenko are available for online conversations.

For reference: November 11, 2024, will mark the two-year anniversary of Ukraine’s retaking of the city of Kherson from occupying russian forces. 

• animals
• occupation
• russian crimes
• Kherson

Journalists from Realna Gazeta, with the support of the Open Information Partnership, conducted an investigation into the activities of the russian organization “Movement of the First”, which operates in the occupied territories and raises Ukrainian children to be “patriots” of russia. The investigation reveals the forms and methods used by the occupiers, identifies key figures in the organization and uncovers its aims and objectives.

Participants:

– Oleksandr Bielokobylskyi, journalist, author of the research, editor-in-chief of the website Farvater.Skhid;

– Andrii Dikhtiarenko, editor-in-chief and founder of Realna Gazeta;

– Oleksii Artiukh, journalist, editor-in-chief of the Trybuna website;

– Anastasiia Stepula, Advocacy Consultant, Ukrainian Network for Children’s Rights;

Background:

The “Movement of the First” has been closely associated with russian aggression against Ukraine since its inception. The proposal to create this new form of pioneer organization in 2022 was voiced at a meeting with russian dictator vladimir putin by a schoolgirl from occupied Sevastopol who was born in Luhansk.

This organization is not a public body; its full name is the All-russian Public-State Movement of Children and Youth “Movement of the First”. The state component includes government funding of tens of billions of rubles annually, the appointment of the chairman by president vladimir putin himself, and the involvement of local administrations in each federal subject and in the temporarily occupied territories of the Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia, Kherson oblasts and the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.

• children
• russian crimes

Before the full-scale invasion, Inna Yakovenko ran a successful business selling windows and doors, operating out of two trade pavilions in the village of Novovorontsovka, Kherson region. When war broke out, her village was the only one in the Novovorontsovka community that remained unoccupied, but it endured relentless shelling from russian forces for seven straight months. Throughout August 2022, Inna took refuge in her basement, sheltering from near-constant bombardments that eventually wrecked her business.

After Ukrainian forces liberated the region, Inna decided to shift her focus from retail to reconstruction. Determined to help her community recover, she began producing granite blocks to support the rebuilding of homes in her war-torn village.

For reference: November 11, 2024, will mark the two-year anniversary of Kherson’s liberation from russian occupation.

• occupation
• russian crimes
• women
• Kherson

For the past six years, Anton Tenyck has run a farm in the Kherson region of southern Ukraine. After the Ukrainian Armed Forces liberated the right bank of the Kherson region, the farmers decided to return to work. However, this proved to be difficult as most of the fields were mined. In order to continue their work, the farmers had to use hand-held mine detectors themselves. Together with the military, deminers and rescuers, Anton is clearing his territory of dangerous objects left behind by the occupiers. In one year of work, the farmer managed to demine more than 20 percent of his land. 

In addition, Anton tries to employ everyone who returns to the liberated regions of Kherson Oblast.

For reference: November 11, 2024 will be the second anniversary of the liberation of Kherson from the occupiers.

• casualties
• occupation
• russian crimes
• Kherson