Themes by tag: russian crimes

On January 23, the Lokomotyv stadium, a sports complex of Ukrzaliznytsia in Kyiv, was damaged by Russian missile fire.

Ukrzaliznytsia reported that more than five hundred children of railroad workers and IDPs, including those from Mariupol, Melitopol, and Kherson, as they train at Lokomotyv stadium every single day. Fortunately, there were no children on the territory of the sports facility at the time of the shelling.

For now, training sessions at the stadium have been canceled. Soon, FC Lokomotyv aspiring players will return to training at the partners sports facilities. 

Journalists can get to the stadium to cover the footage revealing the extent of the destruction. 

For reference: Lokomotyv Stadium was opened to the public on August 2, 1925.

• russian crimes
• Kyiv

Researchers at the Tarnovskyi Chernihiv Regional Historical Museum discover historical artifacts that remain in the basement of a school in the village of Yahidne in Chernihiv Oblast. A place where the occupiers kept over 300 local residents in inhumane conditions for almost a month in the spring of 2022.

Experts have been visiting a local school in Yahidne since September last year. During this time, they have examined and documented more than 600 findings. Among material evidence, there were pieces of clothes, shoes, personal belongings, knives, books, boxes of enemy military rations, hand sanitizer bottles, Russian newspapers, wooden pallets on which the prisoners had to sit and sleep, and even plastic water bottles that served as a toilet. The specialists are now done with describing the items of evidence in 5 rooms and are now searching the gym (the largest space in the basement). The work is scheduled to be completed in February.

All examined items will remain in place. The authorities plan to convert the school basement into a museum. 

Journalists are welcome to join the museum’s researchers and cover their work.

For reference: The village of Yahidne is located near Chernihiv. At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the Russians set up their headquarters in a local school. They forced 299 adult local residents and 67 children into the school basement and held villagers captive for almost a month (almost an entire village). The basement area is 197 square meters. For lack of space, people had to sleep sitting up, and there was also a lack of oxygen. 10 people died.

In February, the famous American TIME magazine released a cover with the Yahidne village basement. 

• casualties
• dead
• occupation
• russian crimes
• Chernihiv

On January 24, Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform will host a press conference entitled: “Nothing sacred: war crimes by the russian occupiers against religious communities and the clergy.”

During the event, the participants will speak of numerous facts of religious persecution in the occupied territories and violations of international humanitarian law by the aggressor against religious buildings during hostilities.

Participants:

• Viktor Yelenskyi, Head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience;
• Yevgeniy Zakharov, Director of the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group;
• Vyacheslav Likhachev, Expert Council Member at the Center for Civil Liberties;
• Ruslan Khalikov, religious studies expert, Head of “Religion on Fire” project, Workshop for the Academic Study of Religion.

The event requires registration.

• religion
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

On January 17, a press conference on the situation in Ukraine’s temporarily occupied areas in 2023 and the challenges ahead in 2024 will be held at the Media Center – Ukrinform.

The press conference discussion will involve experts examining the socio-political issues, humanitarian crises, and abuses of international humanitarian law in the temporarily occupied territories. The event will also feature a discussion on challenges to face in 2024, including the upcoming Russian presidential election.

In addition, a study by the OSINT agency Molfar “Kremlin Agents in Robes: How the Clergy of the UOC (MP) Lobby for Russia’s Interests” will be released. 

Participants: 

– Andriy Yusov, Representative of the Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine;

– Anatolii Stelmakh, Deputy Minister for the Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine;

– Ihor Solovey, Head of the Centre for Strategic Communication and Information Security;

– Pavlo Fiialkovskyi, an analyst at an OSINT Agency;

– Representative of the Special Operations Forces’ National Resistance Center of Ukraine. 

Event media registration is required. 

• occupation
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

Liudmyla Chepizhko, owner of a beauty salon in Solomianskyi district of Kyiv. The woman opened the establishment during the all-out Russian invasion.

On the morning of January 2, 2024, Russians attacked Kyiv with missiles. The explosion shattered windows and damaged walls in Liudmyla’s salon. Luckily, there were no people at the moment when the strike hit, so there were no those injured. The very next day, Liudmyla boarded up the broken windows with plywood and reopened the salon for business.

• reconstruction
• russian crimes
• women
• Kyiv

Oleh Horbachov, the lawyer of Stanislav Asieiev, a former prisoner of the “Insulation” concentration camp, said that during the court session on December 22, the defendant is to present the closing statement. Then the judges will go to the conference room to agree on the sentence. Stanislav Avsieiev’s defense attorney said that he would ask the court to let the journalists be present in the court when the verdict is announced.

For reference: Denys “Palych” Kulykovskyi is charged with five counts, including human trafficking and violation of the laws and customs of war. The prosecutor’s office demands 15 years behind bars for the accused man.

“Insulation” is the term referring to the territory of the former insulation material factory in Donetsk. In June 2014, it was captured by the occupiers and turned into a military base and a prison for the captives. “Insulation” prison was repeatedly called “Europe’s last concentration camp” in the media.

• casualties
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

The Kyiv Regional Center for Mental Health was captured by the occupiers at the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The russian military settled in the facility. They stole valuable equipment from there. The center itself was badly damaged.

After the de-occupation, the restoration works began in the medical facility: in particular, the medical and psychological rehabilitation department was recently opened. It was created on the basis of one of the Center’s branches, which suffered the most during the full-scale invasion. Here the specialists will help military personnel, their relatives and civilians who suffered from the russian federation’s aggression. In total, more than 20 types of rehabilitation services will be provided to patients. Among other things, VR glasses will be used for recovery.

Journalists can learn more about the center’s operation and restoration efforts, interview the management of the facility, talk to doctors and, if possible, patients.

For reference: the Kyiv Regional Center for Mental Health is a specialized medical facility providing qualified inpatient medical examination, care and both social and vocational rehabilitation of patients with mental disorders.

• occupation
• reconstruction
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

Odesa National Fine Art Museum resumes its work after being hit by a russian missile. On December 15, an Open Day will be held there. Journalists are welcome to cover the press conference.

For reference, on November 6, 2023, the museum planned to celebrate its 124th anniversary. A day before the festivities, the russian rocket hit the area close to the museum. The shock wave damaged the administration building, and the exhibition halls were also damaged. Experts set about fixing the consequences of the damage, and the museum was closed to visitors.

• culture
• reconstruction
• russian crimes
• Odesa

On October 10, 2022, fragments of a russian rocket hit the body of the waiter Valerii when he was on his way to work in Kyiv. The victim remembers how people were running and shouting nearby, pieces of iron were flying, cars were honking.

Medics removed fragments of the rocket from Valerii’s eye and leg. As a result, parts of his two ulna bones were torn out. At first, the doctors talked about amputating the limb, but still managed to save it. The leading expert of the national project “Save the Limb” took on the task of saving the crippled hand. So far, Valerii has undergone several surgeries and joint replacement.

For reference: The national project “Save the Limb” initiated by the International Charitable Foundation “Health of the Ukrainian People” started at the end of last year. Its mission is to stop the Ukrainian people from becoming disabled by holding 15,000 surgeries to save the limbs of both military and civilians.

• casualties
• doctors
• russian crimes

On December 8, the audiovisual exhibition “Voices of De-Occupation” will be opened in Kyiv. In addition, the results of the project “Brave to Document-2” will be presented there. The event is organized by the charitable organization “Brave Foundation” with the support of the Prague Civil Society Centre.

The audiovisual exhibition will tell the stories of people from Chernihiv and Kharkiv regions whose homes were destroyed or damaged due to the russian occupation and russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The exhibition will present the stories of 23 owners of damaged houses both in audio recording and text forms featuring photographs.

The participants of the event will include:

– Vitaliy Selyk, Director of the “Brave” foundation,

– a representative of the Prague Civil Society Centre (TBC),

– Yevheniia Papatsenko, representative of the Brave to Restore branch in Kharkiv region,

– Alina Krupianyk, “Brave to Document-2” Project Manager,

– Liudmyla Petrukhan-Shcherbakova, “Dare to Document-2” Project Manager.

The event requires registration.

• casualties
• occupation
• russian crimes
• Kyiv