Themes by tag: Sumy

Twelve years ago, Ihor Tsyba and his family established an ostrich farm in their backyard in the village of Verkhnia Syrovatka, located in Ukraine’s Sumy Oblast. Over the years, the farm grew to house more than 50 different bird species. However, when russia’s full-scale invasion began, their tranquil village was occupied, putting all the animals at risk.

In early March 2022, heavy shelling ravaged the area, injuring several of the birds in their enclosures. Tragically, three ostriches had to be put down due to the severity of their injuries.

After the village was liberated, Tsyba’s farm took on a new mission: rehabilitating wild animals affected by the war. Among the new residents are a roe deer that lost a leg after being struck by a combine harvester and a swan that was rescued from the ice with its wings severely damaged. Despite the challenges, Tsyba uses his own funds to keep the farm running.

For reference, Ihor Tsyba is based in the Sumy region and is available for interviews with journalists, both online and in person, by prior arrangement.

• animals
• casualties
• occupation
• Sumy

Hazh Ali Shadi moved to Ukraine in 2009. Two years later, the war broke out in his native country, Syria. The man decided to stay in Sumy oblast, and eventually opened his own business in the city – a fast food restaurant. At first, he worked by himself, and later started hiring locals. Soon Hazh had two establishments in the city.

In February 2022, the Syrian man’s restaurants were on the brink of closing, and the location where the entrepreneur planned to open his third establishment was occupied by the russians. However, in April, when the Armed Forces of Ukraine pushed the enemy military from Sumy region, the Syrian man managed to open his third fast food restaurant. He says he did it to support local residents after everything they had to go through.

Hazh Ali Shadi is in Sumy oblast. He is ready to communicate with journalists, both online and in person, by prior arrangement. 

• Sumy

The emergency response team from the international non-profit organization World Central Kitchen (WCK) is actively aiding large-scale evacuations in the Vovchansk and Lipetsk communities of Kharkiv Oblast. From the outset, WCK has been on the ground providing hot meals, beverages, and emotional support to those impacted by the war.

Since May 10, WCK has distributed thousands of hot meals and sandwiches to approximately 10,000 evacuees. The team has also recently extended their assistance to evacuees from the Sumy region, aiding their relocation to the city of Sumy.

WCK welcomes all media inquiries and encourages coverage of their ongoing efforts.

For context, in Ukraine, WCK delivers hot meals, vegetable kits, grocery kits, and seeds to frontline areas. They also provide hot drinks and food in large cities affected by missile strikes, supporting both victims and rescue workers. Since initiating operations in February 2022, WCK has prepared more than 260 million meals for Ukrainians.

• casualties
• food
• Kharkiv
• Sumy

At Sumy National Agrarian University, seven ambitious young women are breaking stereotypes as they pursue degrees in agricultural engineering at the Faculty of Engineering and Technology. Alongside their male counterparts, these students are mastering the operation of tractors and combines.

Upon completing both theoretical instruction and practical training in agricultural machinery operation, these pioneering women will be awarded A1 category licenses, permitting them to operate tractors with engines up to 73.5 kW. With an eye toward further honing their skills, they plan to continue refining their expertise.

Journalists interested in covering these groundbreaking classes and interviewing the students can arrange access in advance.

• Sumy

Valentyna Hantseva, a stalwart of the Soldatske village library in Sumy oblast for over three decades, faced the ultimate test of resilience as the invasion broke out. Months before the onslaught, the library had undergone a modern facelift and invested in state-of-the-art equipment. However, the structure crumbled under Russian airstrikes, leaving nothing but the skeletal remains of walls and roofs.

Undeterred by occupation and aerial threats, Valentyna, alongside her husband, embarked on a daring mission to salvage the literary treasures. Amidst the chaos, they meticulously stowed away over 1,000 undamaged books in grain sacks, shielding them from destruction.

The tide turned in April 2022, as Ukrainian forces liberated the village. Generosity from a German philanthropist breathed new life into the ravaged library premises. Last autumn, Valentyna proudly swung open the doors, welcoming readers back to the cherished institution.

For reference: on April 2, 2022, Kyiv region was completely liberated from russian occupation. By April 6, 2022, the Defense Forces fully liberated Chernihiv region. On April 11, 2022, the then Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi announced that full control over the state border in Sumy region was restored.

• occupation
• reconstruction
• russian crimes
• women
• Sumy

Bakhmut resident Kateryna Arisoi is Head of Pluriton NGO: since the beginning of the full-scale war, the organization’s volunteers provided assistance in hot spots near the front. In particular, they were involved in the evacuation of people and animals.

While doing their work, part of the team was captured by the enemy in Lysychansk, Luhansk region. It was possible to return the volunteers home only after seven months. Kateryna met with the freed team members in Sumy oblast — at the only checkpoint on the border with russia. That’s when she saw that people after crossing the border have nowhere to rest or get help. A week later, the woman, together with other activists of the organization, returned to Sumy oblast with the necessary things and created an Assistance Center that could receive up to 20 people a day (March 2023). In addition, the NGO paid for a carrier who took refugees to Sumy or Kharkiv free of charge. The number of people grew, so the Center was repeatedly relocated to larger buildings. And recently, due to russian shelling near the border, the center was moved to Sumy.

In total, since the beginning of its work, the Atmosphere Assistance Center has received almost 19,000 people. Here the displaced people can eat and take a shower. There is a “mother and child” room. The center also helps people with limited mobility. In addition, all visitors can receive free psychological and legal assistance. People continue receiving support even after leaving the Center.

Journalists need to obtain a permit from the Sumy operational-tactical group in order to cover the activity of the Center.

• casualties
• volunteers
• Sumy

Valentyna Hantseva has been working in the library of Soldatske village, Sumy oblast for 32 years. A few months before the full-scale invasion, the library had undergone modern renovation and purchased new equipment. But the building of the library could not withstand the air strike of the russians, who aimed right at the center of the occupied village. Only the roof and walls remained of the library: everything inside the building was damaged by the blast wave. Despite the occupation and the enemy aircraft, Valentyna, together with her husband, began to gather the undamaged books and hide them in grain sacks. The woman managed to take out and save more than 1000 books.

In April 2022, the Ukrainian military de-occupied the village. A philanthropist from Germany helped restore the library premises, and last fall, Valentyna opened the doors of the library to readers again.

• culture
• occupation
• russian crimes
• women
• Sumy

Oksana Anisimova got down to setting up a museum in the Zemlianka village. It happened after the villagers decided to rename Lenin Street and name it after one of their prominent fellow villagers. That’s how the residents learned about their fellow countrywoman, Pelaheia Lytvynova-Bartosh, an ethnographer and researcher who worked in this area in the late 19th century. Pelaheia’s example inspired people to establish an ethnographic museum. In the museum, villagers collect ancient artifacts that they have kept since the time of their great-grandmothers and restore forgotten Ukrainian customs. Before the outbreak of the full-scale war, the museum was visited by many tourists, including foreigners. Although the enemy army did not occupy the village of Zemlianka in the Sumy region, the border area became dangerous to stay at.

• culture
• Sumy

Dobrobat volunteers are helping to restore a destroyed school in Romny, Sumy region. They are currently clearing the rubble and repairing the roof of the workshop.

Four people: the school director, her deputy, a secretary, and a librarian died, the school building was destroyed, and the nearby facilities were vandalized as a result of a Russian drone hitting the educational institution on August 23. 

For reference, as of July 2023, according to the Ministry of Education, 180 schools were completely destroyed, and more than 1,300 educational institutions were damaged as a result of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

“Dobrobat” is a volunteer construction division that helps victims in the urgent restoration of housing and social infrastructure in the de-occupied territories.

• reconstruction
• russian crimes
• volunteers
• Sumy

The international organization “The Halo Trust” had been helping to demine the territory of Ukraine even before the start of the full-scale invasion. Currently, 800 Ukrainians are involved in mine clearing efforts in 5 regions: Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, Sumy, Kyiv and Chernihiv. “The Halo Trust” also works at the sites of flooding caused by the breach of the Kakhovka Dam. In the last eight weeks alone, sappers discovered more than 5,000 mines in Kharkiv and Mykolaiv regions.

The international organization “The Halo Trust” surveys recently liberated Ukrainian lands, using the methodology tested in more than 30 countries of the world.

For reference: According to the State Emergency Service, 30% of the territory of Ukraine is mined. According to some assessments, it may take more than 10 years to clear the land.

• russian crimes
• Chernihiv
• Kharkiv
• Kyiv
• Mykolaiv
• Sumy
• demining