Themes by tag: volunteers

Anton Osokin, 28, is an oncologist. Originally from Donetsk Oblast, he has lived in Kharkiv since 2014. In August 2022, he joined the Ukrainian-Israeli medical volunteer mission FRIDA Ukraine to help civilians affected by the war. When Ukrainian forces liberated occupied areas of the Kharkiv region in September 2022, Anton took part in the first field missions to the newly freed settlements. He recalls being most struck by the sight of homes reduced to rubbles and charred tanks scattered across the area. While providing medical assistance, he could still hear fighting in the distance.

Throughout russia’s wide-ranging military offensive, Anton has continued to work at the Kharkiv Regional Clinical Oncology Center, where he heads the operating room, while also participating in FRIDA Ukraine missions. His work has taken him to Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv and Sumy regions.

Anton says the missions often reveal advanced-stage cancer in patients. Several individuals he examined in the field later traveled to Kharkiv for treatment.

Interviews with Anton can be arranged in advance, either in Kharkiv, during field missions, or online.

For reference: FRIDA Ukraine is a non-profit, non-governmental medical mission made up of volunteer doctors from Ukraine and Israel. Since the start of the invasion, the organization has been providing emergency and outpatient care to civilians affected by the war.

• doctors
• volunteers
• Kharkiv

Pavlo Balkovyi is a specialist in laser tattoo removal. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, he has dedicated himself to helping those whose faces have been damaged by explosions – removing embedded gunpowder, dirt and soot from the skin.

These residues can change the color of the skin, leave permanent marks, and even cause inflammation over time. Pavlo works in Dnipro and Zaporizhia, offering free treatments to both military personnel and civilians. He says this facial cleansing helps restore people’s self-confidence.

You can communicate with Pavlo Balkovyi both online and offline in Zaporizhia or Dnipro by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• volunteers
• Dnipro
• Zaporizhzhia

Vladyslava Romaniuk is a general practitioner and gastroenterologist. She leads the medical volunteer mission FRIDA Ukraine and also serves as the head of the infection control department and project manager at the treatment and rehabilitation center for military personnel at the Oberig Multidisciplinary Clinic.

Originally from the village of Mykilske near Mariupol, Vladyslava moved to Kyiv in 2012 to pursue her studies.

Just days before the full-scale invasion began, she and her family had gone on vacation. On the first day of the war, her husband was in Mariupol but managed to reach the Zaporizhia region. After returning from their trip, her parents remained in the capital. Her grandparents, however, are currently living under occupation. Vladyslava is also a mother.

She was among the first volunteers to join FRIDA Ukraine. Since then, she has taken part in approximately 50 medical missions to areas that were previously under occupation. Vladyslava provides care to patients both in bomb shelters in Donetsk Oblast and in a Kyiv-based clinic.

She has repeatedly taken part in highly dangeros U.S. missions. For instance, volunteer doctors, including Vladyslava, operated in Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast, while intense street fighting raged through the city.

Interviews with Vladyslava can be arranged in Kyiv or during one of the field missions conducted by the team of medical volunteers.

For reference: FRIDA Ukraine is a non-governmental, non-profit medical mission consisting of volunteer doctors from Ukraine and Israel. Since the onset of the invasion, the mission has provided emergency and outpatient medical care to civilians affected by the hostilities.

• doctors
• volunteers
• women

By day, Ihor Polishchuk is a project manager in the game development industry. Two years ago, he learned how many needs of the Ukrainian military could be met by modern 3D printers. So he immediately bought his first machine. He began printing drone dropping mechanisms, magazine charging devices, medical eye patches, cases for power banks and other devices, legs for drones, and more.

Currently, Ihor is focused on manufacturing casings for anti-personnel mines. In February alone, he sent nearly 1,500 explosive device casings to the front lines. To scale up the project, he co-founded the “Syndicate” community where volunteers share knowledge and train newcomers. Ihor says anyone can join – all you need is to get a 3D printer, as requests from soldiers always outpace volunteers’ production capacity.

Over the past two years, he has purchased five 3D printers that run around the clock. His wife Anna helps him with printing components for the army.

You can communicate with Ihor Polishchuk both online and offline in Kyiv, by prior arrangement.

• volunteers
• Kyiv

The team of the Bat Rehabilitation Center in Kharkiv, together with volunteers caring for bats in various cities of Ukraine, will dedicate the month of March to releasing these endangered animals back into their natural habitat. These are bats that have been rescued and cared for by volunteers throughout the winter.

The release events will take place in Kyiv on March 29 and in Vinnytsia, Lviv, Rivne and Chernivtsi on March 30.

• animals
• volunteers
• Chernivtsi
• Kyiv
• Lviv
• Vinnytsia
• Rivne

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Olha Tolsta and her mother have been caring for cats abandoned by their owners in the northern Saltivka district of Kharkiv. To pay for the care of such a large number of animals, Olha began making traditional Ukrainian jewelry. Over the past three years, she has earned and spent more than 250,000 hryvnia on the animals.

In addition to feeding the cats, Olha and her mother try to take care of their health and find them new homes. Since the beginning of the full-scale war, they have managed to sterilize 30 cats and rehome another 30.

You can talk to Olha Tolsta either online or in person by prior arrangement.

• animals
• culture
• volunteers
• women
• Kharkiv

Dr. Serhii Baksheiev is a gynecologist, obstetrician, reproductive specialist, general practitioner, and a medical volunteer with a PhD in medicine. Since the early days of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he has been treating women and assisting with deliveries, all while under fire.

In late 2022, Baksheiev launched his own initiative, which he named the ‘Feminine Shuttle’. This specialized mobile unit is designed for gynecological exams in de-occupied and frontline regions. The vehicle is outfitted with a gynecological chair and all the necessary equipment for thorough examinations.

In a challenging turn of events, Baksheiev was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He underwent surgery and chemotherapy in September 2024. Despite his health battle, he has continued his mission to help those in need. Even while recovering from surgery, he joined FRIDA Ukraine’s volunteer medics on a mission to the Sumy region.

Journalists wishing to speak with Dr. Baksheiev can arrange interviews with him either in Kyiv or during his field missions.

For reference: FRIDA Ukraine is a Ukrainian-Israeli medical volunteer mission focused on providing high-quality care to war-affected civilians.

• casualties
• doctors
• volunteers
• women
• Kyiv

Before the full-scale invasion, Maryna Sadykova, the founder of the “Repower” charitable foundation, worked in event management. After 24 February, she and her team shifted their focus to supporting Ukrainian soldiers. However, the intense volunteer work took a toll on her mental health, leading to burnout and anxiety. In search of recovery, she traveled to the Carpathian Mountains, an experience that inspired her to create a psychological support program. Initially, the project aimed to help fellow military volunteers, but due to limited funding, the team decided to focus on combat medics — those on the front lines saving soldiers’ lives.

This led to the creation of the “Repower” project in Kyiv, which provides mental health recovery programs for Ukrainian combat medics. The organization has developed a sustainable psychological rehabilitation program — a 10-day retreat in Sweden, Denmark and Spain. Ukrainian psychologists accompany the medics on each trip. The program includes therapeutic exercises, individual counseling, group sessions, art therapy and music therapy. To date, “Repower” has organized 12 trips for 847 participants.

Following the retreat, journalists will have the opportunity to interview Maryna Sadykova and program participants, either online or in person, by prior arrangement.

• doctors
• psychological support
• volunteers
• women

Larysa Zahryva has devoted 25 years to education. She worked as a teacher, and in 2022 she became the head of the Center for the Provision of Social Services in Chernihiv Oblast. When the full-scale war broke out, the village of Mykhailo-Kotsiubynske, where Larysa lived and worked, was under occupation. For 37 days, she continued to go to work and take care of the elderly people who remained in the village. Larysa hid documents from the russians and was shot at five times. The occupiers came to her house in the middle of the night and interrogated Larysa’s husband.

After Ukraine retook Mykhailo-Kotsiubynskyi from russian occupation, Larysa successfully founded the University of the Third Age (U3A) with support from the United Nations Development Program. Today, several areas of study are already available for lifelong learners, including the Healthy Lifestyles Program, the Philosophy Program, and the Arts and Crafts Program Larysa also created a mobile social assistance project: A car with volunteers who help residents with household chores runs around Chernihiv. The University has also recently opened a resilience space where women, children, IDPs, and war victims can work individually with a psychologist or attend support groups.

For reference: By April 6, 2022, the Defense Forces had completely liberated Chernihiv Oblast.

• culture
• occupation
• russian crimes
• volunteers
• women
• Chernihiv

On March 19, FRIDA Ukraine will lead a one-day medical mission to an orphanage in Tarascha, Kyiv Oblast—their second visit to the facility. The orphanage houses approximately 70 school-age children, some of whom have parents deprived of parental rights, while others have medical conditions such as autism or Down syndrome.

The volunteer medical team includes specialists in pediatrics, dermatovenerology, pediatric neurology, ophthalmology, pediatric endocrinology, ultrasound diagnostics, surgery/urology, psychology, and otolaryngology.

Photo and Video Guidelines: Close-up images of children’s faces are strictly prohibited in photo and video materials. Only general shots or images capturing children from behind or in profile are permitted.

Background: FRIDA Ukraine is a Ukrainian-Israeli medical volunteer mission dedicated to assisting civilians. Its volunteer doctors provide specialized medical care to Ukrainians affected by the war.

• children
• doctors
• volunteers
• Kyiv