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On October 26-27, the Ukrainian-Israeli medical volunteer mission FRIDA will be in the Kherson region, offering local residents the chance to receive medical consultations and undergo necessary examinations. The volunteer medical team will include specialists such as a neurologist, ultrasound technician, gynecologist, dermatologist, psychologist, ophthalmologist, physical therapist, pediatrician, ENT doctor, vascular surgeon, dentist, and endocrinologist.

This visit is part of the project “Comprehensive Medical and Psychological Support with Improved Referral System for the Population of Explosive Hazard-Affected Communities in Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, and Kherson Oblasts.” The initiative, led by FRIDA Ukraine, is supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through the “Transformational Recovery for Human Security in Ukraine” project, with financial backing from the Government of Japan.

Details about the visit’s location will be provided following accreditation.

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

Their services include 

• outpatient appointments;
• medical care for orphanages and boarding schools;
• civilian evacuations;
• training of medical volunteers.

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Nadiia Zharkykh, a coffee art instructor, had long dreamed of opening her own barista school. In 2021, she relocated with her family from Mykolaiv to Kherson, a city in southern Ukraine. But just two months after settling in, her plans were shattered by russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Her barista school, tentatively set to open on February 26, 2022, never saw its grand debut as the war swept across the region.

Caught under occupation, Nadiia sought refuge by working at a friend’s coffee shop, where she also volunteered, cooking and helping however she could. But as threats from russian forces mounted, she knew she had to leave. The escape was grueling—she passed through 70 checkpoints to reach Zaporizhia, and from there, made her way to Kyiv.

On August 7, 2023, exactly a year after leaving occupied Kherson, Nadiia’s resilience paid off when she opened a coffee shop near Kyiv with the support of a government grant. The shop is more than just a business—it’s a place of learning. Nadiia and her team now teach young women the art of coffee-making, and some of her students have gone on to open their own cafes, both in Ukraine and abroad.

During the summer blackouts, the café also served as a co-working space, offering a sense of community during challenging times. In addition, Nadiia and her close friends established a charity foundation in Mykolaiv called “Welcome to Ukraine,” which supports both military personnel and civilians across the country.

For those interested, interviews with Nadiia can be arranged by appointment in the Kyiv region.

Background: Kherson fell to russian forces on March 1, 2022, in the early days of the invasion. Ukrainian troops liberated the city on November 11, 2022, but russian shelling continues to threaten the area.

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• Kherson
• Kyiv

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
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• women
• Kherson

Larysa Bortovyk, a native of Kherson, found out about russia’s full-scale offensive while she was in Mexico. Immediately, she began searching for ways to return home. Despite the russian occupation of her city, Larysa made it back to Ukraine. In May 2022, she traveled to the russian-held city, helping friends and others who wanted to escape to Ukrainian-controlled areas.

After relocating to the Kyiv region, she joined the volunteer efforts there, clearing the rubble of buildings destroyed by the war. Driven by a desire to bring similar recovery efforts to her hometown, Larysa returned to Kherson just days after its liberation on November 11, 2022. She took on the role of regional coordinator for the Dobrobat volunteer movement, leading a team in clearing debris and rebuilding homes. In addition, she spearheaded projects aimed at restoring private residences and creating shelters in medical facilities. Fellow volunteers affectionately call Larysa “mom,”  recognizing her commitment and the care she extends to others.

Given the ongoing security risks in the Kherson region, her volunteer team is now focused on setting up shelters.

Journalists can arrange interviews with Larysa in Kherson or Kyiv, as well as remotely.

Background: Kherson fell under russian occupation at the start of the full-scale invasion on March 1, 2022. The city was liberated by Ukrainian forces on November 11, 2022, though russian forces continue to shell the area regularly.

• occupation
• reconstruction
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• Kherson

Nataliia Holubieva, a medical doctor by profession, co-founded and leads the Kherson Oblast Medicine charity foundation, which provides humanitarian aid to hospitals and patients. During the russian occupation of Kherson, she remained in the city, continuing her volunteer work, including sourcing scarce medicines from the Ukrainian-controlled areas.

Following the liberation of part of the region, Holubieva turned her focus to helping residents affected by the occupiers’ destruction of the Kakhovka HPP. She coordinated efforts to resettle those displaced, ensuring they received clothing, food, and medical supplies.

Holubieva stayed in Kherson until August 2023, when intensifying russian shelling with guided bombs forced her to leave for Kropyvnytskyi with her child. On the anniversary of Kherson’s liberation, she established the “United by Kherson Region” Humanitarian Aid Center, which now supports over 1,500 people (560 families) displaced from the Kherson region. The Center also aids residents from other hard-hit areas, including Melitopol, Crimea, and Kharkiv, and assists medical and educational institutions by providing medicine and hygiene products.

Holubieva dreams of opening a medical center specifically for displaced persons, where she can offer both psychological and humanitarian assistance. She is currently searching for a location while pursuing a degree in psychology to further help those in need.

Journalists can arrange interviews with Nataliia in Kropyvnytskyi or online by appointment.

Background: Kherson was occupied by russian forces in March 2022, shortly after the invasion began. Ukraine retook the city of Kherson from occupying russian forces on November 11, 2022, though russian shelling continues.

• casualties
• doctors
• occupation
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• women
• Kherson

Tyler and Nikki Chay are a couple of athletes from the USA. The couple launched the project “Don’t Can’t for Ukraine”, as part of which Tyler and Nikki have entered the third week of marathons. Five days a week, the runners cover the distance from the Romanian border to Zaporizhia. The goal of the project is to run 1,250 kilometers to support Ukraine and remind the world that the war between russia and Ukraine still goes on. In addition, the couple aims to raise funds for the Mariupol Chaplains Battalion and the Pilgrim Republic orphanage, which was forced to evacuate from Mariupol.

Since the project began, Tyler and Nikki have run 22 marathons and covered over 1,000 kilometers. On October 15, the couple will arrive in the capital to run their final leg from the Motherland monument to St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Cathedral. The athletes invite journalists to a press conference that will be held on Mykhailivs’ka Square after the marathon.

• volunteers
• Kyiv

The volunteer organization Helping to Leave has successfully evacuated more than 45,000 Ukrainians from occupied regions and russian territory. Currently, the initiative boasts over 200 dedicated volunteers who assist Ukrainians living under occupation or those who have been deported to russia in their return to government-controlled areas.

Most individuals under occupation discover the opportunity to leave through word of mouth, with preparations for each evacuation often taking several months. This timeline is contingent upon the documents that evacuees possess, the situation at the front lines, and the chosen route. Volunteers frequently encounter individuals with expired or completely lost documents.

Following the shutdown of the humanitarian border in the Sumy region, requests for assistance surged, prompting Helping to Leave to operate around the clock to aid those in need. Journalists may cover the work of Helping to Leave’s volunteers by prior arrangement.

For context: The humanitarian corridor at the Kolotilovka-Pokrovka checkpoint on the border area of russian belgorod oblast and Ukraine’s Sumy Oblast was temporarily closed in early August. This checkpoint was the only functioning route between Ukraine and russia, utilized by those escaping occupied territories. The closure was attributed to an escalation of hostilities in the area.

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• evacuation

French journalist and blogger Sébastien Gobert, who has been living in Ukraine for years, has been a steadfast supporter of the Ukrainian Armed Forces since the start of russia’s all-out invasion. Recently, he discovered that Jonathan Delport, a former French soldier, is now serving with the Ukrainian military. During a mission, Delport was seriously wounded and almost died due to delays in evacuation caused by a lack of vehicles.

Motivated to make a difference, Gobert decided to take action by launching a charity bike ride from Lviv to Brussels. Over 25 days, he cycled through five countries, covering 2,000 kilometers, and raised 320,000 hryvnias to purchase a pickup truck for Delport’s unit.

Gobert plans to return to Ukraine soon. He is available for online conversations or in-person meetings in Lviv after his arrival.

• volunteers
• Lviv

Mykhailo Puryshev is an entrepreneur from Mariupol. At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Mykhailo delivered humanitarian aid to blockaded Mariupol and evacuated Mariupol residents from the city blockaded by the russians. After the de-occupation of the Kharkiv oblast, Mykhailo was one of the first volunteers to bring humanitarian aid to Izium, Kupiansk and Kivsharivka.

After months of providing assistance in the hot spots, Mykhailo and his team decided that the support should be comprehensive: people living under constant shelling, in dark basements, without communication, medical care and shops, without electricity and water, need a place where they can get all the essentials. During the big war, Mykhailo’s team managed to create many Points of Invincibility from Bakhmut and Kupiansk to Kherson. The first three points were set up in Bakhmut, before the city was razed to the ground and occupied by the russians. Points were then established in Orikhiv, Huliaipole, Kherson, Avdiivka and Vuhledar. Later, additional points were established in Kurakhove, Kostiantynivka, and Pokrovsk. At these Points of Invincibility, civilians and soldiers can see electric light for the first time in months, eat a hot meal, receive humanitarian and medical aid, wash their clothes and take a shower. They can also watch Ukrainian television instead of russian radio in the basements. Thanks to Starlink, they can connect to the Internet and call their families. For the military, seamstresses are also on hand to help soldiers keep their uniforms in good condition. In some places, the volunteer team has even drilled wells to provide access to water for local residents.

The team plans to set up these laundry stations along the entire front line so that defenders don’t have to worry about finding a place to wash their clothes and can rest while volunteers take care of them.

Journalists are welcome to speak with Mykhailo and his Invincible team, both online and offline, by prior arrangement.

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Olha Hrabovska combines her work as a strategic communications manager for an international organization with volunteering. When Olha learned about the urgent need for drones on the front lines, she decided that she should try to make at least one. Olha even involved her family – her father and sister – in assembling the “kakanchyky drones”, as she affectionately calls them because they remind her of cockatoo birds.

Olha raised money for the parts online, ordered the components, and picked up a soldering iron. She built her first drone following a video tutorial and under the close supervision of her father, who eventually took over most of the soldering. Since then, Olha and her family have managed to send 80 drones, or five “flocks” as she calls them, to the front lines.

Olha Hrabovska is based in Kyiv. She is available to speak with journalists both online and offline by prior arrangement.

• volunteers
• women
• Kyiv