Themes by tag: women

At 72 years old, Tetiana Tepliuk’s resilience is nothing short of extraordinary. A soldier in the Azov Regiment, she serves alongside her son, continuing a lifelong dedication to Ukraine. russia’s war against Ukraine isn’t her first brush with conflict—Tetiana’s story began decades ago.  

In 1980, she volunteered as a nurse in Afghanistan, tending to the wounded amid the chaos of war. Years later, during Ukraine’s Revolution of Dignity in 2013, Tetiana was on the frontlines again, volunteering at the medical center in Kyiv’s October Palace.  

By 2015, her path led her to Mariupol, where she joined the Azov Regiment’s medical center. She was there when russia launched its full-scale invasion. Though a civilian at the time, wearing a uniform marked her as a target. Following her commander’s orders, Tetiana and her comrades were captured.  

Tetiana spent eight months in captivity. While she was spared physical torture, she endured the harrowing sounds of Ukrainian soldiers suffering nearby. Despite these horrors, her spirit remained unbroken.  

After her release, a military medical evaluation deemed her fit for duty. In September 2023, Tetiana rejoined the army, now handling administrative tasks at the medical center. However, her resolve is unwavering—she intends to wear her uniform until Ukraine achieves victory.  

Tetiana is available for interviews, both online and in person, with arrangements coordinated through her press officer.

• military
• prisoners
• women

Mariia Vasylchenko, a 42-year-old from Sloviansk in the Donetsk oblast, worked as a shop assistant in the nearby town of Lyman. On May 29 this year, she was at work when russia launched a missile and bomb attack on the town. Mariia remembers seeing blood and rubble all around her and trying to stand up, but not being able to. Ukrainian soldiers pulled her from the rubble and took her to the hospital.

Glass shards had cut her entire body, requiring 80 stitches. A large piece of metal pierced her chest, leaving a significant wound that was difficult for doctors to heal. The injury left a massive 7×3 cm scar on her chest. For a month, Mariia avoided looking at herself in the mirror.

Now, specialists at the UNBROKEN Center in Lviv are helping her regain her confidence. As part of a joint social project with the L’Oréal Group called “(Un)Broken Beauty”, Lviv surgeons have performed several plastic surgeries to gradually erase the scars of war from her face and body.

Journalists can arrange to speak with Mariia, who is currently in Sloviansk.

Background: Any Ukrainian woman injured by the war can participate in the social project “(Un)Broken Beauty”. All assistance is provided completely free of charge.

• casualties
• russian crimes
• women

Anna Shchetinina has been with the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (DSNS) for 15 years. Based in the Dnipropetrovsk oblast, she now works as a psychologist with operational rescue teams responding to emergencies, including missile strikes. According to Anna, the most challenging part of her work is seeing people anxiously waiting for news of loved ones trapped under the rubble. “When you’re providing psychological support and then the body of a deceased relative is recovered – especially if it’s a child – it’s really heartbreaking because I’m a mother myself,” says Anna.

• casualties
• psychological support
• women
• Dnipro

Olena Lehenchuk, a native of Zhytomyr and mother of four, moved to Spain with her children six years ago. When the full-scale war began, she began volunteering and later became a chaplain (military priest). Now Olena divides her time between Ukraine and Spain, returning to see her children.

Olena serves as a volunteer chaplain. Her duties include providing pastoral care to soldiers, but as she explains, her role has expanded significantly. In addition to spiritual guidance, she provides psychological support.

Chaplain Olena organizes retreats for soldiers and their families, holds weekly meetings for soldiers’ wives, and provides counseling for veterans and those returning from captivity. She also provides general support to the wives of POWs and visits widows.

By prior arrangement, interviews with Olena can be conducted in Kyiv or Poltava, as well as online.

• military
• religion
• women
• Kyiv
• Poltava

Nelli Chorba is 22 years old. When the full-scale war began, she was in her third year of studying acting at the Ivan Karpenko-Kary National University of Theatre, Cinema and Television in Kyiv. Nelli says she dreamed of performing on stage. She also writes songs, including some she wrote during the war.

Nelli’s path to the Armed Forces of Ukraine began as a volunteer. On February 28, 2022, she and a friend joined a volunteer center, where they first worked in the kitchen. But Nelli wanted to do more. Today, she serves as a senior mortar gunner with the rank of senior soldier.

In almost three years in the army, Nelli has experienced a lot. She says she connects more easily with her comrades in the mortar battery than with people she interacted with before the war.

By prior arrangement, it is possible to speak with Nelli online, subject to the approval of the press officer.

• military
• women

A pilot project initiated by the Ministry of Communities and Territories Development to train female truck drivers is underway in Ukraine. The participants have completed the theoretical training and are now beginning practical driving lessons, which are scheduled to last until February 2025. Upon completion of the practical phase, participants will take an exam to obtain the appropriate driver’s license.

In addition, the participants have already started visiting partner companies that are ready to employ program graduates.

Under prior arrangement, journalists have the opportunity to report on the project in Kyiv.

Background information: The pilot project to train female truck drivers started in September 2024 in four cities: Kyiv, Rivne, Ternopil and Khmelnytskyi. The primary goal of the initiative is to expand the professional potential of women in the transportation sector and address the labor shortage and critical deficit of long-distance drivers in Ukraine. As part of the initiative, at least 100 women are expected to complete the program and secure employment with partner companies specializing in logistics and transportation.

The project is being implemented by the NGO Foundation for Institutional Development in cooperation with the Ministry of Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine and with support from the USAID Competitive Economy Program in Ukraine.

• women
• Kyiv

Before russia’s full-scale invasion, Olena Totel led a thriving career as an editor-in-chief at regional TV stations in Odesa and Dnipro. By February 2022, she was preparing to launch a new media project, but the war upended her plans, leaving her jobless and uncertain about the future.  

Initially, Olena left Ukraine for safety, but by July 2022, she returned, determined to support the military effort. She began volunteering and, by late 2022, started considering enlistment. Committed to being combat-ready, she trained with a personal coach to build the physical endurance required for military service while seeking a unit that could utilize her expertise.  

Olena eventually joined Ukraine’s 13th Khartiia National Guard Brigade. Her original goal was to become a combat engineer, clearing mines from Ukrainian territory. However, the brigade first assigned her to its press service. She agreed, with the understanding that she would later transition to a combat role.  

Today, Olena “Baroko” Totel is on the front lines, operating FPV drones to destroy enemy equipment. Interviews with Olena can be arranged both online and in person upon prior request.  

• military
• women

Sarah, a U.S. citizen, has been living and working in Kyiv for the past year. She joined the Voices of Children Charitable Foundation, which assists war-affected children. Sarah mainly focuses on humanitarian issues.

Sarah first visited Ukraine as a teenager with her father. In 2023, during the full-scale war, she decided to relocate to Kyiv. She finds inspiration in exploring new cities, including those near the front lines, where she says one can truly feel the meaning of life.

Sarah has made a significant contribution to the Foundation’s work, helping to register the Foundation’s office in the United States and making important new contacts to enhance fundraising efforts.

Journalists can meet and speak with Sarah in Kyiv by prior arrangement.

• children
• women
• Kyiv

Yuliia Dudysheva, a displaced resident from Crimea, has spent the past year and a half transforming the lives of fellow internally displaced persons by repairing and restoring homes. Before russia’s full-scale invasion, Yuliia lived and worked in the Chernihiv region, where she specialized in advertising and occasionally helped friends with home repairs. But after the region’s liberation in spring 2022, she decided to leave her job and embark on a new path.

In June 2023, Yuliia launched her efforts to renovate and decorate homes for those displaced by the war. Her first project was helping friends who allowed her to redecorate their dwelling. Word spread, and soon she met another family in need of assistance. Over the next 18 months, Yuliia established the initiative Comfort for IDPs, completing repairs and restorations on eight homes for families forced to flee due to the invasion. Her most recent project, in Ternopil, involved preparing a house for a family from Enerhodar, a city in the occupied Zaporizhia region.

Yuliia actively shares her renovation journey on social media, where her followers rally behind her mission. Many support the Comfort for IDPs project by contributing funds and materials for her work. Currently based in the Chernihiv region, Yuliia is planning her next renovation for displaced families.

Those wishing to connect with Yuliia Dudysheva can schedule a meeting with her, either online or in person.

• casualties
• culture
• reconstruction
• women
• Chernihiv

On December 8, Kyiv will host the graduation party of the 4th graduating class of NoviMY Inclusive Model School. This special evening will bring 15 incredible Ukrainian women closer to their dreams as they continue to break stereotypes and move forward.

The fashion show will include models with disabilities, as well as mothers of children with disabilities.

The modeling school, founded by Olga Akimova in 2021, was initially intended for women over the age of 40. The project also welcomed mothers of children with disabilities (participation was free for them), with the aim of giving these women, who devote themselves entirely to their children, an opportunity to express themselves. Younger women also joined the initiative, and later the school became an inclusive project. It now welcomes models with and without disabilities, who participate equally in all projects, fashion shows and performances.

The revamped project launched its first sessions in February 2022 in Kyiv and Lviv, but activities were paused due to the full-scale invasion. 

A year later, Olga decided to resume classes. Students at the school learn standard modeling skills, such as the basics of modeling, posing for photography, catwalk walking, and more. The school operates in Kyiv and Lviv, offering both online and offline classes.

The mission of this project is to bring Ukrainian society closer to a new tolerant, inclusive, European barrier-free space with equal opportunities for all through the art of modeling.

• culture
• women
• Kyiv