Themes by tag: women

Ukrainian activist Iryna Horobtsova is being transferred to women’s penal colony No.2 in the Yavas settlement of russia’s Republic of Mordovia. Yavas is located approximately 1,700 kilometers from Kherson, Horobtsova’s hometown. Her father, Volodymyr, says that the transfer is likely underway, with Iryna’s last letter dated June 10 originating from Ryazan.

According to her father, Iryna’s sentence has already taken effect, so the only remaining legal recourse is a petition for clemency.  

Iryna Horobtsova’s parents are available for interviews in Kherson or online, pending prior coordination.

Background: In August 2024, russia illegally sentenced Ukrainian citizen Iryna Horobtsova to 10 years and six months in prison. She was accused of “espionage”.

Horobtsova, a Kherson resident, worked for a Ukrainian IT company. After russian forces occupied Kherson in spring 2022, Horobtsova gained attention for social media posts documenting life under occupation, including photos with Ukrainian symbols. She dubbed her apartment a “home resistance headquarters”. On May 13, 2022, russians abducted her from her home and held her in a detention center in occupied Crimea, denying all external contact.

• prisoners
• russian crimes
• women
• Kherson

Anna Tatou, a 33-year-old Belgian national, fulfilled her childhood dream of becoming a soldier in Ukraine despite having undergone a leg amputation and living with a disability. After russia’s full-scale invasion began, Anna arrived in Ukraine as a volunteer, helping to evacuate civilians and animals from frontline areas.

During her time working in the Donetsk oblast, locals often questioned her nationality, assuming she was Ukrainian. This prompted Anna to consult her parents, who revealed her Ukrainian roots: her grandfather was from Zaporizhzhia. 

Four months ago, Anna enlisted in Ukraine’s Defense Forces and joined the 505th Separate Marine Battalion. She initially trained as a drone operator and now handles logistics and equipment supply. After the war, she plans to stay in Ukraine to help others who have lost limbs.

Journalists can interview Anna Tatou online or in person, subject to prior coordination with the press officer.

• military
• women

Before the full-scale invasion, Svitlana worked as an intensive care nurse at Mechnikov Hospital in Dnipro. In the early days of the war, she joined the Ukrainian military as a combat medic.

In May 2024, her unit was stationed at a stronghold in Donetsk oblast when russian forces surrounded their position. While her comrades held the line, Svitlana grabbed a grenade launcher and maneuvered toward the enemy. She flanked the building where the russians were stationed and fired, eliminating the entire hostile group in one strike.

Her actions allowed Ukrainian forces to conduct a rotation and evacuate personnel from the besieged positions. For her bravery, Svitlana was awarded the Cross of the Land Forces.

Journalists can interview Svitlana online or in person in Zaporizhia, by prior coordination with her press officer.

• doctors
• military
• women
• Zaporizhzhia

Journalists are invited to attend the presentation of a new initiative focused on providing essential healthcare services to women veterans, a group often overlooked in military medical infrastructure. The event will take place on June 13 in Poltava.

Launched by the VETERANKA Movement in partnership with the Kvitna Charitable Foundation, the project addresses a critical gap: the absence of specialists such as gynecologists and mammologists within military units. As part of the initiative, women veterans will receive free comprehensive medical screenings, including ultrasound and gynecological exams, along with consultations from qualified doctors.

The event will feature remarks from organizers, medical staff from the mobile health unit, and Poltava’s acting mayor Kateryna Yamshchykova, herself a veteran. Journalists will have the opportunity to speak with project participants and hear firsthand accounts from the women involved.

Originally launched in the Kyiv region, the initiative has already served more than 1,000 women defenders across Ukraine.

Event registration is required to attend.

• doctors
• women
• Poltava

Viktoriia Holovina served in the military for 33 years. She worked as a senior nurse at a military unit’s infirmary and later as the commandant of the Officers’ House in Vinnytsia, before the full-scale invasion. Her contract was set to expire on February 26, 2022, but following russia’s escalation into a full-scale war, retirement was no longer an option.

On July 14, 2022, a russian missile struck the Officers’ House. Viktoriia doesn’t recall the moment of impact, but remembers getting up from the ground while engulfed in flames. She began tearing off her burning clothes and tried to extinguish the fire using rainwater from a puddle. Using the last of her strength, she flagged down a car that rushed her to the hospital.

Viktoriia suffered burns covering 45% of her body. Miraculously, her face and hands were spared. The most severe injuries were on her lower back, and a shell fragment struck her temple. She spent two and a half months in intensive care. After being discharged, she struggled to come to terms with her new reality, until she took part in the Sculpted photo project, where she shared her story and revealed the physical aftermath of the explosion.

Following her injury, Viktoriia began making mochi, a traditional Japanese rice cake. She soon received her first orders, and now she teaches mochi-making professionally.

Viktoriia Holovina is available for interviews both online and in person in Vinnytsia, by appointment.

• casualties
• russian crimes
• women
• Vinnytsia

In 2018, Alina Shukh claimed the world junior title in javelin and became the European heptathlon champion at both junior and senior levels. She trained intensively and competed on international stages.

Following russia’s full-scale invasion, Alina balanced her athletic career with volunteer efforts, supporting both Ukrainian civilians and military personnel. She also gave interviews to international media, aiming to raise global awareness of the war.

Several months ago, she made the decision to enlist. After just two and a half months of training, Alina joined the ranks of the Khartiia 13th Operational Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine. She now works alongside international fighters, assisting with their integration and accompanying them through recruitment and combat deployment.

Alina Shukh is available for interviews both online and in person, subject to prior coordination and approval from the unit’s press officer.

• military
• women

Olena Yefremova, a paramedic and deminer from Kramatorsk in Donetsk Oblast, has been serving with the HALO Ukraine team since 2021. Previously employed as a saleswoman, she made a decisive career change after learning about the call for deminers in Bakhmut, promptly joining the ranks.

Today, Olena’s son is also a member of HALO, having been persuaded by his mother to enlist.

Reflecting on her work, Olena says, “I don’t keep track of how many explosive devices I have discovered. But I know that our efforts translate directly into lives saved.”

Journalists may arrange interviews with Olena and her son by prior appointment in the Kyiv region.

• women
• Kyiv
• demining

Before russia launched its full-scale invasion, Yuliia Bondarenko and her fiancé lived in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson. When russian forces seized control of the city in 2022, the couple endured three months of occupation. It wasn’t until May 2022 that Yuliia made the difficult decision to flee.

During the evacuation, she brought along her two cats, two dogs, and an additional animal rescued from a local shelter. The family eventually settled in Kryvyi Rih, where Yuliia began a new chapter, embroidering her first traditional shirt. Her husband was engaged in volunteer work, and that very shirt was offered as a gift in exchange for the largest donation. It ended up in the hands of a German supporter.

In addition to shirts, Yuliia began crafting traditional embroidered belt pouches, popularly known as “little pockets.” Each piece features embroidered images of animals, honoring and reflecting on the struggle of animals from the left bank of the Kherson region, many of whom were injured or killed during the ongoing fighting. All proceeds from the sales go toward supporting a local animal shelter and purchasing food for stray dogs and cats in Kherson.

She named the project Silence of the Steppe. Today, her embroidered shirts and pockets travel far beyond Kryvyi Rih, finding new homes not only across Ukraine but also abroad, particularly among displaced Ukrainians who cannot yet return.

Yuliia Bondarenko is available for interviews by appointment, both online and in person in Kryvyi Rih.

• animals
• culture
• occupation
• women
• Dnipro

Lutsk resident Tetiana Pototska had been originally running a travel agency that specialized in organizing pilgrimage trips abroad until February 2022, Tetiana shifted her focus when the full-scale invasion began. Moved by a friend’s inability to transport her father’s body from Kharkiv to Lutsk, Tetiana stepped in to assist and has since been tirelessly evacuating fallen soldiers’ remains and transporting them to morgues.

Beyond her duties in retrieving the fallen, Tetiana extends her aid to Ukrainians trapped in occupied regions, particularly those with limited mobility, helping them return to government-controlled territory. Additionally, she devotes herself to caring for the children of fallen defenders, arranging celebratory events and outings to the seaside for them.

Through her volunteer efforts, more than 50 individuals with amputations, including civilians, women and children among them, as well as military personnel have been transported to Poland, where they received free prosthetic care through an international initiative.

Those wishing to interview Tetiana can reach her both offline in Lutsk or through online channels. She is gearing up for another journey to Eastern Ukraine soon.

• dead
• volunteers
• women
• Lutsk
• evacuation

Agnieszka has worked as a guide in the Biebrza National Park in Poland for 15 years. The woman has 4 children (the youngest is 5 years old, and the oldest is 26). When russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, Agnieszka sheltered more than 20 refugees from Ukraine in her apartment in Poland. Particularly, she gave shelter to families with children. People had lived there for several months before they managed to rebuild their lives a little by finding a job or starting to study.

Later, Agnieszka started visiting Ukraine herself: first as a driver for another volunteer, and later she began taking aid to the front. She was in the hottest spots: the Kupiansk, Zaporizhia, Bakhmut and Chasiv Yar sectors. The soldiers she helps have already become her friends. Agnieszka knows who likes coffee and who will be happy to receive candy. She delivers a wide range of supplies to the front, including food, medical equipment, clothing, sleeping bags, and charging stations.

Agnieszka is currently en route to Ukraine and is available for interviews with journalists by prior arrangement.

• volunteers
• women