Themes by tag: women

After the beginning of the full-scale war, Viktoriia lost her job and turned to working with clay. The young woman created numerous pieces, including tableware. Her work caught the attention of a company that was looking for a craftswoman to make platters. The key feature of these plates is their pins, which help to secure food so that it can be cut with just one hand.

Viktoriia studied the necessary information, consulted with an occupational therapist, and created her first inclusive plate. Today, she donates her creations to restaurants, hospitals, and veterans who have lost an arm in combat. She doesn’t charge the military for her work – instead, her social media followers cover the cost.

You can contact Viktoriia Beliavska online or in person in Kyiv by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• women
• Kyiv

Maryna Mirzaieva, 28, is a professional historian with expertise in the lives of women fighters in the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA). Following the onset of russia’s full-scale invasion, she began volunteering with the Ukrainian military, and by October 2022, she had officially joined the Third Separate Assault Brigade.

Her motivation was clear: “To have the right to write about the war.” Maryna carefully considered her role in the army, exploring options in combat medicine, drone piloting, and even completing a sniper training course. Ultimately, she chose to serve in the brigade’s moral and psychological support unit, where she delivers historical and motivational lectures to fellow soldiers.

She is also the author of Women of Freedom, a book that compiles biographies of women involved in Ukraine’s liberation movement. The work weaves together their stories with her own reflections and research on the ongoing russia-Ukraine war.

Maryna Mirzaieva continues to serve on the front line. Interviews with her are possible both online and in person, subject to prior arrangement.

• military
• women

The “Women Solar Plant Installer” competition aims to train 30 Ukrainian women from five oblasts — Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv and Mykolaiv — in a new technical profession.

In the first phase, organizers have already selected 10 women who will be trained to install solar power systems. Their program begins on April 21 and will last several weeks, combining online and face-to-face sessions. Meanwhile, applications are still open for 20 more participants to take part in the free vocational training.

Upon completion, graduates will receive a certificate that qualifies them for employment in the solar energy industry. Top performers will receive job placement assistance.

Journalists are invited to cover the practical training session in Kyiv on May 9, subject to prior arrangement.

Background: The project is implemented by “Women in Tech Ukraine” and Greenpeace Ukraine, in partnership with the humanitarian organization “People in Need” and with the financial support of the Czech people.

• women
• Kyiv

Anastasiia Hondiul and Anna Lobova, wives of Ukrainian prisoners of war and members of the Olenivka Community NGO, are preparing for an indefinite hunger strike set to begin in the capital on April 24. Their husbands, Artem Hondiul and Oleh Lobov, defended Mariupol, surrendered on the orders of their command and survived the terrorist attack in Olenivka.

Anastasiia and Anna say they are taking this step because of the silence of the Ukrainian authorities. Through their hunger strike, the women aim to draw public and government attention to the soldiers who remain in enemy captivity.

The women will remain in the city center during the day, while at night (during the curfew) they will seek shelter in a safe place.

Journalists can speak with the women both online and offline by prior arrangement.

Background: The defense of Mariupol lasted 86 days, ending on May 20, 2022. On the night of July 28-29, 2022, russia committed a terrorist act by blowing up a barracks in the Olenivka penal colony, where Ukrainian POWs were held. At least 50 defenders of “Azovstal” were killed, and over a hundred were injured.

• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• women
• Kyiv

The town of Hlukhiv in Sumy oblast is just 10 kilometers from the russian border. In the midst of the full-scale invasion, Larysa Hubar started her own business here — growing tulips. She ordered bulbs from the Netherlands and set up a greenhouse on the second floor of her house. In just two years, Larysa has expanded her assortment to 20 varieties of tulips, which she now sells throughout Ukraine.

Larysa admits that her family has grown accustomed to russian shelling and enemy drone attacks. The demanding, 24/7 nature of flower farming helps distract them from the war raging nearby. Still, they remain vigilant and often take shelter in the basement of their home. Now, Larysa wants to purchase expensive equipment to expand her business, but she needs support from donors, which she is actively seeking.

You can speak with Larysa Hubar both online and in person in the Sumy oblast by prior arrangement.

• women
• Sumy

Oksana is a soldier in the 13th Khartiia Brigade of the National Guard. She is 19 years old and openly identifies as bisexual.

Oksana was still a teenager when the full-scale invasion began. When the girl turned 18, she decided to join the military. She chose the 13th Khartiia Brigade of the National Guard – in part because of its tolerant attitude toward LGBTQ+ service members.

After completing her training, Oksana specialized in assembling FPV drones.

Currently, Oksana is on the front lines. You can communicate with her both online and offline by prior arrangement and with the approval of the press officer.

• military
• women
• LGBT

Yuliia and Serhii shared 27 years of a happy marriage. Together, they raised two daughters, Victoriia and Valeriia. The couple built their home with their own hands – Serhii oversaw the construction, while Yuliia, skilled in painting and plasterwork, contributed her expertise. Their teamwork eventually grew into a small family business, renovating apartments from start to finish.

Russia’s full-scale invasion found the couple at home in the Kyiv region. On the war’s first day, Serhii attempted to enlist in the Armed Forces, but long lines at military registration offices held him back. For a year, he kept trying – and in the meantime, he volunteered.

He later joined the 15th Border Guard Detachment. Though frequently deployed to the front line, Serhii always managed to send a few words to his wife. But after one mission, he never came back. For his unwavering commitment and courage, he was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal “For the Defense of Ukraine.”

For reference: The Children of Heroes charitable foundation is currently supporting the family. The organization assists children who have lost one or both parents due to Russia’s full-scale invasion by providing financial aid, psychological and legal support, and resources for education and personal development until they reach adulthood.

• dead
• military
• women
• Kyiv

Nataliia Tarabalka, mother of the late Ukrainian Hero and renowned fighter pilot Stepan Tarabalka, has opened a rehabilitation center for service members in memory of her son, who was killed in an air battle in March 2022.

Working with a psychologist helped Nataliia process her grief. Inspired by this experience, she used the state compensation she received for her son’s death to establish the “Warmth of a Winged Soul” rehabilitation center in Prykarpattia. The facility offers both physical and psychological support for active-duty and former military personnel.

Nataliia Tarabalka is available for consultations—both in person in Kolomyia, Ivano-Frankivsk region, and online—by appointment.

For reference: Captain Stepan Tarabalka, 29, was killed in an aerial battle on March 13, 2022, in the skies over Zhytomyr. On the first day of russia’s full-scale invasion alone, he reportedly shot down six enemy aircraft, including a Su-27, MiG-29, two Su-35s, and two Su-25s. Flying a MiG-29, he went on to destroy a total of 40 enemy aircraft. Tarabalka served with the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade of the Ukrainian Air Force, which in 2024 was awarded the honorary title “The Ghost of Kyiv.”

• dead
• military
• women
• Ivano-Frankivsk

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

Anna and Andrii met four years before russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The couple had planned to marry in 2022, but the war upended their plans. After the invasion began, Andrii joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces, serving in the 47th Magura Brigade as a senior mechanic and driver of a Bradley fighting vehicle.

The couple finally wed in March 2023. That summer, Andrii was wounded in combat. He was fortunate: shrapnel missed his carotid artery by mere millimeters. After recovering, he returned to the front lines. Anna saw him for the last time in the fall of 2023. On October 19, 2023, Andrii Lukivskyi was killed in action in the Donetsk region.

Anna was notified of his death the following day. She was told the bodies of the fallen had been brought to Kyiv, but she received no further updates. Desperate for answers, she launched her own search. For ten months, she looked for any trace of her husband. Eventually, she found him—his body was listed among the unidentified in the Ministry of Internal Affairs database.

What led to the breakthrough was a handwritten note Anna had given Andrii the day before his final mission. He had taken it with him, and it was found with his remains. That note became the key to confirming his identity.

Later, Anna learned that a DNA match between the “unidentified soldier” and Andrii’s family—his mother and sister—had already been established. But the relatives were never informed.

Anna Lukivska is available for interviews both online and in person, by prior arrangement.

• dead
• women
• Kyiv