Themes by tag: women

Nataliia Ilina, a resident of Bucha in the Kyiv region, has been organizing peaceful rallies in her city since early 2026 to remind society about those who have yet to return home, and to draw attention to the issue of the missing and prisoners of war. A total of eight such actions have already taken place.

One of them, titled “Light of Hope,” saw participants release lanterns into the sky, while an empty chair stood at the center of a circle — a reminder of the place still waiting for its owner.

Nataliia met her future husband, Mykola, on February 6, 1998, at Bucha City Hospital, where they had both come as patients. She says it was love at first sight. Exactly a year later, on February 6, 1999, they got married. On February 6, 2004, they were married in church, and on February 6, 2007, their daughter was born.

The full-scale invasion found the family in Bucha. On the third day, they managed to evacuate to Ivano-Frankivsk. (Bucha was under russian occupation from late February to March 31, 2022).

On March 6, 2022, Mykola volunteered to defend the country. He served in Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces and took part in combat near Bakhmut in the Donetsk region. Later, he continued his service with the 46th Separate Airmobile Brigade of the Air Assault Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. On February 3, 2025, he went missing near the village of Dachne in the Donetsk region.

By prior arrangement, journalists can speak with Nataliia Ilina in Bucha. Another peaceful rally in support of the missing and prisoners of war is scheduled to take place in the city on May 2.

• military
• women
• Kyiv

Mariia Volia was born and raised in Mariupol, a city in southern Ukraine that was destroyed and occupied by russian forces in the spring of 2022. She joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2015, deciding to defend the country after the first russian attacks on Mariupol. During the full-scale war, she served as a mortar squad leader and later as a platoon commander in a signal company.

Before the occupation of her hometown, she kept her sexual orientation private. However, after being wounded in Mariupol and later breaking out of the russian encirclement, Mariia came out to her comrades. After 11 years of service, she left the army due to health reasons and was assigned a third-degree disability status.

Mariia says she felt relief, as her resources to remain in the military had been exhausted. She is now gradually returning to civilian life and trying to find her place outside the army.

Mariia Volia can be contacted both online and in person by prior arrangement.

• military
• women
• LGBT

Ilona Khomitska previously taught piano at a music school in the Ternopil region. After the start of russia’s full-scale invasion, she completed truck driver training under the OnTrack programme of the Reskilling Ukraine project. She holds a Category CE licence, which allows her to drive vehicles weighing over 7.5 tonnes with a trailer.

The 42-year-old now works as a truck driver, operating a fuel tanker.

By prior arrangement, journalists may speak with Ilona in Ternopil or online.

Background: Reskilling Ukraine is a project of the Swedish non-profit organisation Beredskapslyftet. It was created to help Ukrainians rebuild Ukraine through education, retraining, and upskilling programmes. This is the first Beredskapslyftet project implemented in Ukraine.

• women
• Ternopil

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster. On April 15, Khartiia Hub will host a meeting with Kateryna Shavanova — a servicemember, radiobiologist, and co-author of the book “The Terrible, the Beautiful, and the Ugly in Chornobyl.”

During the discussion, she will share her research on present-day Chornobyl — a space she describes as “terrible, beautiful, and ugly.”

The event will also address the future of radiation and nuclear safety in Ukraine and globally after the end of the russian-Ukrainian war. Participants will discuss the period of the russian occupation of Chornobyl, the situation around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, and the broader context of nuclear risks during and after the war.

Registration is required to attend the event.

• military
• women

Halyna Hlobchasta is the head of the villages of Makiivka and Hrekivka in the Luhansk region. For more than 30 years, she worked as a teacher of mathematics and physics in her hometown of Makiivka. She later became the village head.

On March 3, 2022, russian forces occupied her village. Halyna categorically refused to cooperate with the occupiers. In mid-April of the same year, russian forces abducted her. She was interrogated and brutally tortured. In her yard, the occupiers found a hiding place with Ukrainian flags and blue-and-yellow ribbons. During one of the interrogations, they brought in her husband and ordered them to say goodbye.

Eventually, the couple was released, and they decided to flee the occupation. They managed to reach the Kharkiv region, where they met Ukrainian soldiers.

Journalists can arrange to speak with Halyna Hlobchasta both online and offline in Lviv, by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• occupation
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• women
• Lviv

Olha Shchedrina lived in Ireland until 2024, where she worked as an assistant to the Ambassador of Ukraine. After the start of russia’s full-scale invasion, the embassy faced an increased workload, as many Irish citizens reached out to support Ukrainians.

Soon, Olha began traveling to Ukraine on short missions, delivering humanitarian aid while also training in tactical medicine. In late 2023, she decided to stay in Ukraine permanently and later joined the medical battalion Hospitallers.

She now evacuates wounded soldiers to stabilization points and provides medical assistance. Between rotations, Olha travels abroad to speak with international audiences about the war in Ukraine.

Journalists can arrange an online interview with Olha Shchedrina upon prior agreement and coordination with a press officer.

Background: The Hospitallers Medical Battalion has been operating on the front line since 2014. Its crews carry out dozens of evacuations daily along much of the front line. The Hospitallers have been providing tactical medicine training since 2015 and first aid training since 2018.

• doctors
• military
• women

On April 5, journalists are invited to attend the Ukrainian premiere of “SANCTUS VERITAS” performed by the National Academic Symphonic Band of Ukraine. The concert will be conducted by Honored Artist of Ukraine Olha Rukavishnikova and conductor Ivan Stetskyi, featuring works by European composers.

For Olha Rukavishnikova, this performance marks a return to civilian life after four years of service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. She joined Ukraine’s Defense Forces on February 24, 2022. Her primary weapon was an RPG-7 anti-tank grenade launcher, and she is also trained to operate a sniper rifle, automatic grenade launcher, machine gun, and mortar.

During one of the combat missions, she was thrown several meters by a blast wave, and a fragment fractured her cervical spine. As a result of the same injury, she lost her left eye.

Background: The first part of “SANCTUS VERITAS” will feature the dramatic biblical work Adam and Eve by Hugo Chinesta and the large-scale symphonic piece Noah’s Ark by Óscar Navarro. The second part will include the deeply emotional symphonic poem Abraham by Ferrer Ferran and Byzantine Mosaics by Franco Cesarini — a musical symbol of spiritual grandeur and the light associated with the birth of Christ.
Journalists can review the full program in advance. Accreditation is required.
Interviews with Olha Rukavishnikova are available upon request.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• women
• Kyiv

Oleksii Naidenko joined Ukraine’s defense in 2014, serving in the 28th Separate Mechanized Brigade. Prior to that, he had worked for more than 15 years as a boatswain on gas carriers. After the start of the full-scale invasion, he returned from abroad to defend the country again, this time serving in the 67th Separate Mechanized Brigade (DUK PS).

In 2023, he was discharged from military service due to health reasons. On November 25, 2024, he died in hospital as a result of complications from his injuries.

His wife, Olena, has been involved in volunteer work since 2016. She founded the initiative group “Cherkasy Charivnytsi,” which prepares dry rations and ready-to-eat meals in retort pouches for soldiers on the frontline and visits wounded defenders in hospitals.

The couple has a 13-year-old son, Matvii Naidenko. He is an eighth-grade student and actively participates in sports, including competitions under the “Side by Side” initiative (rugby, football, handball). Since 2020, the family has also taken part in charity runs and marathons in support of the military.

According to his mother, Matvii was very close to his father. While his father worked at sea, the boy helped at home, and after his loss, he became a strong support for his mother and actively participates in volunteer work.

The family has remained in Cherkasy. Matvii is a beneficiary of the “Children of Heroes” Charitable Foundation.

In 2025, one of Matvii’s dreams was to receive an autograph from Ukrainian footballer Artem Dovbyk. This wish was fulfilled with the support of Daniel Salem and Lida Lee. He is now focused on football and preparing to enter a football academy.

Journalists can arrange interviews with the family online by prior arrangement.

• children
• dead
• military
• women

In 2023, the UNBROKEN Centre, together with the UNBROKEN Charitable Foundation and L’Oréal Ukraine, launched the joint social project “(Not) Up For Beauty.” Its goal is to help women affected by russian aggression overcome the physical effects of war, restore their appearance, and regain self-confidence.

What support do participants receive within the project?

– Consultations with qualified specialists in plastic surgery, aesthetic medicine, and other medical professionals if needed;

– Individual treatment plans depending on the consequences of injuries, including surgeries, cosmetic procedures, and CO₂ laser scar resurfacing;

– Sessions of body-oriented psychotherapy and counseling.

Over more than two years since its launch, 61 women have received assistance. All services within the project are provided free of charge.

By prior arrangement, journalists can speak with the project’s specialists and, where appropriate, with participants.

• casualties
• doctors
• women

Dafna Sosnovska is the co-founder of the “Zavdyaky” project. The idea for the initiative emerged from her frustration with how Ukraine has commemorated those killed since the beginning of the russian-Ukrainian war in 2014. In 2023, she decided to take action, bringing together a team of like-minded people, and the project began to take shape.

“Zavdyaky” aims not only to honor those who died for Ukraine, but also to tell the stories of their lives, dreams, values, and contributions to the fight for freedom. Anyone can contribute to the project, as the team’s main priority is to preserve every memory of the fallen.

The platform combines a database, documentary films, and personal profiles that allow relatives, friends, fellow service members, and acquaintances to share their memories. The team is currently working on an ambitious goal to collect information on everyone who has been killed since 2014 and to create documentary films telling their stories.

Journalists can speak with Dafna Sosnovska and the project team both online and in person in Kyiv, by prior arrangement.

• dead
• military
• women
• Kyiv