Themes by tag: women

Twelve years ago, Yuliia Roshchenko and her husband opened a copy center in Chornobaivka, Kherson oblast. There, local people could make copies of documents or print out necessary papers. After the beginning of the full-scale russian invasion, Yuliia stayed up at night printing signs that read “Children” so that those fleeing the occupation could put them on their cars, hoping to protect their families from russian attacks.

Later, the occupiers came to the copy center and demanded that Yuliia and her husband print russian documents and take photographs for russian passports. The couple refused, even though the enemy threatened them with weapons. Fearing for their lives, Yuliia’s family fled to western Ukraine, where they lived until their village was liberated by Ukrainian forces.

Upon their return, the couple received a government grant to reopen the copy center in Chornobaivka. Later, Yuliia and her husband were able to open a second location in Kherson.

Yuliia Roshchenko and her husband are currently in Kherson and are open to communication with journalists, both online and offline, by prior arrangement.

Background: Kherson was occupied by russian forces at the beginning of the full-scale invasion (March 1, 2022). Ukrainian forces liberated the city from russian troops on November 11, 2022. However, the occupiers continue to regularly shell the city.

• occupation
• russian crimes
• women
• 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
• volunteers
• women
• Kherson

Inna Korolenko mobilized with the Defense Forces at the beginning of the full-scale invasion. In the first two weeks of the great war, Inna lost her friends on the front line, so she joined the army to save the lives of other soldiers. Inna serves as a combat medic in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, organizing the evacuation of the wounded and dead from the battlefield. She has served in Vovchansk, Bakhmut, Soledar, and Marinka.

Last year, she suffered a shrapnel wound to the neck and a contusion.

During one of her rotations, Inna’s comrades suggested she apply for the Invictus Games. A friend collected her documents while Inna was still on duty. When the selection process began, Inna was in hospital recovering from a difficult rotation. But that did not stop her from competing in the qualifying events, and later it was sport that helped her find an environment where she was understood and supported. 

Inna Korolenko will represent Ukraine at the Invictus Games in Canada in February 2025, competing in skeleton, alpine skiing and swimming.

• military
• women

Before the full-scale invasion, Inna Yakovenko ran a successful business selling windows and doors, operating out of two trade pavilions in the village of Novovorontsovka, Kherson region. When war broke out, her village was the only one in the Novovorontsovka community that remained unoccupied, but it endured relentless shelling from russian forces for seven straight months. Throughout August 2022, Inna took refuge in her basement, sheltering from near-constant bombardments that eventually wrecked her business.

After Ukrainian forces liberated the region, Inna decided to shift her focus from retail to reconstruction. Determined to help her community recover, she began producing granite blocks to support the rebuilding of homes in her war-torn village.

For reference: November 11, 2024, will mark the two-year anniversary of Kherson’s liberation from russian occupation.

• occupation
• russian crimes
• women
• Kherson

Anna Pavlus, a professional fashion designer who has relied on a wheelchair since 2016 due to a ladder accident, has transformed her life and career through resilience and creativity. Initially unable to work for six months after her injury, Anna eventually rediscovered her passion for sewing. She dedicated herself to crafting comfortable clothing specifically for individuals with disabilities, particularly those who use wheelchairs.

However, the onset of the full-scale invasion shifted her focus. Anna pivoted her efforts to produce load bearing vests and plate carriers for the military while maintaining her vision of creating adaptive clothing. Determined to establish her own workshop, she applied for a grant and, in 2023, successfully launched an atelier specializing in dresses and coats tailored for wheelchair users.

Now based in Bila Tserkva, Anna is working to expand her workshop, with plans to open showrooms across Ukraine in the future. Interested clients can connect with her online or in person by appointment. 

• women

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

Over 130 people will participate in the Congress, including active women from Donetsk region, representatives of the Government and Parliament of Ukraine, regional and local authorities of Donetsk region, the security and defense sector, Ukrainian and international politicians, business and donor organizations, media. Thousands will join the event via a live stream on Facebook.

The goals of the Second Congress of Women of Donetsk region are

• To draw attention to the situation of women in the region and the impact of the war (forced displacement, traumatic experiences, damage inflicted, increasing violence against women);
• To highlight the key role of active women in overcoming the humanitarian crisis in the region and to develop a strategy to increase their participation in the post-war recovery and reconstruction processes in Ukraine.

Organizers: SMARTA NGO and Donetsk Regional State Administration with the support of UN Women in Ukraine.

For reference: On October 4-5, 2021, Kramatorsk hosted the First Congress of Women of Donetsk Region on the theme “Towards Gender Equality in the Context of Ukraine’s International Commitments”. The event brought together more than 150 offline participants. About 3000 people watched the event stream. 

• women
• Kyiv

Olena Steblina, a displaced person from russian-occupied Mariupol, served in the Ukrainian Armed Forces for nine years before stepping down just prior to the onset of the all-out invasion. When war erupted, her husband, also in the military, stayed behind to defend the besieged city, while sending Olena and their children to safety in Cherkasy.

Even during the height of the pandemic, Olena pursued online training and began planning to open her own business. She made the difficult decision to evacuate, taking with her not only her family but also supplies for a future confectionery venture.

After her husband was captured by russian forces in Mariupol, Olena remained resilient. Defying the odds, she managed to launch her dream confectionery shop in Cherkasy. Today, as she and her two daughters navigate life in their new surroundings, her greatest wish is for her husband’s safe return from captivity.

• prisoners
• women
• Cherkasy

The Veteranka movement has launched a new chatbot, the Recruitment Guide Bot, designed to support women looking to enlist in the Ukrainian Defense Forces. This innovative tool offers step-by-step guidance for those seeking to join specific military units, addressing critical topics such as the distinctions between mobilization and contract service, and detailing the training process at military training centers.

A standout feature of the chatbot is that it was developed by women for women, providing tailored information on preparation for military service. Users can access resources covering the fundamentals of tactical medicine, a directory of platforms for locating military vacancies, and answers to legal inquiries. Additionally, the chatbot offers insights into women’s health considerations in combat zones, along with checklists for essential hygiene products and medications.

Veteranka highlights that the chatbot includes recommendations from seasoned female defenders, covering crucial aspects of initial and ongoing military service. It also offers guidance on how to respond to incidents of sexual harassment or violence.

Notably, interest in military service among women in Ukraine has surged, with women now representing approximately 20% of all applications to recruitment centers.

• military
• women
• Kyiv

10 years ago, Hanna lived and worked in Horlivka, Donetsk region. She was the head of a first-aid post in a mine. After the occupation of Horlivka by the Russians in 2014, she could not live under the enemy flag and moved with her family to Toretsk (Donetsk region), where she started her own business. The Horbachov family opened a shop serving pancakes and coffee, and soon began baking bread. The locals liked the bakery, and in 2022 the family opened another place, this time in Siverskodonetsk, Luhansk region. Hanna managed to bake bread there only once. When the full-scale war began, enemy shells destroyed the bakery. The one in Toretsk lasted longer, but it was also destroyed by the enemy.

The Horbachovs then had to move again, this time to Dnipro. In the new location, Hanna has been able to rebuild the family business from the ground up. Many of the bakery’s customers are from Toretsk: they were also forced to evacuate. Today, the Horbachov bakery employs internally displaced people, including those from Toretsk and Mariupol.

You can meet the Horbachov family in Dnipro. Hanna Horbachova is available for interviews with journalists, both online and offline.

• occupation
• women
• Dnipro