Themes by tag: women
Before the full-scale war, Olha Leus worked at an administrative service center in Mariupol. She was raising two sons: They are 10-year-old Hera and 16-year-old Mykhailo. Olha’s husband Volodymyr worked at the Azov Shipyard, and shortly before February 24, 2022, at the port.
Despite the escalating concerns about wider war, the family initially chose to remain in Mariupol, hoping for a swift expulsion of the invaders. However, as the situation worsened and the city became blockaded, evacuation became impossible.
Olha experienced relentless russian shelling and bombing for 11 consecutive days, culminating in tragedy on March 20, 2022, when her younger son sustained injuries from an enemy shell hitting their home, leaving him with leg wounds. A week later, her husband tragically passed away after leaving the house and never returning. His body was discovered by his mother-in-law and laid to rest in a local green space that once served as a sports ground.
It wasn’t until April 15, 2022, that Olha and her family were able to escape Mariupol. Following their displacement, the Children of Heroes Charitable Foundation stepped in to provide support, with Olha eventually joining as a specialist in aiding affected families. Meanwhile, her eldest son aspires to become a psychotherapist, aiming to assist those scarred by the horrors of war.
Journalists seeking to speak with Olha can arrange interviews in the Kyiv region.
For reference: After enduring 86 days of fierce defense, Mariupol fell under russian occupation on May 20, 2022. Human Rights Watch reports a staggering civilian death toll of at least 8,000 due to russian shelling, with thousands more suffering life-altering injuries, including amputations, blindness, deafness, and memory loss, often stemming from traumatic brain injuries caused by explosions. By mid-May 2022, approximately 400,000 residents had fled Mariupol, significantly reducing the pre-war population of 540,000.
In the wake of this devastation, the Children of Heroes organization steps in to aid children who have lost one or both parents in the war. The foundation offers financial assistance, psychological and legal support, and advocates for the education and development of these children as they transition into adulthood.
Since the fall of 2019, Nataliia Haietska has been the head of the “Mariupol Zero Waste” initiative group, which includes “Eco Gurt” (eco team) environmental NGO. She has also been an activist in Mariupol. Her activity began with large waste sorting centers in Mariupol. Her team also introduced waste sorting in about 100 housing co-ops of the city. In 2020, the team engaged in environmental education for adults, children and students. They held the first eco-festival in Mariupol and launched a project to implement waste sorting and composting in Mariupol hospitality establishments and parts of Pryazovia area. Their plans were to cover the entire hospitality industry of the region.
Nataliia was caught by russia’s full-scale invasion in Mariupol. She could not leave in the first days because of sick parents. The woman had to survive under the siege for three weeks – under shelling and bombing. Upon receiving help, together with her parents, she was evacuated to Zaporizhia. Then they got to Lviv by evacuation train.
Despite the war, Nataliia together with her colleagues from Kherson in 2022 implemented an international project on making the hospitality sector of Ukraine greener. In 2023 it was scaled up to the current project “Restoration and Modernization of Hospitality Establishments Based on Zero Waste & Climate Friendly Principles for the Sustainable Development of Ukrainian Communities.”
Nataliia is available for interviews in Lviv offline or online by appointment.
Olha was an operating room nurse at the Department of Surgery in Hospital No. 555 in Mariupol. Russia’s full-scale invasion caught her while in Mariupol: she was helping to rescue wounded soldiers and civilians (including children). At that time, the medics did not even have time to sleep.
The enemy bomb hit the hospital on March 16, 2022. (The woman was in the operating room at the moment of the attack. The blast wave blew away her and her colleagues). The next day, the nurse was sent to the Ilich Iron and Steel Works together with other doctors. Under extremely tough conditions, in a bunker, they had to do, among other things, bandages and amputations, and doctors even performed open brain neurosurgery.
On April 12, 2022, the nurse and other doctors were taken prisoner. Olha was held in occupied Olenivka, Russian Taganrog, Valuiky, and Kursk, among other places. She was held in captivity for six months. The woman faced humiliation, interrogations, physical and psychological pressure.
Journalists seeking to interview Olha can reach her either in person in Kyiv.
Maryna and Mykola are both military; they met in 2019 in the army. The woman had two daughters from a previous marriage — Olena and Oleksandra. Mykola also has a daughter named Milana. At first, the family lived in Mariupol, Donetsk region (now the city is occupied), then they moved to Berdiansk, Zaporizhia region (now the city is occupied).
The couple served in the Azov brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine. In 2020, Mykola resigned from the Azov and joined the Marines. Maryna’s contract ended in November 2021, but she did not want to leave her brothers in arms.
When the full-scale invasion began, Maryna, along with other Azov defenders of Mariupol ended up at the Azovstal plant (i.e. Iron and Steel Works where fierce battles with the enemy took place in the spring of 2022). Mykola wanted to switch with Marina and go to Azovstal instead of her. The woman persuaded him not to do this because at the checkpoint, the russians shot three guys who were on their way to meet their girlfriends, and many others who broke through to the plant went missing. Even then, Maryna understood that she and other military personnel were unlikely to get out of the Azovstal alive. And she asked her husband to take care of her daughters. On May 8, 2022, the woman died in a fire at the Azovstal.
Now Mykola is fighting for the right to adopt his deceased wife’s daughters and give them a happy future. He is purchasing a three-room apartment for the girls in the Kyiv region so they can live together as a family.
With the help of the Children of Heroes Fund, Maryna’s daughters received gifts and visited a rehabilitation camp, which helped them to distract themselves from terrible memories and disturbing thoughts.
For reference: the defense of Mariupol lasted 86 days. Following the order of the command, the Ukrainian defenders stopped putting up the defense, left Azovstal, and surrendered to the enemy. On May 20, 2022, Mariupol was occupied by russia.
The Children of Heroes Charity Fund supports children who have lost one or both parents due to russia’s full-scale invasion. The fund offers financial aid as well as psychological and legal support. The organization helps these children with education and development until they reach adulthood.
As of the beginning of February, 7,889 wards are under the care of the Fund. Of them, 1,062 are IDPs, 151 children have lost their mother and father, 177 are children with disabilities, and 970 are children from large families. Every week, about 80 children are included in the list of recipients of the fund’s help. Among the fund’s children, 88% are kids of military personnel, while the remaining 12% are civilians.
Anastasiia Shylo was 18 years old when in September 2022 she went to the military recruitment center in secret from her parents and joined the Defense Forces. Anastasiia’s father – a military man – accidentally learned about his daughter’s intentions and tried to change her mind, but Anastasiia insisted. Then the father drove 800 kilometers across the country to give his daughter a convenient uniform, a backpack, hygiene products and food. Anastasiia got into the 14th Mechanized Brigade “Prince Roman the Great”: at first she worked in the rear, later she was transferred closer to the front, where she helped the wounded. And then she joined the medics who evacuate soldiers.
Before the full-scale invasion, Anastasiia Shylo had been practicing karate and had won awards. Currently, she also studies remotely to become a coach.
For reference: Anastasiia Shylo is on the front line. The military woman is ready to communicate with journalists online.
Anastasiia Buhera faced the brutal reality of the full-scale Russian invasion alongside her parents in Izium, Kharkiv region. Originally there on vacation from her studies at a Kharkiv university, Anastasiia witnessed firsthand the devastation wrought by the enemy upon the captured city. She meticulously tracked the relentless bombardment, tallying the number of bombs dropped by Russian forces hourly. Every trip for bread was a perilous gamble, as each outing carried the risk of becoming her last. After a harrowing five months under occupation, Anastasiia managed to escape back to government-controlled territory. Upon her return, she received devastating news: her beloved Kostiantyn, who had been defending Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol since February 2022, had been captured by the enemy. Their last conversation took place on April 24, 2022, when Kostiantyn sent her photos and videos, promising his imminent return. Now, Anastasiia waits anxiously for Kostiantyn’s safe return, tirelessly working to keep the plight of those still held captive by Russian forces in the public eye.
35-year-old Yuliia Hryhorieva, hailing from Chornobaivka village in the Kherson region, has endured a harrowing ordeal. Prior to the onset of all-out invasion, she diligently served as a junior nurse at a nearby hospital, while also tending to her garden during moments of respite. Miraculously, she emerged alive from the Russian occupation of her homeland.
Following the liberation of a portion of the Kherson Oblast from invaders, on November 23, 2023, Russian forces unleashed a barrage of artillery fire upon residential structures in Chornobaivka. The indiscriminate attack claimed the lives of three innocent civilians and left five others wounded, including Yuliia.
Yuliia got shrapnel raining upon her legs as she traversed her yard when a nearby cluster bomb detonated. She mustered the strength to summon an ambulance, though her prospects seemed bleak as she awaited medical aid. Fortunately, passing Ukrainian soldiers intervened, swiftly evacuating her to Kherson hospital.
Tragically, Yuliia endured the loss of her left leg above the knee due to the severity of her injuries. Additionally, she sustained an open fracture of the fibula in her right leg, necessitating further surgical intervention.
Yuliia accessed the Superhumans Center in Lviv by submitting an online application. Her primary goal is to regain mobility, master her prosthetic limb, and stride with confidence. Recently, she achieved a significant milestone by taking her first steps on the prosthetic device.
For reference: On November 11, 2022, the Armed Forces of Ukraine liberated Chornobaivka village in the Kherson region from occupation forces.
Olha Kurtmallaieva, 24 years old, majored in finance. The russian federation’s full-scale invasion caught her in her native Berdiansk, Zaporizhia region (now the city is occupied). In the summer of 2022, she left the occupation.
Olha’s husband, Ruslan, has been defending the country since 2014 (he served in the Anti-Terrorist Operation and Joint Forces Operation zone). April 4, 2024 will mark two years since he got captured by the russians during the defense of Mariupol.
Olha is actively fighting for the release of her husband – she is trying to attend every demonstration calling on the release of the prisoners of war. She also co-founded an NGO that helps soldiers of the 501st Separate Naval Infantry Battalion to return home. (Together with other women, they organize rallies, arrange meetings and communicate with representatives of the Ukrainian authorities). And she does all this despite suffering from a serious illness: back in 2021, Olha was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma (cancer of the lymph tissue).
Already during the full-scale war, Olga found out that the disease had progressed from the second stage to the fourth. Doctors link it to great stress. Olha has now undergone 12 courses of chemotherapy. The treatment was very difficult (in particular, she was in the intensive care unit) and the woman had to go through it alone, without her beloved by her side.
Journalists can talk to Olha in Kyiv (in person) or online.
Olena Chertkova, an economist by training, started her journey with volunteering efforts by taking matters into her own hands like making trench candles and fire starters during the invasion. By 2023, she shifted focus to dry showers due to high demand as a portable dry shower kit is a solution for military hygienic procedures in the field.
Using online resources and modifying recipes from Ukrainian women on Facebook, Olena perfected her formula, opting for dermatological gel over baby gel and fine-tuning proportions through a month-long trial on herself. Over 5,000 showers later, she now oversees a team of assistants.
Despite initial monthly costs of 2-3 thousand hryvnias, expenses have risen to 7 thousand hryvnias due to increased production. Olena’s showers, priced at 7 hryvnias, offer cost-effective relief compared to store-bought alternatives.
Olena’s available for interviews in person in Zaporizhia or online.
On March 18, Kyiv will host the “Women Leaders Forum” – a forum of women leaders uniting for the sake of the future. The event is devoted to the discussion of key topics related to the role of women in the society, business, politics and science. The program includes 3 panel discussions:
- “National unity” – preservation of national identity, development of civil society and expansion of partnership between Ukraine and democratic countries, reintegration of temporarily occupied territories.
- “Regions and reconstruction” – development of regional policy and post-war reconstruction.
- “Synergy of education, business and society” – the development of education and values of equality among young people through the cooperation between universities, business and NGOs.
Invited guests of the forum include:
- Olha Budnik – President’s Commissioner for the Foundation of the President of Ukraine for the Support of Education, Science and Sports;
- Lesia Zaburonna – People’s Deputy of Ukraine;
- Tamila Tasheva – a Ukrainian Crimean Tatar human rights activist, public figure, volunteer. Co-founder of CrimeaSOS NGO;
- Tetiana Kahanovska – Rector of V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University;
- Lilia Pashynna – Deputy of the Kyiv City Council, adviser to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine
- Nataliia Kryvda – Head of the Supervisory Board of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation;
- Yevheniia Kuleba – Deputy of the Kyiv City Council, Founder and Chair of Misto-Sad NGO;
- Anna Gres – owner of Shovkova brand, actress.
