Themes by tag: women
Nadiya Zharkikh is a coffee art teacher. She moved to Kherson with her family from Mykolaiv. This happened two months before the start of the full-scale russian invasion. Nadiya wanted to open a barista school in the city. The official opening was scheduled for February 26, 2022, but the war changed everything.
When Kherson was occupied by russia, Nadiya started working at her friend’s coffee shop and volunteered, in particular, preparing food. When threats from the occupiers began to pour in, she decided to flee. She had to pass through 70 checkpoints. From Zaporizhzhia, she went to Kyiv, where she started all over again. On August 7, 2023, on the anniversary of her departure from the occupation, she was able to open a coffee shop near Kyiv with the help of a state grant.
Today, the Navzayem coffee shop continues to operate and develop, despite all the challenges of full-scale war. As a result of the russian attack on September 28, 2025, the windows of the establishment were blown out. The coffee shop team supported the residents by treating the people who had suffered. They also provided a place to stay overnight. During power outages, the establishment operates with the help of a generator.
In general, Navzayem operates in several areas:
- as a coffee shop that supports the local community;
- as a barista school — teaching adults and children the art of coffee and the basics of entrepreneurship;
- as a social support space for IDPs, military families, children, and people in need;
- as a platform for master classes in the Kyiv region (including mobile ones), in cooperation with inclusive branches, schools, orphanages, and community initiatives.
On March 9, the coffee shop will host a master class called “Little Barista” for children with special educational needs.
In addition, Nadiya and her close circle have created a charitable foundation in Mykolaiv called “Welcome to Ukraine,” which supports military personnel and civilians. It currently operates throughout Ukraine. In particular, it helps with the reconstruction of damaged and destroyed housing.
By prior arrangement, journalists can talk to Nadiya in the Kyiv region.
For reference: On the night of September 28, 2025, russia launched a massive strike on the Kyiv region (three dozen victims) and Kyiv (four people were killed, including a child. More than 10 people were injured. One woman also died of stress in a shelter).
The russians occupied Kherson at the beginning of the full-scale invasion (March 1, 2022). The Armed Forces of Ukraine liberated the city from russian troops on November 11, 2022. The occupiers continue to shell the city regularly.
Eleven years ago, student Nina Tantsyura left for America. She first worked in a hotel, and then wherever she could find work — as a barista, a cleaner, and a cook in a pizzeria. Nina quickly realized that the “American dream” did not appeal to her and wanted to return home. But she met her future husband and stayed abroad.
The second time, Nina was prevented from returning home by the full-scale russian invasion. Finally, in the spring of 2025, she took her children and went to Kharkiv. Her husband remained in the United States.
It took Nina four days to reach her native home with her two children. A few weeks later, she bought a house in the Poltava region and is now fixing up her new home. Her husband supports the family financially, and Nina has created a social media account where she talks about her life in the village.
Journalists can arrange an interview with Nina Tantsyura either online or in person in the Poltava region, by prior arrangement.
Daria Ulman is the wife of soldier Kirill Ulman, who died on February 15, 2024. At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, her husband joined the ranks of the Volunteer Territorial Community Formation in Dnipro, which was created by veterans of the 12th Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine “Azov.” In December 2022, he joined the ranks of the Third Separate Assault Brigade as part of an anti-tank battalion. Kirill was killed by a sniper’s bullet.
Daria says that her husband was fascinated by military affairs. After his death, she regretted not having started training with Kirill. Within a year, Daria completed six courses and underwent two full training programs. She later created her own community that provides military training for women. She named it Community Ulman in honor of her deceased beloved.
To date, more than 80 women have completed the training, and thanks to the project, 115,000 hryvnias have been donated to Kirill’s comrades-in-arms.
Journalists will have the opportunity to cover the training.
Daria Ulman is available for interviews both online and in person in Kyiv, upon prior arrangement.
Valeriia Vershynina was born and raised in Donetsk. In 2014, when russia first attacked Ukraine and occupied her hometown, she and her family evacuated to Kyiv.
In the capital, Valeriia joined the Charitable Foundation “Stabilization Support Services”, which supports internally displaced persons. She worked in a group that developed legislation concerning IDPs. In 2024, Valeriia became the head of the foundation. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the foundation has restored 1,964 facilities damaged by the war and provided legal and social assistance to more than 216,000 people.
In 2025, “Stabilization Support Services” faced challenges due to the suspension of funding from American donors. However, the team managed to secure support and continue its work. The foundation’s current priority is to find partners to support people affected by russia’s aggression. For example, over two years the team has completed 350 light repairs of homes damaged during hostilities in the Kherson and Mykolaiv regions.
Interviews with Valeriia Vershynina can be arranged online or offline in Kyiv by prior arrangement.
Background: The Charitable Foundation “Stabilization Support Services” is a Ukrainian charitable organisation that, since 2016, has been addressing the social consequences of war and providing comprehensive support to internally displaced persons. The foundation delivers humanitarian and legal assistance, repairs damaged housing, strengthens the social protection system and develops the network of IDP Councils established by the foundation in 2019–2020. The foundation operates nationwide, focusing on the recovery of affected communities and improving access to social services for the most vulnerable groups.
Welder is a practical training course for women who want to acquire a modern technical profession. The programme is based on hands-on welding skills and covers two key technologies: mechanised semi-automatic welding (MAG 135) and gas tungsten arc welding (TIG 141).
The training takes place at a modern training facility in Kyiv, equipped with simulators and professional welding stations. Eleven women have joined the course.
Participants will learn how to set welding parameters for different tasks, work with tools and equipment, join components with high-quality and precise seams, and carry out quality control. They will also become familiar with basic production documentation and technical drawings and receive the necessary theoretical foundation for safe and confident work. Upon completion of the course, they will be ready to work in a real production environment.
By prior arrangement, journalists may cover the training in Kyiv.
Background: The training is implemented within a partnership between Reskilling Ukraine (a project of the Swedish non-profit organisation Beredskapslyftet) and KSE ProfTech.
Daria Borysenko is a servicewoman with the call sign “Hilka” and commander of an all-female unmanned systems crew, “Typhoon.” She began preparing for military service back in 2021, attending various trainings and military courses. On February 24, she went to the enlistment office and that same evening departed to help defend Hostomel in Kyiv region.
Over time, Daria became a strike UAV pilot and recently took command of a female strike drone crew within the National Guard of Ukraine’s “Typhoon” unit. The group consists of four servicewomen who previously served in different crews.
Journalists may arrange interviews with Daria both online and offline by prior agreement with the press officer. In the coming weeks, Daria and her team will be in Kyiv.
For reference: The separate special-purpose unmanned systems unit “Typhoon” was established in 2024. The unit specializes in modern technologies, focusing primarily on the use of drones and robotic systems.
Before the full-scale invasion, Nataliia and Vadym Kovpak lived in Berdiansk, Zaporizhzhia region (the city has been under russian occupation since February 27, 2022).
On February 24, 2022, the family moved to Khmelnytskyi region, where they rebuilt their lives from scratch. Vadym decided to join the Ukrainian Armed Forces and continues to serve. After he was wounded, the family encountered indifference from the management of some institutions that were supposed to assist with soldiers’ rehabilitation. As a result, Nataliia decided to establish her own rehabilitation center for service members.
In 2023, she opened the “Postava” center. The initiative was supported by the Ukrainian Veterans Fund. Most services for military personnel at the center are free of charge, and Nataliia says she helps other soldiers the same way she would help her own husband.
Journalists can speak with Nataliia Kovpak both online and offline in Kamianets-Podilskyi after March 5, 2026.
Khrystyna’s husband was killed on December 6, 2022, while carrying out a combat mission. At the time, she was nine months pregnant. Nine days after losing her beloved, Khrystyna gave birth to their daughter, Sofia. Her father had chosen the name for her before he was killed.
Sofia has an older brother, 9-year-old Matvii. The boy was very close to his father. For him, as for the entire family, the loss became a painful blow.
One day at school, during a lesson called “I Explore the World,” the children were asked to draw a picture and answer the question: whom would you like to see if you could go back to the past? Matvii drew his father and wrote under the picture that he would like to see him.
The family was not left alone with their grief. They are supported by the “Children of Heroes” Foundation, which gives the children gifts for holidays and birthdays and organizes lectures and courses. Matvii attends a speed-reading course, which helps him grow and find new sources of strength. Khrystyna, meanwhile, is taking an art therapy course as a way to process her grief, regain inner balance, and find the strength to move forward.
By prior arrangement, journalists may speak with the family online.
Before the full-scale invasion, Yana Zalevska had never considered military service. But after spending a month and a half in occupied Kherson, she decided to enlist. Even the fact that her husband — a Canadian citizen — was waiting for her abroad did not stop her.
Yana joined the 59th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade named after Yakiv Handziuk, where she served as a military journalist and later as a combat medic. She subsequently completed training and continued her service as a drone operator. In 2024, she was wounded, underwent eight surgeries, and faced a long and difficult rehabilitation.
After recovering, Yana returned to service — this time with the 141st Separate Mechanized Brigade, which is currently holding the defense line in the Pokrovsk direction. Alongside combat drone missions, she trains new specialists for the all-women UAV operators platoon known as “Amazonky Banshi.”
Journalists may arrange an online interview with Yana Zalevska by prior agreement.
HALO Ukraine invites the public to the opening of the photo exhibition “Women in Demining.” The event will begin on February 20 at one of the metro stations in Kyiv.
Twenty-nine photographs portray women in demining roles — a deminer, a diver-sapper, a drone operator. Each image tells a unique story. Twenty-two-year-old Diana Obzhelian studied Chinese at a Kyiv university and planned to become a translator. However, the full-scale invasion changed her plans: she switched to distance learning and joined HALO Ukraine as a deminer. Twenty-five-year-old Tetiana Mordach is the first and only female diver-sapper in Ukraine. Before the full-scale war, she worked as a rescue diver, and after the invasion began, she became a diver-sapper with the State Emergency Service of Ukraine.
The women featured in the exhibition will share their experiences, speak about their journeys, difficult decisions, fears, and motivations, as well as what gives them the strength to go to work every day.
At the opening, welcome remarks will be delivered by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Canada to Ukraine, Natalka Cmoc; HALO Ukraine Operations Manager Misha Iltsisin; and representatives of the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, the National Police of Ukraine, and the Kyiv Metro.
Throughout the day, the HALO Ukraine team will also introduce visitors to the basic rules of mine safety. The training will take place in an interactive format.
Journalists are required to register for the event by 09:00 on February 20, 2026.
For reference: The project is supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Canada and the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine. Other partners include Demine Ukraine, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, the National Police of Ukraine, MAG, FSD, UDA, NPA, and UNOPS.
HALO Ukraine is the Ukrainian program of The HALO Trust, the world’s largest international humanitarian mine clearance organization. The HALO Trust has been clearing landmines and unexploded ordnance in 30 countries over the past 38 years.
HALO Ukraine has been operating in eastern Ukraine since 2016. Its mission is to save lives, return land to communities, and help move the country forward on its path to recovery. Following the full-scale invasion by russia in February 2022, the team expanded its activities and now clears land in six regions — Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, and Kherson. Nearly 1,400 people work in the Ukrainian team, 30% of whom are women specialists.
