Themes by tag: women

On August 26, HALO Ukraine will host the opening of the Women in Demining photo exhibition staged in Kyiv.

The project highlights Ukrainian women working across different roles in mine clearance, underscoring the importance of bringing women into fields traditionally dominated by men while offering a closer look at their career paths.

The opening ceremony will feature the women portrayed in the exhibition.

Among them is 25-year-old Tetiana Mordach, Ukraine’s first and only female diver trained in explosive ordnance disposal. Before the full-scale war, she worked as a rescue diver. When russia launched its invasion, she joined the State Emergency Service as a diver. Her work involves one of the most difficult and dangerous tasks: clearing mines and locating and neutralizing explosives. Mordach dreams of one day exploring the seabed of Crimea’s Black Sea after Ukraine’s victory.

Diana Obzhelian, 21, studied Chinese at Kyiv University and planned to become a translator. The war upended her path: she switched to part-time studies and became a deminer with HALO Ukraine. After spending a year clearing mines in the north, she now trains communities on how to stay safe from landmines and other explosive devices.

Valeriia Osyka, 23, works as a deminer in the Kharkiv region. Not long ago, her daily routine was very different, when she served as a fire and industrial safety engineer at a university in Kharkiv. Today, she says her favorite moments come when she sees nature reclaiming once-dangerous fields: “When wheat grows green again on cleared land.”

Journalists can review the full program and must register for accreditation by 2 p.m. on August 25.

Global Affairs Canada and Ukraine’s Ministry of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture support the project. Partners include Demine Ukraine, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, the State Special Transport Service, the National Police of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Deminers Association, MAG, FSD, UDA, NPA, and UNOPS.

HALO Ukraine is part of The HALO Trust, the world’s largest non-governmental, nonprofit humanitarian mine clearance organization. For 37 years, The HALO Trust has been clearing landmines and unexploded ordnance across 30 countries.

• women
• Kyiv
• demining

Kyrylo, 32, from Kryvyi Rih, and Svitlana, 27, from Zakarpattia, are both volunteers. They met during the first year of the full-scale invasion while traveling to a training ground. “She came up and asked if there was a seat on the bus. For a girl like that, there’s always a spot,” Kyrylo recalls about the beginning of their story.

Both ended up in the 63rd Separate Mechanized Brigade. She served as a combat medic, he as an infantry company commander. Together, they went through a lot — fighting in Mykolaiv, Kherson, and Donetsk oblasts. Kyrylo was on the front lines, while Svitlana was on combat duty and evacuations. That’s how they started dating.

The proposal also happened at the front — on the Lyman axis in 2023. Kyrylo decided there was no point waiting for the “right moment” because, in war, anything can happen. The couple got matching tattoos of the same yellow bus where they first met, with the inscription “Love your fate”. They got married and continued serving as a military couple.

Kyrylo suffered a severe injury this May in Donetsk oblast — he stepped on an explosive device and lost his left leg. Now, he is undergoing rehabilitation and prosthetic treatment at the UNBROKEN Center. For the past two months, he has been working with physical therapists, learning to use his new “iron leg”. After completing rehab, he dreams of starting a veteran-owned business with Svitlana.

• casualties
• military
• women
• Lviv

Olena Budz, known by her call sign “Kytsia” (Kitty), is a Kyiv native who once worked as head of SMM at a film studio, leading major advertising campaigns and promoting Ukrainian cinema.

On the day a russian missile struck the Okhmatdyt children’s hospital, Olena was at work, far from the blast site, but the sense of helplessness was overwhelming. It was then that she decided to complete medical training and join the volunteer medical battalion.

Since then, she has served in every evacuation role – from casevac and medevac to working at a stabilization point and on the “Avstriyka” evacuation bus. Her deployments have taken her to the Zaporizhia, Kharkiv, and Donetsk sectors.

Olena has also returned to photography, a longtime passion. During rotations, she captures portraits of crews, soldiers, the wounded, and medical personnel, using her images to tell their stories.

• doctors
• women

Anastasiia Astafieva is considered one of Kyiv’s leading specialists in tattooing and tattoo removal. Following the start of russia’s full-scale invasion against Ukraine, she treated a serviceman who wanted to eliminate an old tattoo. His face also bore remnants of gunpowder residue that had become lodged deep in his skin after a blast.

Astafieva attempted to remove the embedded residue with a laser typically used for tattoo removal. The advanced laser therapy results were visible after just one session. After several more, the soldier’s skin was fully restored. Impressed by the outcome, he encouraged other servicemen to seek her help. 

That marked the beginning of her work with those recovering from blast-related injuries. Today, Astafieva treats both military personnel and civilians affected by war, removing not only gunpowder but also soot and soil that have become embedded in their skin during explosions. She provides these treatments free of charge.

Anastasiia Astafieva is open to interviews both online and in person in Kyiv.

• casualties
• volunteers
• women
• Kyiv

Anastasiia Ponomarova is originally from Mariupol. She taught geography and biology at a local school while also serving as an ambassador for robotics and programming in the Donetsk oblast. Additionally, she organized educational initiatives, including the “Mariupol Reads to Children” project, which promoted Ukrainian-language books.

When the full-scale invasion began, Anastasiia was in her hometown. She decided to evacuate in the first days, taking her cat and dog with her. However, the cat, frightened by explosions, ran away, forcing Anastasiia to leave without him. She relocated to Drohobych in the Lviv oblast. After evacuation, Anastasiia returned to drawing, creating one sketch a day. These artworks eventually formed a series that inspired the idea of therapeutic fairy tales for children. Writer Halyna Vdovychenko responded to her call for collaboration, and together, they created 12 fairy tales — publishing 24,000 copies, some of which were printed in Braille.

Anastasiia also painted over 40 landmarks of her native city — places destroyed by russian forces. These illustrations were later turned into social media sticker packs. Currently, the artist is working on a new project: therapeutic cards featuring illustrated yoga exercises.

You can speak with Anastasiia Ponomarova online or in person in Drohobych, by prior arrangement.

• culture
• women
• Lviv

Oleksii and Tetiana have been together since the start of russia’s annexation of Crimea and its offensive in eastern Ukraine. Nine years ago, Oleksii volunteered for military service, and Tetiana later joined as well.

They were initially mobilized to different units when Tetiana served as a nurse, and Oleksii as an infantryman. Later, both transferred to the 65th Separate Mechanized Brigade, where they could serve in the same unit.

When russia launched its full-scale invasion, the couple was stationed in Mariinka, Donetsk Oblast. There, they began working in medical evacuation: Oleksii drives the vehicle, while Tetiana monitors and assists wounded soldiers during transport.

They note that serving together brings both increased stress and greater responsibility.

Meetings with Oleksii and Tetiana can be arranged in advance, either online or in person in Zaporizhia.

• military
• women
• Zaporizhzhia

Years ago, Ellie Balika first visited Ukraine as a tourist. The Brit fell in love with the country’s culture, cuisine, and people — so deeply that she eventually relocated permanently.

Later, in Norway, Ellie met a Ukrainian who became her husband. The couple settled in the Odesa oblast. Over seven years of marriage, they had three children, who understand English, Ukrainian, and russian, while Ellie and her husband communicate in Norwegian.

Ellie created a blog about Ukraine, initially for her friends, which later evolved into a full-fledged project for a wider audience.

You can contact Ellie Balika either online or offline in the Odesa oblast by prior agreement.

• culture
• women
• Odesa

Iron Women is a no-cost retraining initiative designed to help women acquire the skills needed to work as excavator operators and front-end loader drivers.

The program combines theoretical and practical instruction and culminates in official certification for Level 5 excavator operators and Level 4 front-end loader drivers. The curriculum includes three weeks of online theoretical classes, followed by three weeks of hands-on training in the Kyiv region.

Tuition, lodging, and meals are fully covered by the Reskilling Ukraine project and ETS Group.

Graduates will be qualified to work as assistant excavator operators or assistant forklift drivers at closed industrial sites, though the certification does not permit operating equipment on public roads.

By prior arrangement, media representatives are welcome to cover the training, which will take place from August 11 through September 19.

• women
• Kyiv

Oleksandra Mazur, head of the Olenivka Community NGO, has spent more than two years searching for the truth about her loved one held in russian captivity. Since May 2022, she has been fighting to keep his memory, and the memory of others like him, alive.

Her partner, Azov Regiment combat engineer Yaroslav Otrok, was among the Ukrainian defenders captured at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol. Following orders from his commanders, he and his fellow soldiers surrendered and were taken to a makeshift detention center in the occupied town of Olenivka, Donetsk region.

On July 29, 2022, Yaroslav was killed in a blast that tore through the prison. Ukrainian authorities have described the attack as a terrorist act, accusing russian forces of deliberately targeting prisoners of war.

In the days that followed, Oleksandra saw Yaroslav’s name on a list of the wounded. But hope soon gave way to devastating news. In September, a witness who survived the explosion told her Yaroslav’s injuries had been fatal. A month later, the Azov Patronage Service confirmed he was among the dead. His body had been returned by russia.

Since then, Oleksandra has dedicated herself to the Olenivka Community NGO, supporting other families of POWs and calling attention to the crimes committed in Olenivka. Her efforts helped pave the way for official recognition: on July 22, the Verkhovna Rada adopted a resolution establishing July 28 as the Day of Remembrance for Ukrainian Defenders who were executed, tortured, or died in captivity.

Mazur remains committed to telling these stories. She is available for interviews online or in person, by prior arrangement, in Kamianets-Podilskyi or Kyiv.

• dead
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• women
• Khmelnytskyi
• Kyiv

Anastasiia Bolotova met Ivan Bolotov in 2014. What began as a love story would, a decade later, become a story of loss, remembrance.

When russia launched its full-scale invasion, the couple was living in Mykolaiv. As the war escalated, Ivan moved Anastasiia to his parents’ home in Kyiv for safety, while he remained behind to defend the capital as a military pilot.

On February 2, 2025, Captain Ivan Bolotov was killed in action while carrying out a combat mission. He was just 24 years old. A fighter pilot in Ukraine’s Air Force, Ivan died in the skies he had sworn to protect.

For Anastasiia, life was split into a before and after. The most precious gift he left her, she says, is their son.

In July, Anastasiia opened a coffee shop in Kyiv in Ivan’s memory. She named it Krylati (“The Winged”), paying homage to the life and legacy of her beloved. With the help of Ivan’s friends and family, she designed the space with care: the walls are painted in his favorite color, a mural anchors the room as its artistic heart, and his favorite music drifts softly through the café. Photos of fallen pilots, including Ivan, hang on the walls as a quiet reminder of the cost of war.

Anastasiia Bolotova is available for interviews, both online and in person in Kyiv, by appointment.

• dead
• military
• women
• Kyiv