Themes by tag: women

The most famous football player of Ukraine, Andriy Shevchenko, has donated UAH 300,000 to Mariupol women’s football team. Now the athletes who were forced to leave their homes will be able to purchase equipment and run their own businesses.

After russia’s full-scale invasion, Mariupol women’s football team was forced to leave their hometown. The girls live and train in Kyiv now. In addition, they themselves earn money to support the team. Even back in Mariupol, football players sold ready-to-cook food: they made dumplings, varenyky, chebureki and baked pancakes. However, the sports women lost their production facility in their hometown, so they needed funds for new equipment. Keep Going project was raising UAH 350,000 for female athletes. Now, thanks to the contribution by Andriy Shevchenko, this amount has even been exceeded with over UAH 400,000 collected for the girls.

• occupation
• women
• Kyiv
• Mariupol

Alina Panina, a border guard dog handler, was released from russian captivity during an exchange on October 17. Before the start of the all-out war, Alina worked in Mariupol’s trading port, and she was captured during the defense of Azovstal. The woman has already returned to the service, now — on the Ukrainian-Polish border. Her husband, also a border guard, was captured by the russians. The russians did not return the two dogs that were with Alina at Azovstal. Currently, Alina works with a new four-legged partner, a spaniel that has been given to her by friends.

• prisoners
• women

For the first time ever in Ukraine, an exhibition of female military uniforms and gear was presented, which had been developed as part of the “Arm Women Now” project. Previously, Iryna Nykorak, Deputy of the Kyiv City Council, the project initiator, noted that this uniform is made in such a way that women with any size and type of body feel comfortable. It is known that now the uniform is being officially tested in the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. 

For reference: In late November, the Minister of Defense of Ukraine reported that almost 60,000 women serve in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

• military
• volunteers
• women
• Kyiv

The women’s football team “Mariupol” was forced to leave their home town after russia’s full-scale invasion. Now the girls live and train in Kyiv. They also earn money to keep the team on their own. The football players have been trying to be financially independent for 4 years now. Back in Mariupol, during their training-free time, they were preparing semi-finished products for sale: they were making meat and other dumplings, meat pastries and baked pancakes. In Kyiv, they try to restore the production, but in Mariupol, the athletes have lost their production shop. So now they need new equipment. The girls receive assistance from the Keep Going project, which provides material support to the Ukrainians who bring victory closer. The project collects UAH 350,000 for the athletes to buy equipment that will allow the team to resume the business and continue to represent Mariupol in football competitions.

• occupation
• women
• Kyiv
• Mariupol

Kharkiv resident Yuliia Napolska has been helping foreign journalists film the fighting around her hometown since the beginning of the full-scale war and volunteered in the building of the Kharkiv Oblast Administration. On February 28, the girl miraculously escaped during the shelling of the city center – simply because she went to sleep in the dressing room at the ground level. After that, Yuliia moved to Lviv, but did not abandon volunteering: she carried bulletproof vests from abroad, arranged fund raising for things needed at the front. For example, she managed to raise a million hryvnias (almost USD 30,000) for a drone to the front line.

• volunteers
• women
• Kharkiv
• Lviv

Italian newspaper “Il Foglio” chose the defender of Ukraine and journalist Anastasia Blyshchyk as its person of the year. Former correspondent of TV channel “Ukraine 24” Anastasia Blyshchyk defends Ukraine with a weapon in her hands. The woman made this decision after her fiancé, paratrooper and journalist Oleksandr Makhov died at the front. Oleksandr died on May 4, 2022 in the village of Dovhenke in Kharkiv region.

• military
• women

Natalia is the founder of the “Medicine of Kherson region” charitable foundation, which deals with humanitarian aid to hospitals and patients. During the occupation of Kherson, the woman did not leave the city and continued her volunteer activities. She supplied medicines from the controlled part of Ukraine that were difficult to obtain at that time and helped the locals in every possible way. The volunteer can talk about the realities of the occupation, the heroism of doctors, and also help with the contacts of local doctors.

• occupation
• volunteers
• women
• Kherson

Journalists can visit a retirement facility in the village of Prybirsk, Kyiv region, together with “Yulyni Babusi” (Yulia’s Grannies) charitable foundation. There are 30 pensioners living there who cannot take care of themselves (disabled or bedridden). The foundation plans to organize a small celebration for these people on the eve of St. Nicholas Day, December 18

For reference: a presenter of the morning show on the radio helps pensioners in Kyiv region, particularly, those living in settlements that suffered from the russian occupation. To do this, the girl founded Yulyni Babusi charity foundation. One of the foundation’s main activities is to care for elderly and lonely people. There are five employees in the foundation, they regularly go to retirement homes in Kyiv region, provide help and simply talk to the retirees.

• occupation
• volunteers
• women
• Kyiv

Mitzi Purdue, an American presenter, writer and philanthropist, the heiress of Sheraton hotels, will arrive in Kyiv region on December 14. In order to support Ukraine, she sold her engagement ring at an auction for a million dollars. Now she will hand over cars to the Kyiv region police for work in the Chornobyl exclusion zone. It will occur at the checkpoint “Dytiatky” at the entrance to the Chornobyl exclusion zone. Accreditation is required.

• volunteers
• women
• Kyiv

Oksana Dubyk from Mariupol found refuge in Lviv after her hometown was captured by the russians. The woman lives in a modular town and works in a flower shop, which she opened together with two other residents of Mariupol. In Lviv, Oksana is waiting for her husband, a 59-year-old Azovstal defender Ihor Dubyk. Ihor was captured by the russians on May 17. He was also in “Olenivka” penitentiary. On December 1, Ihor was released during the exchange of prisoners. The man is currently undergoing rehabilitation and awaiting surgery. Oksana and her children have already been able to meet him in the city where he is undergoing treatment.

• casualties
• prisoners
• women
• Lviv