Themes by tag: women

The instructors of the Voluntary Formation No. 1 of the Municipal Territorial Community of Irpin and the Municipal Guard continue their efforts to prepare for the national resistance. Recently, another training session was held for members of the NGO “Ukrainian Women’s Guard”, where participants studied tactical skills (movement in small groups using hand signals, enemy observation techniques and surveillance tools) and military topography (navigation using maps and other methods).

By prior arrangement, journalists will have the opportunity to cover the next training session on January 19. IMPORTANT: Journalists must be prepared to obscure (e.g., blur) the faces of participants and instructors during the training.

Background: The Ukrainian Women’s Guard is a national network of the women’s resistance movement. Its goal is to unite women in crisis situations and teach them how to survive and resist the enemy.

• women
• Kyiv

Kateryna Pisna, the wife of an Armed Forces serviceman, has launched a social car repair shop in Mykolaiv, a city in southern Ukraine. The idea was born when her husband, who had been mobilized to serve in the Defense Forces, began contemplating life after his return to civilian life. Together, they envisioned opening a car service station to build a new chapter.  

To bring their plan to life, the couple applied for and secured a grant. A key requirement of the funding was incorporating a social component into the business. Using the grant, they purchased six manual handling units designed to adapt cars for individuals with lower extremities amputations. The shop will retrofit these systems free of charge for customers with disabilities.  

Each handling unit costs 12,000 hryvnias. Four of them will be distributed through a raffle among graduates of a local driving school for people with disabilities. The remaining units will be available for installation on a first-come, first-served basis, with plans to replenish the supply as needed.  

Currently, the repair shop employs a car mechanic and an assistant, but Kateryna and her husband have broader ambitions. They hope to expand by opening a car shop in the future.  

Kateryna is available to connect online or in person in Mykolaiv, with meetings arranged by appointment.

• women
• Mykolaiv

For the first time in Ukraine, surgeons have performed a groundbreaking facial nerve reconstruction using the most advanced method available. This unique procedure was successfully performed by specialists at St. Panteleimon Hospital of the First Medical Association of Lviv. On January 13, journalists are invited to meet the patient and the surgical team in Lviv.

The patient, 33-year-old Olha Rudenko from Kherson, faced a life-changing challenge. Several years ago, doctors discovered and removed a cyst from her left parotid gland. Unfortunately, the cyst came back, and a second surgery in this high-risk area damaged the trunk of the facial nerve. As a result, the left side of Olha’s face was completely paralyzed.

Reconstructive surgeons from Lviv, in cooperation with international specialists, performed a complex procedure known as facial nerve reanimation. This cutting-edge method is considered the most advanced and challenging in the world, with a 99% success rate. It was a first for Ukraine and a resounding success.

Three months after the surgery, the results are already visible. Olha has started to smile again. Her cheek is gradually regaining movement and her left eye can now close. However, nerve recovery is a long process, and the final results will not be seen for up to a year after the surgery. Olha is currently in rehabilitation.

Journalists must register to attend.

Additional materials: Footage of the patient before surgery and images of the procedure will be available.

• doctors
• women
• Lviv

At 72 years old, Tetiana Tepliuk’s resilience is nothing short of extraordinary. A soldier in the Azov Regiment, she serves alongside her son, continuing a lifelong dedication to Ukraine. russia’s war against Ukraine isn’t her first brush with conflict—Tetiana’s story began decades ago.  

In 1980, she volunteered as a nurse in Afghanistan, tending to the wounded amid the chaos of war. Years later, during Ukraine’s Revolution of Dignity in 2013, Tetiana was on the frontlines again, volunteering at the medical center in Kyiv’s October Palace.  

By 2015, her path led her to Mariupol, where she joined the Azov Regiment’s medical center. She was there when russia launched its full-scale invasion. Though a civilian at the time, wearing a uniform marked her as a target. Following her commander’s orders, Tetiana and her comrades were captured.  

Tetiana spent eight months in captivity. While she was spared physical torture, she endured the harrowing sounds of Ukrainian soldiers suffering nearby. Despite these horrors, her spirit remained unbroken.  

After her release, a military medical evaluation deemed her fit for duty. In September 2023, Tetiana rejoined the army, now handling administrative tasks at the medical center. However, her resolve is unwavering—she intends to wear her uniform until Ukraine achieves victory.  

Tetiana is available for interviews, both online and in person, with arrangements coordinated through her press officer.

• military
• prisoners
• women

Mariia Vasylchenko, a 42-year-old from Sloviansk in the Donetsk oblast, worked as a shop assistant in the nearby town of Lyman. On May 29 this year, she was at work when russia launched a missile and bomb attack on the town. Mariia remembers seeing blood and rubble all around her and trying to stand up, but not being able to. Ukrainian soldiers pulled her from the rubble and took her to the hospital.

Glass shards had cut her entire body, requiring 80 stitches. A large piece of metal pierced her chest, leaving a significant wound that was difficult for doctors to heal. The injury left a massive 7×3 cm scar on her chest. For a month, Mariia avoided looking at herself in the mirror.

Now, specialists at the UNBROKEN Center in Lviv are helping her regain her confidence. As part of a joint social project with the L’Oréal Group called “(Un)Broken Beauty”, Lviv surgeons have performed several plastic surgeries to gradually erase the scars of war from her face and body.

Journalists can arrange to speak with Mariia, who is currently in Sloviansk.

Background: Any Ukrainian woman injured by the war can participate in the social project “(Un)Broken Beauty”. All assistance is provided completely free of charge.

• casualties
• russian crimes
• women

Anna Shchetinina has been with the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (DSNS) for 15 years. Based in the Dnipropetrovsk oblast, she now works as a psychologist with operational rescue teams responding to emergencies, including missile strikes. According to Anna, the most challenging part of her work is seeing people anxiously waiting for news of loved ones trapped under the rubble. “When you’re providing psychological support and then the body of a deceased relative is recovered – especially if it’s a child – it’s really heartbreaking because I’m a mother myself,” says Anna.

• casualties
• psychological support
• women
• Dnipro

Olena Lehenchuk, a native of Zhytomyr and mother of four, moved to Spain with her children six years ago. When the full-scale war began, she began volunteering and later became a chaplain (military priest). Now Olena divides her time between Ukraine and Spain, returning to see her children.

Olena serves as a volunteer chaplain. Her duties include providing pastoral care to soldiers, but as she explains, her role has expanded significantly. In addition to spiritual guidance, she provides psychological support.

Chaplain Olena organizes retreats for soldiers and their families, holds weekly meetings for soldiers’ wives, and provides counseling for veterans and those returning from captivity. She also provides general support to the wives of POWs and visits widows.

By prior arrangement, interviews with Olena can be conducted in Kyiv or Poltava, as well as online.

• military
• religion
• women
• Kyiv
• Poltava

Nelli Chorba is 22 years old. When the full-scale war began, she was in her third year of studying acting at the Ivan Karpenko-Kary National University of Theatre, Cinema and Television in Kyiv. Nelli says she dreamed of performing on stage. She also writes songs, including some she wrote during the war.

Nelli’s path to the Armed Forces of Ukraine began as a volunteer. On February 28, 2022, she and a friend joined a volunteer center, where they first worked in the kitchen. But Nelli wanted to do more. Today, she serves as a senior mortar gunner with the rank of senior soldier.

In almost three years in the army, Nelli has experienced a lot. She says she connects more easily with her comrades in the mortar battery than with people she interacted with before the war.

By prior arrangement, it is possible to speak with Nelli online, subject to the approval of the press officer.

• military
• women

A pilot project initiated by the Ministry of Communities and Territories Development to train female truck drivers is underway in Ukraine. The participants have completed the theoretical training and are now beginning practical driving lessons, which are scheduled to last until February 2025. Upon completion of the practical phase, participants will take an exam to obtain the appropriate driver’s license.

In addition, the participants have already started visiting partner companies that are ready to employ program graduates.

Under prior arrangement, journalists have the opportunity to report on the project in Kyiv.

Background information: The pilot project to train female truck drivers started in September 2024 in four cities: Kyiv, Rivne, Ternopil and Khmelnytskyi. The primary goal of the initiative is to expand the professional potential of women in the transportation sector and address the labor shortage and critical deficit of long-distance drivers in Ukraine. As part of the initiative, at least 100 women are expected to complete the program and secure employment with partner companies specializing in logistics and transportation.

The project is being implemented by the NGO Foundation for Institutional Development in cooperation with the Ministry of Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine and with support from the USAID Competitive Economy Program in Ukraine.

• women
• Kyiv

Before russia’s full-scale invasion, Olena Totel led a thriving career as an editor-in-chief at regional TV stations in Odesa and Dnipro. By February 2022, she was preparing to launch a new media project, but the war upended her plans, leaving her jobless and uncertain about the future.  

Initially, Olena left Ukraine for safety, but by July 2022, she returned, determined to support the military effort. She began volunteering and, by late 2022, started considering enlistment. Committed to being combat-ready, she trained with a personal coach to build the physical endurance required for military service while seeking a unit that could utilize her expertise.  

Olena eventually joined Ukraine’s 13th Khartiia National Guard Brigade. Her original goal was to become a combat engineer, clearing mines from Ukrainian territory. However, the brigade first assigned her to its press service. She agreed, with the understanding that she would later transition to a combat role.  

Today, Olena “Baroko” Totel is on the front lines, operating FPV drones to destroy enemy equipment. Interviews with Olena can be arranged both online and in person upon prior request.  

• military
• women