Themes by tag: Zhytomyr

Oleksandr Shvetsov, a Ukrainian army veteran who lost a leg in combat and later his home to russian shelling, has given away money raised for his recovery to help neighbors left with nothing.

Shvetsov has been serving since 2014. He was seriously wounded near Luhansk, where he lost his leg. After returning from the front, he went through a personal crisis, struggling to adapt to life with a prosthetic, refusing rehabilitation, and turning to alcohol and drugs. Over time, he overcame those struggles, broke free from addiction, and, after time abroad, learned to manage severe panic attacks.

Driven to help others, he started the “Hero Bus” initiative, which gave dozens of fellow veterans the chance to travel to France and Poland.

On the night of Sept. 10, 2025, a russian strike hit his home and car in Ukraine’s Zhytomyr region. A rocket landed just 20 meters from the house, heavily damaging the property but sparing his life. He managed to escape unharmed and saved his animals.

After sharing photos of the destruction online and appealing for help, Shvetsov received more than one million hryvnias in donations within two days. Instead of using the money to rebuild his place, he gave it all to neighbors whose homes were destroyed in the same attack and had received no help.

Shvetsov is available for interviews, either online or in person in Zhytomyr, by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• russian crimes
• Zhytomyr

Andrii Khomiak served on the front lines from 2015 to 2018, defending Ukraine after russia’s initial assault. Once his contract ended, he returned to civilian life. But when the full-scale war broke out, he rejoined the military. Khomiak served in the artillery, where he also trained combat crews.

On March 22, 2022, during the defense of Kyiv, Khomiak was caught in enemy fire. A mine explosion tore off one of his legs, and doctors were forced to amputate the other. He later underwent months of rehabilitation and prosthetic treatment in Israel.

Using the compensation he received for his injuries, Khomiak invested in building a woodworking shop of his own. Today, he and his team craft decorative pieces from thermally treated wood. Looking ahead, he hopes to expand production to provide stable jobs for other veterans wounded in the war.

Khomiak can be reached for meetings both online and in person in Zhytomyr, by appointment.

• casualties
• military
• Zhytomyr

Volodymyr Dubrovets, a soldier from Ukraine’s Zhytomyr region and former Azov Regiment fighter with the call sign “Wolf,” became the legal guardian of his brother’s eight children following a fatal car accident in December 2022.

The children’s parents died when their vehicle veered off a forest road and struck a mine. The explosion killed both adults, leaving behind eight children. At the time, the eldest was 14 years old; the youngest, a two-and-a-half-month-old infant.

Volodymyr, who was 24 at the time and unmarried, had not planned to raise a large family. After assuming custody of his nieces and nephews, he later married. He and his wife Diana are now also raising a young son together. The entire family lives in the house built by Volodymyr’s late brother.

Looking ahead, Dubrovets plans to revive his brother’s business. 

He is available for interviews both online and in person in the Zhytomyr region, by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• children
• dead
• Zhytomyr

In 2022, 21-year-old Oleksandr Karpovych signed a contract with the Defense Forces and became a marksman in the 25th Air Assault Brigade. The veteran fought in the Kharkiv, Luhansk, and Donetsk oblasts, participating in battles for Izium, Terny, and Chervonopopivka. At the end of December 2022, Oleksandr sustained his first injury — a shrapnel hit his head, but his helmet saved his life. He suffered a second injury on January 2, 2023, when his right arm was shredded by an enemy tank shell. By April of that same year, he returned to the front, where he received a third injury within a few weeks. Shrapnel tore through Oleksandr’s legs, he suffered a concussion and remained unconscious for a day and a half. Doctors concluded that he could no longer continue his service, and in August 2023, he was discharged.

Using a grant, Oleksandr opened a tire service center in his hometown of Ovruch (Zhytomyr oblast). Under the grant terms, he hired an administrator and a cleaner. Despite his arm injury, he handles all car repairs himself. Now, Oleksandr plans to apply for another grant to expand his business.

You can speak with Oleksandr Karpovych online or in person by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• military
• Zhytomyr

Oleksandr Kovalchuk is 47 years old and a veteran of the russian-Ukrainian war. He has been working as a teacher at a private kindergarten in Zhytomyr for almost six months.

In the fall of 2022, Oleksandr was drafted and served in the Donetsk oblast. In 2023 he was injured, lost 50% of his hearing and suffered a concussion. Due to his health condition he was discharged from military service. After that he underwent rehabilitation. Oleksandr is also a member of a Ukrainian veterans organization.

Currently, the veteran works with children, conducting creative and sports activities in the kindergarten. He also helps take care of the children by helping them dress and feed themselves.

Kseniia Lavrina, the director of the private kindergarten, explains that the goal of this initiative is to create a positive image of veterans in the eyes of the public.

The private kindergarten where Oleksandr now works was co-owned by Kseniia Lavrina and Artem Sachuk. According to Kseniia, Artem was the one who came up with the idea of having men do half of the teaching. Later he supported the inclusion of veterans in the process. Artem Sachuk voluntarily joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine and tragically died on the front lines on November 26, 2023.

• children
• military
• Zhytomyr

The Yulyni Babusi (“Yulia’s Grandmothers“) Charitable Foundation is organizing a “Secret Santa for the elderly from shelters” campaign. Anyone can help organize a holiday by donating money for a gift for a person from a nursing home or sending a gift of their own. These can be tea, coffee, warm socks, blankets, household chemicals and hygiene, diapers for adults of all sizes and diapers. The collection of gifts will last until December 10.

By prior arrangement, journalists can cover the charity’s representatives visiting the shelters to create a festive mood and hand out gifts. 

For reference: Yuliia Karpova, a radio morning show host, founded the Yulyni Babusi (Yulia’s Grandmothers) charity foundation in 2022 to help the elderly. The foundation takes care of single elderly people, residents of boarding schools, nursing homes, and residents of the de-occupied territories. In total, it operates in three regions: Kyiv, Zhytomyr and Dnipro regions.

• Dnipro
• Kyiv
• Zhytomyr

Anna and Oleh’s journey began in 2020 when they met while Oleh was serving in the Azov Brigade. Their connection blossomed from phone calls and letters into a committed relationship. Their daughter was born just before the outbreak of the full-scale war.

Oleh and his twin brother Vitalii both served in the Azov Brigade, defending Mariupol from the war’s outset. In April 2022, while attempting to reach the Azovstal steel plant, their unit was ambushed. Vitaliy was killed, and Oleh, though wounded, managed to reach Azovstal before being captured a month later.

On the night of July 28-29, 2022, Oleh and 192 fellow prisoners were detained in Volnovakha Penal Colony No. 120 in Olenivka. Several explosions that night killed over 50 Azov Brigade members and injured more than a hundred. When russian media released lists of the wounded and deceased, Anna was horrified to see her husband’s name on both. Later, she discovered that Oleh had survived. Since then, Anna has tirelessly worked to secure his release, joining the Olenivka Community NGO to aid her efforts.

Anna Lobova is currently in Zhytomyr and is available for interviews, both online and in person.

• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• women
• Zhytomyr

Arkadii Fishman, an innovative mind hailing from Sloviansk, Donetsk Oblast, now residing in Ternopil Oblast, has devised a unique fundraising strategy. Teaming up with his companion, Olenka Dunets, Fishman is embarking on a 650 km journey across Ukrainian cities, showcasing his creation—a sofa on wheels—to raise funds for the Armed Forces.

Their odyssey has already commenced, with Ternopil, Vinnytsia, Khmelnytskyi, Zhytomyr, and Kyiv slated as pit stops along the way. Residents of these locales can catch a glimpse of the mobile sofa, snap photos, and contribute to the cause through donations. Fishman aims to culminate the tour in the capital on July 6th.

As Fishman is on his way to Khmelnytskyi, journalists have the opportunity to delve deeper into the charitable expedition and engage in conversation with him.

• Khmelnytskyi
• Kyiv
• Ternopil
• Vinnytsia
• Zhytomyr

On May 17, the team of the All-Ukrainian youth movement “Let’s do it Ukraine” invites media representatives to the official ceremony of transferring the flag of Ukraine, which has been in space, to the Zhytomyr Museum of Cosmonautics. Lina Borozdina, an Odesa resident, took this flag along on a space trip.

As part of the event, a press briefing will be held, during which representatives of the Zhytomyr Museum of Cosmonautics and the leader of “Let’s do it Ukraine” Yuliia Markhel will talk about the uniqueness of this event and its significance for Ukraine. The event will also feature an official ceremony of transferring the flag and a number of attributes that also visited space with Lina to the museum. These include her astronaut badge and a patch from the suit, also with the Ukrainian flag.

Journalists will have the opportunity to watch the exclusive footage of Lina Borozdina’s video address from Las Vegas and listen to the story of her space journey.

The event requires accreditation.

For reference: on January 26, 2024, the company Virgin Galactic sent 4 space tourists, including Lina Borozdina, a native of Odesa, on a suborbital flight. Tourists spent 90 minutes in space, and for a while they experienced weightlessness. Lina Borozdina had been preparing for this flight for 18 years.

• culture
• Zhytomyr

The Military Sewing Company is a voluntary association of people who volunteer to sew adaptive clothing for wounded soldiers: pants, shorts, underpants, T-shirts, etc. The adaptive clothing with Velcro, ties, or buttons is designed so injured defenders can put it on comfortably and painlessly. 

The Military Sewing Company has already produced over 30,000 pieces of such clothing. They are sent to more than 50 medical institutions across Ukraine, as well as to soldiers in need of such garments.

The Military Sewing Company was founded in Dnipro. People who have joined the initiative and sew clothes (in workshops, sewing shops, or home-based ones) are located in Kyiv, Dnipro, Rivne, Poltava, Zhytomyr, and Lviv. Some seamstresses are actively involved in sewing while residing in Norway, Germany, and Canada.

• casualties
• military
• volunteers
• Dnipro
• Kyiv
• Lviv
• Poltava
• Zhytomyr
• Rivne