Media Center Ukraine Producer Department
The Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine helps foreign journalists and fixers with finding relevant topics and contacts, as well as solving organizational issues during their stay in Ukraine. In particular, with getting accredited, logistics, etc.
If you are interested in the stories or need help, you can get more information here:
Stories to cover
- animals
- blackout
- booty
- casualties
- children
- culture
- dead
- doctors
- ecology
- food
- military
- occupation
- prisoners
- psychological support
- reconstruction
- religion
- russian crimes
- volunteers
- weapon
- women
- Cherkasy
- Chernihiv
- Chernivtsi
- Dnipro
- Ivano-Frankivsk
- Kharkiv
- Kherson
- Khmelnytskyi
- Kyiv
- Lutsk
- Lviv
- Mariupol
- Odesa
- Poltava
- Mykolaiv
- Sumy
- Ternopil
- Uzhhorod
- Vinnytsia
- Zhytomyr
- Rivne
- Zaporizhzhia
- grain
- evacuation
- LGBT
- demining
A briefing by Kalush Orchestra, Winners of Eurovision Song Contest 2022, will take place at Media Center Ukraine on May 17, at 11:30 AM.
Journalists will be able to ask questions and get a first-hand account of the song contest.
Why this is interesting:
Kalush Orchestra represented Ukraine at Eurovision Song Contest 2022. Oleh Psiuk, the band’s frontman, pleaded for the rescue of Mariupol defenders during the band’s appearance despite the prohibition of political slogans on the stage.
“Save Mariupol, save Azovstal now,” Kalush Orchestra’s lead singer shouted at the end of his song. However, the jury considered the slogan humanitarian rather than political.
The band got 631 points and won the contest.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On May 15, specialists of Ukraine’s Navy extracted and neutralized two russian anchored mines. It was reported by the press department of the South Operational Command. These two mines were washed ashore in Odesa Oblast.
According to the Ukrainian Institute of Black Sea Strategic Studies, russians planted about 400 anchored mines in the Black Sea and accused Ukraine of having done so. Some mines broke off from their anchors and drifted to the coasts of Romania and Bulgaria in late March.
On March 26, the Turkish government was forced to stop vessel traffic in Bosporus Strait after detecting a stray old-model sea mine. The press department of the Turkish Navy stated that russia’s invasion of Ukraine affects the safety in the Black Sea region directly and has effectively paralyzed the free navigation of all Black Sea countries.
According to Odesa Oblast Military Administration, the holiday season in the region has already been disrupted due to mines planted at sea. It affects the region’s economy directly.
In addition, russia’s Black Sea Navy blocks the Ukrainian seaports.
According to Serhii Bratchuk, spokesperson for Odesa Oblast Military Administration, it creates problems not only for Ukraine but also for the international economy. For instance, the termination of grain deliveries from Odesa’s seaport to the Middle East and North Africa can give rise to a food crisis in the affected countries.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Viktoria (the name was changed at her request) used to work as a reporter for a Ukrainian news portal in Kherson.
Despite the war, Viktoria decided to stay in her home city to keep doing her job. Almost all Ukrainian media stopped working in Kherson once the occupation started. So the journalist decided she would stay home to inform Ukraine and the whole world about crimes perpetrated by russians. Initially, she worked openly; however, the situation in the city became tenser, and invaders started kidnapping residents who disagreed with them. Currently, the reporter is working in the underground.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A group of friends from Lviv decided to become charity volunteers after the start of the all-out war. Initially, they relied on their own resources; by now, they have set up a charity organization and received funding from the USA and Europe. They are evacuating residents from combat areas and deliver there dozens of tonnes of humanitarian aid.
The organization also launched a psychological support project that offers gratis psychological support by professionals to people affected by russians’ acts.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Plotting the course, determining the vessel’s location, or calculating its movements are the navigator’s duties on a vessel. These jobs are usually done by men. However, Yevheniia Bakai is the first female navigator of the Navy of Ukraine’s Armed Forces. She mastered the Ship Navigation specialty some time ago and then practiced her skills on ships and powerboats of the Ukrainian Navy. Currently, she is a crew member on one of the combat vessels.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Over 20,000 Ukrainians from various cities have already joined Dobrobat, a charity volunteering project. These people with different skills help Ukraine’s Emergency Response Service for free. They carry out searches and clear debris of buildings ruined by the russian army. They also started rebuilding the damaged settlements. Dobrobat’s volunteers work currently in Kyiv Oblast—in Bucha, Irpin, Vorzel, Hostomel, and Borodianka. They play to start working in the liberated areas of Chernihiv and Sumy Oblasts.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Scythia’s Oysters is a unique farm on the shore of the Tylihul Estuary founded in 2014, during the earlier russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The farm restarted its operations despite the war and shelling by russians. They try not to pause their lives even in this difficult situation; they work and pay taxes that the country needs desperately. Scythia’s Oysters not only cultivate cheap mollusks and supply them to restaurants all over the country. According to them, they review Ukraine’s historical craft that disappeared after the soviet occupation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ukrainian lawyers will also be able to work as volunteers. They developed the #адвокатиЗСУ project. Lawyers will provide primary legal advice and help prepare documents for social benefits and guarantees. The military personnel and their families are eligible for assistance from the government, ranging from the provision of subsidies for utility services to grants of land plots. The initiative was supported by Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, who invited lawyers to join the project.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Volodymyr Brychka, a volunteer from Rivne Oblast and the pastor of a local church, rescued 1,800 people. For instance, he evacuated over 50 children from an orphanage in Vorzel. The children were shelled by invaders for almost a month. Volodymyr also delivers humanitarian aid. People from his village decided to nominate him for the highest national title—Hero of Ukraine.
Volodymyr is 67 years old. He has 12 own children and two adoptive children, and 43 grandchildren.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Olena from Hostomel searches for her sister Liudmyla who disappeared together with her husband from Hostomel while the russians occupied it. On March 22, Liudmyla came under fire. She suffered serious leg wounds. russian soldiers took her purportedly to the military hospital. Ihor, her husband, went there together with his wife. However, they never came back from the hospital.
It has become known by now that Ihor is kept in a pre-trial detainment facility in russia, and no information is available as to what happened to Liudmyla. After Hostomel had been liberated from russians, Olena submitted a statement to the World Organization Against Torture. She hopes to find out what happened to her sister and where she is.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Dmytro Kozatskyi, known as the Azov photographer with the call sign Orest, who had been in Azovstal Iron and Steelworks for a long time, called on journalists to distribute his photographs taken at the plant and send them to participate in various professional competitions. The fighter also said that as of today, May 20, he is in russian captivity.
“Well, this is it. Thank you for shelter, Azovstal — the place of my death and my life. By the way, while I am in captivity, I will leave the photos in the best quality for you to send them to all journalistic awards and photo contests. If I win something when I’m out, it will be very nice. Thank you all for your support. See you soon!” — Dmytro said on social media.
Dmytro “Orest” Kozatskyi is the photographer behind all the pictures and videos from Azovstal that were featured in the world and Ukrainian media, including the photo of the soldier standing in a sunbeam, which recently circulated the world.
High quality photos of the serviceman can be downloaded here.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oleksandra, 82 years old, and her daughter Vira spend nights together with their dog and cat in a shed near their house destroyed by the russian army. The ladies sell potatoes to buy bread. Unfortunately, all their clothes remained under the building debris. When Ukrainian journalists told their story, people from all over Ukraine started sending aid to the old ladies and raising funds for them. Iryna Vereshchuk, Minister for the Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine, also paid interest in their story. However, the ladies still have no home.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Associated Press published video footage from the bodycam that belongs to Taira, a volunteer taken into captivity. Yuliia Paievska, who went by call sign Taira, is a Ukrainian paramedic, volunteer, founder, and leader of Taira’s Angels, a medevac volunteer unit.
Yuliia was captured by russian invaders in Mariupol after handing over the footage to journalists. Videos show scenes of her saving the wounded and consequences of the shelling of Mariupol by the enemy. There is also footage of russian POWs.
Yuliia was taken into captivity in mid-March. russian propaganda outlets portray her as a “member of Azov battalion.”
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Roman Kostenko is a 38-year-old defender of Donetsk Airport, a colonel of the Security Service of Ukraine, and a current member of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. After the all-out invasion started, Kostenko volunteered to go to the frontline and is now defending Ukraine in the south. At the same time, he keeps performing his parliamentary duties by working online and attending sessions of the Verkhovna Rada in Kyiv whenever possible. Roman Kostenko publishes exclusive footage of fighting on his social media page.
Roman Kostenko’s briefing about how the situation on the frontline develops and how he manages to combine the roles of a soldier and a parliamentarian is scheduled to take place in Media Center Ukraine on May 24 at 11:00 AM.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Almost 44,000 citizens came to Ukraine on May 22. According to the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, the growing trend of people returning to the country persists.
According to Ukraine’s Ministry of Interior, over 6,200,000 Ukrainians had to leave the country because of russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine. Most of them (over 3 million) moved to Poland; at least half of them still remain there.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Kharkiv Metro railway, whose stations offered shelter from shelling to hundreds of people after the commencement of fighting, resumes its operation. People living at the stations will have to be resettled to shared hostels. Some people with nowhere to live because their homes were destroyed have already been provided hostel beds. However, some of these people are afraid of leaving the Metro and unwilling to move.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Domivka, a pet rescue shelter in Lviv, helps rescue pets who lost their masters due to the war. Volunteers sheltered more than 3,000 pets. They include a goat named Borys that is treated for burn wounds. Bombs destroyed the goat’s shed in Hostomel, but the goat managed to get out. Witnesses joke that Borys later chased invaders away from a house—the animal took over a building earlier occupied by the russian military. The goat spent three weeks in the house.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In March, 14-year-old Serhii from the village of Yahidne in Chernihiv Oblast was seriously wounded during the occupation of the village. Without parental permission, the russians brought the boy to a hospital in Belarus. The mother did not know where her son was for several weeks. Later, the family saw a Facebook post where Serhii had been looking for his parents. However, a new problem emerged—the boy could have been declared an orphan and placed in an orphanage in Belarus. In this case, he would not have been able to leave the neighboring country until reaching the age of majority. The Ukrainian officials and concerned ordinary people joined their efforts to bring Serhii back home.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Kostiantyn, a staff sergeant of the National Guard of Ukraine, defended his home city of Chernihiv from the first day of the war. On the third day of the foe’s all-out offensive, Kostiantyn, together with his friends, took captive two russian military servicemen from the crew of a wrecked tank; one of them turned out to be a tank battalion executive officer. Later, he protected his subordinates at the cost of his health. A projectile exploded nearby while the soldier moved from one trench to another. Medics literally assembled his leg bone part by part. The hero from Chernihiv has already been serving for 20 years. Now he needs several months to rehabilitate and recuperate.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
More than 1,000 people wounded in active fighting areas are treated in Lviv’s medical institutions. Trains with wounded people arrive in Lviv almost every day. They bring in people with mine-blast injuries who have no arms or legs; they often do not have relatives. City authorities send the wounded people for medical treatment abroad in cooperation with foreign clinics. Also, the city council launches a large-scale Nezlamni (The Unbroken) project aiming to build a National Rehabilitation Center. This work has been going on for over a month now. The goal is to build a center that will be the first of its kind in the world. It will provide prosthetics, rehabilitation, socialization, and psychological support thousands of Ukrainians need now.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A businessman from Chernivtsi Oblast makes all-terrain buggies. He developed them himself. The vehicle is not armored but moves fast and can access terrain forbidding for regular cars. The buggies are usually used to deliver weapons or evacuate the wounded personnel from the battlefield. The buggy is relatively cheap and costs USD 5,000.
Large volunteering charities took an interest in this vehicle, and Serhii Prytula’s Fund is already procuring the buggies for the Ukrainian army.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Psiuk’s hat became a fashion trend immediately and is offered for sale for EUR 5 or UAH 200. For each EUR 5 donation, a lottery participant will get a mark. The more donations, the more marks, and the better odds to win.
The Eurovision trophy will go to the most generous participant. Payment can be made even in cryptocurrencies. The auction will last till 7.00 PM on May 28.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Daria and Stanislav’s family lived near Donetsk airport before 2014. When russia invaded Donbas, they moved to Mariupol; however, they lost almost everything there this year—their apartment near Azovstal Steel Works was burned down. Their business—an eatery with thousands of loyal customers—could not work either. Nevertheless, the family decided to hold on. They opened a cafe in Lviv together with their friends who also came from Mariupol. Currently, they are open for delivery and takeaway of Japanese food.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Due to the war, Kyiv Horse Race Track lost all opportunities to earn money and, accordingly, to manage and train horses. As a result, many horses with good chances of becoming champions do not have them anymore. For this reason, employees of the Horse Race Track decided to ask everyone to help. Everyone can sponsor a young horse. Also, everyone can help the Horse Race Track with money to be spent on managing, purchasing, transporting, caring for, and training young pedigree horses.
By way of background information: Kyiv Horse Race Track is the core of the entire horse husbandry sector, employing hundreds of people in breeding institutes and state-owned and private pedigree horse breeding farms. It also employs veterinarians, blacksmiths, coaches, and jockeys.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On May 27, 2022, an auction will take place to sell Ivan Marchuk’s Temptation Garden painting painted in the USA 26 years ago. Goldens auction house will offer this painting from a small series of still life paintings together with 19 more works of art at the Art Can Help charity auction. Painting collectors will transfer half of the proceeds to the Come Back Alive foundation to support Ukraine’s Armed Forces.
By way of background information: Ivan Marchuk is one of the most prominent painters in modern Ukraine. In 2007, he made it to The Daily Telegraph’s Top 100 living geniuses list. In June 2021, Ivan Marchuk’s Golden Night was sold for USD 96,800, the highest price paid for the painter’s works.
Sales of paintings by Ukrainian artists have already helped to raise funds to meet the needs of Ukraine’s Armed Forces. On May 5, 2022, Maria Prymachenko’s Flowers Grew Near Unit Four was sold for USD 500,000, setting a record price paid for works by Ukrainian artists. According to Serhii Prytula, the auction organizer, TV host, and volunteer, the money was used to buy 125 minibuses for the Ukrainian army.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Symbols of Ukraine’s victory at the Eurovision Song Contest will now help Ukraine win the war against russian invaders. Kalush Orchestra, together with Serhii Prytula’s Charity Fund, will raffle off the frontman’s pink hat. They will also raffle off the Eurovision crystal microphone-shaped trophy to raise funds for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Serhii Prytula will bring the one and only pink hat and tell the story of the idea, why the guys agreed to give their Eurovision trophy to help Ukraine’s Armed Forces, and how to join the raffle.
Start of the event: May 27, 10:00 AM
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
People who lost their homes due to the russian invasion can find temporary shelter in a modular camp in Bucha, Kyiv Oblast. The houses are being installed now and will provide shelter for 350 people soon. Every unit has a kitchen and a canteen, toilets and shower rooms. In rooms, there are beds for 4 people and the necessary furniture. Poland provided these housing units under the #PolandFirstToHelp program.
By way of background information: On April 2, Kyiv Oblast was liberated from russian forces. Numerous killings of civilians were recorded in the liberated towns and villages. It is especially valid for Bucha, where at least 400 people were killed. According to Bucha’s mayor Anatolii Fedoruk, 22 apartment blocks in the city were damaged, two of them beyond repair. Also, 243 private homes suffered so much damage that they had to be demolished.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Over 80 rescue workers, who worked under occupation in Chornobyl, have recently returned to work. These people did not leave their stations after russians had occupied the territory. Instead, the rescue workers controlled the area to ensure that nothing bad happened at the ChNPP site and responded to fires. All the time, these men worked while held at gunpoint by russians.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Leading plastic surgeons offer free surgeries to people who got scarred due to the war in Ukraine. The surgeons call their campaign #NoScar
People injured because of fighting and requiring reconstructive surgery are invited to contact plastic surgeons participating in the campaign. They only have to send their photograph and a description of their injury.
These are the Facebook pages of surgeons who have already joined the campaign:
https://www.facebook.com/denys.yurchenko.7
https://www.facebook.com/dr.vrublivskyi/
By way of background information: According to the UN data, 4,654 Ukrainian civilians were injured because of russia’s all-out invasion as of May 24.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
About 40 people still live in a bomb shelter on the outskirts of Chernihiv. These people’s homes were destroyed completely or partly. Some of them fear that bombs can start falling again.
Residents of the bomb shelter said they visit their ruined homes during the day to clean up, but return to the basement every night.
By way of background information: According to Chernihiv authorities, 1,500 private homes and 10,000 apartments were destroyed completely, and 37,000 more were damaged in the course of active fighting in the city.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Families of defenders of Mariupol announced the establishment of the NGO “Ladies of Steel.” The Council of Wives and Mothers of the soldiers will control the process of the repatriation of POWs. For instance, they will launch a Telegram channel for communications that will help exchange the Ukrainian soldiers. Furthermore, they plan to become a mediator between the Ukrainian authorities and the defenders’ families.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Viktoria (the name was changed at her request) used to work as a reporter for a Ukrainian news portal in Kherson.
Despite the war, Viktoria decided to stay in her home city to keep doing her job. Almost all Ukrainian media stopped working in Kherson once the occupation started. So the journalist decided she would stay home to inform Ukraine and the whole world about crimes perpetrated by russians. Initially, she worked openly; however, the situation in the city became tenser, and invaders started kidnapping residents who disagreed with them. Currently, the reporter is working in the underground.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Polina and Kostia, who relocated from Kherson, opened a cafe in Ivano-Frankivsk. They used the money the couple had been going to spend on their honeymoon trip. For more than a month, the couple has been developing their business in the new city, making coffee for residents and guests of Ivano-Frankivsk. Their cafe in Kherson stopped working on February 24 with the start of the all-out war.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
At the start of the war, Domazhyr, a bear sanctuary near Lviv, took in seven new residents from Bila Skelia, a bear shelter in Kyiv Oblast. According to Domazhyr employees, the journey was very hard because some roads were unsafe. Trucks with bears had to make a long detour because of fighting on the most direct road.
Four bears from Kyiv Oblast have already been moved to Germany. Four bears still live in Domazhyr. They will be transported back home to Kyiv Oblast soon.
By way of background information: Domazhyr Bear Sanctuary helps bears by rescuing them from hunting training centers, traveling zoos and circuses, hotels, and restaurants. The living conditions in the sanctuary are close to the natural conditions.
Please visit the sanctuary’s website at: www.bearsanctuary-domazhyr.org/ua
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Eyewitness stories, photos, and video footage—DATTALION (Ukrainian Data Battalion) project collects information from hotspots during russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The initiative has already obtained over 3,000 videos and more than 8,000 photographs. Usually, these materials are sourced from people on the frontline, which is out of reach for journalists. The founders believe that the world must see the truth of what invaders are doing in Ukraine. The database of photo and video footage is open. The project has already been supported by international volunteers.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ukravtodor has offered its legendary traffic sign created on the third day of the war, “Go f*ck yourself, go f*ck yourself again, go f*ck yourself in russia” for an online auction at Prozorro.Sales. The road sign comes from Sumy Oblast. The online charity auction will take place on June 2. The starting price for the lot is UAH 50,000 or USD 1,500. The new owner can set it up within their household or elsewhere (apart from public roads). All proceeds will be transferred to the special account of the National Bank of Ukraine for Ukraine’s Armed Forces.
By way of background information: Once russian forces started their massive assault on February 24, 2022, it became evident that they had used obsolete means of navigation. Thus, Ukravtodor instructed its units to remove or paint over the traffic signs with settlement names. Ukrainians heeded the call. A universal road sign for invaders was developed instead.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Artists in Lviv paint fragments of russian missiles downed by air defense units. One of such fragments will be offered at an online lottery.
The lottery started on May 30; it will end with a live drawing on June 1, 8:30 PM. An online lottery ticket costs UAH 100. All proceeds from the lottery will be transferred to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
“A tour of Lviv that will never take place” performance art event will take place in Lviv on June 1 on International Children’s Day.
Empty school buses will be exhibited in Rynok Square to represent 243 Ukrainian children killed by the invaders who could have come to Lviv on a tour if not for…
#stopUkrainiangenocide
Venue:
Rynok Square (northern side)
The performance event will end at 4:00 PM
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Roman Nabozhniak, a Ukrainian soldier, veteran, and entrepreneur, organized a charity auction to raise USD 50,000 and buy a Punisher assault UAV for the Ukrainian Army. He offered his own Veterano Brownie café for the auction and decided to sell it in parts.
At the online auction, everyone could buy a cup, a plate, or another “part” of their favorite establishment. USD 50,000 were raised within 26 hours.
Veterano Brownie, a cafe well-known in Kyiv, closed immediately after the start of russia’s full-scale invasion. Roman Nabozhniak took up weapons to defend Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Objects from battlefields will be offered at a charity auction hosted by Lviv Municipal Arts Center on June 2 at 7:00 PM. These objects include, for instance, an RPG tube, Grad fragments, a helmet, and shell cases. Visitors will be told stories of each of these unique objects. The funds will be raised for the UAID charity foundation to procure items needed at the frontline. Paintings by Ukrainian artists will also be sold at the auction to help the Army.
Please follow the link to view all lots: https://www.instagram.com/accounts/login/?next=/uaid.auction/
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Yevhenii Kompanets from Cherkasy makes varenyky for soldiers at the frontline together with his family. He claims to be using a special family heritage recipe—the dumplings are tastier, and the dough remains fresh longer. The family makes up to 2,000 varenyky dumplings per week, sending them to the frontline in freezer bags.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In Kharkiv, police officers sheltered a cat rescued from North Saltivka, the most affected area of the city. Locals asked them to find shelter for the pet; owners left the cat behind while leaving the city to go abroad. The cat lived on a staircase of the apartment block until the neighbors gave it to the police. Osia is now living at the police station, waiting for its owners to return home.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oleksandr from Chernihiv has been working as a welder for 22 years. When russians started shelling the city, he decided to stay and help locals instead of leaving the city. The shelling left many people in the city without gas supply, so Oleksandr had to mend damaged pipes, with shells exploding a dozen meters away. He worked for 50 days without taking a day off in this hazardous environment.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Andrii Sahaidak is an experienced forester and founder of the Polissia Forest Crafts Museum. Before the all-out war, he organized tours of Mizhrichynskyi Regional Landscape Park in Chernihiv Oblast. Now, he resumes the tours of the park’s nature trail to raise money for Ukraine’s Armed Forces and help volunteers recuperate to be able to keep working for victory.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Maryna is said to be the first female mine clearance specialist serving in the National Guard. She has substantial military experience; she has recently mastered the mine clearance specialty and joined an engineering unit of Ukraine’s National Guard. She studied her new metier in Kosovo. Today, she is gaining new experience, deactivating hazardous ammunition in Kyiv Oblast.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oleh Skavysh, also known as Tiahnyzub (Mr. Tug-Tooth) in Ukraine, has been treating internally displaced children in Ukraine’s west since the start of the russian invasion. Oleh works as a pediatrician for Western Ukrainian Specialized Medical Center for Children and, together with his mobile crew, makes house calls to shelters for people who had to flee their homes due to the war. He claims his little patients are not afraid of a huge tattooed strongman.
By way of background information: Oleh “Tiahnyzub” Skavysh is known for lifting and tugging various heavy objects with his teeth. In 2018, his achievements made it to the Guinness World Records. He pulled a 614-tonne cargo vessel for over 16 meters.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ukrposhta, the national post operator, started supporting Ukrainian artisans before the all-out war. An “exporter’s school” was set up for them; they were trained in developing their business, selling their unique goods on Etsy and eBay. Today, they started a Made in UA Support Project, an initiative aiming to support financially Ukrainian entrepreneurs during the war. The support will be provided to manufacturers of clothing and footwear, furniture, toys, decorations, and cosmetics. Some artisans still work in the cities shelled by the enemy—for instance, in Kharkiv and Odesa.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Sleeping cars were placed on a railway track in Irpin to accommodate locals who lost their homes because of the war. The railcars are equipped for prolonged accommodation with shower cabins, individual beds, and a restaurant car.
Gazeboes and toilets were placed near railcars, and a fence was installed to prevent people from walking on the tracks. According to Irpin’s mayor, these railcars can be used as temporary accommodation for 150 to 200 people.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The State Military Veterinary Hospital opened its doors in Khmelnytskyi Oblast after russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine. It treats service dogs and dogs owned by IDPs affected by missile and artillery attacks. Specialists of the hospital have already helped hundreds of animals after the onset of the war. The military veterinarians work not only in their region but also go on missions to cities and villages of Kyiv Oblast liberated from russian invaders.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Sociotherapy Kyiv City Crisis Center will begin operating in Kyiv on June 8. It will offer special anti-stress therapy pro bono to the Ukrainians affected by crisis events during the war. The Center’s doors are open to everyone. Its personnel will help with symptoms of an acute stress reaction, anxiety, or depressive disorder. They will organize group meetings and face-to-face sessions with psychologists and teach special self-help techniques in the case of stress. The Center offers a 4-week crisis therapy program.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
100 educational institutions in Lviv remain a temporary shelter for forcibly displaced Ukrainians. On a daily basis, many educators combine teaching with volunteering work by helping those who have been forced to leave their homes because of the war.
In particular, “Lvivsky” lyceum alone has housed more than 500 migrants since the beginning of the war.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ternopil manufacturer provides light electric bikes for mobile groups of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. With the start of a full-scale war, the company donated several bikes to the army. The military appreciated the advantages of such transport, so the designers re-equipped a civilian model specifically for the army: they painted it khaki, removed mirrors and lighting. The details were purchased at the expense of volunteers.
Electric bicycles accelerate up to 90 km per hour. If necessary, they can be used as a large power bank on wheels. In the field, the military can connect Starlink satellite Internet equipment to the bike battery.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The National Rehabilitation Center will help 50,000 Ukrainians every year. First, the Center will focus on the people who suffered physically and mentally as a result of russia’s military aggression against Ukraine. Rehabilitation services will also be available to patients who need it due to other injuries and illnesses.
The Center will also focus on surgery, including reconstructive surgery, as well as orthopedics and robotic prosthetics. Not only will the Center install prosthetics for Ukrainians affected by the war, but also produce them there. 3D printing of bone implants is also in the planning.
The project of the National Rehabilitation Center will be presented by Ukraine’s Minister of Health Viktor Liashko. This presentation will take place as a part of “NEZLAMNI” (the unbreakable) donor forum, which will take place on June 10 in Lviv. The forum’s venue will be disclosed after passing the mandatory accreditation.
Accreditation is available until 4 PM on June 9, 2022 via the link: https://forms.gle/SowfrvEw7Mo7uaxL7
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Instead of the usual Roma songs, the musicians are performing Ukrainian folk or resistance songs. Recordings with their performances have already become popular on social networks.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Taras from Rivne, who was among the first to reinstate the occupation of a chimney sweeper, started building a new oven for the 83-year-old lady from the village of Horenka in Kyiv Oblast. Vira Pylypivna became famous after baking Easter bread in the yard of her house destroyed by russians. russian projectiles destroyed her summer kitchen and damaged her oven; the oven, however, remained in place. Now, Taras is rebuilding the old lady’s oven to enable her to uphold Ukrainian traditions.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Army is using “anti-drone guns” successfully to neutralize enemy recon quadrocopters used to adjust artillery fire with “anti-drone guns.” The gun is manufactured by a Ukrainian company. The device uses radio interference to down the drones. Antennae aim the signal in the required direction, covering frequencies used by 99% of commercial and tactical drones. Once in the gun coverage area, the drone loses connection to the satellite or control panel. The image disappears as well because the drone can no longer film photos and video footage.
In some respects, this product is better than similar Western C-UAV equipment procured by Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense in 2021.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Boris Johnson, UK Prime Minister, was initiated into Cossacks in Chernihiv. For his hairstyle, the British politician was given a genuine Cossack name – Boris Chupryna. The decision to initiate Johnson into Cossacks was made by the Cossack community of Saint Catherine Church. The appropriate diploma will be sent to London. On the occasion of this event, Kyiv artists Darya Dobriakova and Yurii Kutylov painted Boris as Cossack Mamay.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Joseph Woodke, a veteran of the U. S. Armed Forces and Paralympian, lost both legs after being wounded at war in Afghanistan. He came to Ukraine to show Ukrainian veterans with his example that life does not come to a grinding halt after the amputation.
Also, Jeremy Locke, a former U. S. Army Special Forces soldier and co-founder of Aerial Recovery Group, came to visit Ukraine. Aerial Recovery Group has been helping Ukraine for several months. Both veterans will stay in Ukraine for several days and have a number of meetings.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A campaign to gather embroidered items to support Ukraine’s Armed Forces is going on in Lviv. People bring both modern and old embroidered shirts and dresses. There are even designer items. These items will be sold at a charity auction in New York, and the proceeds will be used to help Ukrainian soldiers.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The company’s vineyards and production facilities are located in Mykolaiv Oblast on the boundary of the temporarily occupied territory. It is the second Ukrainian winery to win a Gold medal. At the same time, russian wineries were banned from participating in the contest.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In Denmark, the Bikes4Ukraine campaign is raising 2,000 bikes and UAH 8,500,000 to buy and deliver them to Lviv. Mikael Colville-Andersen, a Danish urban designer and TV host, became a project ambassador. The first bikes will be delivered to Lviv the next month. In the meantime, Rover.rent, a charity bike-sharing scheme for IDPs, is being set up in the city.
Lyana Mytsko, Director of Lviv’s Municipal Arts Center, suggested that the City Council’s Office for Transportation establish a bike-sharing scheme for IDPs. IDPs registered in the city will be able to take a bike at one of 10 stations to use it free of charge. The main condition is that the bike must be returned by the start of the curfew.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Terrorists of the self-proclaimed DPR sentenced to death a Moroccan citizen Brahim Saadoun who defended Ukraine against invaders. Brahim is 21 years old; he is a former student of Ihor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. He has been residing in Ukraine since 2019 and signed a contract for military service in 2021. He defended Azovstal Steel Works and was taken captive by russians. Nika, Brahim’s girlfriend, is fighting in Ukraine for his release from captivity.
By way of background information:
UK citizens Aiden Aslin, Shaun Pinner, and Moroccan citizen Brahim Saadoun were sentenced to death in occupied Donetsk. All of them moved to Ukraine and signed contracts with Ukraine’s Armed Forces before the onset of russia’s all-out invasion; thus, they are combatants protected by the Geneva Conventions.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Victoria managed to rescue 27 dogs and 15 cats during the shelling of Chernihiv. She picked up some animals in the streets and had to extricate others from locked flats. She brought dogs and cats to a steel and metal store she owns. She had to sit out shelling together with the animals in a bomb shelter on the premises. Now, owners are coming back to pick up their pets she rescued.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Surgeons of Lviv’s St. Nicholas Children’s Hospital rescued 13-year-old Sviatoslav from Lysychansk. A 4-cm long shell fragment passed through his neck and chest to get stuck in the boy’s lungs. According to surgeons, this wound is mortal. They considered it a miracle that Sviatoslav had not died on the spot. The surgery was very complicated – because an entire lung was affected – but successful.
According to Sviatoslav’s mother, Olena Rychkova, the boy was wounded in May near his home in Lysychansk.
Their family had also been affected by the russian invasion earlier. Sviatoslav’s older brother, who had lived with his family in Boiarka in Kyiv Oblast, vanished in March when russians attacked the region. The family has not heard from or about him so far.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Hands for a Mom, a final exhibition auction organized by a charity project of Ukrainian artists abroad, will take place in Lviv on June 16.
Generally, this project presents exhibitions by Ukrainian artists in various countries of Europe. Exhibitions were already opened in Berlin and Vienna, as well as in other cities. The proceeds from sales of the works of art will be spent on providing prosthetics to women who lost their limbs due to shelling.
On June 17, the organizer of the charity art project, representatives of the business community, and the government will talk in more detail about the initiative and achievements at a briefing at Media Center Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the all-out war, Every Animal, an NGO, engaged in education projects to raise the Ukrainians’ awareness of veganism. Hundreds of activities, performances, and lectures were organized to rescue animals from suffering. Once the all-out war had broken out in Ukraine, the activists started cooking for both civilian and military vegans. Its charity kitchens staffed by volunteers work in seven cities, with the NGO taking care of about 200 vegans from Ukraine’s Armed Forces and about 100 IDPs.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
After the outbreak of the all-out war, the East Ukrainian Technology Cluster left Kramatorsk, a city located near the frontline. Four companies evacuated their personnel and equipment to Lviv. Areal, one of the companies in the cluster, ambitiously aims to replace russian 1S accounting software and create an accounting ecosystem based on a Ukrainian software product. Svitlana Panova, a co-founder and director of the company, had to flee the war for the second time. Earlier, she had to leave her native Yalta in Crimea, currently occupied by russia.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Engineers of GlobalLogic, an IT company, developed modern blood collection equipment. The device analyzes the donor’s condition, determines the appropriate amount of blood and the blood collection rate, and prevents it from clotting in the container. This equipment is extremely important during the war in Ukraine because it saves time for medics, allowing them to handle more donors. Over 70% of the USA and European medical market use the blood collection equipment developed by Ukrainian engineers.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
“We will offer ten paintings by modern Ukrainian painters at this auction. The list of authors is quite prominent,” Serhiy Prytula said.
According to the acclaimed volunteer and TV host, Serhiy Prytula’s Foundation cooperates closely with colleagues from the Army SOS Foundation, also known as developers of Valkyrie drones. Plans call for procuring 50 UAVs and training 50 drone operators.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Demir, a Turkish national currently living in Lviv, accommodated IDPs in his home after the russian invasion had started. A family from Dnipro lives now in Demir’s apartment.
Demir also bought two cars for Ukraine’s Armed Forces and the humanitarian aid delivery; he regularly donates blood for the military personnel.
He explains his supporting Ukraine willingly because he got help three years ago when he came to the country, so now it is his turn to help.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Starting from June 15, Irpin residents who lost their homes due to the all-out russian invasion will be sheltered in UZ railcars. These railcars can accommodate up to 100 families. Residents will also have access to gazeboes and footpaths, a steam bath railcar, and Wi-Fi. The food will be delivered three times a day.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Olha Honchar, Director of the Territory of Terror museum of totalitarian regimes in Lviv, is convinced that it is important to rescue not only museum exhibits during the war but also the museum staff. These people dedicated themselves to preserving culture and history. This is why she established a Museum Crisis Center. She and other museum workers and art historians in Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Uzhhorod, Kyiv, Vinnytsia, Chernihiv Oblast, and abroad help their colleagues with medicines and humanitarian aid. They also contribute to disseminating their work by reporting information about them to UNESCO, international partners, and donors.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Entrepreneurs are not afraid of resuming their work despite constant shelling. Twenty percent of market stalls reopened in Barabashovo Market. The legendary cook Amiran Tkemaladze, who has been cooking Georgian food in Barabashovo for 20 years, is also working. He took a two-week break after the start of the all-out war when a fire caused by the bombardment engulfed the market. But later, he came back to work.
By way of background information: A fire in Barabashovo Market caused by a bombardment with Grad MRLS was reported on March 17. The fire covered more than 7 hectares, and the whole city was engulfed by thick smoke. Attempts to get the fire under control took several days, and the market burned to ashes.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A Ukrainian cyclist plans to make 1,500 km riding his bicycle in the area near the frontline to raise UAH 1 million for Ukraine’s Armed Forces. After any amount is transferred to the account, the guy will ride one kilometer per UAH 700 raised. He will transfer the raised funds to two charitable foundations. Overall, the bicycle marathon is expected to take 7 to 9 days.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The famous Georgian singer Nino Katamadze will visit Media Center Ukraine on June 17. The celebrity will take part in a charity concert in Lviv National Philharmonic Society together with the INSO-Lviv symphony orchestra and Nikoloz Rachveli, a Georgian composer and conductor, that will take place on the same day. All proceeds from ticket sales will be channeled to support Ukraine’s Armed Forces.
Earlier, the singer visited patients of a hospital in Lviv who had been wounded in the course of the russo-Ukrainian war. Also, Katamadze paid a visit to Bucha and Irpin. The celebrity singer gave a concert in a metro station in Kyiv.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In May 2022, actors and directors of Mariupol Drama Theater found refuge in Zakarpattia Music and Drama Theater. They are currently working on the first full-fledged production in the evacuation, a play about the life of Ukrainian writer Vasyl Stus.
Employees of the Mariupol Theater were provided with housing in a dormitory in Uzhhorod.
By way of background information: on March 16, 2022, the russians launched an air strike on the building of Mariupol Drama Theater, which civilians were using as a bomb shelter. Several hundred Mariupol residents were killed in the air strike. After capturing the city, the russian invaders cleared the rubble of the theater, and the dead were buried in a mass grave marked with numbers instead of names.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On June 18-19, “Courage to Rebuild Ukraine” volunteer initiative will help the residents of Irpin and Bucha affected by the russian invasion to clear the debris and make major repairs. All volunteers who take part in the communal work will be provided with tools, gloves and food.
By way of background information: according to Mayor of Irpin Oleksandr Markushin, more than 1,000 buildings were damaged and 115 were completely destroyed in the city due to the russian invasion.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Temporary housing for pregnant women, who had to flee the war, is under construction in Lviv. Two houses with a total area of 1,300 m2 are to be built. Each will have bedrooms, laundry rooms, showers, toilets, lounges, children’s areas, kitchens and dining rooms. Houses made of wooden structures are being assembled on site based on the US experience.
Local authorities are planning to build a small lake and a park near the buildings. The women are to be settled in July.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine, Serhii Melnychenko was doing conceptual photography and owned a photography school in his native Mykolaiv. Today, Serhii is an IDP living in Ivano-Frankivsk. In late April, Serhii offered his photographs for sale as NFTs. He donated all the proceeds to help Ukraine and the Ukrainians. By now, the artist’s donations exceed UAH 530,000.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the war, Vyacheslav Khabarov was a virtuoso guitar player who played with rock legends, such as John Lawton (Uriah Heep), Graham Bonnet (Rainbow), Dan McCafferty (Nazareth), and Tim “Ripper” Owens (Judas Priest). After russia’s invasion, Slava Khabarov joined the army, where he got the callsign “Maestro.” Unfortunately, the musician was wounded; a serious injury to his left hand can put an end to the career of a top-grade musician. However, Slava remains calm, keeps rehabilitating and rehearsing, and even restringed his guitar to play with his healthy hand.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In Kyiv Oblast, walking tours are organized in the towns that became victims of the russian invasion. Tour participants can visit interesting locations in Irpin, Bucha, and Borodianka and see the consequences of destruction with their own eyes. A walking tour costs UAH 150 per person.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In Kharkiv, volunteers help people renovate their apartments damaged by shelling. The volunteer helpers include both professional construction workers and dancers or even stylists. They clear the debris, mend windows, and generally put things in order. Everyone can ask them for help.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A briefing by representatives of the Tribunal for putin initiative will take place at Media Center Ukraine at 11:00 AM on June 22. The initiative was established during the russo-Ukrainian war. The initiators document the events that bear signs of crimes according to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (crimes against humanity, war crimes, genocide) in all regions affected by the invasion. The initiative is active at an international level aiming to use the existing mechanisms of the UN, the Council of Europe, the OSCE, the EU, and the International Criminal Court to stop crimes and punish the guilty.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Dmytro Komarov, the host of Svit Navyvorit (The World Inside Out) is offering his own Chrysler Crossfire for sale. He plans to use the proceeds to help Ukraine and its defenders. The car is auctioned off on Dmytro’s Facebook page. Everyone is invited to bid for the car in comments under the Facebook post before June 27; the car will be sold to the highest bidder.
By way of background information: Dmytro Komarov is a Ukrainian journalist, traveler, photographer, writer, and TV host – the anchor of the Svit Navyvorit (The World Inside Out) show. Earlier, Dmytro established a #CupOfCoffee charity initiative to help gravely ill children. His initiative raised over UAH 38 million and helped save the lives of 32 children.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Volunteers of the Repair Together Project help people renovate their homes damaged and destroyed due to the war. They also organize toloka – collective community work events – in villages to help clean up the debris from the destruction in the yards. Also, the initiative provides targeted aid to people in need, for instance, by providing people with the necessary household appliances. Currently, the volunteers work in Chernihiv Oblast.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Kristina has lived under occupation in Melitopol in Zaporizhia Oblast for over two months. Together with her mom, the girl took part in protests and saw with her own eyes that russian military personnel threatened, beat up, and kidnapped people. It took her one day and a half to get to Zaporizhia from the occupied city of Melitopol.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The training center of the LEV territorial defense battalion hosts free training for civilian residents of Lviv. Everyone can learn how to handle firearms and undergo weapon training. There are both men and women among the first trainees. They include Iryna Sabat, who spent 15 years of her life in France and decided to return home after the russian invasion had started. Her brother was mobilized, and she registered for the training course.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Serhiy Prytula Foundation has announced a fundraising campaign for UAH 500 million for 3 Bayraktar drones for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The project is called “People’s Bayraktar”. In the first day along the initiative managed to collect over UAH 300 million. According to Prytula, most donations are small: from UAH 2 to 200.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Monobank, together with the UNITED24 initiative of the president of Ukraine, is raising USD 2 million to buy two Warmate combat drones and 40 kamikaze drones.
Warmate is a very smart and well-equipped system with kamikaze drones that are able to hit targets deep in the enemy’s rear.
There will be a drawing for the chance to write personal messages to the russians. 40 people among those, who donated money for the drones, will have their messages written on kamikaze drones! Moreover, the UNITED24 team will not only write on the drones, but also send a person a photo of their message being delivered to the enemy.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On June 24, Ukrainians can join the world-famous “Take Your Dog to Work Day” campaign and bring their pets to office, thus demonstrating a friendly attitude even during the war. In recent years, about 500 companies across the country have joined the initiative.
In Lviv, after 11 AM, members of the press will be able to chat (online or offline) with those participating in the campaign at a dog-friendly office.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A team of activists established the Lviv Self-Defense Warrior school almost immediately after the start of russia’s full-scale invasion. Initially, only men were admitted for training. Later, it was realized that women needed to be able to handle firearms. Today, the school founders aim to train Ukrainians to be ready to defend their homes at any time.
Artem Bakanov, an entrepreneur who had to leave his home in Kyiv when a russian airplane fell on the ground nearby, is one of the school’s founders.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
SaveUkraineNow, the Carpathian Region Coordination Center of Assistance to the Armed Forces, announced a charity auction to support defenders of Ukraine. A T-shirt signed by the famous footballer Cristiano Ronaldo is offered for sale. This lot is owned by a 14-year-old school student from Ivano-Frankivsk who decided to raise funds for the military personnel of the Territorial Defense Force and the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the Carpathian region fighting now at the frontline.
The auction finals will take place on June 26.
Today, the highest bid for the celebrity footballer-signed T-shirt comes to UAH 60,000.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Bucha is a city in Kyiv Oblast that has been greatly affected by the russian occupation. Almost 2,000 residential properties, including almost 1,500 single-family houses, were damaged or destroyed. On June 24, Mateusz Morawiecki, Prime Minister of Poland, and Oleksiy Chernyshov, Ukraine’s Minister of Communities and Territories Development, opened a modular camp for 352 residents in the hero city of Bucha. It accommodates residents of Bucha and neighboring cities. There are plans for building three camps like this one to accommodate 704 residents.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Iryna Dubchenko rescued a wounded Ukrainian serviceman in the village of Rozivka, Zaporizhia oblast, where the active combat started at the beginning of March. Then Ukrainian forces were forced to retreat. Iryna found out that one of the wounded, Serhiy from the Aidar Battalion, had been left in a village house without heating and food.
Iryna took care of the military man and planned to take him to Zaporizhia, pretending to be a couple. However, they did not have time to implement the plan: the soldiers in uniforms with the inscriptions of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic came to Irina. That’s how the journalist and the soldier were taken prisoner. The woman was released in early April. Now Iryna lives in Zaporizhia and is waiting for the deoccupation of her home village.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
First respondents from Lviv region demined settlements of Kyiv region liberated from the occupiers. Experts say they looked for explosives in enemy trenches, forests and detached houses with the permission of the owners. Among other things, they found missiles and mines that hadn’t exploded. For example, more than ten thousand munitions were neutralized in one small area.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Every day, Ukroboronprom state-owned military enterprise receives inquiries from scientists and startups that offer their developments and inventions to strengthen the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Ukroboronprom and the Ukrainian Startup Fund, together with the government, will provide grants of up to USD 35,000 for dual-use projects. They say they should either help increase the country’s defense capabilities or its rapid post-war reconstruction. In particular, they are ready to finance cybersecurity.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Charity volunteers from 4.5.0 Kharkiv Residents Together have been helping locals since the first days of russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine. Every day, they cook and deliver more than 10,000 servings of food. They deliver food by bus to all districts of Kharkiv. Food is given to people who lost their work because of the war and those who live in bomb shelters and basements.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
UAnimals, an animal welfare organization rescuing animals during the war, has offered Leonardo DiCaprio’s authentic autograph for a draw among those who donated UAH 300. Thus, benefactors can help animals and try their luck in a draw.
By way of background information: The authentic autograph for the draw was handed over to UAnimals by Alex Krylov, an American collector of certified autographs of world-renowned celebrities.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Scientists from the Institute of Physics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine have created “Hydrobynt” (hydro-bandage) medicine, which helps heal burns from phosphorus shells. The drug is based on silver nanoparticles that stimulate healing of wounds, burns and ulcers. “Hydrobynt” was developed by scientists in two forms: as a bandage and as a spray for disinfection.
Scientists have already sent a batch of the drug to field hospitals and received positive feedback from doctors. According to doctors, the pain in patients decreases immediately after the application of “Hydrobynt”, and the wounds get cleaned.
Now scientists offer to provide their technology to manufacturers so it could be mass produced.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The presenter of the morning radio show helps retirees in Kyiv region, in particular, in the settlements affected by the russian occupation. To do this, the woman founded “Yulia’s Grannies” Charitable Foundation. One of the main Foundation’s activities is care for the elderly and lonely people. Recently the Foundation’s team visited Hornostaipil geriatrics center for the elderly and people with disabilities. The foundation delivered food there. Yulia is sure that for lonely old elderly there are no cooler grandchildren than Ukrainians who want to help.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Students of the “Kyiv Polytechnic Institute” have started collecting electronic cigarettes, spare parts of which might come in need for the production of drones. After all, the battery of an e-cigarette can become a part of the discharge system in drones for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The first batch of the collected parts has already been sent to the engineer.
Used cigarettes are collected on campus. In addition, an agreement has been reached with ROZETKA chain of stores: they will also collect e-cigarettes.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Roberto Brambilla, a surgeon from Italy, will visit Ukraine again soon. Before that, he helped Lviv medics rescue wounded children and adults for two months. He taught them to cover soft tissue defects with artificial skin. This technology allows regrowing damaged skin centimeter by centimeter without scars. A teenager who had been under missile attack on Kramatorsk railway station was among patients treated under this procedure.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Volunteers from Buduiemo Ukrayinu Razom (Build Ukraine Together) have been restoring buildings destroyed by the war in Ukraine’s east since 2014. Now, they help rescuers in Kyiv Oblast restore their damaged building. In Ukraine’s west, they renovate dormitory houses and private homes for IDPs.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In Mykolaiv, the State Emergency Service personnel rescued a Labrador from a block of apartments ruined by russians. The rescuers shot a video of the complicated rescue process. The pet owner asked them for help. The SES personnel used special equipment – a crane with a cradle – to rescue the dog from the destroyed building. This is not the only case of rescuers’ responding to calls to rescue pets in active combat areas. Pets were also rescued in Bucha, Borodianka, and Irpin.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A fundraising platform United24, together with the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces and the Ministry of Digital Transformation, announced its Drone Army project. The first goal is to buy 200 recon UAVs for Ukraine’s Armed Forces and gather thousands of the simplest regular drones. Everyone can transfer funds and buy or donate a drone.
Drones can be sent to the warehouse of the project’s partners – Help Ukraine Center in Poland or a hub in the USA. Then, it will be delivered to Ukraine from the warehouse. Ukrainians can send a drone via any Nova Poshta office.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
KNESS, a Ukrainian group of companies from Vinnytsia, developed a standalone mobile solar power plant on wheels. The power unit is already in use by Ukraine’s Armed Forces. The design is really simple, so one only needs to turn a switch on. It is also very compact, with solar panels folding and unfolding conveniently. A solar power plant can power up a mobile phone, an electric kettle, a fridge, and military devices, such as a radio station.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Borscht is now inscribed in UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List. So now, the Ukrainian borscht is officially protected by UNESCO. Yevhen Klopotenko, a chef who worked on popularizing Ukrainian cuisine worldwide, played a big role in achieving this. For instance, he authored a book, Borscht and With Borscht, containing many different recipes for this traditional Ukrainian food.
By way of background information: russia attempted to present borscht as its own national food. For this reason, Ukraine officially applied for inscribing borscht on the UNESCO heritage list in March 2021.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A family of IDPs from Donetsk Oblast opened a family bakery in Dnipro. They have had to leave their home twice because of russia’s aggression. In 2014, they left occupied Horlivka; this year, they had to leave Toretsk. Now, they bring bread and buns baked in their new bakery there. It is impossible to bake bread in Toretsk anymore because there is no water, no electricity, and no gas. However, there are still people in this city on the front line who wait for fresh bread.
The IDPs said they had planned to open one more bakery in March – in Sievierodonetsk in Luhansk Oblast. They even installed equipment there. However, they lost their property when the city was bombarded by artillery and then occupied by the russian forces.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A dog beaten and mined by occupiers was found near Makarov in Kyiv Oblast. The pet needs prolonged rehabilitation, according to Zoopatrol.UA NGO. They say the animal was found lying in a pit with waste. People wanted to pull the dog out but noticed that it was mined. Being unable to walk saved the dog its life. It is not known how much time it lay in the waste pit. The dog was demined by bomb technicians.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
EcoCity, a team of inventors from Ivano-Frankivsk, has been monitoring air quality in Ukrainian cities and teaching children robotics for several years. Recently, they prototyped their first Hazard Detector – a device that monitors chemical threats and measures background radiation. The team founder Oleksii Trelevskyi explains that a device like this can save the lives and health of people who may face chemical and radiation hazards.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Come Back Alive, one of Ukraine’s largest charities, initiated a Sports Ambassadors project. The project is focused on injured and wounded veterans of the russo-Ukrainian war. Veterans who have already been rehabilitated and found themselves in sports visit military hospitals, sharing their experience of coming back to the active life with wounded fighters and offering them help along this path. The ambassadors offer adaptive sports that contribute to the rehabilitation of soldiers with all types of injuries, including even the loss of two extremities, such as biking, swimming, running, wheelchair racing, wheelchair basketball, and sitting volleyball.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In Kharkiv, employees of the Household Waste Removal Complex utility keep working despite the war. Their garbage trucks came under fire several times after the start of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Some of them had to hide while working because a projectile fell nearby. Still, the utility employees remove several thousand containers of garbage every day.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
REwind, a Ukrainian clothing brand, issued a limited collection of jackets made of SU-4 parachutes. These parachutes were used by russian paratroopers landing in Ukraine. REwind managers say that the collection has been developed to record the reality of what is going on in our country. Although the parachutes had come from Ukraine’s warehouses rather than from the battlefield, the Demilitarization collection was sold out even before it came to the market.
The above is an example of upcycling – the reuse of objects in a new function; each object of this kind is unique.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Veronika and Valeriy Petrychkovych are taking care of 47 cats and 25 dogs. They turned their house in the village of Horenka in Kyiv region into a real shelter for abandoned animals: the second floor is used to keep cats, and the yard was equipped for dogs. Together with volunteer veterinarians, the garage was turned into a field hospital where four-legged animals are sterilized, vaccinated and treated. At first, Veronika rescued animals only in Kyiv region. But when the russians were repelled from the region, many owners returned for their pets. So now the couple’s house is home to four-legged friends from other regions of Ukraine that suffered from the russian aggression.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Refugee volunteers from Donetsk region opened a meal center in Lviv, where they serve home-cooked meals. Lunches are free for internally displaced children with their parents. Other vulnerable groups can get a full three-course meal for UAH 50. Volunteers have also managed to set up their own production of macaroni in the meal center.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In Ukraine, “Letters of Love” project was launched to support people in the temporarily occupied territories. The goal of the project is to make sure that relatives who remained in the occupation remain in contact with their kin, or to support ordinary people. The plan is to collect about 10,000 letters during the rally. Letters can be written at the project website. The organizers promise to print out the letters and send them to the addressees.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Bikes4Ukraine, a Danish charitable project, delivered the first batch of 100 bikes for the Ukrainian IDPs from residents of Copenhagen. The Bikes4Ukraine initiative is led by the Danish urbanist Mikael Colville-Andersen. He aims to deliver 2000 bikes to Lviv and develop 20 kilometers of bike lanes linking the rental stations. This initiative will contribute to urban mobility so that IDPs can pick up a bike free of charge at rental stations.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Iryna Nykorak, a Kyiv City Council member, launches the military uniform production for women. She called her project Arm Women Now. The project’s goal is to supply military uniforms to every woman in the Ukrainian Army. According to the Councilor, the first uniform batch is being produced now. The next week it will be delivered to the Armed Forces of Ukraine to enable women fighters to test the uniform in combat. According to Nykorak, over 50,000 women serve in Ukraine’s Armed Forces, including 3,500 as field officers.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On July 8, the International Legion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will host a media event in Kharkiv, offering journalists an opportunity to interview legionnaires from France, the USA, and the UK.
Interviews and topics must be signed off by the Legion’s Director of Communications on July 7 using Signal or Telegram messaging apps.
Details of the venue and time will be provided to each journalist separately.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Mykhailo Ivonin, an entrepreneur from Sievierodonetsk in Luhansk Oblast occupied by russians, designed a modular home for IDPs that can be erected without a crane. Also, it needs no finish inside and outside. In Luhansk Oblast, Mykhailo Ivonin owned a research and design institute. Due to hostilities, he had to leave his home for Kamianets-Podilskyi in Khmelnytskyi Oblast.
Now, Mykhailo Ivonin’s factory employs six IDPs from Sievierodonetsk. They produced the first modular home to accommodate their company’s office.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Wall-e mobile surveillance systems are one of the products manufactured by the Come Back Alive charity. These systems have already helped the Ukrainian military personnel to see the enemy from enclosed positions, acquire recon data, and properly adjust fire. They also rescued lives. No soldier has been killed or wounded by the enemy sniper fire at front line sections where 45 Wall-e systems were installed 1.5 years ago. However, most of the systems were destroyed due to active fighting. The first batch of 30 upgraded systems is currently undergoing final testing.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Leading plastic surgeons offer free surgeries to people who got scarred due to the war in Ukraine. The surgeons call their campaign #NoScar
People injured because of fighting and requiring reconstructive surgery are invited to contact plastic surgeons participating in the campaign. They only have to send their photograph and a description of their injury.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The grand opening of the exhibition of Pavlo Ponomarenko’s paintings and graphics will take place in HotArtHall gallery on July 14 at 6:00 PM. He lived and painted in Mariupol till March 2022. The artist had to leave his native city due to the war.
His exhibition titled Reflections offers an artist’s glance at the events in his native city, country, and the world as a whole. Using a limited range of geometrical shapes and a contained range of colors, the artist offers an opportunity to look into feelings and situations that he and his loved ones had faced.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
RebuildUA project’s team is gathering information about destruction and damage to develop a geoinformation portal about the consequences of the war. Using drones and analytics, the volunteers digitize and appraise damage caused by the invaders. So far, the project has been working in Kyiv Oblast but is planning to expand to other oblasts. The volunteers have already digitized 50 settlements and 15,000 destroyed objects.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Nariman Aliev is a Ukrainian movie director of Crimean Tatar origin. He is the author of Dodomu (Getting Back Home), a film about the russo-Ukrainian war and the return to Crimea, which is famous in Ukraine. The author auctioned off the script for his motion picture that had never been published before to raise money for Ukraine’s Armed Forces. The auction ended on July 11 by selling the script for UAH 90,000.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Aliona Lapchuk saw her husband Vitalii Lapchuk alive for the last time on March 27 when he was abducted and beaten by occupiers. On May 22, Vitalii’s body was found in the Dnieper. His relatives could only recognize him in the photo due to a peculiar birthmark. Vitalii’s wife is still unable to get Vitalii’s body for the funeral.
Vitalii Lapchuk joined Kherson’s Territorial Defense Force in the first days of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He took up arms in late February and continued to fight as an underground resistance fighter even after russian forces had entered the city.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The UAnimals team evacuated five lionesses and one lion from a zoo in Donetsk region. Its territory is constantly shelled by the enemy, so it was extremely dangerous for the animals to stay there. The predators were taken to a shelter for wild animals in Kyiv region. In addition, the animals needed treatment, so people donated UAH 30,000 for the rehabilitation of the lions.
The UAnimals team continues to evacuate animals from various places in Ukraine that are suffering from hostilities.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Valeria Yezhova is the world checkers champion. She decided to use her talent to help the Ukrainian army. The girl played checkers with passers-by on the street and collected money. She won against literally every opponent. The girl was able to earn UAH 21,000. She brought the funds in cash to the office of Serhiy Prytula Charitable Foundation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The training of the first 150 pilots for the Army of Drones began at the Dronarium school in Ukraine. This was announced by Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov. According to him, in training the military will practice real flight tasks, camouflage skills, the development of tactics, drone control, as well as other tasks that will be performed at the frontlines.
For reference: United24 fundraising platform together with the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Ministry of Digital Transformation announced the launch of the “Army of Drones” project. This is a program that includes the systematic purchase of drones, their repair and prompt replacement, as well as a pilot training course.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
“Riding into the Future” project works with military personnel suffering from musculoskeletal disorders, in particular, amputated limbs after participating in combat. In addition to riding lessons, military personnel have the opportunity to try a new type of therapeutic exercise — yoga on horses. The project was founded by a married couple, Oleksandra and Vasyl. Vasyl himself is at the frontlines now, so Oleksandra, together with Natalka, the founder of the public organization “Doloni Dotyk” (palm touch) holds horse riding classes for wounded soldiers every week.
Many of the horses used in therapy are rescued animals. These horses were evacuated out of Kyiv region at the beginning of the full-scale russian-Ukrainian war.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Journalists have the opportunity to visit a farm with an area of more than 1,000 hectares, which was under russian occupation. This is a good opportunity to see with your own eyes warehouses and silos, agricultural machinery and fields of wheat, corn and sunflowers that were burnt down as a result of shelling by the occupiers. The speakers will include:
Oleksandr Fischun, owner and director of Iveria Agro farm.
Hanna Hopko, Co-founder of the International Center for Ukrainian Victory.
Ivan Miroshnichenko, Member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Agrarian Policy and Land Relations, Vice President of the Ukrainian Grain Association, former adviser to the Minister of Agrarian Policy of Ukraine
Ihor Melnyk, owner of “Agrogeophysica” subsidiary company, the territory of which is partly under occupation.
The farm visit will take place on Thursday, July 14 at 11:00 AM. Media accreditation form must be filled out to take part it the visit — https://bit.ly/3axlsef. After receiving your application, the exact address of the location will be sent to you.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oksana, who lost her leg due to the russian shelling of Huliaipole in Zaporizhia Oblast, is preparing to get her prosthesis soon. She undergoes rehabilitation in Lviv. Oksana became one of the first patients of the Rehabilitation Center, a part of the #UNBROKEN network. Oksana will receive the prosthesis abroad.
According to earlier reports, the Nezlamni (Unbroken) National Rehabilitation Center is to open in Lviv. This 37,000 square meters large Center will help 50,000 Ukrainians every year, first of all, those who suffered physical injuries and mental trauma due to russia’s military aggression against Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Yulia Stefaniuk, the leader of the Food Mission, organized the provision of hot food at Lviv’s Railway Station since the beginning of the russian invasion.
Together with her team, Yulia cooked 300 liters of soup every day to provide free food to everyone who was escaping the war via the Railway Station in Lviv.
Before russia’s all-out invasion, Yulia was the managing partner of FEST Catering, a project of FEST Holding of Emotions.
Meet Yulia during her briefing at Media Center Ukraine on July 15. Please follow the briefing schedule on our website.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On July 16, Lviv’s City Council and Lviv State University of Life Safety will host a familiarization training in actions to be taken in the case of a chemical, radiation, or biological attack. The training session will take about 90 minutes. Prior registration is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In Kharkiv, volunteers of BudDopomoha Kharkiv, a charitable organization, help locals cover the windows damaged due to the war. Instead of glass, they fit oriented-strand board (OSB) sheets. Later on, the sheets can be removed to set the glass in. In addition, the volunteers bring food to those in need and deliver humanitarian aid both within and outside the city.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ukrainian zero-waste brands have been developing actively, trying to use the Ukrainian ingredients to be more sustainable. However, russia’s all-out war against Ukraine changed this. Not only did the production process become harder or their team leave, but they also lost access to ingredients, such as unique clays, plants, or packaging materials available in Ukraine. However, these brands keep fighting, some even expanding their product ranges.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On July 17, Syrup hip-hop band and Poryad charity will host an untypical charity event at Lisovyi Prychal (Closer) club in Kyiv. They plan to raise funds for two pick-up trucks for Ukraine’s Armed Forces. PVNCH band, XXV Frame rappers, Oi FUSK, and Wavy Dem will play live. There will also be DJ sets, a ping-pong tournament, a tattoo marathon, and a Ukrainian animation film showing.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Serhii Khrapko, a Ukrainian veteran severely injured in Ukraine’s east in 2015, started a campaign to raise funds to buy an SUV for Ukraine’s Armed Forces. He walked 2 km on his prosthetic leg on July 12; 4 km on July 14; 6 km on July 16; and 8 km on July 18. He will keep increasing the distance until he raises the requisite amount. The veteran is now in Vienna, Austria.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Olha owns a cafe in downtown Kyiv. Her coffee place tries to operate sustainably – they sell environment-friendly products, decorate the location with flowers in pots that one can buy, and refrain from using disposable cups –one can even buy a coffee to go in a genuine, reusable cup. After the start of the full-scale war, Olha equipped a bomb shelter in the building where her cafe is located and established a humanitarian hub.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Serhii Khrapko, a Ukrainian veteran severely injured in Ukraine’s east in 2015, raised enough funds to buy an SUV for Ukraine’s Armed Forces. Throughout July, the man on a prosthetic leg walked several kilometers every two days, increasing the distance every time. The longest distance Serhii had to walk in a day was 10 km. The SUV, for which the veteran has managed to raise funds, is heading east. It will be handed over to the Armed Forces of Ukraine soon. Serhii Khrapko is now in Vienna, Austria.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The surgical team of the Luhansk regional oncology clinic has already performed 4 successful operations at a new location in Sarny, Rivne region. The staff of the medical facility had worked in Kreminna, Luhansk Region until April 18. They received a place to work from in Rivne region only in June. However, they have already started working and received new equipment. They treat both local residents and displaced persons from Kreminna, Severodonetsk and Lysychansk who want to continue to be treated by their doctors. The doctors managed to bring extremely expensive chemotherapy drugs with them during the evacuation. And now the oncology clinic continues to provide chemotherapeutic treatment in Sarny Central District Hospital.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The premiere of the play “Cry of the Nation” by Donetsk Academic Regional Drama Theater from Mariupol took place in Uzhhorod. The troupe of the theater was provided a place to work from on the stage of Zakarpattia Regional Music and Drama Theater. The first performance at the new venue was a story about the life of the Ukrainian poet Vasyl Stus. The premiere took place on July 16 — exactly four months after the russians destroyed the oldest theater in Mariupol with an airstrike, burying hundreds of civilians under the debris.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On July 24, a competition for weaving camouflage nets among youth centers will be held in “Na Valakh” park in Lviv.
As a part of the initiative by “Porokhova Vezha” (Powder Tower) camouflage net weaving center, TVORY! (create) network of youth spaces and Lviv Regional Youth Center will compete for the weaving cup. TVORY! network invites everyone to join their team.
The organizers will teach how to weave nets and tell about the evaluation system at the competitions.
Registration is available at this link.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Almost USD 100 billion is the amount of direct losses as the result of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. These numbers were calculated at the Kyiv School of Economics (KSE). As part of “russia will pay” project, all financial losses of Ukraine since February 24 are recorded there. According to the KSE, residential buildings account for over a third of the damages. Some can still be restored, while some will have to be rebuilt from scratch. Business losses from the war have also been calculated. The damages include destroyed factories, and burned down warehouses as well as closed coffee shops, pharmacies, and stores.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
18-year-old Ilona fled to Kyiv from the occupation in Kherson and has been working in the capital for 2 months. She is forced to earn money not only for herself, because her 85-year-old grandmother, who was deprived of her pension by the occupiers, remained in Kherson. So, the girl has to find ways to transfer money and medicine to her elderly family member.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Thousands of cats and dogs remained in settlements near the frontlines, from which most of the residents had left. That’s why Pavlo Vyshebaba, an animal rights activist and a fighter of the 68th Separate Jager Infantry Brigade, together with his brothers in arms, installed special feeders for animals in these settlements. “Yedyna Planeta” (one planet) NGO gave the feeders to the soldiers. Each feeder holds a week’s worth of food.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
“RE:Ukraine” pilot modular town for 15 families will appear in Bucha, Kyiv region. Then a modular town like this is planned to be built in Ternopil region. Architect Slava Balbek, founder of balbek bureau initiated “RE:Ukraine” project, within which a system of modular towns is being created for temporarily displaced persons.
“As an architect, I think about everything, from the moment a person wakes up, at which table they sit down for breakfast, which street they take to work, whether they are comfortable in an office, house, neighborhood. It is interesting to be able to influence their comfort, and therefore life,” — Slava Balbek said.
Another charity project within the framework of “RE:Ukraine” deals with the protection of monuments from destruction during the war.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Luhansk Regional Academic Ukrainian Music and Drama Theater will operate in the city of Sumy. Theater performances can be attended at the Sumy National Academic Theater of Drama and Musical Comedy named after M.S. Schepkin.
Earlier, due to the occupation, the Luhansk Regional Academic Ukrainian Music and Drama Theater moved from Luhansk to Severodonetsk. They worked there for 8 years. During russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the building used by Luhansk residents was destroyed by the russian troops.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ukrainian volunteers launched “RevengeFor,” a new platform to help the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The project will allow foreign citizens to order an inscription on any projectile that will fly in the direction of the russian occupiers. The developers of the platform are certain: foreign friends of Ukraine also want to help the Armed Forces defeat the russians, who have destroyed peoples and broken families’ lives throughout their long history. The funds from the orders go straight to the account of Come Back Alive fund. The minimum amount for which you can get a “revenge” photo is USD 500. The upper threshold is not limited.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In Odesa, a plastic surgeon operates on injured people for free after a rocket attack on Serhiyivka. For example, the operation of the first patient who sought help lasted one and a half hours. She had a bone fragment removed and her eyebrows contours restored.
On July 1, the russians launched rocket attacks on the village of Serhiyivka in Odesa region. 22 people died, about 40 were injured.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The construction of a modular town in Novoselivka, Chernihiv oblast, is almost complete. Currently, furniture is being installed there and water is being piped in. In general, people whose homes were destroyed as a result of shelling are planned to be housed in this town. According to preliminary data, about three and a half hundred people will be settled in the modular town.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
At the start of russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine, Uliana and Vitalii stayed in their Bucha apartment for two weeks (without electricity, gas, water, and communication). Later, they risked their lives to get out of the russian occupation. Now the spouses who use wheelchairs live in Lviv and help people with disability. For instance, they evacuate people with spinal cord injuries to other countries and provide humanitarian aid.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Nazar Kiryk, a Plast member from Lviv who runs a half-marathon daily to raise funds for a UAV drone for Ukraine’s Armed Forces, will visit Media Center Ukraine on July 26 at 1:00 PM.
In addition to his marathoner experience, he will talk about Lviv’s locations for running and share his professional expertise with all prospective runners. Furthermore, every week, he invites interesting people to run together, covering the stories on the web page of Lviv’s Plast group.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In Odesa, volunteers launch a project to provide women on the front line with uniforms and ammunition aiming to support female defenders of Ukraine with everything they need for combat missions. For instance, the volunteers found superlight body armor plates weighing 2.7 kg (versus regular plates of 4.1 kg) at the same protection level. The foundation emphasizes that they can supply not only lightweight armor plates but also appropriately sized helmets, footwear and uniform, hats and gloves, specific medicines, backpacks, first aid kits, underwear, and hygiene items.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Two friends organized a volunteer movement and furnished 50 empty houses for displaced persons in the village of Pancheve in Kirovohrad region. Tatiana Bosko and Vita Pankul cleaned, bleached, painted and hung wallpaper in old country houses with their own hands. After all, since the full-scale invasion, about 250 refugees have arrived in the village. Most spent a few days there and left, but some have stayed. About 70 families of refugees live here now. The friends are thinking about ways to provide heating for all the new residents in winter, because the houses only have stove heating, and firewood has become more expensive these days. But if necessary, they are ready to accept new residents.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Safe public transport stops will appear in Kharkiv. At first, they will be set up on the busiest bus, trolleybus and tram routes. According to the plans of the mayor’s office, these reinforced concrete structures will be located next to the stops. In the event of a threat of artillery fire, it will be possible to hide there and wait for an air alarm to end. According to the mayor of Kharkiv, similar shelters already exist in Israel.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Children who survived the occupation in Bucha are shooting a short film together with Ukrainian filmmakers. Together with teachers, children are writing scripts, selecting locations and props, looking for costumes and acting as directors. Filming takes place in two cities — Kyiv and Bucha. The theme of the short film is childhood and the bright future for children in Ukraine.
The project called “Film Holidays” is organized by Ukrainian Film School. The premiere of the film will take place on July 28 in Bucha.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On July 30, a running flashmob called “Running for Azovstal” will take place on Trukhaniv Island in Kyiv in support of the defenders of Mariupol. The project was organized by the Association of “Azovstal” Defenders Families.
The participants are free to choose to run a longer or shorter distance, or choose a route on their own. The race in Kyiv will not have a finish line, because, as the organizers explain, the finish line of the project will be upon the return of all the captured Azovstal heroes.
The goal of the race is not to let the world forget about Mariupol defenders.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
At the beginning of August, volunteers of “Repair together” project will once again organize a clean-up rave party with the DJs in Chernihiv region. Recently, they already dismantled the ruins of the House of Culture in the village of Yahidne to the sound of music. In particular, DJs played their sets inside the House of Culture destroyed by russian bombs, and about 200 people, instead of dancing, dismantled its ruins.
For reference: volunteers of “Repair together” project help people rebuild houses damaged and destroyed as a result of the war. In addition, they organize communal work in villages, during which they help clean up the debris after the destruction in people’s yards. In addition, representatives of the initiative provide targeted assistance to those in need. For example, they can provide people with the necessary household appliances.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
About a hundred works of the legendary Ukrainian artist Maria Prymachenko are exhibited in Andrey Sheptytsky National Museum in Lviv. The opportunity to see these paintings exists thanks to an art critic and an academician from Kyiv, Eduard Dymshits, who has collected the artist’s works for 30 years.
For reference: Maria Prymachenko is a Ukrainian folk artist who worked in the genre of naïve art.
At the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion, a shell of the invaders hit a museum in Kyiv region, where a part of her paintings was kept. Local residents, risking their own lives, rescued the pieces of art from the burning building.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
According to the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, 9,120 marriages were registered in Kyiv from February 24 to July 23 2022. For comparison, during the same period in 2021, the number of couples that got married in the capital was almost nine times fewer — only 1,110. Such determination of the newlyweds is explained by their desire to cope with the stress associated with the war. Also, the number of marriages was probably influenced by the simplification of the marriage registration procedure during the war.
Among the newlyweds, there are many soldiers, because according to the new rules, the military, police officers and employees of health care facilities can register their marriage online, without personal presence.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Two Ukrainian ladies organized the ZSU Meet charity auction. One can pay for a meeting, a date, or even a professional consultation from auction participants. Among others, representatives of various industries and prominent Ukrainians joined the initiative.
The third wave of the ZSU Meet charity auction will start on Monday to raise funds for Ukraine’s Armed Forces. The first wave raised UAH 79,000 for our military within a week. After that, more people decided to participate in the auction, and its second wave started on July 25. It is ongoing, with the plan to raise UAH 100,000 within a week to buy pick-up trucks.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Volodymyr Alyokhin, a shepherd from the village of Pavlivka in Donetsk region, single-handedly herded 400 sheep to the village of Novostav in Volyn region. The man walked the first 50 kilometers. Then the flock was transported by a special truck for animals. There is still active combat in the man’s native village, his home was destroyed by russian troops, and more than 100 sheep were killed by mortar fire from the occupiers.
Volyn farmer Vasyl Melnyk is currently helping the shepherd from Donetsk region. Their sheep are now in a single flock, and, as the men say, they themselves do not know which is whose.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In Poltava region, a private ethnographic museum was turned into a shelter for refugees from Kharkiv. At the beginning of the full-scale war, the owner of the museum took half of the exhibits to Lviv so that the guests could settle in comfortably. Currently, the refugees are setting up an improvised kitchen and a small work area with a computer among the historic items that remained in the building.
A total of ten people have applied for shelter at the ethnographic museum since the end of February. In addition, locals helped them with food or clothes.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On Tuesday, August 2, the following reconnaissance UAV will be presented for the first time at a location in Kyiv:
- 2 Fly Eye 3.0 UAVs, which is one of the best NATO-type reconnaissance UAVs used by Polish special forces.
- 30 DJI Matrice 300 UAVs equipped with AI technology and thermal imaging that can focus on targets and identify potential dangers.
- 30 consumer drones donated by people from all over the world as part of the “Army of Drones” project, 10 of which are toy drones for children.
- 1 Raybird Skyeton drone and 1 Ukrainian-made SKIF UAV.
Immediately after the presentation, the drones will be sent to the frontlines.
At the presentation, journalists will be able to talk with Mykhailo Fedorov, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Digital Transformation of Ukraine, and Yurii Shchyhol, Head of the State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Destroyed buildings, ammunition fragments, shelled cars, and even love at the front line: photographer spouses from Odesa now take photos of the war. They used to shoot love stories for couples in love. Now, they are documenting events taking place in Ukrainian cities to demonstrate the truth to the world. They visited, for instance, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, Bucha, Irpin, Sievierodonetsk, and Lysychansk. They visited some cities twice and even came under fire. Today, they are visiting Mykolaiv again, a city heavily shelled by the invaders.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The consultation outpatient clinic evacuated from Luhansk is now working in Dnipro. The institution provides medical attention to IDPs and everyone who needs it free of charge under the Program of Medical Guarantees framework.
It is the second time that the outpatient clinic from Luhansk has had to evacuate. Initially, it moved to Sievierodonetsk, but it had to move again from that city due to russia’s full-scale invasion.
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Residents of a block of apartments in Bucha whose roof was destroyed by a russian missile are raising UAH 800,000 to renovate the roof. The rain coming down into the building continues to destroy it. Because of this, the residents got together to restore the roof before winter. They have already raised UAH 230,000.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The team of Starobilsk Hospital spent a month under occupation in Luhansk Oblast. Initially, the medics decided not to leave the city because they believed they should help patients despite the russian occupation. However, their work became impossible within a month, and the physicians decided to head for the territory controlled by Ukraine. They resumed their work in Dnipro; however, they needed time and much money to do so because the russians prevented them from taking the equipment.
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25-year-old Valeria, callsign “Osa” (Wasp), signed a contract with Ukraine’s Armed Forces eighteen months ago voluntarily; a week before the invasion, she signed up for a course for Javelin and NLAW operators. However, she prefers using the Ukraine-made Korsar anti-tank missile system. She managed to destroy several russian tanks and armored vehicles on the first day of the full-scale invasion.
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At the very beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion, a rescue worker from Mariupol had to deliver his wounded relative to the hospital because a projectile hit his house. In addition, he spent several days moving his family to a safe place. He repaired his car perforated with shell fragments under fire and got through 50 invader checkpoints. He works as a rescuer in Lutsk now.
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Lviv School No. 23 will get a new building for its elementary classes. It will be built using 3D-printing technologies. Kyiv-based Balbek Bureau developed the exterior and interior design of the school. The first students will start using the new school building with the start of the new academic year in September 2023. The delivery of the 3D printer to Lviv is expected the next week.
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Eleven years old, Lev evacuated from Sievierodonetsk in Luhansk Oblast this spring. Two months ago, he underwent a major surgical procedure in Lviv. Lev was in a grave condition, with a spinal tumor preventing him from moving; the child also had issues with inner organs. Lev and his family moved to Khmelnytskyi Oblast because his native city was under occupation. The boy is still being rehabilitated after surgery.
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On August 6, Lviv City Council and Lviv State University of Life Safety will host a familiarization training for residents of the city on what to do in the case of a chemical, radiation, or biological attack. Registration for the training event is required. This event is organized for the second time after more than two hundred people took part in the first training event.
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About 30% of educational establishments of all levels have already set up shelters, and other preparations for the educational process are ongoing. Lviv, Odesa, Ternopil and Khmelnytskyi regions, as well as Kyiv showed the best results. Local authorities are responsible for the preparation, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs has already assigned a rescuer responsible for each educational institution in the regions. However, educational institutions face another challenge, because many of them are still housing refugees from other regions. How do educational institutions prepare for the academic year during the war?
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Families of “Azovstal” defenders will hold a rally in Lviv. The rally will take place on August 5 at 7:00 PM in front of the Lviv National Opera building. The purpose of the event is to call on the world community and international organizations to save the lives of the prisoners, to return the Mariupol garrison to the territory controlled by Ukraine, and to recognize russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. According to the relatives of Azov soldiers, there has been no contact with the Ukrainian prisoners of war for several months, and the russians violate all possible rules for the treatment of prisoners. The families of prisoners of war also plan to hold rallies similar to the one in Lviv in various European cities.
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Jerzy Jurczyński from Poznań in Poland clears debris together with Kharkiv rescue workers. The 55-year-old man with 10 years of mountain climbing experience came to Ukraine two months ago as a humanitarian aid coordinator for a Polish charity. Now, he is the only foreigner in a team of Kharkiv steeplejacks. He cleared debris in schools, apartment blocks, and industrial areas ruined by the russian artillery. He also worked in Saltivka, the worst destroyed part of the city.
His wife and 12-year-old daughter are waiting for him at home. Jerzy will visit them in a week; after that, he plans to come back to Kharkiv and work with the rescuers till winter.
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IDPs from Kyiv have opened a shelter with a dry pool in Vinnytsia. The shelter has a three-meter large screen with a movie projector and a small bar with coffee and pastries. Visitors of the “relax shelter” (called so because it operates in the basement) can relax and decompress. In addition, residents and guests of the city can go there to wait through the air raids.
In July, over 200 residents from different oblasts “swam” in the dry pool for free. The youngest guest was 2 years old, and the oldest was 52.
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An exhibition on russia’s war crimes has been opened in PinchukArtCentre in the capital. It is a part of the exhibition presented by the Center in Davos in its “russian war crime house” during the World Economic Forum. The exhibition was founded in partnership with the Belgian Museum of Modern Art; it was the first time in the history of the arts that a museum offered a part of its collection to be exhibited in a country actively fighting the enemy.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
José Andrés, the founder of World Central Kitchen, will give a briefing at Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform in Kyiv on August 9 at 2:30 PM. The restaurateur will talk about the company’s operations in Ukraine and food aid to the Ukrainians.
World Central Kitchen is a non-commercial, non-governmental organization that provides meals to victims of natural disasters and various emergencies. José Andrés, a celebrity chef, founded WCK in 2010: together with his team, he prepared food in Haiti following the devastating earthquake. World Central Kitchen has been working in various cities of Ukraine since the start of russia’s all-out invasion.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On August 12-14, 2022, Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation will hold an exhibition of photographs by Dmytro Kozatskyi (call sign Orest), a photographer and head of the press service of the Azov regiment.
The purpose of the event is to raise funds for military aid for the soldiers of the Azov regiment, who continue to fight while their comrades are in russian captivity, and to remind the world about the defenders of Mariupol and their heroism. Along with 25 of Orest’s famous works, the exhibition will showcase his photographs from the Azovstal bomb shelters, which have not been published before. They were provided by his mother Iryna. Visitors will also be able to view videos that the defenders of Azovstal sent to their families right from the siege laid by the occupiers.
In addition, the three-day event will feature a meeting with relatives of soldiers of various units who were in Azovstal. It will be held on August 12.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Volunteers of Magic Moments community help the residents of Kyiv region to clear the buildings that collapsed as a result of the war. They have already made three visits to the region. They also helped to clean up the aftermath of the destruction and responded to the requests by locals to get the necessary appliances and furniture. Their next trip to Kyiv region is planned for the end of August.
For reference: Magic moments is a travel agency that organizes original trips in Ukraine and abroad. Both agency employees and tourists have joined the volunteer movement. Everyone is also welcome to join the charity initiative.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Since February 24, Lviv Defense Cluster, together with the city institute, have sewed 80,000 body armor vests for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. More than a thousand people were involved in the production. During the first few months, up to 1,500 bulletproof vests were produced per day. In the first months, all body armor was delivered directly to the warehouses of the Ministry of Defense for the fastest possible distribution to the troops.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A mine safety app has been made available in Ukraine. It was developed by volunteers of Free Ukraine, a Swiss charity, with support from the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. Users can view a map indicating potentially hazardous areas according to the SESU and receive alerts when approaching an unsafe area. This app is important for people living in Ukraine’s de-occupied areas because russian invaders have left many mined areas there.
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Sociotherapy City Crisis Center in Kyiv offers special anti-stress therapy pro bono to the Ukrainian survivors of crisis events during the war. The Center’s personnel will assist with symptoms of an acute stress reaction, anxiety, or depressive disorders. The Center welcomes people who survived the occupation or evacuation or stayed in active combat areas. The therapy sessions are organized in groups and as individual sessions with a psychologist.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
An Urban-toloka will take place in Lviv from August 12 to 14 to help clear the space for the future shelter camp for families with children. Residents of Lviv are invited to clean up an area of 5,700 square meters. A new modern shelter for people affected by the war is scheduled to open its doors in early October.
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Students of the “Kyiv Polytechnic Institute” University have started collecting used electronic cigarettes, spare parts of which might come in need for the production of drones. After all, the battery of an e-cigarette can become a part of the discharge system in drones for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Used cigarettes are collected on campus. In addition, an agreement has been reached with ROZETKA chain of stores: they will also collect e-cigarettes.
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A 15-year-old Lviv resident, Nazar, came up with and assembled a portable charger by himself. The device can charge phones, walkie-talkies and drones of the Ukrainian military in the field. The device itself can be charged from a solar battery. Lviv mayor Andrii Sadovyi has already noticed Nazar’s invention, but he said that the production of this device must be scaled up.
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Due to hostilities in Donetsk region, the state enterprise “Artemsil” has stopped working. It is based in Bakhmut, for which the Ukrainian military is fighting fiercely at the moment. Artemsil used to be the main supplier of all the necessary salt to Ukrainians, but now most of the salt in Ukraine is imported. However, a salt deposit was found in Bushtyno community in Zakarpattia region. The mining will be begin in six months. This deposit will be enough to provide 100% of Ukraine’s salt needs.
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Geoffrey Nice, a British lawyer, who was a prosecutor at the trial of Slobodan Milošević, Serbia’s former president, arrived in Ukraine. He will stay in Kyiv till August 21, meeting Ukrainian specialists.
Geoffrey Nice has been a barrister since 1971. He worked for the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) from 1998 to 2006 and was a prosecutor at the trial of Slobodan Milošević, Serbia’s former president. The major part of his work since then has been related to cases of the permanent International Criminal Court (on Sudan, Kenya, and Libya) or to assisting groups of victims from those countries (Iran, Myanmar, North Korea) whose cases cannot be tried by any international court. The Times of London described Geoffrey Nice as one of the leading lawyers of his generation.
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62-years-old Iryna was seriously wounded due to the russian artillery attack on her neighborhood in Sievierodonetsk. Only 5 buildings remain standing on the street where Iryna and her grandson used to live. Her thigh had to be amputated due to the heavy injuries. Currently, she is in one of the hospitals in Lviv Oblast. The Hands for a Mom project raised money to buy a prosthetic leg for Iryna. Within the framework of this initiative, prominent artists sold their works at auctions abroad and in Lviv. They raised over 30,000 euros to provide prosthetics for women gravely injured during the war. Soon, project organizers will buy prosthetics for two more injured women.
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Due to russia’s all-out invasion, a posh restaurant in Zakarpattia Oblast is now working as a social canteen. In early March, the establishment’s owners decided to provide food to internally displaced persons from all over Ukraine free of charge. They had to work extremely fast and were assisted by volunteers and locals. The restaurant is still operating as a social canteen now.
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Dubky, a modular home camp, was opened in Irpin, a town in Kyiv Oblast damaged by russian fire. Further 352 Irpin residents, who lost their homes, will get temporary shelter in their native town. The camp comprises 88 four-person residential units, with 55 units already occupied. They accommodate families of healthcare, education, and military personnel. The camp has a library, a small gym, an activity room for children, a recreation space, and a laundry/ironing zone. World Central Kitchen NGO helps provide camp residents with food.
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Till late May, Sievierodonetsk Multidisciplinary Hospital worked under fire, treating both civilian and military ill and wounded. Physicians decided to relocate to a calmer region when the forthcoming occupation of the city had become evident, realizing that the medical team would not be able to keep helping the patients. By the time the medics left, the hospital building had been razed to the ground. They only managed to get out with three ambulance cars, an ultrasonography device, and a cardiograph. Other equipment was damaged. Thirty percent of the hospital’s personnel moved to Dnipro, including 70% of physicians.
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10-year-old Daria from Odesa Oblast handed over UAH 10,400 for Ukraine’s Armed Forces. She raised this amount by cutting and selling her hair. DOBRE Events, an event agency, found out about what Daria did, invited the girl for a trip to Lviv, and handed over UAH 10,000 to her within the scope of their “Good Deeds Return Hundredfold” project.
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Volodymyr Skovorodka, a rescuer of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, will run the “ultramarathon of gratitude”. The Emergency Service employee will run 800 kilometers from Kyiv to Warsaw in 14 days, overcoming 50-70 kilometers every day. It is planned that on August 24, on the Independence Day of Ukraine, Skovorodka will cross the finish line of the ultramarathon in Warsaw and set a record of the National Register of Records of Ukraine. The goal is to collect UAH 2 million for the purchase of special equipment to eliminate the consequences of hostilities in Ukraine. Also, Ukrainians can join the marathon offline by running kilometers together with a rescuer of the State Emergency Service.
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Residents of Slavutych donated rare tableware used in the Chernobyl nuclear power plant’s canteens for a charity sale. In this way, people collect money to equip the soldiers from Slavutych who defend the country. They handed over plates, vases and glasses with the logos of the Chernobyl NPP to the volunteer center “Chernobyl”. Currently, they are looking for foreign platforms to sell these lots. In addition, the volunteer center “Chernobyl” has a workshop where the remnants of munitions of the occupiers are processed into works of art.
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In Chernihiv oblast, volunteers of the “Iskra Dobra” (a spark of kindness) charity fund are helping to restore the homes of local residents destroyed due to the war. Since April, they have participated in the repair of more than 300 houses. Currently, there are 700 more buildings in the queue. In addition, since the end of February, volunteers have evacuated 2,500 people. They also provide food to those in need. Currently, the charity fund workers distribute about 30,000 food kits every week.
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Lviv Defense Cluster will start manufacturing bulletproof vests for children who will be evacuated from the combat zone, as well as for medics. In addition, volunteers will also armor civilian cars that will go to the front line.
Lviv Defense Cluster unites specialists of defense enterprises, volunteers and production facilities from all over the country to provide the Defenders of Ukraine with high-quality and well tested body armor. Since the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion, Lviv Defense Cluster has produced over 80,000 bulletproof vests.
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A tent town for IDPs was set up in Mostyska community. It is located on the sports field of one of the schools. The area is 500 m2. The project was implemented together with the Swiss organization Remar S.O.S.
Currently, 14 people live there. In general, the temporary camp for internally displaced persons is designed for 100 tents. The tent town has sleeping places, a shower, a toilet, and a laundry room. There are also plans to open a children’s playground.
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The artist Varvara Logvyn paints anti-tank “hedgehogs” in the style of Petrykivka painting. This style requires attention to detail, so creating an ornament on a huge military object takes several days. This initiative, conceived by the artist, combines the horror of war, which is represented by the anti-tank obstacle, and the greatness of traditional Ukrainian culture. Currently, the artist is painting an anti-tank “hedgehog” on Independence Square (Maidan). Anyone can watch her work.
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In Ukraine, “Winter is Coming” initiative has been launched. As a part of this initiative, opinion leaders use their influence to raise funds for the restoration of houses. “Repair.together” charity project sets up construction camps for volunteers to rebuild housing. The goal of the initiative is to restore 12 houses and repair 25 more before the start of winter
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In Kharkiv, a shelter for passengers was installed at one of the public transport stops. The shelter has 12 seats and a screen with video surveillance cameras. About 100 kg of sand will also be stored there for extinguishing fires. In general, safe stops are going to be set up in 25 locations in Kharkiv.
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Three volunteers from Lviv Oblast evacuated 120 cows from a farm in Mykolaiv Oblast under artillery fire. The farm has suffered from being incessantly shelled by the russian army for three months.
The preparations took three days, and the evacuation took about three hours. The volunteers moved trucks with the cattle under missile and artillery fire while covered by Ukraine’s Armed Forces. The russian Orlan UAVs were the greatest danger because the foe used them to search for targets and adjust fire.
Over a hundred cows were moved to Lviv Oblast; some had to be treated for shell fragment wounds.
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Max Nesterov, a barber, volunteers with his friends in one of Kyiv’s hospitals. He cuts hair and shaves the soldiers, having helped over two hundred fighters during wartime. Often, commanding officers or soldiers, whom Max helped earlier, call him for haircuts. The barber believes that his job has an element of psychological support for the wounded soldiers. This is not the first volunteering experience for Max; earlier, he founded the Hair for Share initiative to make wigs for children with cancer.
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The shelter for rescued animals in Lviv provided shelter for more than 5,000 pets that lost their masters. Most have already been adopted, but some are still waiting for adoption.
Animal rights activists started building a new shelter on the land plot that had been handed over as charitable aid to the Shelter to keep helping the animals. The active construction work is ongoing at the site, and everyone’s help or donation is welcome.
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Kyiv Horse Race Track helps horses from pedigree horse breeding farms located in the areas of active combat in Zaporizhia and Kharkiv Oblasts. Every day, animals face the risk of being wounded or killed by russian artillery fire. The Horse Race Track also raises funds for farms affected by the invasion. They use the money to transport, feed, care for, and train the horses. Furthermore, everyone can sponsor or even buy a horse they like.
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Musicians of Kalush Orchestra announced a fundraising campaign on the occasion of Ukraine’s Independence Day. The funds will be spent on rehabilitating defenders of Mariupol and Azovstal. On August 24, the musicians will raise UAH 24 donations during 24 hours. They promise to publish details of a special charity account on August 24 at 00:01 AM.
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Lviv physicians are rescuing a lady from Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast gravely injured by the explosion of a russian missile. The missile hit nearby, and she was buried under a heap of soil. Barely alive, she was extracted from a 5-m deep shell crater created by the explosion. Oksana was hospitalized in Dnipro immediately. She spent 11 days in the intensive care unit. As soon as her condition was stabilized, an evacuation train brought her to the St. Panteleimon Hospital in Lviv. Currently, Traumatology and Orthopedics Unit specialists are treating Oksana’s abdomen, arm, and leg wounds.
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Volodymyr Skovorodka, a rescuer from Kyiv, ran over 800 km from Kyiv to Warsaw to express gratitude to the Polish people and raise funds to demine water objects. The rescuer took part in a 14-day-long Ultramarathon of Gratitude. Everyone was able to support the runners with their donations. On August 24, 2022, Volodymyr completed the distance, reaching Warsaw. The ultramarathoners raised over UAH 500 thousand out of the required USD 2 million. However, you can still contribute now.
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The U. S. charity Help Heroes of Ukraine purchased 13,000 square meters of fabric for manufacturing military uniforms for the Ukrainian military. Some fabric was donated to Lviv City Council. It will be used to sew 1100 uniforms for the Ukrainian Army personnel. The first samples of finished uniforms are already on their way to the front line.
Overall, the Help Heroes Of Ukraine charity has been helping the Ukrainian Army since the start of russia’s full-scale invasion. For instance, they purchase drones and anti-drone rifles. Representatives of the Help Heroes of Ukraine charity are currently in Lviv.
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Relive is a project that transforms basements of apartment blocks into provisional bomb shelters. The project is run by Volonterska.Ua charity together with Kharkiv Youth Council. The goal is to prepare enough basements to accommodate 100,000 people safely.
Over the last two weeks, the volunteers have already prepared 12 basements that can take about 1,580 people. The next week, they will start transforming 16 more basements into provisional bomb shelters. It means that 4,000 residents of Kharkiv will have a safe place to stay during the bombardments.
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The Ministry of Culture of Ukraine created a special account to collect funds for the restoration of cultural heritage objects destroyed by the russians. A special section with a list of objects in need of restoration was added to the Ministry’s website. In particular, these objects include the Central House of Culture of the city of Irpin, Chernihiv Central City Library, Dnipro House of Organ and Chamber Music and Korolenko State Scientific Library in Kharkiv. According to the Ministry, russia has already destroyed a total of 492 objects of Ukraine’s cultural heritage.
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Since the beginning of the full-scale war, Cherkasy Zoo has provided shelter to 70 displaced animals. However, the zoo lacks funds to keep them. Previously, the zoo could pay for itself by selling tickets to visitors. Now, the number of visitors has decreased by a factor of three, while the needs of the institution have grown significantly. In addition to food for newly arrived residents, the zoo is also trying to raise funds for the construction of new enclosures.
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The Center for Mental Health has started working in Lviv. There, Lviv residents and refugees can receive help from a psychologist, psychiatrist, and sexologist.
Lviv City Council noted that according to statistics, every third person in Ukraine suffers from a mental health disorder. A person may not even recognize that they have such a disorder. In the meantime, a family doctor can recognize this and refer such a person to the Center for Mental Health. Such centers are planned to be opened in every polyclinic of the city.
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UNICEF, United Nations Children’s Fund, will host its first UNICEF YOUTH AWARDS ceremony on August 30, 2022. It will reward young people 14 to 24 years of age who have implemented bright and unusual social initiatives during the war in Ukraine.
The ceremony will be led by Catherine Russel, UNICEF’s Executive Director; Iryna Vereshchuk, Minister for Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine; Vitali Klitschko, Kyiv’s Mayor; James Hope, USAID Mission Director to Ukraine, and others.
The accreditation is required; the accreditation goes on till 6:00 PM on August 29, 2022.
https://forms.gle/sWZT5UtaCdFykGfC9
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A large-scale event to weave the “Largest Camo Net in Ukraine” will take place in Lviv on September 3–4. Event organizers aim to weave 2000 square meters of camo nets, engaging over 1,000 people daily. A net of this size will meet all requests from the military personnel received in Lviv. Furthermore, this camo net can find its way into Ukraine’s National Book of Records. Ukraine’s National Register of Records has already approved the application.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Lviv is preparing for a difficult winter. Local authorities warn: if russian rockets hit electrical substations or thermal power plants, the city’s residents will be able to warm themselves only in locations with heating equipment that will be set up in the shelters. According to the City Hall, potentially there are 10,500 basements with heating in residential buildings in Lviv. By October 1, they should be equipped with potbelly stoves. There should also be stocks of firewood.
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In Odesa, the discussions are raging regarding the demolition of the monument to the russian empress Catherine II, who destroyed the Ukrainian military-political entity Zaporozhian Sich and implemented the russification of Ukrainians. Many citizens and activists support the demolition of the monument, but the Odesa City Council slows down the process and refuses to issue a corresponding order. The leadership of the region has already spoken out in favor of dismantling the monument, and even the President of Ukraine reacted to the corresponding petition.
In 2015, Ukraine launched decommunization, the process of getting rid of the remains of communist ideology. Now, in the midst of russia’s all-out war against Ukraine, there is a debate going on in Ukrainian cities about how to get rid of other remains of russian occupation, albeit from the days of the russian empire.
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6-year-old Sofia Nersesian performs songs for charity in Kyiv to raise funds for the defenders of Ukraine. The girl has already collected over UAH 14,000 for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and transferred the money to Serhiy Prytula Foundation.
“I want Ukraine to win as soon as possible. That’s why I’m raising money for a big spaceship to send russians to another planet,” — Sofia said. The child started singing Ukrainian songs in February, when she had to go abroad due to shelling of her hometown.
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The Lviv Defense Cluster, Run Ukraine, and ProBig running club initiated the international charitable online Run to 100,000 Bulletproof Vests to raise funds and attain the first operational goal of the Lviv Defense Cluster by providing 100,000 armor vests for the defense forces of Ukraine.
Each participant of the Run to 100,000 Bulletproof Vests will be awarded a unique armor steel medal made of the balance of armor plates being the main protective element in the body armor used by the Ukrainian soldiers.
The Lviv Defense Cluster brings together specialists from defense industry plants, volunteers, and production facilities from all over the country to supply high-quality, trusted bulletproof vests. It owns a lab to test its finished products. Overall, more than 80,000 armor vests have been produced by the LDC after the start of russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ukraine as Eldorado of the Future, a ceramic panel, will be the main object of art to be created by the children. The ceramic panel will consist of individual fragments in national colors. Young potters will make it together with Pascal Woestelandt.
It is just one of the entire set of master classes the artist offers. These events are organized to support Ukraine during the difficult time of the war. The idea is to bring together children of the whole world.
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In March, Oleksandr Kryvosheia, a farmer, called the Ukrainian artillery fire onto his warehouse in Kozarovychi village in Kyiv Oblast, where russian invaders were based. The russians occupied his farm on February 25 and lived there for more than a month. Over this period, the invaders ate more than a hundred sheep, half of his livestock. The building’s roof, seed grain, and equipment burned down due to the Ukrainian artillery strike on the farm. However, Oleksandr does not begrudge the property destroyed by the Ukrainian missiles. On the contrary, he says, chasing away the enemy was the most important thing.
Now, he is restoring his farm from scratch. The Keep Going project raises UAH 600,000 for Oleksandr to install the new roof on the warehouse. Half of the target amount has already been raised.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A municipal bookstore in Kyiv has collected almost 25 tonnes of russian books and sent them for recycling. Recycling the books brought organizers UAH 98,000 to be spent on buying a car for soldiers fighting at the front line. The campaign to collect russian books for recycling is ongoing; each participant will get a 10% discount for new books.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The photographer Roman Pashkovskyi has already carried out two Portrait for a Donation campaigns. He made portraits of about 450 people, raising UAH 220,000 in the process. He contributed the funds to charities providing humanitarian aid and restoring the homes of the Ukrainian victims of the war.
The photographer plans his next performance in Kyiv in late September. He is also going to expand the project to other cities.
Roman Pashkovskyi lives and works in Kyiv. He owns a photography school; he participated in group and one-man exhibitions in Ukraine and Switzerland.
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Investigative journalists from Slidstvo.Info joined human rights advocates from the Tribunal for putin initiative who keep a record of russia’s war crimes in Ukraine. Working together, they set up a database of more than 150,000 profiles of russian military personnel who perpetrated war crimes. They were identified with the assistance of Ukraine’s so-called IT Army and the information from the Defense Intelligence, the National Security and Defense Council, and social media.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On the President’s website, a petition requesting that vegetarian and vegan military ration packs be provided for Ukraine’s Armed Forces has already been supported by one-third of the required votes. Petitioners emphasize that such rations are needed not only by those who do not eat foods of animal origin for medical or ethical reasons. Religious fighters who keep the fast also need them. As long as this issue is not addressed at the government level, volunteers solve it independently. Before the all-out war, NGO Every Animal engaged in education projects. Now, they cook food for vegans on the front line. Their volunteer kitchens work in seven cities of Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A married couple of K-9 handlers serve in a border guard detachment in Odesa Oblast. They met during a training course in a K-9 training center one month before the start of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The husband handles a German Shepherd, and the wife – a Jack Russell Terrier. During the all-out war, they were deployed far from each other several times; lately, they were transferred to serve in the same unit.
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The city of Uman in Cherkasy region, where tens of thousands of Hasidic Jews gather every year to celebrate the arrival of the Jewish New Year, is expecting a visit of more than 10,000 pilgrims this year. Despite the prohibition of the Security Service of Ukraine, Hasids have already begun gathering in the city where the founder of Breslov Hasidism Rabbi Nachman is buried.
According to local authorities, more than a thousand people have already arrived in Uman from Israel. This year, Rosh Hashanah falls on September 25-26. The largest influx of religious tourists in the city is expected after September 20.
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As of Spetmber 6, it has been 40 days since the terrorist attack in Olenivka. On July 28, a powerful explosion took place on the territory of the former correctional colony in the city of Olenivka, Donetsk region, which is currently used as a place of detention for Ukrainian POWs. According to russian sources, about 40 Ukrainians were killed as a result of the explosion. Only 25 days after the tragedy, the UN created a group to conduct an investigation, which has not begun yet. Representatives of “LADIES OF STEEL” Council of Wives and Mothers of Ukraine’s Defenders still do not know about the fate of their relatives. What ways out of the situation have the families of prisoners of war put forward?
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Keep Going Ukraine-based project provides financial support to the Ukrainians who are nearing the victory and tells their stories. In particular, UAH 600,000 have already been raised for Oleksandr Kryvoshey, a farmer from Kyiv region, who in March directed Ukrainian artillery at his own warehouse, captured by the russians. The farmer will use the money to restore the roof of the building.
People who received help include: Oleksandr Schelokov, the owner of Mi-Lo-Ko, craft cheese factory in Kyiv region. The goats from the farms, where he bought milk, were killed in a missile attacks. Another project under Keep Going is focused on the aid for the owner of Kust Ceramics Studio, Viktor Kuschenko. A man conducts free pottery classes for the children of refugees in Vorokhta.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Heorhiy Molchanov is a winemaker from the south of Ukraine. His lands are located on the banks of the Pivdennyi Buh, near Mykolaiv, which suffers from enemy shelling every day. His enterprise itself was also bombed: a russian shell exploded next to the winery. However, shelling is not the only problem of Ukrainian winemakers. Logistics, lack of workers, and in the south there are also difficulties with access to drinking water. How is it possible to not only survive in such conditions, but also create new Ukrainian wines?
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The “Kyiv Polytechnic Institute” University students keep collecting spent disposable electronic cigarettes whose parts can be re-used at the front line. Engineers use the electronic cigarette battery to make ammunition release systems for drones used by Ukraine’s Armed Forces.
The spent vapes are collected on the campus of the Polytechnic Institute. The campaign initiators reached an agreement with the ROZETKA shops, which also opened collecting stations. On September 8 alone, the students took over a tonne of spent vapes from various stations of the network. Overall, the students handed over more than 2 tonnes of disposable electronic vapes to the engineers.
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Before the all-out war, Yurii Davydenko lived in Mariupol, doing everything to make sure that local young people had opportunities for development and self-actualization. For instance, he organized the 1991 Startup Development Center hub, visited by 50,000 people during the time of its operation.
After the start of russia’s full-scale invasion, Yurii managed to leave Mariupol for Mukachevo. There, he decided to resume doing what he does best – establishing youth hubs. Together with friends, he launched two spaces for IT specialists and IDPs in Mukachevo and Khmelnytskyi, and they are not going to stop.
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On September 10, Plast members Nazar Kiryk and Vlad Deliatytskyi will run 133 km along the road from Lviv to Ivano-Frankivsk. They will start from Lviv’s Stryiskyi Park.Their goal is to raise UAH 1,000,000 for a Marine unit. They will use the funds to buy drones that will help get intelligence about the foe’s movements and deployment.
Earlier, Nazar Kiryk, a Plast member, ran 654 km in 31 days to raise UAH 270,000 for a drone for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Stefan Vorontsov returned to Ukraine on the eve of the all-out invasion. He studies in Poland but decided to visit his parents. The war caught him in Nova Kakhovka; Stefan’s life has been closely connected to his native city since that time. Within 40 days under the occupation, he managed to set up a volunteering headquarters and establish HUMANITY, an NGO that supplied food and medicines to residents of Nova Kakhovka. The organization also evacuated city residents from the occupation. Stefan decided to leave Kherson Oblast when a local resident told russians about his activities.
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On September 12, beauty volunteers from Kyiv will visit the village of Dymer in Kyiv Oblast. Nail technicians, hair stylists, makeup artists, and massage therapists will work with locals for free. The idea of beauty volunteers for the liberated villages came from Olha Belytska, a makeup artist. This spring, she worked for patients at Okhmatdyt Hospital in Kyiv, where she heard some women complaining about lying there without hairdo and makeup, having just come to after barely escaping projectiles and cluster bombs. Thus, Olha and her friends come to the de-occupied towns and villages of Kyiv Oblast every week to help people feel beautiful again after the horrors of the occupation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A bear named Bakhmut by volunteers was left in a private home in Donetsk Oblast in the area of fierce combat. Ukrainian soldiers found it in an enclosure with a damaged roof. The bear was exhausted and under extreme stress. The Ukrainian soldiers fed the animal until the volunteers came to pick it up.
They brought Bakhmut to the Domazhyr Bear Sanctuary in Lviv Oblast, where a team of specialists will care for the animal.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The russians abducted 47-year-old Serhii Hrypun from Nove village of Zaporizhia Oblast, where he worked for an agrarian firm. The russian military personnel entered the premises of Serhii’s firm and established their headquarters there. Getting in touch with him became impossible, and his relatives had not received any information about him for several weeks. His daughter Yulia, who is searching for her father, told the Media Initiative for Human Rights that she found out about his whereabouts in April from a released hostage who had seen Serhii in russia. Serhii Khrypun is held captive in Kursk pre-trial detention center. The kidnapped Ukrainians are subjected to torture; for instance, they were beaten with a stun gun and truncheons on the day they arrived at the detention center. The released hostage also told Yulia about Serhii’s condition, who had broken ribs and bruised legs.
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Samples of individual rations developed for the Armed Forces of Ukraine developed by RAZOM and FEST companies will be demonstrated in Media Center Ukraine. The developers called their individual ration for extreme conditions Kosmichna Yizha (Space Food). It is on par with food kits used by the world’s leading armies.
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Anastasia Leonova was born in russia; she moved to Ukraine in 2015. Later, she took a tactical medicine trainer course and trained Ukrainian soldiers. Then, she returned to civilian life, worked as a sommelier, and managed a sommelier school. However, russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24 changed everything when her friends invited her to present a tactical medicine course and invited her to join their battalion afterward. Since March, she has been the unit’s tactical medicine trainer and senior paramedic. For instance, she rescued the wounded on positions during the fighting north of Kyiv.
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In Odesa Oblast, people are actively restoring the houses damaged by the missile attack on June 27. Some people had not only to install new doors and windows but also rebuild an entire story that the missile had demolished. People affected by the russian aggression want to refurbish the damaged homes before winter comes. The local government covers a part of the cost of repairs.
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Svitlana Olifer from Cherkasy has been running a wedding event business. After russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, she came up with the charity volunteering project Marriage for a Hero. She put together a team of photographers, videographers, makeup artists, and florists who help organize a ceremony free of charge. Restaurants and catering businesses are sometimes prepared to offer their services on special terms. Overall, the couple will only have to buy their wedding gear.
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Andrii Nebytov, Head of the Main National Police Directorate in Kyiv Oblast, is trending among Ukrainian YouTubers with hundreds of thousands of views. After russia’s all-out invasion, the Chief of Police of Kyiv Oblast publishes videos on his YouTube channel showing the equipment russians tried to occupy Ukrainian cities with. He unboxes enemy soldiers’ first-aid kits, topographic maps, and other trophies.
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The veteran Mykhailo Yurchuk is the first in Lviv to get a bionic prosthetic arm. He lost his arm and leg in Kharkiv Oblast this spring, but today he can move his fingers again. Esper Bionics, a Ukrainian manufacturer, provided the artificial bionic arm for Mykhailo. It was attached by the NEZLAMNI National Rehabilitation Center of Lviv’s First Healthcare Association. Now, Mykhailo is learning to use his artificial arm and regrets that this dream has not yet come true for many other unbroken Ukrainians like him.
Because of this, a charitable project, Prosthetics for the Unbroken, was started to provide modern bionic artificial limbs to at least fifty Ukrainians. To do so, UAH 100 million needs to be raised.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A Ukrainian journalist has lived in occupied Kherson for almost half a year. In his interview with a media outlet, he told how he became a guerrilla fighter and how he fought. For instance, he even had to disguise himself not to be recognized.
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Oksana Ivanets has the rank of lieutenant colonel. She has served in the State Border Guard Service for over 20 years. Later, she was transferred to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and currently serves as a special correspondent of the ArmiyaInform news agency. She combines her work with another activity that is at least as complicated: she is bringing up five children.
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Tetiana Hladysh, an artisan and writer from Kherson Oblast, has suffered from a rare disease affecting her bones since she was born and has to get about on crutches. In mid-March, Tetiana with her family left her village in Kherson Oblast due to fighting all around and with the necessary medicines running out. Tetiana left her cat and dog to her aunt, who promised to take care of them. Later, the aunt was evacuated, and the pets were left unattended behind.
Eventually, volunteers managed to bring the pets to Odesa, while Tetiana, having been injured a day earlier and supposed to stay in bed, drove through half a country to bring her pets to their new home. The entire family lives in Ternopil Oblast now. When Tetiana Hladysh becomes homesick after Kherson Oblast, she works and creates to manage her emotions.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Lviv Defense Cluster (a non-profit organization) makes armored vests for children. They will be used during the evacuation. There are three body armor sizes for different age groups: 4 to 6, 7 to 10, and 11 to 14. Depending on the size, the vests weigh 2 to 3.5 kg. They can be equipped with GPS trackers. The body armor is designed to be donned and doffed easily by a child. The first 30 armored vests are being produced to be used and tested during evacuation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
At the beginning of the full-scale war, Mykolaiv Zoo didn’t have enough money to even feed the animals, because it didn’t have any income. It is located in the center of Mykolaiv, and there were no people willing to come to the zoo under fire. So the zoo management suggested that Ukrainians buy tickets to the zoo online. This led to raising UAH 3 million for the animals, Volodymyr Topchiy, Zoo Director says.
In addition, Lutsk Zoo, which is far from the front line, decided to employ refugees from Donbas. For example, a man, who used to work at a factory, bottle-feeds even-toed ungulates now, and a cook prepares food for monkeys.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The next stage of training by American infantrymen began in Lviv. Together with Ukrainian instructors, they are training Ukrainian volunteers. The training was organized by the Volunteer Training Center. For three weeks, the instructors will teach how to handle weapons, how to act during territory sweeps and street fights, and how to provide first aid. The training is free of charge. Both men and women can attend it.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Kalush Orchestra received a new trophy as the winners of the Eurovision Song Contest. A member of the band called KylymMen is going on a tour of Ukrainian cities so that everyone could take a picture with the glass microphone. In the near future, he will visit Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kyiv, Kalush, Chernivtsi and Vinnytsia (tour details will be published on the band’s website). The members of the band will also think about benefits that the new trophy can bring to the country.
As reported, Kalush Orchestra sold their Eurovision trophy at a charity auction for USD 900,000 to help the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
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Volunteers of the Patron Pets Center, which helps stray animals, go to the liberated territories in Kharkiv Oblast, including Izium, to bring feed for abandoned cats and dogs. They not only feed the animals but also try to find out how much feed they will need in the future and search for people who could take care of the animals on an ongoing basis. Volunteers feed hundreds of abandoned pets in Izium in Kharkiv Oblast and work in other liberated cities and villages where animals need help.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On September 23, the Kyiv History Museum will host a charity auction, Heroes without Weapons. It aims to help firefighting and rescue units of the State Emergency Service in Kramatorsk and Kharkiv. All the funds raised will be handed over to the rescue units that rescue dozens of children and adults and fight fires that destroy homes and offices shelled by russian forces.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Painter Kos Podol brought together a group of people with vision impairment, and they spent the whole summer presenting their inner world in paintings. These paintings will be exhibited at the Abstraction from the Darkness to be held in Kyiv on September 24 to 30.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The family of Kostiantyn and Vlada Liberov used to take photos depicting love, but after February 24, they decided to photograph war. Kostiantyn’s photo, in which a Ukrainian defender is holding a watermelon in his hands against the background of a multiple rocket launcher system, has become very popular. The man admits that he got too close while working, and he was hit by stones and even bruised.
The couple photographs the war in hot cities of the country. Since the start of war, they have taken hundreds of photos, which can be seen on their social network pages and even on the covers of world media.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Registration for the charity “Run to 100,000 Bulletproof Vests” was extended until September 26. Anyone who wants to take part in the run in an online format and receive a medal made of real armored steel used to make body armor for Ukrainian defenders. With the funds received from registration fees, Lviv Defense Cluster will produce body armor for the military.
A number of Ukrainian athletes have joined the initiative including: Yaroslava Mahuchikh, Zhan Beleniuk, Olga Saladukha, Viktoria Shkurko, Anzhelika Terliuga and Stanislav Horuna. More than 1,700 participants have already registered for the run, and over UAH 1.8 million have already been collected.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The first municipal prosthetics workshop started working in Lviv within the scope of the NEZLAMNI project. It is accommodated in a special mobile container module. Prosthetics will be made by Ottobock, an internationally renowned German company. The workshop will take measures of patients who need the prosthetics, while the medics will configure and refine the prosthetics.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The first reinforced concrete bomb shelter was built in Mykolaiv’s Korabelnyi Raion near a public transport stop. The bomb shelter is made of reinforced concrete under an Israeli design. The structure weighs over 70 tonnes. Inside, there are benches for 18 people. However, the ventilation system enables 24 people to use the bomb shelter at a time. The first bus stop bomb shelter was installed in Kharkiv in August this year.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Good Plastic Company is a Ukrainian firm that tackles the problem of plastic waste accumulation with its innovative solutions. Its customer list includes brands like McDonald’s, IKEA, Adidas, etc.
The company’s founders came up with an idea for producing a novel material out of processed plastics. The company buys waste as secondary raw material. The best ingredients for the company’s products include old refrigerators and other household appliances designed for long-term use. The Good Plastic Company has only two peers worldwide, producing similar materials.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before February 24, Diia.Business were the spaces for Ukrainians to get free consultations, visit educational events for entrepreneurs, rent halls for events, and test their products in a special pop-up location.
During the occupation of Kyiv Oblast, Diia.Business’ 280 square meters in Bucha were occupied by the russian military together with the entire residential neighborhood and seriously damaged.
The Ministry of Digital Transformation restored Diia.Business in Bucha, and will open the center for existing and future entrepreneurs. The business people who survived the occupation and are restoring their businesses will also attend the event. They will share their stories.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Tymko III, the groundhog from Kharkiv Oblast who has traditionally forecasted the weather, is now back from russian captivity. Together with other animals, Tymko survived the occupation in Nesterivka until Ukraine’s Armed Forces liberated the village during the counterassault in Kharkiv Oblast. Tymko, together with 38 other groundhogs living in the area of the biological research station of Kharkiv’s Karazin University, got under the russian occupation in the spring. Two biological research station employees, Volodymyr and Halyna, stayed to keep an eye on the animals. Volodymyr Hrubnyk, the head of the Eastern Steppe Laboratory of the Department of Biology of Karazin University in Kharkiv, told that the groundhogs were safe and sound and received a shipment of humanitarian aid.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
At the start of russia’s full-scale invasion, the small village of Moshchun became the site of heavy fighting and an obstacle on the invaders’ path to the capital. The Ukrainian forces fully liberated Moshchun on March 21, but the village still comes to its senses after the fierce battle. Most houses were destroyed, so locals have to live in modular homes. B50, a volunteering initiative, helps restore Moshchun. The Ukrainian volunteers clear the debris of buildings destroyed by the war brick by brick. As the rainy season approaches, volunteers restore roofs and help patch the windows with plastic film. Volunteers come to clear the debris every weekend. You can join the volunteering community and find out more about its activity on social media at B50.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ukrainians from Kharkiv, Donetsk, Crimea, Kherson, Luhansk, and, of course, Lviv Oblast will share a piece of their home with each other in Lviv’s Lem Station art space on October 1. Event participants will cook and taste Mariupol’s shumush pie, discuss traditional costumes, paint a Crimean Tatar ornament, and listen to the sounds of the sea and a performance by the Luhansk Philharmonic.
Visiting the Countrymen, a free event organized by Lviv’s Tourism Office, aims at familiarizing Ukrainians with their native land at a local level and celebrating World Tourism Day.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
An event to provide information about each form of family-based child care and about preparing for a child to join your family will take place on the occasion of the National Adoption Day at Lviv’s House of Mercy on September 30, 2022, at 12.00 PM (noon). Potential foster families will be able to discuss all issues related to adopting children during the war.
Background information: There are 523 orphans or children left without parental care in Lviv Oblast at the moment. Of them, 103 children can be adopted.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Justice Initiative Fund/JIF is a non-commercial organization that pursues private and journalist investigation of russia’s war crimes in Ukraine. Its founders include Stanislav Asieiev, a journalist who was held captive for two years and a half in the lawless Izolyatsia prison in Donetsk occupied by russia, and Yulia Payevska, a volunteer and paramedic who spent three months in russian captivity.
The Fund’s goal is to collect information that can directly influence the prosecution of suspected perpetrators of war crimes. The Fund’s website lists war criminals together with amounts offered for information that will help prosecute the perpetrator. All funds for monetary rewards to information providers are raised as charitable contributions.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Owners of a cafe in Bucha in Kyiv Oblast tried not to close their establishment till the last moment: They even tried doing business as usual on February 24, accompanied by sounds of explosions and artillery fire, striving to be a place of calm and comfort. Later, Oleksandr and Yulia saw the invaders leaving their tanks and stealing cakes from the cafe on security cameras. The russians almost razed it to the ground; all windows were broken, and the ceiling was damaged. After Kyiv Oblast had been liberated, the couple reopened their cafe. Initially, they worked in the neighboring building while diligently restoring their own. Everyone who drinks coffee in the cafe can contribute to restoring this once cozy cafe.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ukrainian volunteers have already collected more than 130,000 dollars in donations using the “RevengeFor” platform designed for the Armed Forces of Ukraine support. On the project website, foreigners from anywhere in the world can order an inscription on any projectile that will fly towards russian invaders. The platform developers are sure that Ukraine’s foreign friends also wish to help the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroy russians who have been destroying nations and breaking families’ lives for a long time. Proceeds from an order go directly to the “Come Back Alive” Charity Foundation account. The minimum cost of getting a photo with a “revenge” is 500 dollars. The upper threshold is unlimited.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The “Postcards from Ukraine” project was established to capture and demonstrate the damage caused to Ukrainian culture by russian invaders as a result of bombing and shelling during the full-scale war. Among other things, the postcards feature how the outstanding buildings, museums, monuments look like before and after destruction. For example, the list includes the tallest building in Ukraine — the Kyiv TV Tower, and one of the oldest country’s zoos — Mykolaiv Zoo. To make the world aware of invaders’ destruction of Ukrainian culture, the project organizers call for sharing the postcards via social media and sending them to influencers.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The German musician Christoph Mueller launched the We Play for Ukraine project, which encourages orchestras from all over the world to unite. Musicians from different countries will jointly perform the themes from Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and the National Anthem of Ukraine. And thus to declare military aggression against Ukraine to the whole world. A number of professional teams have already joined the project, in particular, the Odesa National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Doctors involved in NoScar all-Ukrainian initiative are already demonstrating the first results of their work. For example, Tetiana, a resident of Zhytomyr oblast and a victim of an airstrike, is completing a course of treatment. The girl suffered severe shrapnel wounds to her face. She was treated by a plastic surgeon from Kyiv, Sergey Korolyuk. Within a few months of work, he managed to almost completely eliminate marks from stitches on the patient’s face.
NoScar is an all-Ukrainian initiative that has attracted the best plastic surgeons from all over the country, who carry out aesthetic corrections of scars obtained as a result of russia’s military aggression for free.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
First four students have already passed the exam at “FEMALE PILOTS OF UKRAINE” school, which was established this fall in Kyiv region. These women had to take their exam in extremely difficult weather conditions, but they managed.
The first female drone pilot school in the country was founded by Valerii Borovyk, a member of the National Guard. The main goal of the institution is to give every Ukrainian woman the necessary skills to defend the state.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
2,000 forgotten bicycles from Amsterdam Bicycle Depot will be donated to Ukraine. One batch will arrive at the end of this week. Bicycles are intended primarily for doctors, social workers and volunteers who help people in the de-occupied territories. The first batches of two-wheelers will be distributed among communities in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Chernihiv regions.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The renovated Mental Health Center launched in Lviv will provide free consultations for Ukrainian military and their families. The Center plans to employ at least 8 specialists: psychiatrists, psychotherapists, a psychologist and a cognitive-behavioral therapist. Over the past five months, specialists of the Mental Health Center within the National Rehabilitation Center “Nezlamni“ have been advising civilians and military personnel affected by the war on a daily basis. Now they will do that in updated comfortable settings. All expenses for repair and equipment of the Mental Health Center premises were covered by the Lviv IT Cluster.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ukrainian military and animal advocates of UAnimals rescued a bear who was shell-shocked near the de-occupied Lyman. After the liberation of the city, the injured animal was found locked in the cubicle. The private zoo was occupied, but the bear miraculously survived. Volunteers took the bear to the wild animal rescue center in Kyiv region.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Posts of American businessman Elon Musk once again became viral on Twitter because of his statements about Ukraine, and those about the Crimea among them. However, according to Ukrainian historians’ work, his statements are manipulative and untrue oftentimes. For example, Yaroslav Hrytsak, Holder of Doctorate Degree in History, Professor at the Ukrainian Catholic University, explains in his podcast how the Ukrainian nation was formed and why such statements follow on russian colonial propaganda. And Vladlen Maraiev, Candidate of Historical Sciences, author of the science-based YouTube channel “History Without Myths”, proves in his numerous videos that Crimea is an integral part of Ukraine, and not the “Khrushchov’s mistake”.
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Metinvest Group together with fundraising platform UNITED24, the Ministry of Digital Transformation and SOVA jewelry house released a limited series of bracelets called “A Symbol of Perseverance. Azovstal”. They are made of the last batch of steel from Azovstal Steelworks in Mariupol.
10,000 bracelets were made out of the last batch of steel produced in February at Azovstal Steelworks in Mariupol by order of fundraising platform UNITED24. The bracelet, weighing 5 grams, cost UAH 1,500, and all proceeds went to the “Army of Drones” project. The Ukrainians bought the whole batch of bracelets on day one. Currently, the organizers of the campaign are busy producing the second batch.
For reference: The steel that was used to make the bracelets was also used to make a spaceship launch pad in 1981 and a new sarcophagus at Chornobyl nuclear power plant in 2012.
In 2022, the plate rolling facility, where steel had been produced for many years, became one of the places where the defenders of Mariupol heroically protected the city.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Center for Civil Liberties, a Ukrainian NGO, became one of the laureates of the Nobel Peace Prize. “ After russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Center for Civil Liberties has engaged in efforts to identify and document russian war crimes against the Ukrainian civilian population. In collaboration with international partners, the center is playing a pioneering role with a view to holding the guilty parties accountable for their crimes,” — the committee stated.
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In Boryspil, Kyiv region, 19 apartments were handed over to refugee families by the State Fund for Support of Youth Housing Construction. The apartments were purchased for the temporary residence of IDPs, primarily large families and families whose homes were destroyed as a result of the russian aggression in Zhytomyr, Kyiv, Sumy, and Chernihiv regions. According to the program, citizens receive “turn-key” apartments with repairs, furniture and household appliances. Earlier, 9 families received social housing in Sumy, 2 families in Romny, Sumy region, and 21 families in Chernihiv.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Serhii, the 22-years old Ukrainian soldier, was blown up by a mine in May of this year — on the anniversary of meeting his girlfriend Iuliia. The guy lost his arm and decided to break with his girlfriend not to burden her. However, Iulia found the fighter and proposed marriage to him. Now the couple is in the Center “NEZLAMNI” of the First Medical Association of Lviv. Here Serhii is being prepared for prosthetic repair. Jointly with Dobro.ua charity platform, the Center raises funds for a modern bionic prosthetic arm for the defender. It costs 20,000–40,000 euros.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
At Ukraine’s request, a special tribunal is being established in The Hague for putin and russia’s political leadership. The russian elite will be tried for the aggression crimes against Ukraine. Leading international lawyers take part in tribunal proceedings. As well as the Ukrainian working group for establishing the special tribunal. The court may commence operations as far as in a year.
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On October 10, as a result of large-scale missile attack on Kyiv, several museums were damaged at once: the National Science and Natural History Museum of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the Taras Shevchenko National Museum and the Khanenko Museum. Fortunately, the collections were not damaged, but museum buildings were damaged, windows were broken. The losses are still under assessment, but it is already clear that they are fairly significant. In order to resume their work as quickly as possible, museums ask for support. Charitable accounts have been opened for those who are willing to support museums with funds.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The parents of the physician Oksana were shot by russians in the car during their attempts to evacuate themselves from Bucha (the couple moved there from Luhansk region two days before the full-scale russia’s invasion). The woman’s mother died at the scene, and her father was injured. Oksana decided to operate on him with no outside help, in the private hospital where she worked.
Subsequently, Oksana and her family moved to the Ivano-Frankivsk region. She and her sister established the “Nash Sokil” Charity Foundation in memory of their deceased mother. The foundation helps displaced persons with evacuation and find shelter, and also sends assistance to those in need among other things.
Moreover, Oksana headed the “Dobrobut-Fundatsiia” Charity Foundation, where she together with her colleagues provides free medical care to war victims: both civilians and military.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
What Boris Johnson, Andrzej Duda or Antony Blinken will have for dinner on their way to the Ukrainian capital is decided by Ievhen Klopotenko, the Ukrainian chief cook and restaurateur. Together with Ukrzaliznytsia, he represents Ukraine for foreign politicians by means of our ethnic cuisine. So, currently, Ievhen has held a master class for diplomatic flight pilots: they learned how to properly serve ready meals. The restaurateur is convinced that the hours spent by politicians in trains on their way to Kyiv can positively influence their decisions regarding Ukraine. And adequately selected dishes of Ukrainian cuisine should help this.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Major Ukrainian retailers, carriers and communication operators cut electricity consumption to reduce the load on power infrastructure hit by russia’s massive shelling. They had not to do that, but decided to support the Ukrainians in such a “flash mob”. For example, Nova Poshta delivery service announced that it turned off all signs and needless lighting to avoid loading the grids during peak hours. Kyivstar mobile operator did the same. ALLO, COMFY and EpicentrK equipment sellers joined the campaign too.
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Animal advocates launched fundraising for Bretsel’s evacuation to South Africa. During the recent missile attacks by russians in Kyiv oblast, the animal was scared by loud sounds, tried to escape and was injured against the cubicle. In addition to Bretsel, another 11 lions that were taken out of flash points and a bear are being collected for evacuation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The nationwide project “Tachka Na TROkachku” (the analog of Pimp My Ride TV show) is aimed at restoration for the front line of military trucks that are currently out of commission or damaged as a result of military operations. The project will be launched on October 18 at 11:00 AM in a car repair shop which is engaged in old cars restoration. The presentation will be attended by Ihor Tantsiura, Major General, Commander of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine; Roman Horodechnyi, Senior Lieutenant, co-founder of the project; Viktor Shevchenko, Junior Lieutenant, Logistics Officer of the Headquarters of the Territorial Defense Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, co-founder of the project; Andrii Ovchynnyk, Mechanic Supervisor at the car repair shop. Journalists in Kyiv will be able to see and film the cars repair process. Pre-registration is required to participate in the presentation. For security reasons, the venue will be informed by organizers to the registered participants on the day before the event.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Mykola Kulish Music and Drama Theater from the temporarily occupied Kherson announced a tour of Ukraine with a solo performance “The Cat On the Memory of Darkness.” This is a story about 8 years of life in war-settings in Donbas, as well as the reality in which Ukrainians from Kherson, Zaporizhia, Luhansk regions and a part of Kharkiv region found themselves. The first performance will take place on October 20 in Kropyvnytskyi, followed by Mykolaiv and Odesa. In total, performances in 7 cities of Ukraine are planned.
For information: in May, the occupation authorities of Kherson appointed a man who had previously worked there as a security guard to lead the Mykola Kulish Music and Drama Theater. And in July, invaders set up a warehouse of artillery ammunition in the theater.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
October 19 — A Day for Unbreakable. Previously, Ukrainians were encouraged to transfer a one-day salary for prostheses for those who suffered due to the war. The general purpose of the campaign is to collect 100 mln hryvnias. Last year, October 19 was A Day for Viktoriia Poliuha. At that time, 50 mln hryvnias were collected for the girl diagnosed with SMA.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Heorhii Molchanov’s craft winery “SliVino” is located near Mykolaiv and suffers from russian shelling, as well as the city. However, even under such conditions, the enterprise does not discontinue working. Now farmers together with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Ukraine decided to raffle off the unique bottle of Grad Cru to raise money for the purchase of vehicles for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This wine is made from the “war” grape harvest 2022, which survived the shelling with russian MLRS and got on the Daily Telegraph pages. And its label features a modified BM-21 Grad combat vehicle with an uncorked bottle of champagne instead of a multiple launch rocket system.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
37-year old Roman Poltavets was injured on June 19 in the Kharkiv region. That day, the soldier noticed a tripwire hidden in leaves. Roman alerted his friends to the danger and allowed them to leave the dangerous place first. When the explosion occurred, Roman’s comrades were not injured, but he lost his leg.
As soon as in October, a team of surgeons, prosthetists, rehabilitation specialists and psychotherapists of Rehabilitation Center “Nezlamni“ in Lviv made a decision that the man was ready for the prosthesis delivery and started working. Only a week passed from the moment when Roman entered the Center with crutches, and left without them.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
More than 50,000 women currently serve in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, of which 3.5 thousand are high-ranking officers. And not all of them are equipped with comfortable uniforms. The “Arm Women Now” project was launched to provide every woman in the Ukrainian army with military uniform. The first batches of uniforms are already at the front line. Now, with a specially designed women’s uniform, defenders on the front line will start receiving tactical uniforms and thermal underwear. Everything is Made in Ukraine of high-quality fabric and according to the female body structure.
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The fifth wave of ZSU Meet charity meetings starts in Ukraine. This time it is dedicated to the liberation of Kherson.
According to organizers’ idea, you can buy a meeting with the charity auction participants and the funds received will go to the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The previous waves were joined by celebrities and people from abroad. In general, during the term of the charity initiative’s existence, about 400,000 hryvnias were collected for the military’s needs. This time, it is planned to raise 130,000 hryvnias for repair of a pickup necessary to the military in the South of the country.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Maksym Lutsyk, Rostyslav Stoika, and Rostyslav Bilyi, Professors at Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University, developed a hemostatic agent that now saves the lives of Ukrainian soldiers. They got to work on it back in 2014, after russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Two years later, they patented it. And now, at the cost of American investors, they produce the hemostatic agent and send it to the front at no charge. When this hemostatic agent comes into contact with blood, it forms a viscous gel, which helps stop bleeding. In some respects, the “Blood Clotting Activator”, as the scientists called it, surpassed “Celox”, the well-established on the market drug produced in the UK.
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Serhiy Zhadan, the Ukrainian writer, is awarded the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade. The award was presented for creativity and humanitarian stance, assistance to civilians and military.
Since the beginning of the full-scale russian invasion, Serhiy Zhadan has remained in Kharkiv, which is constantly attacked by russians. The writer is engaged in volunteering, helping the Ukrainian military and civilians of the city.
For reference: The Peace Prize of the German Book Trade is an annual award of the German Publishers and Booksellers Association presented since 1950. Hermann Hesse, Karl Jaspers, Janusz Korczak, Astrid Lindgren, Orhan Pamuk and Margaret Atwood have been previously presented this award.
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A landfill of russian projectiles used by invaders to fire at the city since February 24 has appeared in Kharkiv. The landfill contains thousands of remnants: they are “Grads”, “Uragans”, “Smerches” and “Tornadoes-S”. All remnants of ammunition in “landfills” are safe. They are kept to have an evidence base of crimes committed by rf in Kharkiv.
Totally, as of October 20, more than 1,500 civilians, including 76 children, have been killed in the Kharkiv region since the beginning of full-scale war of rf in Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Lviv Organ Hall has responded to calls to save electricity. Therefore, until the end of this month, it will hold all its events with minimal power consumption.
Recently, due to massive missile strikes on critical infrastructure facilities in Lviv, power outages have occurred. Before the beginning of one of the concerts in Lviv Organ Hall, power outage occurred, so the entire symphony orchestra played half of the concert for the audience in complete darkness. They highlighted their scores with small lanterns.
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The team of the Non-Profit Organization “Countrywomen” works on the animated series about life in occupied Mariupol based on the diary of the local resident named Nataliia. The series is called “Mariupol. Civilian’s Military Chronicles”. The first 3 episodes have already been released. The creators of the animated film release a new episode every week. The latter will be released on February 24 — the anniversary of the beginning of a full-scale russian invasion. Now the series is made in Ukrainian and Russian, and it is also planned to create English-language version of “Mariupol”.
For reference: The “Countrywomen” project was initiated by Kseniya Draganuk, presenter and journalist, to tell the world about incredible Ukrainian women. After the full-scale invasion of russia, the project turned into a non-profit organization with a volunteer headquarters that supports Ukrainian military women.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In Kharkiv, volunteers weave camouflage nets from russian military uniforms. When the Ukrainian Armed Forces liberated the Kharkiv region, the enemies left not only their weapons, but also their uniforms. Now volunteers chop these clothes with axes to make it easier to cut them into strips and weave nets.
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On October 27, at 10:00 AM, Kharkiv will host a demonstration and a handover of “Kazhan” (Bat) combat drones, which were purchased at the expense of Kharkiv residents. The cost of 3 drones is UAH 1.7 million, each of them is capable of lifting about 20 kilograms of cargo.
The demonstration for the journalists will show how drones rise into the air. It will be possible to get comments from the military about the application of the drones.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Odesa developers have launched “yePPO” (We Have Air Defense) application, and the first russian missile has already been shot down with the aid of this app. The application allows citizens to report missiles, drones and aircraft, and it is already available on Google Play. Volunteer programmers got aid in creating this app from Operational Command “South,” the Ukrainian Navy and the Ministry of Digital Transformation. At a Media Center Ukraine — Odesa briefing on October 27, the creators of the app will tell where the idea to create it came from, whose help they are most looking forward to in the app, and when it will appear on the AppStore.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
UAH 4.5 million are needed for the restoration of Chernihiv Central Library named after Kotsyubynskyi, which was partially destroyed by the russians during an aerial bombing on February 27. The Ministry of Culture of Ukraine announced this on its social media. The building’s roof and walls are damaged, windows are missing, internal partitions and doors were knocked out, and the heating system is destroyed. A part of the library’s catalog was also lost. Therefore, to restore the institution, the Ministry launched a special platform for collecting funds.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Mariupol Art School Named After Arkhip Kuindzhi, the building of which was completely destroyed by russian invaders, resumed its work in Lviv. 2022 marks the 50 anniversary of the School establishment. During the period of operation, more than three thousand people graduated from it. About 40 students started studying in Lviv.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Serhii Revenko, architect, and Mykyta Solopov, translator, establish a digital archive of Ukrainian heritage, which is being or can be destroyed by russians during the full-scale war. In such a manner, the volunteers try to capture the visual history of the country. The scanned objects include the school and the fire station in Kharkiv, the Ascension Church, the Youth Library in Chernihiv, the destroyed Irpinskyi Bridge and the historic building in Kyiv destroyed during the large-scale missile strike on October 17. Serhii Revenko is ready to scan the new heritage together with journalists and talk about why this project is important for him.
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In early October, the Security Service of Ukraine published a video that went viral. In this video, Ukrainian Special Forces in Zaporizhia are shooting down the russian Ka-52 attack helicopter, also known as “Alligator”, using the “Igla” MANPADS developed back in the 70s. In addition to the “Igla”, several other valuable lots are being raffled off at the auction. And all the proceeds will go to the purchase of drones for the same unit that shot down the enemy helicopter with MANPADS.
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In September, 66-years’ old Iryna went to the market in Bakhmut for groceries and came under fire. The woman lost one leg, and the other was injured. In a local hospital, she lost consciousness, then she was taken to Dnipro, where she was under coma for 6 days. At this time, due to confusion, her family was informed that she had died.
Subsequently, Iryna reunited with her family. Now the woman is in the National Rehabilitation Center “NEZLAMNI” of the First Medical Association of Lviv. She is being prepared for prosthetic repair.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Keep Going, the Ukrainian project, provides financial support to Ukrainians who move the victory closer, and tells their stories. In particular, now they help raise funds for an engraving machine for Kateryna Uvarova from the Kharkiv region who makes and sells accessories from shot casings. They also help raise money to purchase a refrigerator for flowers for Oksana Dubyk, a migrant from Mariupol, who together with two countrywomen established a flower shop in Lviv.
Among the Keep Going’s achievements: 600,000 hryvnias raised for Oleksandr Kryvosheia, the farmer from Kyiv region, who in March brought Ukrainian artillery to his own warehouse captured by russians. Those who received support include also Oleksandr Shchelokov, the owner of Mi-Lo-Ko Craft Cheese Factory in Kyiv region. In farms where he procured milk, goats were killed during missile attacks.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Kseniya Draganuk, presenter and journalist, initiated the “Countrywomen” project to tell the world about incredible Ukrainian women. After a full-scale invasion, the project turned into a volunteer headquarters that supports Ukrainian military women. Kseniya, together with her friends, began to collect boxes of humanitarian aid for each of them. Over time, relationships with large foundations and organizations were established. The girl has already opened the “Countrywomen” Non-Profit Organization and plans to receive grants to develop the headquarters. During the period of its existence, the “Countrywomen” have helped several hundred women. Kseniya tries to keep in touch with each of them and know about their needs at the front line. Kseniya publishes the stories of heroines assisted by the non-profit organization in “Countrywomen’s” Instagram.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The couple of photographers, Kostiantyn and Vlada Liberovs, published a series of photos featuring Liubov Plaksiuk, the first woman who headed the artillery unit of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Intriguingly, until 2016, she worked as a history teacher.
Recall that Liberovs take photos of the war in flash point cities of the country. During this time, they have taken hundreds of photos presented in their social media and even on cover pages of world periodicals. Formerly, Kostiantyn’s photo capturing the Ukrainian defender who held in hands a watermelon against the background of the operating multiple launch rocket system, spread over the Internet and became very popular.
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Rubizhne Hosiery Manufactory, the factory of which was destroyed by russians during the capture of the city, moved to Lviv. In the Western Ukraine, they decided to continue operation: found a site, purchased the equipment and already sewed the first socks. A part of the employees also left the Luhansk region and continued their work at the enterprise.
Before the full-scale russian invasion and occupation of Rubizhne, the factory had operated successfully for more than 20 years.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Mad Heads will release a new song dedicated to all Ukrainians. Its title is “We Are Ukrainians, We Can Do Everything”. The track was worked on in Kyiv at various studios with those Mad Heads’ musicians who could reunite at that time.
According to Vadym Krasnooky, leader of Mad Heads band, the time of heroic stories of this war, where we will talk about losses that will have to be lamented, is still ahead. He believes that in the meantime we need such songs as “We Are Ukrainians, We Can Do Everything” that can inspire us to fight and win.
For the first time in public, musicians will present the song on November 1 at 2:00 PM in the hall of the Media Center Ukraine — Ukrinform.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Almost 400 people in the Sumy region are employed within the scope of the “Army of Restoration” project, which provides involvement of unemployed Ukrainians to constructive social works. Tetiana Berezhna, Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine, formerly made this statement. According to her, the list of constructive social works may include timber harvesting for the needs of military and civilians, unloading humanitarian aids, strengthening of dams, clearing the roads of building debris, providing assistance to IDPs, people with disabilities and the elderly. People receive salaries for their work.
Important notice: journalists can see how the project is implemented in practice.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Andriy Danylko (the artist also goes by the nickname Verka Serduchka) decided to sell the Silver Shadow Rolls-Royce of the year 1974 by the Sotheby’s auction. It was the car that Freddie Mercury drove until the last days of his life. Danylko will donate all the proceeds to construction of a rehabilitation center in Ukraine. The auction will be held on November 5 in London. Earlier, the artist had bought this legendary car to present it to the Queen Museum or make it a part of a large exhibition in Ukraine, but now he decided to invest in the country’s future.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The host of the morning radio show helps pensioners in the Kyiv region. In particular, in localities affected by russian occupation. For this purpose, the girl founded the Charitable Foundation “Yulia’s Grannies”. One of the main activities of the Foundation is guardianship of the elderly and single people. Now the fund has five employees who regularly go to nursing homes in the Kyiv region, bring aid and just communicate with grannies and grandpas.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Despite the power outage in the country, Ukrposhta does not plan to stop its activities. Among other things, the postal service is purchasing generators, flashlights for employees, and installing Starlinks at key branches. In addition, it became known earlier that Ukrposhta has already resumed the work of 48 branches in Kharkiv, Donetsk and Kherson regions. Currently, postal workers are providing services in more than 100 liberated settlements.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
“Female Pilots of Ukraine” school, which teaches women to fly drones, has already received more than 100 applications from those willing to learn. Now the school is preparing to recruit two groups. 12 girls will be able to become cadets after the 2-stage selection. A total of 2 cohorts of female students have already graduated from “Female Pilots of Ukraine” school.
The first female drone pilot school in the country was founded by Valerii Borovyk, a member of the National Guard of Ukraine. The main goal of the institution is to give every Ukrainian woman the necessary skills to defend the state.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ukrainian researchers of urban spaces and the quality of urban life have started work on an interactive map of locations with autonomous power. They are looking for places in the city that can work even during blackouts due to having generators and other equipment. The list will include not only coffee shops, but also stores, beauty salons, and car service stations. They have already done other studies in different cities of Ukraine focusing on air quality, accessibility to public transport, educational institutions and medical services.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Lviv authorities promise to return 50% of the cost of generators purchased by residents of high-rise apartment houses. In that perspective, the city has adopted a separate scheme of compensation for the cost of these devices. However, the amount of compensation should not exceed 30,000 hryvnias. According to Andriy Sadovyi, the Lviv Mayor, in order to receive compensation, residents should purchase a generator and submit the relevant documents via the Center for Administrative Services Provision or the electronic addresses service, and the district administration will return a part of funds.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Leading Ukrainian charity foundations — “Come Back Alive”, Charity Foundation of Serhiy Prytula, and Bon Charity Foundation — will sell war trophies by online auctions in Prozorro.Sale state electronic trading system. A regular radio station from the Charity Foundation “Come Back Alive”, which was removed from the destroyed IFV of the enemy in Mykolaiv region, a fragment of the russian TOR air defense system from the Bon Foundation, which was shot down by the Ukrainian military in the south, and a military chemical intelligence device from the Prytula’s Foundation, brought by volunteers from near Vyshgorod, from where russians planned to capture Kyiv “in 2–3 days” were put up for charity auctions the first. In general, such auctions will be held in the Prozorro.Sale system during November. Everyone will be able to compete for lots, and money from the sale of trophies will go to the accounts of foundations to buy aid to the Ukrainian military. Generally, Prozorro.Sale launched charity auctions back in March 2022. UAH 6.8 million was raised to help the army and for humanitarian needs.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Mykolaiv has already installed 4 concrete shelters for city residents. There they will be able to hide during air-raid warnings. Shelters are reinforced, properly certified and can protect against debris or a blast wave. Each of them is designed for 15 seats for short-term stays.
In addition, Vitaly Gidevan and Elena Noina, the known Kyiv artists, painted the walls of shelters to make them look more attractive.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
More than 23,000 hectares of forests were burned by rockets or shells during russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine. It will take at least 10 years to restore them, and 20% of nature conservation areas of Ukraine are affected by military operations. So, UAnimals NGO launched a petition calling for the russian federation to be held accountable for environmental crimes. They appeal to the European parliaments to help stop environmental crimes, condemn the actions of the russian federation and introduce additional sanctions against the terrorist country. In addition the European parliaments are asked to facilitate the restoration of Ukraine’s environment in the post-war period, in particular, via reparations.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The authorities of Lviv promise to return 50% of the cost of generators purchased by residents of high-rise buildings. For this purpose, the city adopted a separate Program for reimbursement of the cost of these appliances. However, the amount of compensation should not exceed UAH 30,000. According to Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi, in order to receive compensation, residents must purchase a generator and submit the relevant documents through Administrative Service Centers or the electronic application service, and the district administration will return a part of the funds.
At 11:00 AM on November 8, representatives of the Lviv City Council will tell more about this initiative at Media Center Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Volunteers of Dia-Dzen patients’ organization deliver diabetes medicines to the occupied territories. Yuliya Kuklina, Co-Founder of Dia-Dzen says that these trips often take several weeks. In particular, the organization managed to deliver a box of insulin to the temporarily occupied Berdyansk in Zaporizhia. There, the volunteer of the team had to simply distribute the medicine on the street, because there was no normal mobile communication in the city. Volunteers of the organization also go to the de-occupied territories, in particular, to Kharkiv region, because insulin-dependent people will need the drug and can live without it for only a few weeks.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
For several months in a row, beauty volunteers have been traveling through the de-occupied towns and villages of Kyiv region: manicurists, hairdressers, make-up artists and massage therapists work with local residents for free. In particular, they visited Bucha, Dymer, Katyuzhanka and many other places. The idea of beauty volunteering for de-occupied villages belongs to make-up artist Olha Belytska. In the spring, she and her colleagues did beauty treatments for the patients of Okhmatdyt in Kyiv and saw that some women, having barely recovered from shell and cluster bomb attacks, complained that they were staying there with their hair uncombed and with no makeup. So, together with like-minded people, Olha comes to the de-occupied settlements of Kyiv region every week to help people who survived the horrors of occupation to feel beautiful again.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
“Time of Stories” project tells the stories of Ukrainians, each of whom is fighting on their own front. Among them are celebrities who took up arms, as well as brave volunteers who reach the most inaccessible places and deliver help. The next meeting of the project will take place in Lviv on December 15 and will be called “Warriors of Light — 2″. The organizers will tell more about the event on November 9 at 1:00 PM at Media Center Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Scientists of Lviv Polytechnic National University are developing pioneering inventions necessary for the Ukrainian military. For instance, they presented smoke signal grenades that can be used by the military on the battlefield to mark a spot or territory. The presentation also featured fire extinguishing grenades. They rapidly reduce the temperature and eliminate fire in enclosed areas, for example, in dugouts or cars. They also showcased hydrogel dressing that helps to disinfect and heal wounds. All developments were created at the expense of the Lviv Oblast Military Administration. This year, UAH 5 million were allocated for new developments.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Since February 25, Helping to Leave project team managed to help about 133,000 people, who received informational, financial, psychological assistance, or were transported to a safe area. In particular, more than 43,000 people were able to leave the war zone. The operators fully organized the entire evacuation process: from route development to constant online support.
Helping to Leave is a 24-hour hotline to help Ukrainians affected by the russian military invasion and genocide. The goal of the project is to help people get the necessary humanitarian aid, evacuate from the war zone to safe territories. In addition, they hold evacuation both from the Ukrainian territories temporarily occupied by russia and from the territories of the russian federation, where Ukrainians were forcibly deported.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Maltese Aid Service has opened a new special project to help people, in particular, in the regions bordering the frontlines and those on the frontline. These are Odesa, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhia, Dnipropetrovsk and Kharkiv regions. As part of the “Winter Relief” program, people receive help with repairing houses damaged by shelling and preparing buildings for the cold season. In particular, about 130 houses have already been restored. It is also planned to deliver 300 power generators to communities in various regions so that residents can charge their phones and stay in touch with relatives. In addition, 2,000 families should receive “winter kits”, which will include a power bank, an LED flashlight, a sleeping bag and a set of products that do not require cooking.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
For several months, a journalist from Kherson worked for the Ukrainian media under the conditions of occupation: she filmed anti-russian rallies on her smartphone and went live while hiding her face. After spending more than six months in the occupation, the woman decided to leave for Ukraine-controlled territory, but the russians kept her at the checkpoint for almost a month, so she had to live with strangers or even in the premises of a church. Now the journalist works for a Ukrainian TV channel and plans to return home soon.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On November 12, Marathon of the Indomitable charity race will start in Hostomel. The purpose of the race is to raise funds for the creation of the “Center for Psychological Assistance and Rehabilitation for Military Personnel” in Kharkiv region. Paratrooper Maksym Pasichnyk will run the half-marathon. He took part in the operation to liberate the Antonov airport and spent 10 days walking more than 100 kilometers to leave the enemy rear together with his comrades. The half-marathon will pass through Bucha and Irpin, and will end at the recently restored bridge in Stoyanka. Anyone who wants to participate will be able to follow the race online. The organizers plan to collect UAH 300,000 during the half-marathon, with these funds they will start the creation of a Center for the rehabilitation of military personnel.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ukrainian Research Institute of Defense Technologies together with the factory for the production of personal protective equipment developed special protective equipment for journalists working in war zones. It consists of a kit of special gear for the press. The kit contains not only a bulletproof vest and a helmet, but also other items necessary for the journalist’s safety and convenience: holders, load bearing gear, a backpack, etc. Also, the developed PPE comes with recommendations on how exactly to use the above-mentioned inventions and how to behave in critical situations.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Anatolii Patii, a resident of Kyiv region, does not have an agricultural education, but he was able to invent his own technology for greenhouses and patent it. His farm, where oranges, lemons, tangerines and papayas bloom and bear fruit, is built according to his design. During the active phase of the war in the region, the russians stood 30 km from the village where Anatolii’s greenhouse is located. Explosions were heard all around, the heating did not work, and the weather got cold again. But the gardener’s plants survived even in the tropical part of his greenhouse.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Volunteers of “Zemliachky” (Countrywomen) charity organization sewed the first military uniform for a pregnant woman. The recipient of the uniform is the Ukrainian sniper Yevhenia Emerald. As is the case with other women serving in the ranks of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, the uniform was made to order, as to this day, the army still has a single uniform standard — men’s. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Zemliachky project has kept in touch with the women on the front lines and helped cover their needs. Boxes with hygiene products, sleeping bags, women’s thermal clothing, small berets and ultra-light plates for body armor are being sent to the front.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The State Administration of Railway Transport of Ukraine “Ukrzaliznytsia” launched the sale of charity tickets to temporarily occupied Simferopol, Donetsk, Luhansk, Mariupol, as well as recently liberated Kherson.
For now, the ticket can be kept as a symbol of faith that all of Ukraine will be liberated. It can be used immediately after de-occupation. A few hours after the sale started, 1,000 tickets were sold! And it was not Kherson that was the most sought after destination for the train to go to soon, but Simferopol.
With the proceeds from ticket sales, vehicles will be purchased that will help connect cities and towns in the de-occupied territories with the nearest railway junctions. You can buy tickets at this link.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Luxembourg has sent 30 3D scanners to Ukraine, which can be used to scan large areas and collect evidence of war crimes committed by the russians. The aid package includes not only scanners, but also internal software that allows users to scan large areas with all the objects found there. The information is then processed by a computer. In total, the project costs EUR 1.3 million.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Specialists of “MykolaVvodokanal” have already started the work to restore the supply of drinking water to the city. There was practically no drinking water in Mykolaiv since the beginning of the full-scale war. Teams of utility workers are working on sites where the 73-km long pipeline burst. They found 4 places of damage. Some of the damage looks as if the pipe was deliberately fired upon from tanks, the city says. The utility workers themselves tell how “MykolaivVodokanal” is restoring the supply of water to the city after the liberation of Kherson.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In peacetime, Pavlo Kashchuk was an expert on the automobile market and the host of a popular YouTube channel about cars. However, in 2014, he also became a volunteer and devoted a significant part of his time to strengthening Ukraine’s Armed Forces. Currently, Pavlo is researching the military equipment used by russia to attack us, he has thoroughly studied Iranian drones and helps the Ukrainian military train to shoot them down.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Alim Iakubov, Ukrainian Crimean photographer, a Crimean Tatar who returned to his historical homeland from Uzbekistan in 2008, just like other children of deported people. The exhibition contains portraits of Ukrainian LGBTIQ+ war heroes and heroines created by Alim. The exhibition is accompanied by Ukrainian heroes’ personal stories collected and described by Daphna Rachok, Ukrainian Scientist and Activist. The authors’ goal is to show unity and courage of the Ukrainian people who include the LGBTIQ+ community as an integral part. Everyone can communicate with them at the exhibition by prior arrangement
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
More than 50,000 women currently serve in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, of which 3.5 thousand are high-ranking officers. And not all of them are equipped with comfortable uniforms. The “Arm Women Now” project was launched to provide every woman in the Ukrainian army with military uniform. The first batches of uniforms are already at the front line. Now, with a specially designed women’s uniform, defenders on the front line will start receiving tactical uniforms and thermal underwear. Everything is Made in Ukraine of high-quality fabric and according to the female body structure.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The parents of the physician Oksana were shot by russians in the car during their attempts to evacuate themselves from Bucha (the couple moved there from Luhansk region two days before the full-scale russia’s invasion). The woman’s mother died at the scene, and her father was injured. Oksana decided to operate on him with no outside help, in the private hospital where she worked.
Subsequently, Oksana and her family moved to the Ivano-Frankivsk region. She and her sister established the “Nash Sokil” Charity Foundation in memory of their deceased mother. The foundation helps displaced persons with evacuation and find shelter, and also sends assistance to those in need among other things.
Moreover, Oksana headed the “Dobrobut-Fundatsiia” Charity Foundation, where she together with her colleagues provides free medical care to war victims: both civilians and military.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Due to the constant missile attacks of russian invaders, Ukrainian doctors must work in extreme conditions. In particular, in Lviv, cardiac surgeons were forced to perform a complex heart operation in semi-darkness due to a power outage. The hospital was powered by the generator; it was not therefore possible to undertake surgical intervention in full light.
Recall that on November 15, russian military massively shelled the Ukrainian power system. Therefore, emergency power cuts required to keep the power grid manageable have been introduced across the country.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Students of the “Kyiv Polytechnic Institute” University continue collecting electronic cigarettes, spare parts from which are needed at the front. Engineers use an electronic cigarette battery for ammunition discharge systems in UAVs for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Also, “disposables” become spare parts for making batteries for drones themselves. In addition, they are used to make power banks for the Armed Forces. And after a wave of russian attacks on the energy system of Ukraine, engineers decided to even make chargers from disposables in dormitories.
They collect used cigarettes on the campus of the Polytechnic Institute. In addition, they agreed upon with ROZETKA stores, which also opened collection points.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Traumatologist Yuriy did not leave Izyum and continued to treat people during the occupation of the city. The local hospital was partially destroyed by shells. In order to protect themselves and their patients from shelling, doctors had to set up an operating room in the basement. However, there was a period when, during the occupation, Yuri remained the only doctor there. For rescuing the townspeople, the man was awarded the Order for Courage III third class.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A hundred people who lost their homes due to russia’s full-scale invasion have recently received the keys to 30 temporary apartments in Lviv region. For this purpose, the authorities and benefactors repaired an apartment building in the village of Neslukhiv. The accommodation includes the necessary furniture and household appliances. Families with children and elderly people will live there.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The team of the Charitable Organization “World Central Kitchen” was one of the first to arrive in the liberated Kherson to feed people. Recently, the President of Ukraine has awarded Jose Andres, the founder of the organization, the Order of Merit of Degree II. In addition, the sign with his name was placed on the Alley of Courage in the capital city.
For reference: WCK has been operating in Ukraine since the first days of the full-scale russian invasion. Generally, this organization provides funds and supplies products for making the food packages in countries and regions where humanitarian, climate or man-made crises occur.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Lviv marketing agency has created an interactive map of Lviv public locations where people can charge their devices if there is no electricity at home or in the office. Places with their own shelters are also mapped. Lviv residents are asked to send their ideas and comments in order to improve the map.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Nine transplants from posthumous donors were carried out in Lviv within 30 hours. Despite massive shelling by russia, transplant specialists managed to transplant two hearts, a liver and six kidneys. For this, teams of almost a hundred specialists worked in extremely difficult conditions.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Yuriy Vernydub combines service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine with work as a coach of FC Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih.
After the start of russia’s full-scale invasion, Vernydub returned to Ukraine and joined the ranks of the Armed Forces. At the beginning of the summer, the man was appointed head coach of FC Kryvbas. By the order of the Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, he was transferred to Kryvyi Rih, to the location of FC Kryvbas, for further military service. Vernydub is allowed to work with the club when he’s not on duty.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On November 29, at 4:30 PM, human rights defenders of “Helping to Leave” international project will hold an online press conference with the opportunity to talk with volunteers who help people in the occupation every day. If necessary, they will also help to meet with real witnesses and victims of war crimes who are ready to tell their stories.
In addition, “Helping to Leave” in partnership with Ukrainian foundations and other international organizations, launched a public campaign, the purpose of which is to explain to the international community that annexed lands cannot be given away in order to end the war. After all, this means leaving the people who live in these territories to fend for themselves.
“Helping to Leave” is a project that carries out a humanitarian mission to help Ukrainians affected by the military invasion and genocide committed by russia.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The first school in Ukraine, created using 3D printing technologies, is to be built in Lviv. The work was planned to start in October this year, but due to the massive shelling of Ukrainian cities, the decision was made to postpone the delivery of the 3D printer and the arrival of foreign specialists who work with it. Construction is now scheduled for spring.
It will take about a month to print this one-story building. The start of work is planned for the first warm days of spring, which are favorable for work with concrete. 99% of the materials that will be used in construction are of local origin.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Lun-misto website has launched an online map showing which businesses are open during power outages. So, for example, the “Power Map” features co-working spaces, coffee shops, gas stations, pharmacies, supermarkets, and home appliance stores. Among other things, such a map will help a person plan their day or meet their needs. Currently, there are over 8,000 places marked on it.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In Lviv, entrepreneurs can obtain assistance in purchasing electricity generators for work. Here vouchers for energy supply are planned to be introduced, which can be used by Lviv restaurateurs and food sellers. Such vouchers provide for a refund of 50% of the equipment cost, but not exceeding UAH 80,000. It will be a simple procedure: entrepreneurs will submit applications and a package of documents to the Center of Administrative Services Provision, and the expert committee will promptly review them and pass decisions.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A couple from Kharkiv started their own business: they developed and patented the design of candles in wood (Wood MOOD). The products are eco-friendly. Candles are non-disposable because they are equipped with wax cartridges, and use the wood intended for fuel. During the war, russian invaders destroyed a wood-working shop in the Kharkiv region, where candle bases were produced. In addition, a candle workshop in Kyiv region was looted. However, entrepreneurs managed to resume production: they found a workshop in Volyn and grant support programs and now their products are taking over the world.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Lviv Defense Cluster raised funds for the production of evacuation kits for children. Each set consists of a bulletproof vest and a helmet. Now the LDC is already completing the production of bulletproof vests and ordering the helmets. In next to no time, hundreds of children can be evacuated at the same time in protective kits.
Recall that Lviv Defense Cluster was addressed by the Juvenile Prevention Directorate of the National Police of Ukraine with a request to develop protective kits for children’s evacuation from the war zone and other dangerous areas.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
“Numo Kozaky” (Come On Cossacks): this is the title of a new track released by Kalush Orchestra, winners of the current Eurovision Song Contest, jointly with Kozak Siromakha. “This is a song in which we wanted to convey the real Ukrainian spirit. Despite the cruelty of the enemy and the lack of any humanness in it, Ukrainian soldiers are driving it out further and further from our land! We believe that this song can become the anthem of our imminent Victory,” Oleg Psyuk, the Band Leader, said. He also added that with this song, the musicians wanted to show the strength and courage of Ukrainian men who are ready to give their lives for their native homeland daily.
Recall that the Kalush Orchestra band received a new cup of the Eurovision Song Contest winner. Previously, the band sold its winner’s cup at a charity auction for USD 900,000 to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In the case of power outages for more than a day due to enemy attacks in Ivano-Frankivsk, you can see a heating bus point on the streets of the city. In such transport, people will be able to charge their mobile phones and keep warm. Among other things, there will be tables, thermos flasks and charging devices. Such a bus will run around the city and stop at final stops in different micro-districts (the organizers will communicate the exact route and schedule later). The travel is free. Currently, the works on the completion of the mobile wheeled point are still underway.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Hryshko National Botanical Garden in Kyiv is preparing to save unique plants. Employees prepare firewood to heat greenhouses.
In addition, the Botanical Garden launched charitable fundraising for the purchase of pellets for heating the greenhouses. As of December 3, they managed to collect 1 mln hryvnias and procure the first 44 tonnes of pellets. Next week, they plan to purchase another 44 tonnes. Generally, the Botanical Garden wants to collect 10 mln hryvnias for heating the greenhouses.
For reference: the collection of Hryshko National Botanical Garden includes more than 4,000 tropical and subtropical plants that may not survive the winter.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The All-Ukrainian project “Mobile Doctors” invites the media to a press tour to Dobrianka village of Chernihiv Region (2 km from the border with Belarus) on December 10. Journalists will have the opportunity to see the work of the “hospital on wheels”, which has, in particular, its own laboratory and ultrasound room. The departure is scheduled at 6:00 AM from the center of Kyiv with a return at 10:00 PM.
“Mobile Doctors” is a team of professional doctors and nurses who help people in de-occupied communities of Ukraine. Medics go to places where there are no hospitals or pharmacies.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ukrposhta invites journalists to a press tour in Kherson. In particular, Saint Nicholas will visit the city’s post office. In addition, the travel will be organized to villages of the Velyka Oleksandrivka district for media workers as required to show how Ukrposhta sets up work in the de-occupied territories of Kherson region (for example, issues pensions, brings parcels with medicines, etc.).
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The host of the morning radio show helps pensioners in the Kyiv region. In particular, in localities affected by russian occupation. For this purpose, the girl founded the Charitable Foundation “Yulia’s Grannies”. One of the main activities of the Foundation is guardianship of the elderly and single people. Now the fund has five employees who regularly go to nursing homes in the Kyiv region, bring aid and just communicate with persons under care. On the holidays’ eve, the team goes to the foster house in Prybirsk of Kyiv region. “Yulia’s Grannies” urge Ukrainians to become a secret Santa and buy gifts for elderly gents.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Beauty volunteers who help residents of the liberated villages of Kyiv region, plan to come to the Chernihiv region settlements, which were severely affected by the occupation. Masters will manicure nails, put-on make-up, make hairstyles, haircuts for free to everyone who wishes and talk to people about their experiences. Such visits are planned to be made on a weekly basis.
For reference: The idea of beauty volunteering for the de-occupied villages belongs to Olha Belytska, Make-Up Artist. Together with like-minded people, Olha comes to de-occupied settlements of the Kyiv region weekly to help people who survived the horrors of the occupation feel beautiful again. For six months of work, beauty volunteers managed to serve more than a thousand people.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Knitters from different cities of Ukraine have joined for a common goal: to provide as many Ukrainian defenders as possible in the cold trenches with warm clothes. As well as, to give care. Participants of the “Zihrii” (warm up) movement knit warm hats, scarves, balaclavas, mittens and socks for Ukrainian soldiers. Those who cannot knit, but want to join the initiative, donate money for yarn.
According to Yulia Savostina, co-founder of the “Zihrii” (warm up) movement, they do not try to compete with tactical equipment for soldiers. Knitwear has a different purpose. “Soldiers can move somewhere or have a break, and they need, for example, to pick up tires at the post office, cook borshch after all, do some other things in the fresh air, and it is important that they are warm and comfortable. This is the intended use of socks, hats, balaclavas being knitted by our girls,” Yulia Savostina explains.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On November 1, the British lawyer Jason McKew filed a lawsuit with the Supreme Court of London against Wagner PMC and Yevhen Prigozhin. Jason McKew represents the interests of a group of Ukrainians who have asked him to represent them in court. According to the lawyer, they decided to launch a campaign against putin’s war machine in order to receive reparations on behalf of Ukraine.
“This case will prove to the world that Wagner Group is terrorist contractors, and that putin is colluding with them to commit terrorist acts against the Ukrainian people, is engaged in terrorism financing,” Jason McKew said.
For reference: British lawyer Jason McKew has been representing victims of terror for many years, helping them achieve justice and receive compensation. As a co-founder and senior partner of the law firm McCue Jury and Partners LLP, he played a major role in the legal victories over the Real IRA, HAMAS organizations, as well as in the case against the Libyan Jamahiriya. Earlier this year, McCue Jury and Partners LLP successfully defended Eliot Higgins, Bellingcat CEO, in a lawsuit initiated by the Wagner PMC owner Yevhen Prigozhin.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In the SOS Shelter in Pyrohovo, Kyiv region, animals freeze to death due to electricity outages followed by heat interruptions. Cats take cold the hardest, and several animals have already died due to difficult conditions. Therefore, the administration of the shelter launched the fundraising to collect money for a generator to help the paws go through the winter.
For reference: SOS Animal Shelter in Pyrohovo is the oldest in Ukraine, it was founded in 1997 on the site of a former city landfill. For more than 20 years, the shelter in Pyrohovo has become a real home for paws. In the local veterinary clinic, animals are treated and sterilized.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Natalia Mykolaivna from the village of Lukashivka in Chernihiv region lost her home at the beginning of the full-scale war (during the first days of the russian occupation of the village). However, BUR volunteers together with Repair Together team managed to build a house from scratch for Natalia Mykolaivna. Currently, the activists from BUR are doing interior repairs, and journalists have the opportunity to film this process.
If more people join the volunteers of BUR, Ms. Natalia’s family will be able to move into their new home by Christmas.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Despite the all-out war, volunteers of “St. Nicholas’ Reindeer” project will deliver gifts to children almost all over Ukraine (they will also visit de-occupied cities).
The organizers say that they have already received over 1,500 letters from children. Most often, they ask St. Nicholas for peace. They also dream of soft toys that can be hugged, assembly toys, scooters, dolls, etc.
The premise of the project is that anyone can pick a child’s letter with a dream and fulfill it. Volunteers will deliver gifts, hold festive events and make a photo report. Currently, St. Nicholas’ helpers are sorting and packing delivered gifts for children in the city of Svitlovodsk, Kirovohrad region.
For reference: “St. Nicholas’ Reindeer” project was founded in 2015 in Kharkiv to support children from front-line settlements.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The world premiere of “Iron Butterflies” documentary will take place at the World Cinema Documentary Competition section of the Sundance Film Festival in January 2023. This is a documentary by Roman Liubyi that looks into the circumstances surrounding the downing of MH17, the narratives of russian propagandists about the event, and the world’s reaction to this crime. The film was produced by Babylon’13 film collective in cooperation with TRIMAFILM and RBB/ARTE from Germany. The authors dedicated this film not only to the passengers and crew of flight MH17, but also to all the victims of russian aggression against Ukraine, says film director Roman Liubyi.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
At the end of March, the village of Rudnytske in Kyiv region was liberated from the russian military. For more than a month, the settlement had continuously been targeted by russian artillery. As a result, dozens of houses were destroyed or seriously damaged.
In the summer, several charitable foundations combined their efforts to help 8 local residents, whose homes were affected the most, spend the winter in warm and undamaged houses. The project costing UAH 900,000 was called the “Phoenix of Rudnytske,” because some buildings were literally rebuilt from the ashes.
On December 13, a symbolic “housewarming party” will take place in some houses of Rudnytske village in Kyiv region: the initiators of the “Phoenix of Rudnytske” project will visit renovated houses and present gifts to their owners. Journalists will be able to talk to local residents who rebuilt their homes from the ruins, ask about life after the occupation and learn about the reconstruction of the settlement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A scrapyard of russian shells used to attack the city since February 24 was created in Kharkiv. There are thousands of remnants of “Grad,” “Uragan,” “Smerch” and “Tornado-S” at the landfill. All ammunition remains at “scrapyards” are safe. They are kept in order to have an evidence base of crimes committed by the russian federation in Kharkiv.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Russian Volunteer Corps, which is part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, consists of Russian citizens who have decided to defend Ukraine. Since August 2022, they have been fighting against the russian army. Oleksandr Fortuna, Chief of Staff of the Russian Volunteer Corps, explains: his goal is to do everything to turn russia into a good neighbor not only for Ukraine, but also for the whole world.
Since 2014, “Crimea,” volunteer military intelligence battalion led by commander Isa Akayev, has also been protecting Ukraine. Mostly the battalion includes Crimean Tatars, as well as Chechens and representatives of other peoples of the North Caucasus.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
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.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
About 3,000 people are employed as part of the “Recovery Army” project, which aims to involve unemployed Ukrainians in community service. This project is already being implemented in seven oblasts: Sumy, Chernihiv, Kyiv, Donetsk, Poltava, Rivne, and Zaporizhia.
The project allows unemployed Ukrainians to get paid for taking part in clearing rubble and rebuilding war-damaged housing, helping with gathering firewood for the military and the population. They can also unload or pack humanitarian aid, provide social services at Points of Invincibility, etc.
Currently, the largest number of unemployed people involved is in Sumy region, amounting to 725 individuals. Journalists can take a look at how the project is being implemented in practice.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
This year, the authorities of Kharkiv refused to celebrate the New Year on Svobody Square because of russia’s full-scale invasion. Despite this, the Christmas tree was still installed, but underground, at the “Universitet” metro station. Also, festive decorations were put up on other stations to create a festive atmosphere for the townspeople and people who found refuge in Kharkiv.
For reference: due to russia’s full-scale invasion, the movement of trains in the Kharkiv metro was stopped, and the stations were used as bomb shelters from February 24 to May 24, 2022. Now the subway is working as usual.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The performance was organized by the efforts of Looking at the Stars Canadian Foundation, with the support of All-Ukrainian Forum for Democracy NGO, People-Army volunteer initiative, and Izium community in Ukraine.
Performer Darius Mažintas, Vice President of Looking at the Stars Canadian Foundation, representatives of Ukrainian partners and volunteers of Izyum will be available for comments after the performance.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In July of this year, a barely alive 40-year-old woman from Bakhmut named Oksana was dug out of a 5-meter-deep crater formed as a result of a russian missile hit. Oksana was taken to a hospital in Dnipro in extremely serious condition. She had shrapnel wounds in her right lung and liver, extensive wounds to the left shoulder, an open fracture of both legs and the right arm. Doctors fought for her life in the intensive care unit for eleven days. As soon as it was possible to stabilize her condition, Oksana was taken by evacuation train to “Unbroken” National Rehabilitation Center in Lviv. Here, doctors performed a complex reconstructive surgery: the tissue from the patient’s back was transplanted to her limb, and her leg was saved from amputation. Oksana has a few more bone surgeries ahead of her, but she will definitely be able to walk.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Olena and her team were finishing preparations for the opening of their dream restaurant in Hostomel, Kyiv region. They invested a year of work in the restaurant, which was supposed to open its doors on March 8, 2022. But a week and a half before the opening, russia launched a full-scale invasion into Ukraine. russian paratroopers landed at the city’s airport, and later, the russians completely destroyed Olena’s not yet opened establishment. However, despite the huge losses and uncertainty during the full-scale war, the team was able to open a restaurant, but in Kyiv.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Some residents of the villages of Horenka and Moschun in Kyiv region, where active hostilities took place in February-March, still live in half-destroyed houses without heating, water and power. Some of them refused to move to modular houses, as suggested by local authorities. Instead, they are banding together to survive the winter, heating their apartments with potbelly stoves or warming themselves up in special tents, and sleeping in warm jackets.
After the start of russia’s full-scale invasion into Ukraine, the village of Moschun and adjacent Horenka in Kyiv region became the site of fierce battles. It was the battle for Moschun that became decisive in the defense of the capital. Most of the residential buildings here have been destroyed.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
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.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
While fleeing from Kherson city, russians robbed two of the largest museums in the region: the Regional Museum of Local Lore and the Oleskii Shovkunenko Regional Art Museum. At least 20,000 exhibits were stolen. In the Art Museum, the collection of the world and Ukrainian paintings of the 17th–21st centuries was looted by 80%. From the Local Lore Museum, they took out rare archaeological finds of the ancient world: weapons, coins — everything that is in demand in the shadow market.
For reference: The Local Lore Museum in Kherson city was established in 1890. Since then, most of the archaeological artifacts found in the region have been kept here. They include antiquities found during excavations of Olvia kingdom city and Berezan island of the 7th—6th centuries B.C.E.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Volodymyr Rybalkin, a former anti-terrorist operation member, headed the Sviatohirsk territorial community in the Donetsk region in early July, when Sviatohirsk was still under russian occupation. After the liberation of the city, the Head of the Sviatohirsk City Military Administration Volodymyr Rybalkin is engaged in city restoration. This is the first experience of a former serviceman in such a position.
Over the past few years, Volodymyr Rybalkin has been fighting against the corrupt authorities of Sviatohirsk and against Volodymyr Bandura, the then mayor of the city. In June of this year, Bandura was declared suspected of high treason. According to the Prosecutor’s General Office, Volodymyr Bandura went over to the enemy’s side and distributed an appeal through the media, in which he promoted the “russian world” ideas.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The power cuts caused by russian attacks create significant problems for people who are dependent on oxygen supply devices. Sometimes people who have had COVID and have breathing problems are forced to take their portable devices to their cars during outages, so they could power them in there. Patients are also looking for alternative options, such as autonomous oxygen equipment (there is some that is difficult to refuel, and it poses explosion risk).
Philanthropists can tell journalists about the difficulties that oxygen-dependent people face during power cuts. Those who wish will also be able to talk to people who suffer from this situation, whenever possible.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Sheikh Mansur Chechen Peacekeeping Battalion is a non-governmental volunteer armed formation that fights on the side of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The battalion consists mostly of Chechens who emigrated from russia after the russian-Chechen wars. Currently, the battalion’s fighters are serving in Donetsk region. And on December 9, they held a Friday Jummah prayer and delivered a sermon in Ukrainian together with military imam-chaplains in a Mosque in Bakhmut, where fierce battles are currently taking place.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Dozens of fish couldn’t survive the cold and lack of oxygen. Due to the blackouts, a lot of fish died in the state freshwater aquarium in Dnipro. (Journalists can see the bodies of dead fish kept in a freezer). In conditions of total lack of power, local workers even brought a gas cylinder and a burner from home to heat the water for the Nile crocodile named Hena lest he should catch a cold in a cold pool and die.
Power outages continue in the country and the fish in this aquarium continue to die every day. Also, species like piranhas and catfish get sick. Now biologists are treating them.
For reference: “Aquarium” educational and scientific complex is a part of Oles Honchar Dnipropetrovsk National University. It contains fish species collected from all continents of the world, except Antarctica.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
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.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A school damaged by the russians at the beginning of the invasion is being restored in the village of Maryanivka in Kyiv region. A new roof is being constructed over the part of the building that was affected the most. The restoration is supported by the Government of Canada and the SURGe project. The work is to be completed by December 25.
For reference: the russians destroyed a part of the school in Maryanivka on February 26 during their invasion into the north of Kyiv region.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
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.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The team of Lviv Defense Cluster has already handed over a hundred bulletproof vests to the doctors in Donetsk region. These are special bulletproof vests developed by Kharkiv Plant of Personal Protective Equipment, which are designed to protect against debris and bullets. Body armor is light and comfortable, so medics can work in them all day.
Medics in Kharkiv region also received bulletproof vests. After this, Lviv Defense Cluster plans to give protective equipment to doctors in Zaporizhia and Mykolaiv regions.
Within the scope of the project, medics working in the combat zone and near-front areas will receive a total of 3,000 specialized body armors free of charge.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
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.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
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.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
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.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Generators, potbelly stoves were bought, and operation of the boiler house was arranged — the Kyiv Zoo is preparing for a difficult winter. So, for example, for the gorilla named Tony, a modern wood-burning stove (bullerjan) was installed. Therefore, his house will be warm if there is no electricity or gas. In addition, battery-powered lighting was installed for zoo visitors, so that in case of power cuts, they could come to the animals.
This year, 200 displaced animals who have been rescued from the war will also spend winter in the Kyiv Zoo.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ukrposhta invites media representatives to the grand opening of the New Year’s postal residence on December 19 in the main post office building in the capital city. The postage stamp “Victorious New Year!” will also be presented and canceled with the postmark “First Day” with the participation of the General Director of Ukrposhta.
The opening of the New Year’s postal residence will also be attended by the Magician (children can communicate with him and his assistants). The event agenda also includes master classes, holiday entertainments for children and New Year’s gifts.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Police stations, post offices, and even gas stations — the Internet is full of videos and photos of locations where Ukrainian teachers conduct online lessons due to the lack of electricity and the Internet.
Alla is a primary school teacher. Due to the lack of electricity, the woman is often forced to go to an Invincibility Center (in Kyiv region) to conduct lessons. From there, Alla teaches first-graders who still want to get a Ukrainian education even though they are in Poland because of the war.
For reference: Invincibility Centers are places set up by local authorities where people can get warm, get access to water, electricity, internet, etc.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In order for the Christmas tree to light up at the capital’s railway station this year, you need to spin the pedals of a mechanical generator. And the main Christmas tree of the country located on Sophia Square is decorated with energy-saving lamps. Most likely, the Christmas tree will be lit up at certain hours of the day. Among other things, points for recharging gadgets will be set up next to the generator.
The “Indomitable Christmas Tree” was installed in Mykolaiv. It is made of a camouflage net that covers the monument to St. Nicholas. Previously, this monument had been covered with sandbags to protect it from destruction. On St. Nicholas Day, December 19, people are encouraged to bring their toys with wishes to put them up on the unusual Christmas tree. And in Kharkiv, the New Year tree was placed underground. A Christmas tree was put up at one of the metro stations.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ukrainian cat blogger Stepan, who, together with his owner, went abroad from his native Kharkiv due to the all-out war, has finally returned home. Cat Stepan collected money for Ukrainian shelters and zoos while staying abroad. Photos from the shelled city appeared on Stepan’s Instagram, where he has more than a million followers. The apartment where Stepan lives is located in Pivnichna Saltivka district, the area that has suffered the most from the russian attacks.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ukrposhta plans to open up to 1,700 “safety centers” inside its branches. There, people will be able to warm up, charge their phones and connect to the Internet.
The press service of the company noted that the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development approved a grant of EUR 4.5 million to create such “safety centers.” In addition, Ukrposhta will allocate EUR 1.5 million euros of its own funds to purchase heating furnaces, Wi-Fi routers and lighting equipment.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
russians destroyed a ski resort in Chernihiv. Ski and biathlon competitions have been held there for years.
Despite the destruction, since May, the resort has started to resume biathlon training for children. They are training on a small part of the track that has survived. Children are also warned not to go far, because there is a danger that unexploded shells may remain within the ski resort territory.
For reference: It is referred to the Olympic Reserve specialized children’s and youth sports school (ski resort). It was established in 1977, and later developed. It even included a hostel for athletes.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Mykyta Kozyrenko, Head of the Ukrainian Representative Office of the West Support International Human Rights Agency, collects and documents russian crimes in Ukraine in coordination with his organization members. In particular, from November 24 to 27, they were working in Kherson city and neighboring settlements. The entire materials on russian crimes will be submitted to the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
For reference: West Support is an international human rights agency head-quartered in the United States. The organization members include lawyers, doctors, teachers, human right activists, artists, and businessmen.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Due to invaders’ missile attacks and the following power cuts, hundreds of people across the country are getting stuck in elevators. Residents of apartment buildings often leave special boxes with food and water in elevators to make it more comfortable for the stuck people to wait for “liberation”.
For example, in Lviv, dispatching services received almost 1,300 appeals about getting stuck in elevators during November alone. Previously, based on one of the municipal enterprises, additional emergency teams have been formed, which, in particular, rescue people.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
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.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Andriy Zelinskyy, the priest, is one of the first army chaplains in Ukraine. In June 2014, he was offering spiritual support to Ukrainian soldiers in the east of the country. In particular, in the Armed Forces of Ukraine units near Slovyansk, Kramatorsk, Staroihnativka, in the Avdiivka industrial zone, in Pisky, Debaltseve, Shyrokyne and Vodiane of Donetsk region. And in Kyiv, he visited the first wounded soldiers in the Central Military Hospital.
Now the Armed Forces of Ukraine need hundreds of chaplains for the army. In October, Ukraine even established a military chaplaincy service, which organizes the training of chaplains. The course is provided that should help to acquire the basic competencies of a serviceman in a very short time, so that it is easier to integrate the team.
For reference: Army chaplains are clergymen who combine their ecclesiastical rank with other activities. A chaplain can be a Ukrainian citizen with a degree in theology, who is a clergyman of a church or religious organization registered in Ukraine. He must also receive a mandate from his church to be entitled to carry out chaplaincy activities.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The building of the Kherson Regional Universal Scientific Library named after Oles Honchar was badly damaged during the russian occupation and immediately after the liberation of the city. In particular, the library was shelled by the enemy on November 19. The windows of the building, with a total area of about a thousand square meters, were broken. From the Dnieper side alone, no less than 88 windows were destroyed. Now the people concerned help to preserve the building for the winter. Owing to their contributions, the library managed to purchase materials to protect the building and “close” the damaged windows.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On December 23, Ukrposhta will put into circulation a postage stamp in honor of the world-famous Christmas carol. “Shchedryk. Carol of the Bell” is the final one in the cycle of stamps issued by Ukrposhta in 2022. The issue of the postage stamp was timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the presentation of the musical piece “Shchedryk” on the Carnegie Hall stage in New York. It was after this that “Shchedryk” by Mykola Leontovych became a symbolic holiday anthem for a number of countries.
The new stamp will be canceled with a special postmark in Kyiv on Sofiiska square by Ihor Smilianskyi, General Director of Ukrposhta, and by Mykola Kochubei, the Honored Artist of Ukraine, the author of the postage stamp. Also, the folk choir “Vesnianka” will perform the famous holiday song on the square.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The film “A House Made of Splinters” is among 15 candidates for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film. This is a film produced by Ukraine, Denmark, Sweden and Finland. The film tells about children from the problem families who ended up in an orphan asylum near the front. Several teachers who, under the conditions of war with russia, are trying to create a safe space for children also became the heroes of the film. “A House Made of Splinters” premiered in January 2022.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Due to russian missile attacks, and the following power cuts, Ukrainians are increasingly facing everyday difficulties and finding solutions. Hairdressers say that people often come just to wash their hair if power is suddenly cut, or it has been off for a long time.
And, for example, in post offices, people (due to lack of electricity) blow-dried their hair, charged gadgets and connected inhalers. There was a case when the woman came to dry her nails in a nail lamp, and the man even brought a printer with him to continue working. If possible, journalists can be shown the work of one of the capital’s branches, which has equipped a co-working space.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Non-governmental organization “Vidchuy” buys devices for protecting the hearing organs of the Ukrainian military. Individual tactical sound filters are earplugs specifically designed for military use. They reliably protect against dangerous peaks of noise, preserving the ability to hear those who are nearby. 1,150 sound filters have already been purchased.
In addition, the non-governmental organization “Vidchuy”, together with the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, works on the rehabilitation of military personnel who received hearing injuries at the front. The Ministry of Health and the non-governmental organization “Vidchuy” signed a memorandum that will allow attracting activists from the non-governmental organization for rehabilitation of the military.
For reference: The non-governmental organization “Vidchuy” has been systematically engaged in support and social adaptation of people with hearing impairments since 2011.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Paramedic Julia Paevska (Taira) is opening “Mria” (Dream) charity fund, which will take care of families of prisoners of war and civilian captives. According to her, there are about 10,000 such families in Ukraine. Julia Paevska plans to sign a memorandum with the center for assistance to prisoners and with other institutions and organizations that, in cooperation with government agencies, help to locate prisoners and assist with obtaining statuses and receiving payouts.
For reference: Julia Paevska (Taira) is a Ukrainian military servicewoman, paramedic and volunteer, commander of “Taira’s Angels” unit. Since 2014, as a paramedic, she has participated in the Revolution of Dignity and the war in the eastern part of Ukraine. On March 16, 2022, during the siege of Mariupol, she was captured by the russians. She was released on June 17, 2022.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On December 24, at 2 PM, relatives of captured AZOV fighters will gather on Sofia Square in Kyiv to remind the world of those who are still held in russian captivity. The families of the prisoners call on the governments of the world and international organizations to redouble their efforts to get their relatives out of the clutches of the aggressor.
For reference: “Azovstal” Iron and Steel Works became a stronghold during the defense of Mariupol. On May 20, 2,500 Ukrainian soldiers left the territory of the plant and were immediately captured by the occupiers. Some of them were released within several exchanges. But most of the defenders of Azovstal, in particular, those from the AZOV regiment, remain imprisoned.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
An unusual Christmas shop was set up in “Nahuievychi” State Reserve in Lviv region. In it, traditional biblical characters are substituted with political figures. In particular, there is a miniature of U.S. President Joseph Biden and Ukrainian hero Stepan Bandera near the newborn Jesus, as well as writer Ivan Franko in the image of a manner owner.
The authors of the idea explained such innovation with Ukrainian traditions, which always added national elements and modern references to the usual biblical stories.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Odesa Zoo functions despite frequent power outages due to rocket attacks by the occupiers on the country’s infrastructure. The institution has insulated enclosures for animals as well as potbelly stoves. The zoo also experienced a long-term power outage and lack of water (employees had made supplies in advance). In addition, the zoo has generators, coal and lots of firewood.
For reference: in September, Odesa Zoo celebrated its 100th anniversary.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Recently, Luxembourg provided Ukraine with 3D scanners to solve russian war crimes on the territory of Ukraine. Today, specialists from the capital are ready to talk about the way they use the scanners.
For reference: Luxembourg has provided 30 3D scanners to Ukraine, which can be used to scan large areas and collect evidence of war crimes. The assistance package includes not only scanners, but also internal software that allows users to scan large areas with all the objects found there. The information is then processed by a computer. The overall cost of the project is EUR 1.3 million.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Residents of Lviv can get their hands on the anti-tank weapons that the Ukrainian military uses to counter the aggressor. “Weapons of Victory” educational and interactive exhibition was opened in LЕM Station space. Visitors can hold NLAW, Javelin and about 30 more samples of used anti-tank weapons in their hands. There are screens that demonstrate the exhibits in use at the front. In addition, visitors can learn how to use various types of weapons on an interactive VR simulator.
The exhibition will last until December 30. At the closing, a charity auction will be held to sell used trophy weapons, items of military equipment and other unique items from the front line. The funds collected at the exhibition are planned to be used for the purchase of a training facility with augmented reality technology to hone the skills of using weapons.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On the initiative of the National Bank, a joint Power Banking network was created in Ukraine, which will work and provide the necessary services to clients even during a blackout.
During long blackouts, people will be able to receive cash, make payments, exchange currencies or transfer funds in the branches of this network. In addition, it will be possible to consult with managers. Currently, more than 1,000 branches in all regions of the country are additionally equipped to work during a blackout.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
At the end of the summer, “Tozhsamist” (Identity) social initiative about Ukrainians of different ethnicities started working in Ukraine. It was launched by Ukrainian designer and marketer Alisa Zhuravel. The girl herself is a non-ethnic Ukrainian. Although she was born in Kharkiv, her father is from Nigeria. Interviews with Ukrainians of various origins are posted on the platform. Those interviewed include Nigerians from Kharkiv, Kazakhs from Kyiv, as well as Ukrainian Armenians and Ethiopians. With her project, Alisa wants to introduce the world to Ukrainians of different ethnicities, counter russian propaganda, and show the Western society the diversity of people identifying themselves as Ukrainians.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A teacher from Kakhovka, Kherson oblast, spent 7 months under occupation after russia captured the region. The invaders abducted him and pressured physically and mentally to impel to cooperate with the occupation authorities. However, Iurii did not give up. In the end, he managed to escape from the occupation. Now he lives in the Vinnytsia region and conducts courses of the New Ukrainian School for teachers of this region.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Thousands of Ukrainian families live in their own personal hell and have no information about the fate of their relatives who came to the defense of Ukraine and ended up in hands of the enemy or went missing. Therefore, relatives of Ukrainian prisoners of war continue to fight to return their loved ones home. Among those who strive for soldiers’ release from captivity at all cost: Iryna Latysh, wife of a prisoner of war, representative of the 95th Air Assault Brigade; Svitlana Bohdanenko, wife of a prisoner of war, representative of military medics of Mariupol; Natalia Kravtsova, mother of a prisoner of war; Nataliia Lukovska, wife of a prisoner of war; Illia Honchar, brother of a civilian prisoner; and Nora Storozhuk, wife of a prisoner of war.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In the Kyiv region, invincibility points will be set up based on temples of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. In the near future, it will be known exactly where they will be deployed.
For reference: Invincibility points are places where people can warm up, access water, electricity, Internet, and so on.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The well-known supermarket chain has set up a car co-working space in one of its parking lots in Kyiv city. Drivers and passengers can work in their vehicles if, for example, they have power cuts at home or at work and there is no communication. The car co-working space is equipped with Starlink terminals, for stable Internet connection. And if people get hungry, couriers can deliver food from the store directly to the passenger compartment.
In addition, supermarkets of the chain are equipped with autonomous power supply. So in case of power cuts, people come there to charge their gadgets, study, or work.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On December 28, the news broke that Suspilne Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine signed an agreement with the TVORCHI band (the winner of the National Selection). This means that the TVORCHI band will officially and definitively represent Ukraine at the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, which will take place in Liverpool.
TVORCHI is a Ukrainian music band from Ternopil. At the National Selection, they won with the “Heart Of Steel” song. Journalists can find out if the participants are going to change something in the contest piece, show or costumes.
For reference: The Ukrainian band Kalush Orchestra won the Eurovision Song Contest 2022, however, due to russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine will not host this event. The 67th Eurovision Song Contest will be held in May in Liverpool (Great Britain) on behalf of Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Charity Foundation “Solomianski Kotyky” sets up its “invincibility points” in Kyiv city schools. They will be called “Teplytsi” (greenhouses). In general, they plan to create 10 points.
The Foundation has already opened a pilot “Teplytsi” project at School No. 229. It was visited by 3,500 people during the first month of operation. And on December 20 alone, more than 500 Kyiv residents found a shelter and a place to work there. The “Teplytsi” point also became a shelter for the tailed ones — 13 dogs visited it for a month.
Another one “Teplytsi” point was set up in the Ministry of Social Policy. Both locations are equipped with a generator and Starlink, an organized coffee break zone, a place for board games, work and volunteering.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
About fifty plastic surgeons have already joined NoScar initiative, which helps Ukrainians get rid of the scars they received as a result of the war. Specialists from all over the country provide free aesthetic corrections to victims of military aggression (this includes correction of scars on the face and body, as well as reconstructive surgery to make aesthetic corrections). As of today, doctors have already received more than 300 applications from Ukrainians and managed to provide assistance to several dozens.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A modular town for people, who lost their homes due to russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, is to be opened in the village of Demydiv in Kyiv region. The town, among other things, is equipped with refrigerators, washing machines, electric stoves, etc. In total, 88 modular units are installed there.
Important notice: exact information on the opening date of the town will be available starting next week (after the New Year).
For reference: modular towns in Kyiv region are being put up with the assistance of the Polish government. Several are already functioning. The first such town was opened in Borodyanka at the beginning of summer.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
12 unique exhibits were presented at the exhibition in Lviv’s Arsenal Museum. The armed forces of Ukraine handed over armor plates that stopped enemy bullets and shrapnel in battle, and famous Ukrainian artists Ivan Marchuk, Tiberiy Silvashi, Nazar Bilyk, Petro Bevza, Andriy Bludov, Yurii Vakulenko, Oleksiy Sai, Svitlana Ratoshnyuk, Anton Logov, Leonid Kolodnitsky and icon painter Andrii Okhotsky turned them into art objects with exclusive stories. Later, these works are planned to be put up for auction. The collected funds will be used to purchase protective equipment for the military.
For reference: Ivan Marchuk is one of the most famous artists of modern Ukraine. In 2007, he was included in top 100 living geniuses, according to The Daily Telegraph. In June 2021, Ivan Marchuk’s painting “Golden Night” was sold for USD 96,800 dollars, the highest amount for the artist.
Tiberiy Silvashi is a Ukrainian abstract artist, whose paintings are kept in museums in Munich and Vienna, as well as in private collections in Europe and the USA.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The largest agricultural complex in the Kharkiv region survived the russian occupation. Now it resumes its activities and prepares international lawsuits to receive monetary compensation from russia. (According to preliminary estimates, the amount of damage caused by russian invasion exceeds half a billion hryvnias).
On the territory of the agricultural complex, you can now see broken buildings and the remains of dead pigs. They died due to lack of food, illness and shelling. Some pigs were simply given away to locals. It is also said that the invaders came and shot the animals to take them for themselves. In general, it will take 3–4 years to restore the livestock (after all, more than 60,000 pigs were lost). Additionally, several thousand hectares of leased land, where previously workers collected grain, remain mined. The feed factory was destroyed. Also, invaders stole equipment worth millions of hryvnias.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Children’s protective kits: helmets and bulletproof vests manufactured by the Lviv Defense Cluster “work” actively on the front line. For example, in the Donetsk region, every crew of Bilyi Ianhol (the white angel) — the local police officers who help people evacuate — is equipped with children’s helmets and bulletproof vests manufactured by the Lviv Defense Cluster. Owing to these protective equipment, police officers can better protect children from shelling during evacuation.
For reference: The main threat to children during evacuation is fragments of shells, glass, and concrete. Lviv Defense Cluster produces three sizes of bulletproof vests for 4–6, 7–10, 11–14 years’ age groups.
Lviv Defense Cluster groups together specialists of defense enterprises, volunteers and production facilities from all over the country to provide the Defenders of Ukraine with high-quality and proven bulletproof vests. It has its own laboratory for testing the finished products.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Famous Ukrainian chefs, including Ievhen Klopotenko and Ihor Mezentsev, have teamed up to present a holiday to Ukrainians who have been forced to leave their homes. Therefore, they will prepare delicious dishes for displaced persons on weekends during the month. Charity breakfasts will take place there on January 7, 14, 21, and 28.
For reference: Ievhen Klopotenko is the most famous chef in Ukraine. It was owing to his efforts that the Ukrainian borshch was included in the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. In addition, together with Ukrzaliznytsia, Ievhen Klopotenko represents Ukraine for foreign politicians by means of our ethnic cuisine. After all, what the world leaders, Boris Johnson or Antony Blinken, will eat on their way to the Ukrainian capital is decided by him.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In the morning of January 4, Kyiv residents will gather for communal works in one of districts of the capital city. They will clean up at the site of enemy shelling (in the afternoon of December 31, russia launched a missile attack on the territory of Ukraine, including Kyiv).
For reference: On January 3, the first day of communal works took place (it was organized through the Telegram channel). About fifty concerned people sorted out the rubble and loaded garbage. Utility companies also worked on the site.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
At the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion, a large family of 5th grader Serhii moved from Luhansk region to Dnipropetrovsk region. The boy went to a new school and tried very hard during his studies. But when the other kids go home after lessons, he goes to the next classroom, because that is where he now lives. In one of the classrooms of Serhii’s new school, the whole family of the boy found shelter.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The World Central Kitchen team delivers food to people in the de-occupied regions and provides hot lunches to those who directly suffer from russian weapons strikes on civilian targets. On December 31, after the russian attacks on Kyiv city, the World Central Kitchen team immediately organized a feed-in for people whose homes were damaged.
For reference: The President of Ukraine has awarded Jose Andres, the founder of World Central Kitchen, the Order of Merit of Degree II. In addition, the sign with his name was placed on the Alley of Courage in the capital city.
Since the beginning of russian full-scale invasion, the World Central Kitchen team has distributed 180 million servings of food in Ukraine. Generally, this organization provides funds and supplies products for making the food packages in countries and regions where humanitarian, climate or man-made crises occur.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The volunteer project “Marriage for a Hero” was launched in early summer last year. During this time, thanks to this charity initiative, turnkey weddings were organized for several couples. (The project operates in Cherkasy city and region, but recently newlyweds from Kyiv city have also applied).
For reference: The Cherkasy city resident Svitlana Olifer, who has been engaged in the wedding business for seven years, decided to organize a volunteer project entitled “Marriage for a Hero” after the full-scale russian invasion of Ukraine. The woman gathered a team of photographers, cameramen, make-up artists and florists who helped in implementation of the holiday for free. Sometimes restaurants or catering establishments are ready to provide services under special terms. In general, newlyweds will have to spend only on wedding outfits.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The charitable project “Unburnt” (in cooperation with the Ministry of Health) has been launched all over Ukraine. Military personnel, volunteers, civilians and children who were burnt and scarred due to the war will receive comprehensive free treatment. The organizers have already established cooperation with 12 clinics where the services will be provided. In order to achieve a positive result, a person can undergo from 3 to 12 procedures, in general. It is planned that about 200 patients will be admitted for treatment monthly.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On Monday, January 9, the Ukrainian team of beauty industry masters will visit the Moshchun village of Buchanskyi district in Kyiv region. Beauty volunteers will make free haircuts, coloring and eyebrow correction, massages or hygienic manicures to those who wish.
For reference: The idea of beauty volunteering belongs to Olha Belytska, the make-up artist. Together with like-minded people, Olha comes to de-occupied settlements of the Kyiv region weekly to help people who survived the horrors of the occupation feel beautiful again.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On January 6, at 10:00 AM, Kyiv residents will again gather for communal works in Protasiv Iar. It will be required to help wrap in film the private house that was damaged during the December 31 shelling.
For reference: On December 31, russia launched strikes on the territory of Ukraine and, in particular, on Kyiv. The residents have already gathered for communal works several times and together cleaned up the aftermath of russian missiles hitting.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On January 6, at 1:00 PM, a Christmas didukh will be installed in Lviv city. The festive column will go along the Rynok square – Katedralna square – Teatralna street – Iavorskoho square route. This year, military personnel and families of Ukrainian defenders were invited to join the holiday.
View here how a didukh was installed last year.
For reference: A didukh is a Ukrainian Christmas decoration made from spikes, a primitive pagan idol, a symbol of the patron ancestor, as well as a symbol of harvest, prosperity and wealth.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Christmas service will be held in the Dormition Cathedral of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. It will be led by Metropolitan Epiphany (priest of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine). The service will be held on January 7, at 9 AM. Media representatives need to receive accreditation: submit applications here by 4:00 PM on January 6, 2023.
(The police will ensure that the event takes place without any incidents).
For reference: on January 5, the news came out that the Dormition Cathedral and the Refectory Church of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra were officially returned to the state. Previously, these churches had been rented by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC MP). In addition, at the beginning of December last year, the National Security and Defense Council introduced sanctions against some clergymen of the UOC MP, including the Vicegerent of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, Pavlo (Lebid). Today the reports came in that the Security Council of Ukraine completed counterintelligence (security) measures at the facilities of the UOC MP in Kherson, Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovsk and Rivne regions. Libraries with pro-kremlin literature, campaign leaflets of political parties banned in Ukraine and russian symbols are reported to have been found on the territory of the churches.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
“Krasnaya Zvezda” newspapers, vodka, valenki, non-working dosimeters and maps from the 90s. All these things, which were left behind by russian soldiers in the de-occupied territories, became exhibits in the National Military Historical Museum of Ukraine in Kyiv. In addition, the museum has unique items from the russian cruiser “Moskva,” which was sunk by the Ukrainian army in April 2022.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ukrainian Parliament’s photographer Yan Dobronosov became famous for his photos with exclusive outfits of politicians in the Verkhovna Rada. In particular, Dobronosov paid great attention to details, such as expensive accessories and shoes.
However, with the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion, Yan began photographing the consequences of russia’s crimes. In particular, he works near the front line, and recently he took a number of photos and videos in Bakhmut in Donetsk region, which has been unsuccessfully stormed by the russians for several months.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In January, a modular town is planned to be opened in the village of Demydiv in Kyiv region for people who lost their homes due to russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Previously, modular houses were equipped with household appliances and all the things needed.
For reference: Installation of modular towns in the Kyiv region is supported by the Polish government. Several of them are already in operation. And the first such housing was opened in Borodianka in early summer.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In Myrotske village, Buchanskyi district of Kyiv region, the works are under way to restore residential buildings and the cultural center damaged as a result of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. “The roof was replaced; now heat insulation of the attic floor and replacement of windows is carried out. In total, 4 multi-apartment residential buildings will be restored,” Anatolii Fedoruk, the Bucha Mayor, reported.
For reference: Myrotske village is located near Bucha and Hostomel. It was under occupation for more than a month (in particular, in early March, the russian military shelled the village, with the consequence that houses of local residents were destroyed and damaged). After de-occupation, two mass graves were found near the village.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A mobile concrete shelter was installed in the center of Kherson city within the framework of the SafePlace4UA project. It was located on the site that was shelled by the russian invaders on December 24. (11 people were killed and 64 were injured).
Three more such mobile concrete shelters will appear in the city in the near future.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The municipal bookstore of Kyiv city continues until May to collect russian books, the funds obtained from the processing of which will go to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine. For the books brought, people can also get a 10% discount on the purchase of new books. The bookstore has already managed to process 57 tonnes of russian-language books brought by city dwellers.
“With the proceeds, the Charitable Foundation “Hurkit” purchased and transferred an off-the-road vehicle for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. New revenues are accumulated for the next vehicle or other equally important things for the front line,” it is said in the bookstore.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
As of today, Children of War platform has collected information on 13,876 deported children. They claim to have returned 125 children who were illegally deported to russia and temporarily occupied territories.
For reference: Children of War platform started working in August 2022. It was created by decree of the President of Ukraine. This platform provides up-to-date and consolidated information on the children who suffered as a result of the russian federation’s war against Ukraine (killed, injured, missing, deported) and those who were found and rescued. The platform also helps with the search for children.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In Bucha, Kyiv region, a “yurt of invincibility” was opened.
This happened, in particular, with the support of the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Ukraine. During a blackout, local residents will be able to warm up and charge their gadgets in this yurt.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
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.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
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.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Since April, Maks Nesterov (together with his fellow hair stylists) has been cutting hair and shaving military men for free, particularly those staying in a hospital. They have to work with soldiers who are in a difficult condition (even with those who are in intensive care). He admits that in his 24 years of work, he has never encountered such an experience. In October, the man styled the hair of Ukrainian female border guards who had been released from russian captivity.
In addition, the hair stylists joined one of the initiatives where participants collect and sell hair to help the military. Thanks to this, it was already possible to purchase equipment worth more than UAH 0.5 million.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Аndrii Nebytov, Head of the Main Directorate of Kyiv region police, has become a star on Ukrainian YouTube who hit hundreds of thousands of views. Since russia’s full-scale invasion, the chief police officer of Kyiv region has been posting videos on his channel showing the equipment with which the russians tried to take over Ukrainian cities. In particular, he reviews the first-aid kits of enemy soldiers, their topographical maps and other trophies.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
After the beginning of russia’s full-scale aggression, Ukrainian specialists, with the support of international volunteers, founded the Dattalion project. The Dattalion website has already collected more than 5,500 videos, 26,000 photos and 140 eyewitness’ accounts. Thanks to the largest free and independent photo and video database, as well as the database of verified eyewitness’ accounts, DATTALION is an important source for understanding the realities of the russo-Ukrainian war.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oksana Pohomii, the volunteer and Deputy of the Kherson City Council, spent the entire period of occupation of the city waiting for its liberation from russian invaders. She also helped those who were experiencing hard times with her. The woman even managed to post videos from the occupied city. “Please remain alive”: Oksana’s readers have always expected to see those words in her posts.
Now Oksana Pohomii works towards restoration of Kherson after the occupation and continues to help those who need it.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Khrystyna holds the rank of a senior lieutenant of the National Guard of Ukraine and is the Deputy Commander of a mortar battery. She is 29 years old. In early February 2022, she and her group came for reconnaissance to Stanytsia Luhanska, where they met with the beginning of the full-scale russian invasion. She defended the country, in particular, in Sievierodonetsk, Rubizhne, Lysychansk and near Bakhmut. She took part in offensive operations aimed at the liberation of Lyman.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
24-year-old military serviceman Volodymyr Dubrovets from Zhytomyr oblast, a former fighter of “Azov” with the call sign “Wolf,” became the legal guardian of his brother’s 8 children. The children’s parents died in December 2022. The couple was returning home on a forest road, when their car fishtailed to the side of the road, where the vehicle was blown up by a mine. Eight children became orphans: the oldest child is 14 years old, and the youngest is two and a half months old.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On Monday, January 16, a Ukrainian team of beauty industry artists will visit Hostomel, in Kyiv region. Beauty volunteers will provide haircuts, coloring and correction of eyebrows, massages or hygienic manicures for free to all the residents.
And from January 20 to 25, beauty volunteers will be visiting Kharkiv region. They will work in five de-occupied settlements (the residents will be provided with beauty services for free).
For reference: the idea of beauty volunteering belongs to make-up artist Olha Belytska. Together with like-minded people, every week Olha comes to the de-occupied settlements of Kyiv region to help people who survived the horrors of the occupation feel beautiful again.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Despite the war and russia’s shelling, the Museum of Strategic Missile Forces remains open in Pervomaisk, Mykolaiv oblast, which has no analogues in Europe. The museum was created at the site of the combat position of the rocket regiment of the 46th Rocket Division of the Strategic Rocket Forces. The underground command post and one of the missile shafts still remain intact. In total, the museum collected almost 24,000 exhibits. In particular, the museum exhibits missiles with which russia is currently destroying Ukrainian territory.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Dogs of “Antares” canine search and rescue team are looking for people under the rubble of a multi-story building in Dnipro, which was destroyed by a russian missile on January 14. “Antares” is a working dog team based in Pavlohrad, Dnipropetrovsk region. Dogs are trained to search for alive and dead people in any conditions, even in areas of active hostilities. This is the only such unit that is sent to search and rescue operations by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Therefore, the team worked in almost all hot spots of Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Regional Center for Human Rights is investigating illegal deportation of Ukrainian children to russia. According to their data, at least 260,000 Ukrainian children have already been deported to the russian federation, the real figure may reach 700,000. Most of the illegally displaced children have parents. According to Kateryna Rashevska, a lawyer at the Regional Center for Human Rights, at least 400 Ukrainian children have already ended up in russian families.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
“Safe Place” shelter for displaced persons was opened in Lviv. What makes “Safe Place” different is that it is set up as a hostel. “Alliance for Public Health” international charitable foundation opened the shelter designed for 21 people. IDPs can live and eat there for free for 14 days. Refugees get free consultations from lawyers, psychologists and social workers, as well as receive medical services.
Currently, several internally displaced persons from Zaporizhia, Donetsk and Kyiv regions already live in the shelter. In addition, there are immigrants who got manager and administrator jobs in this hostel.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On Wednesday, January 18, three concrete mobile bomb shelters will be set up in the center of Kherson as part of the SafePlace4UA project. As reported earlier, this initiative already facilitated the installation of the first concrete mobile bomb shelter in Kherson. It was placed at the spot that the russian invaders attacked on December 24. (Then 11 people died, and 64 were injured).
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oleksii Iukov is a commander of the exploration team of the Military and Historical Heritage Researchers Association “Platsdarm”. Since 2014, he and his team have been finding and evacuating the bodies of dead Ukrainian soldiers and civilians (for his work, Oleksii was nearly shot by invaders in 2014).
They have to work even under fire, and the enemy often mines the bodies of killed people. The explorers find tortured and raped people. Sometimes they have to work with bodies that have been knocked down by vehicles and enemy tanks.
Among other things, the team also worked at the scene of Kramatorsk tragedy: they took out the bodies and fragments of bodies of the dead people. (Recall that on April 8, russians hit the railway station of the city with a Tochka-U missile. As a result, 61 people were killed and 121 were injured).
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
“Still Strong” is a charitable project that teams up the medical community to provide free assistance to Ukrainian defenders with head and neck injuries, as well as to civilians. The initiative brought together the specialists in various domains and clinics where the patients will be operated at no charge. (It refers to both public and private medical institutions). As for now, more than 50 people have applied for assistance to medics participating in the project.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Because of the war, Kyiv residents are forced to get rid of plants that have been grown for decades. After all, due to frequent power cuts in the capital city, they can no longer take care of them. For example, a collection of plants grown in the greenhouse for 20 years has been recently brought to the Exhibition of Economic Achievements’ Greenery. And in the spring, the Greenery was presented with a coffee tree, which has already become a part of the exhibition.
For reference: The Exhibition of Economic Achievements’ Greenery is a unique place of the capital city. Here plants of 3 climatic zones — Desert, Tropics and Subtropics — can be found. The main value of the Greenery is a unique collection of plants that were set out more than 60 years ago.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The “Countrywomen” Non-Profit Organization launched the project entitled “Psychological Support for Women in War”, within the framework of which it brought together a team of qualified psychologists to provide defenders at the front line with individual consultations.
Consultations take place online from any trench or position. Each military who applies for help is given 8–10 sessions with a psychologist. In order to contact a specialist, the defender only needs to write a message in Telegram and be sure that her mental health is in safe hands.
For reference: Since March 2022, “Countrywomen” Non-Profit Organization has been supporting the female defenders at the front line with the necessary ammunition, uniforms, shoes and boxes with “women’s humanitarian aid”.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
How much land is littered with remnants of destroyed ammunition, how many oil products were burned during the shelling, and even how many forests were burned by missiles and shells? The answers to these and other questions can be found in the latest report of the State Environmental Inspectorate of Ukraine. The specialists of this institution now continue to calculate environmental losses resulting from russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Journalists can talk to representatives of the State Environmental Inspectorate of Ukraine and, among other things, find out what methods they use for calculations and the amount of damage. And see how the experts work, if applicable.
For reference: Previously, Ruslan Strilets, the Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine, stated that the damage to the Ukrainian environment from russian federation’s armed aggression already amounts to more than USD 46 billion. Ukraine will demand compensation for these losses by russia.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On January 18, the Lviv Municipal Art Center will present animated works by participants of the Kherson “Residence Under Occupation” — artists who survived the occupation — as part of the project “Animation of Art Resistance in Occupation”.
For reference: “Animation of Art Resistance in Occupation” is a project aimed at promoting in the information space the artistic statements of Kherson artists who survived the occupation, or still remain in enemy gun sights. Some of the works resulted from the “Residence Under Occupation”, which was organized in April 2022 by the art critic and curator Yuliia Manukian. Then she was joined by artists who did not want to be passive observers of terrible events.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The mission of the Ucare.me project is to restore the mental health of Ukrainians. People can get free help from qualified specialists online via the project’s website. Since the project started working, its specialists have already helped about 1,000 Ukrainians. More than 80% of those who use services of Ucare.me are women, a quarter are internally displaced persons.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On January 28, BUR (Building Ukraine Together) volunteers will start working in Hostomel. Together with Gurtum charitable organization, they will restore the school where 55 children once studied. The school’s main entrance and roof were almost completely destroyed after russian shelling. The walls and ceiling are damaged by debris. Everyone is welcome to join the volunteers.
For reference: Building Ukraine Together is an NGO that creates opportunities for young people to create changes in the country through volunteering.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On January 20, first aid training will take place at 12 stations of the capital’s metro. Experienced specialists and instructors of the Center for Emergency Medical Care and Disaster Medicine will teach the skills of first aid (initial assessment of the victim’s condition, assistance with massive bleeding, thermal burns). The training will last from 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM, everyone is welcome to participate.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
“Unbreakable together” exhibition opened at the railway station in Kherson. Eleven photo artists presented their works, in which they showed how Ukrainians live during the war, how life is revived in the liberated territories, how volunteers, doctors, and the military work, and how Ukraine is supported by the world.
The exhibition is organized by UKRAINIAN WARCHIVE, a unique photo archive. This is an online archive of photos documenting russia’s aggression in Ukraine. The idea of the project is to collect all the photos about the war in one place and make them easy to navigate. To do this, the creators of the archive describe each photo in detail by specifying its location, event, author, date and many other details.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A lecture by Oleksandra Matviichuk, 2022 Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Head of Centre for Civil Liberties will be held in Kyiv on January 23. The event will also include a discussion entitled “A talk about the war, the victory and the future.” The participants will include: Yevgen Zakharov, Chairman of the Board of Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union; Volodymyr Yermolenko, President of PEN Ukraine, Editor-in-Chief at UkraineWorld; Valeriy Pekar, public activist; Vitaly Portnikov, journalist; Olena Styazhkina, writer.
The event will also be attended by: Bridget A. Brink, United States Ambassador to Ukraine; Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Head of Kyiv Security Forum, Prime Minister of Ukraine in 2014-2016
Accreditation of media representative: until 3:00 AM on January 22
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Anna from Kharkiv is the owner of an equestrian school for children. Due to russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the horses began to run out of food, as hay remained in the occupied territory. In addition, there was enemy shelling, and one shell even hit the territory of the stable, but did not explode. The woman, together with her family, decided to evacuate the animals. (Her husband also rescued other people’s horses, sometimes the evacuation took place under fire. Today he continues to take animals out of hot spots).
They had to take their horses to Dnipropetrovsk region and Poltava region. Due to difficulties with caring for them, some animals were given to students and sold abroad. Later, the couple found a stable near Zhytomyr, where they decided to start anew.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Iryna Salikhova is a volunteer from Kherson city, who was recently awarded the Golden Heart award by the President of Ukraine. At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, she and her husband helped deliver vital medicines to hospitals for the wounded people. Subsequently, she gathered a whole team of volunteers (the initiative entitled “Kotyky-Patriotyky” (patriot catsie)), who coordinated and delivered food packages and medicines to those in need in different districts of the city, as well as in the region (there were no medical supplies in pharmacies during the period of occupation). People from other cities of Ukraine and from different countries helped with donations. In addition, the woman managed to attract grants from a humanitarian organization. Among other things, together with her husband, Iryna had to survive inquisitions, hide from the invaders and leave her hometown in late April.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A lion has recently been evacuated to the Wild Animal Rescue Center in the Kyiv region from the Sumy region — the animal was in territory shelled by russians. Also, a lemur from Kherson city lives in the Center. He survived the occupation and a russian missile hit on the petting zoo where he was cared for. Now they and many other wild animals are recovering, the Center takes care of and treats them.
In general, since the beginning of full-scale invasion of the russian federation in Ukraine, the Wild Animal Rescue Center has hosted more than 600 animals of various species (lions, bears, tigers, wolves, leopards, wild birds, raccoons, etc.). The volunteers evacuated animals, in particular, from front-line zones and other dangerous territories.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Founded by Yuliia “Taira” Paievska, the Mriia Charitable Foundation invites to the public start of its activities, which will take place on February 2 in Kyiv. The team of the Foundation will be happy to meet and communicate with the media in person. The event will be held in a concert form.
The Mriia Foundation helps families of the prisoners of war and civilian prisoners, provides financial, legal and psychological support. Recently, the Foundation team has visited 200 families of prisoners with Christmas gifts and hugged every child waiting for their father from a russian prison.
For reference: Yuliia “Taira” Paievska is a Ukrainian military, paramedic and volunteer, the commander of the “Taira’s Angels” unit. Since 2014, as a paramedic, she took part in the Revolution of Dignity and the war in the east of Ukraine. On March 16, 2022, during the siege of Mariupol city, she was captured by russians and released on June 17, 2022.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Victory Drones, an ecosystem for training drone operators for Ukraine’s Armed Forces, State Emergency Services and healthcare services, invites you to see its training routine, which will take place on January 28 at a military training ground in the capital. (Exact coordinates will be provided on the day before the event. Journalists are required to register).
In particular, UAV operators will show the flight practice routine on the basis of the Territorial Defense Forces.
For reference: Victory Drones is an ecosystem for training drone operators for Ukraine’s Armed Forces, State Emergency Services and healthcare services. Training and exercises are conducted in cooperation with the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the General Staff at military training grounds. The system was created on the basis of the Air Intelligence Support Center with an expanded network of partner organizations.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
“A House Made of Splinters” was included in the list of nominees for the “Oscar” (in the category Best Documentary Feature Film). This movie was produced in Ukraine, Denmark, Sweden and Finland. The film is about children from dysfunctional families who ended up in a shelter near the front. The main characters of the movie are educators who, in the conditions of the war with russia, are trying to create a safe space for children.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Kharkiv rescuers have been actively helping builders to restore and repair high-rise buildings damaged by the occupiers since the summer.
Only yesterday they were involved in the work twice. Engineering works with the help of rescue equipment were carried out on a 9-story residential building in Pivnichna Saltivka district in Kharkiv and an 8-story administrative building. With the help of equipment and tools, climbers and rescuers dismantled damaged structures so that builders could replace them with new ones.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The English version of the book “Inside Ukraine: A Portrait of a Country and its People,” which will be released on February 16 by Batsford, a British publishing house, topped Amazon’s list for Hot New Releases in History of Ukraine.
“Inside Ukraine: A Portrait of a Country and its People” is a book based on the first round of a large-scale expedition throughout Ukraine, which lasted from the summer of 2016 to the winter of 2018 and covered all historical regions – from Slobozhanshchyna to Podillia, from Volyn to Tavria. Many places visited by the Ukraïner’s expedition are currently under russian occupation.
For reference: Ukraïner is an educational, multimedia Ukrainian studies project, the materials of which are based on the results of their own expeditions.
Ukraïner was created by journalist and writer Bogdan Logvynenko as a volunteer media project. The team went on the first expedition in June 2016. By the end of 2019, a lot of media materials had been collected and translated into nine languages.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
According to the World Soccer magazine, Yuriy Vernydub is the man of the year among coaches of the world. Currently, the man combines service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine with his work as a coach of Kryvyi Rih’s FC Kryvbas.
As reported, at the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion, Vernydub left the position of head coach of the Moldovan FC Sheriff, returned to Ukraine and joined the ranks of the Armed Forces. In June, the man was appointed head coach of the Ukrainian football club Kryvbas. By order of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, he was transferred to the city of Kryvyi Rih, the location of FC Kryvbas, for further military service. Vernydub works with the club in his spare time.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Zatyshok (a cozy place) anti-crisis transit hub for vulnerable categories of internally displaced persons from Donetsk region (persons with disabilities, orphans, the elderly, large families, single parents, families of military personnel, women and girls who have experienced gender-based violence) works in Dnipro.
The hub, among other things, provides free accommodation and meals for a period of 1 to 10 calendar days. And if necessary, they help with further evacuation, both within Ukraine and abroad (the length of stay is determined by the complexity of the specific situation of each person/family).
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
“The City Heals” a new socio-cultural project was launched in Lviv, which offers free tours to servicemen receiving treatment in the city. A pilot tour has already taken place with the participation of 5 defenders of Ukraine. They were introduced to Lviv by Petro Radkovets, a well-known tour guide.
“The City Heals” project will last a year and will include not only tours of the historical part of Lviv, but also visits to museums and theaters. All events will be adapted to the requests of the military.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The primary task of “Dobrobat” is to quickly restore damaged buildings by covering the destroyed roof, repairing broken windows, and reinforcing damaged walls. “Dobrobat” volunteers are rebuilding residential blocks and detached houses, schools, outpatient clinics and infrastructure facilities.
Branches of the volunteer movement are located in Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions. And more than 40,000 people applied to join the ranks of “Dobrobat” including the residents of those areas where “Dobrobat” helps with reconstruction, and people from other regions, in particular, from currently occupied territories. Some foreigners joined the volunteer initiative as well.
For reference: Since the beginning of April, “Dobrobat” members have helped over 1,650 families whose homes were damaged. In particular, roofs were restored in more than 160 houses, windows were repaired in 95. More than 50 social infrastructure objects were rebuilt. In addition, they helped to clear the rubble of destroyed housing and clean the territory of infrastructure facilities.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A Lviv photographer takes photos of the victims of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine (military and civilian) as part of “The Unburnt” project
Soldier named Illya became the first participant of such a photo shoot. The man had caught fire in a tank during a combat mission, as a result of which he had received many burns and skin damage. He is very concerned about the appearance of his face, because others pay too much attention to it and get scared of it. Currently, he is being helped by doctors within the framework of “The Unburnt” project.
For reference: “The Unburnt” charity project for aesthetic medicine was launched in Ukraine to provide comprehensive, free treatment for soldiers, volunteers, civilians and children who have received burns and scars as a result of war. The work is carried out with the support of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and with the help of partners.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Since the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Kateryna has gathered a team of women activists in Dnipro who bake delicious snacks and hand them over to the defenders. (An enemy shell hit Kateryna’s own home in Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk oblast).
The initiative was named “Baking Troops”. Currently, volunteers bake pies, gingerbread, cookies, and poppy seed rolls. They even make pancakes and pizzas for the military. Recently, they handed over their baked goods to feed the rescuers during the search and rescue operation in Dnipro. (On January 14, during a massive rocket attack, the russians hit a high-rise building in Dnipro. 46 people died, 81 were injured).
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In spring, high-quality prosthetics, reconstructive surgery and rehabilitation will be available free of charge to Ukrainian military and civilians who suffered due to the war. An ultra-modern specialized clinic called Superhumans Center is being created on the basis of a medical facility in Lviv region. After being consulted by leading experts from the U.S. and Europe, Ukrainian doctors will provide treatment and rehabilitation of the highest quality. The prosthesis production site and an aquatic rehabilitation center will operate at the facility. The center will make use of advanced medical equipment.
Currently, the center’s premises are under renovation, but people who need prosthetics can already register for assistance and start consultations with doctors.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A military medic with the call sign “Daryna” has been helping Ukrainians since the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The woman rescued the wounded both in Kherson region and along the Bakhmut axis. She had to provide aid in a field, in a basement, in the trenches, in transport, on the road, and sometimes even in a swamp.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ukraine’s oldest botanical garden in Kharkiv has a collection of several thousand tropical plants. Due to russian missile attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, it now suffers from constant power outages. To keep tropical and subtropical plants from freezing, workers have to turn on the generator and heat the greenhouses.
For reference: The Botanical Garden of Karazin National University of Kharkiv is a part of Kharkiv’s nature reserve fund of national significance. The botanical garden is a research and environmental protection institution. It was founded in 1804.
As reported, at the beginning of winter it became known that Hryshko National Botanical Garden in Kyiv was taking precautions to save unique plants. Employees were stockpiling firewood to heat the greenhouses.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Tetiana Pototska owns a travel agency that was engaged in the organization of pilgrimage tours abroad before the full-scale war. But her fate was changed by chance: no one could bring the body of her friend’s father, who died in Kharkiv, to Lutsk, so Tetiana decided to help. Since then, the woman has become a volunteer: she evacuates the bodies of the killed soldiers from flash points and brings them to their families. In addition, the woman helps to evacuate the wounded people to Poland.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Since 2014, Olha has practiced the profession of a military psychologist. In 2018, she retired from work and together with her team founded the Veteran Hub — a space that supports the war veterans, as well as their close ones.
At the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the woman joined the ranks of the patrol police (just when the enemy was breaking through to the capital city). Subsequently, together with the police, she went to the Kyiv region territories liberated by the Ukrainian military and helped local residents. And in the summer, she joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine, where she continues to work as a military psychologist.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Serhii Kalytiuk, the Ukrainian veteran, who uses a wheelchair after being injured, has become the central figure of the “People Come First” documentary photo project. Serhii was seriously wounded in the battle of Chervonyi Lyman in 2014. As part of the photo project, Serhii shares how he overcomes city barriers in the center of Lviv. The photos are accompanied by brief explanations of the problem depicted. Because the project is aimed at drawing attention to the problems of infrastructure accessibility and inclusion of disabled people.
For reference: Terrorist actions of russians add to the number of people with disabilities in Ukraine. This is especially true for Ukrainian defenders. Unfortunately, their homes and streets often meet them with barriers.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Father Tykhon is a Greek Catholic priest from Maryinka in Donetsk region. In 2014, when russia first tried to seize the region, Father Tykhon was captured because of his pro-Ukrainian activities. After his release, he was forced to leave his home. Currently, he works as a priest and a psychologist in Lviv. He helps not only the military, but also civilians, in particular, refugees and parents of captured Ukrainian defenders.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Odesa volunteers converted an old bus into a mobile bathhouse for soldiers at the front. They are currently finishing the work and will soon send the bathhouse to one of Odesa brigades at the front line. “Ukrinteravtoservis — Odesa” enterprise and “Good Luck” volunteer headquarters are responsible for this project. The creation of the first bathhouse cost them USD 4,000. In general, the volunteers want to make at least 5 of these: one for each Odesa brigade currently serving at the front.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Foreign volunteers of Siobhan’s Trust charity are currently in Ukraine with their “Pizza on Wheels” project. They cook pizza in a mobile oven and give it to Ukrainians who suffered from the war. They even visited the east of the country. And recently, people in Lviv region were also treated to freshly baked food. The charity is registered in Scotland, but volunteers are joined by foreigners from other countries, in particular, from Canada.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Doctors of Kherson Children’s Hospital have been helping patients since the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine (children are brought here from the de-occupied territories). The facility survived the occupation.
In January, the russians attacked the building three times. (In particular, on New Year’s Eve, the enemy fired about seven shells at the hospital. As the result of the attack a fire started in the nurse’s office and the ward for the sick). In addition, there are hundreds of broken and boarded up windows, as well as damaged equipment in the hospital.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The chef, who has his own restaurant, came from the Netherlands to support the Ukrainians. Together with his wife, he treats Ukrainian refugees staying in shelters in Lviv region to pancakes. Donations from concerned Dutch people helped to buy food. The couple has a mobile kitchen to heat up pancakes. The husband and wife have been in Lviv region for more than a week. These days, they are making pancakes for Lviv residents.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The first gas turbine power plant in Ukraine started working in Irpin. If necessary, it will generate electricity for the city’s critical infrastructure facilities. The power plant generates energy using natural gas, and this significantly reduces the cost per kilowatt, compared to the fuel needed for generators. Ukraine plans to create a network of such small power plants. They will reduce the load on the power grid, which russia is trying to destroy.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the National Cancer Institute in Kyiv has not stopped working (as reported, in February-March 2022, the invaders tried to break into the Ukrainian capital). The workers practically lived at the workplace, and one of the doctors voluntarily decided to go to the front to defend the country. Currently, people from de-occupied and occupied territories are being treated at the Institute.
Journalists can find out more about the difficulties cancer patients and doctors have to face due to the war and what has changed.
For reference: the National Cancer Institute is the oldest clinical cancer research center providing specialized and highly qualified medical care, as well as highly complex medical procedures in Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On February 3, at 10:00 AM, a briefing on the implementation of “Offensive Guard” nation-wide campaign in Kharkiv oblast will be held in Kharkiv. The campaign involves the creation of new military brigades. The participants will include: Oleh Synyehubov, Head of Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration; Volodymyr Tymoshko, Head of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Kharkiv oblast; Serhii Khovailo, Deputy Head of the Eastern Territorial Directorate of the National Guard of Ukraine; Oleksandr Mykhailiuk, Acting Head of the 4th Border Detachment. The location of the briefing will be disclosed after registration.
For reference: the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine is forming 8 well-equipped combat brigades out of the units of the National Guard, the National Police and the State Border Guard Service.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Employees of one of the beauty salons in Lviv region were providing hairdressing services, when the power went out. However, they figured that they could finish their work at an Invincibility Center. (There is even a video of how they serve a client who came to have her hair dyed).
The owner of the salon, Anna, says that the rescuers at the Invincibility Center were good to the guests: they treated them to tasty food and tea. She adds that in case of a force majeure with the power supply, she will have to come back to the tent set up by the State Emergency Service.
By the way, this beauty salon holds volunteer “Kindness Days.” Among other things, hairdressing services are provided free of charge to internally displaced persons. And in February, they plan to organize the same for the military.
For reference: Invincibility Centers are places set up during the war where people can stay warm, get access to water, electricity, internet, etc.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Since the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the occupiers have hit 13 objects of Beketov Kharkiv National University of Urban Economy. 16 educational buildings were destroyed. Nine dormitories were damaged and one was destroyed.
Currently, about half of the windows in the buildings of the university are missing, so they are boarded up or covered with plastic. Due to humidity, the premises begin to collapse. Heating systems were also damaged.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
“Riding into the Future” project holds therapeutic horse riding classes for military personnel who have musculoskeletal disorders and amputated limbs after participating in combat.
The project was founded by a married couple of Oleksandra and Vasyl. Now Vasyl himself is at the front, so Oleksandra, together with Natalka, the founder of “DoloniDotyk” (a Touch of a Hand) NGO holds horse riding classes for wounded soldiers every week.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The team of “Zemliachky” (Countrywomen) NGO is working on an animated series about life in occupied Mariupol based on the diary of a local resident named Natalia. The series is called “Mariupol. Military Chronicles of a Civilian.” The last episode was supposed to be released on February 24, the anniversary of the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion, however, the process was significantly slowed down due to blackouts.
For reference: “Zemliachky” project was created by a TV presenter and journalist Ksenia Drahanyuk to tell the world about incredible Ukrainian women. After russia’s full-scale invasion, the project turned into an NGO with a volunteer headquarters that helps Ukrainian military women.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Olha, call sign “Vidma” (Witch), was a lawyer, but during the all-out war, she became the commander of a mortar platoon of one of Kyiv territorial defense units. Recently, the woman returned from Bakhmut, where the soldiers under her command managed to repel many enemy attacks.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On February 5, one of the russian missiles hit the central building of Beketov Kharkiv National University of Urban Economy. A university security guard was injured. Several floors and laboratory equipment were destroyed, Megapolis research center was damaged. University staff and students immediately joined the efforts to clear the debris and clean the territory.
As reported, since the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the occupiers have hit the university campus over ten times. Many buildings were destroyed. Nine dormitories were damaged and one was destroyed. Currently, about half of the windows in the buildings of the University are missing, so the openings are boarded up or covered with plastic.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Volunteers in Kyiv region make special bulletproof vests for dogs. They are handed over to the canines of the National Guard, the State Emergency Service and “Antares” canine search and rescue team. Protective equipment is necessary for dogs that take part in demining and search and rescue operations. So far, volunteers have already produced and handed over two dozen of these bulletproof vests to the special services.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Since the beginning of the all-out war, volunteers of “Save Ukraine” charitable foundation have brought back 44 children who had been deported to russia and occupied Crimea. To do this, they even had to organize rescue operations. Volunteers also actively evacuate children from the war zone.
Journalists can ask Mykola Kuleba, Founder of “Save Ukraine”, Commissioner of the President of Ukraine for Children’s Rights (2014-2021) about how these processes take place, what difficulties have to be overcome in order to save deported children and those in the danger zone. You can find out more about the legal issues of the return of young Ukrainians from the foundation’s lawyer.
For reference: according to Children of War, a state platform for searching for missing children, as of February 7, more than 16,000 Ukrainian children were deported by the occupiers.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Jerzy Jurczyński from Poznań in Poland clears debris together with rescuers from Kharkiv. The 55-year-old Pole with 10 years of mountaineering experience came to Ukraine in June as a coordinator of humanitarian aid from a Polish charitable foundation. Currently, he is the only foreigner in the team of Kharkiv climbers. He cleared the debris in schools, residential buildings and industrial zones destroyed by russian shells. In particular, he cleared the rubble in part of the city with the most destruction — Saltivka. He also helped rescuers eliminate the consequences of russia’s February 5 attack on the city center.
In addition, Jerzy Jurczyński often brings aid to the front.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Said Ismagilov is from Donetsk region. Before russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he was the Mufti of the Religious Administration of Muslims of Ukraine “Ummah.” After the start of the full-scale war, he resigned and went to the front as a volunteer. Now he serves in one of the paramedic brigades in Bakhmut. In particular, he takes the wounded to the aid station. There is also a video of him reading one of the chapters of the Quran dedicated to victory in the ruins of this city.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In the past, Sergiy Stakhovsky was the best tennis player of Ukraine. Last year, he ended his professional career and took up winemaking. After the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion, the tennis player interrupted his vacation in Dubai, returned to Ukraine and joined the ranks of the Territorial Defense Forces of Kyiv. When the russians retreated from the capital, Sergiy was transferred to the reserve of the Armed Forces. Currently, he defends Ukraine in the ranks of the National Guard. Sergiy Stakhovsky is in Kyiv until February 14, and then he leaves for the east of Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On February 16, the star of the TV series Game of Thrones Jack Gleason, who played the role of King Joffrey, will visit Ukraine for the first time.
Jack will stay in Ukraine for 3-4 days. During this time, he will hold several acting master classes and workshops, and will meet with Ukrainian military personnel. He will also take part in charity fundraisers and auctions in support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and will visit the capital’s theaters.
The actor will get to Ukraine in a pickup truck, which he and his friends are delivering to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Iryna is a PE teacher from Bucha. In March 2022, the woman was held captive by the occupiers for nine days. Fortunately, she managed to escape. Today, Iryna continues to live in Bucha and work as a PE teacher. She also helps children cope with war trauma.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On February 10, a delegation of high-ranking U.S. officials and the Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine will make an official visit to the farms of Chernihiv oblast. The officials will visit one of the locations where the temporary grain storage project is being brought to fruition as part of the Agriculture Resilience Initiative — AGRI-Ukraine, which is implemented through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
This is one of 12 locations located in different regions of Ukraine, for which the USAID AGRO Program purchased and transferred a total of almost 8,000 grain sleeves, equipment for putting grain in sleeves, and modular structures for grain storage in 2022. During the visit, American high-ranking officials will hand over grain aeration equipment to farmers.
Transfer from Kyiv will be organized for the media representatives. Accreditation required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
russia’s full-scale invasion had a negative impact on the lives of pets. In particular, many animal shelters are overcrowded in Odesa. People who are forced to leave abroad often leave their pets behind, and these can be adult animals that are used to living inside instead of being kept in enclosures. In addition, volunteers care for and treat animals that have become homeless due to the war. In addition, the military bring many animals from the combat zone to animal rights activists.
Activists can show and tell journalists how the war changes the lives of pets.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ihor Krupnov from Dnipro is 57 years old. On February 24, Ihor went to the military enlistment office without any hesitation, and a week later he was already at the front. He could not do otherwise, because he had military experience, as he had served in Afghanistan.
In November, Ihor’s car was blown up by two anti-tank mines in Kherson region. The man received extremely serious injuries to his lower limbs. It was not possible to save the defender’s legs, the surgeons performed amputation after consulting with a prosthetist, who helped determine the best level of amputation for further prosthetics. Currently, Ihor Krupnov is preparing to receive prosthetics at Unbroken Center in Lviv. The military man dreams of running a marathon again. He also says that Kherson region was the second time he was blown up by a mine, the first time it happened in Afghanistan.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
More than five hundred couples in love throughout Ukraine will create new families on Valentine’s Day. Currently, Civil Registry Offices continue to receive applications for registration of marriages. So far, the majority of applications to get married on this day have come from Dnipropetrovsk, Lviv, Volyn, Kyiv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Odesa regions and Kyiv.
In addition, Civil Registry Offices participating in “Love Will Win” event will work extra hours on Valentine’s Day.
Journalists are invited to talk to the employees of Civil Registry Offices and, if possible, film marriage registration.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In Odesa, barbers give free haircuts to Ukrainian soldiers. Within almost a year, more than 200 defenders of the country visited the barbershop. Journalists can talk to the hairstylists and, if possible, film them work.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A charity concert with the participation of 7 famous Ukrainian artists will be held on February 10 at 7:00 PM in the hall of Kyiv’s Central Railway Station. The purpose of the concert is to create a festive atmosphere for the passengers and to once again emphasize that, despite the constant enemy attacks, the Ukrainians shall prevail and preserve the light. After the concert, at 8:20 PM, a press conference for the media will begin at the station’s “Fortress of Invincibility” with a ceremonial lighting of a candle. Free attendance. Accreditation is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Currently over 750 refugees from various regions of Ukraine live in the largest modular town of Lviv, which is located in the city’s Sykhiv district. However, residents of the other three modular towns in the city are currently being resettled here, since the modular houses in Sykhiv are the most suited to winter conditions. The main advantage of this town is that the houses in it are of the so-called ‘corridor type.’ When people living in modular houses leave their rooms, they don’t go outside, but to a corridor. This way heat is better preserved.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
During the all-out war, a medic of the State Border Guard Service, Elina Medynina was on duty in Mariupol, which was surrounded by the enemy. Later, she ended up on the territory of Azovstal plant, where, together with other combat medics, she provided medical aid to wounded servicemen and civilians in difficult military and field conditions. The border guard was in russian captivity for almost 5 months.
Elina was awarded the Order for Courage, 3rd degree, and the Order of Princess Olga.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
For the second time, “volunteer paratroopers” are being trained in Odesa to go to Kherson. Those who volunteered will pack and unload the humanitarian aid, as well as deliver it to the addresses, explains the coordination headquarters for humanitarian aid in Odesa region. Some of the volunteers will work in villages near the city. One of the tasks they will face is clearing the rubble. Therefore, there is a need for drivers of special vehicles.Departure to Kherson is planned for the middle of February, and the volunteer work will last for at least two months.
For reference: 11 people from Kyiv, Odesa, the UK and the U.S. worked in Kherson as part of the first such mission, which lasted 10 days.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In Bucha, Kyiv region, the restoration of apartment buildings damaged during the occupation is still underway. In particular, utility workers are replacing windows in entrances and corridors of high-rise buildings on one of the local streets.
For reference: at the beginning of the all-out war, russian troops occupied Bucha. On March 31, 2022, the Armed Forces of Ukraine liberated the city.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
“Module of Temporality” culture space, which is made of Mariupol metal, will be unveiled in Kyiv on February 17. The two-story structure consists of 27 container modules. Sheet steel from Azovstal and Ilich Steel and Iron Works was used for the interior and furniture. (unveiling for the press will be held on February 16, artists will be present).
Various creative works of world-famous artists, both Ukrainian and foreign, will be presented at the space. The goal of the project is to draw the attention of the world’s audience to the war in Ukraine.
The suggested entrance fee is UAH 200; however, this is not mandatory. All collected funds will be used to restore the country’s art institutions destroyed in the war.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In the next 2 months, the team of SavED charity foundation plans to open 5 educational hubs in 5 schools in Mykolaiv (mostly in shelters). The goal of digital education centers is to give children more space and opportunities for socialization, joint extracurricular activities, and academic subjects. Among other things, the spaces will contain books and gadgets. So far, the process is in its initial stages.
However, journalists have an opportunity to see already created digital educational centers in Kyiv and Chernihiv region.
For reference: Digital educational centers are cozy locations for learning and leisure located on school grounds (with some exceptions). There is comfortable furniture, necessary equipment, gadgets, books, board games and art supplies. The work of centers is managed by mentors. These centers are places for entertainment and relaxation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Tomorrow, February 15, “Safety Class” will kick off in one of the villages of Fastiv district, Kyiv region, with the participation of rescuers.
The government approved the beginning of such “Safety Classes” throughout Ukraine last September. For example, just last week, two such classes already started working in Kyiv region. They are well-equipped for organizing fire and mine safety training. Among other things, children will be taught what to do in the event of an emergency and during air raid alerts. Students will also be taught first aid.
Teachers, experts of the State Emergency Service, the National Police, medical workers, combatants, and mine safety specialists will be involved in “Safety Classes” (which can be accessed remotely).
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Ukrainian-Israeli medical volunteer movement FRIDA Ukraine has been helping civilians since the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In particular, they provide medical consultations, perform surgeries, evacuate people and distribute medicines. Volunteer doctors (of various specialties) travel to regions (for example, to Kharkiv, Kherson, or Donetsk oblasts), where they help local residents who complain about their health. There are also foreign doctors among the volunteers.
Journalists are invited to join the team of medical volunteers during their future trips to the de-occupied territories.
For reference: FRIDA Ukraine is a non-governmental, non-profit Ukrainian-Israeli charitable mission of volunteer doctors who, since the beginning of the invasion, have been providing emergency and outpatient medical care to the civilian population in the war-affected regions.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Malteser Relief Service has been providing psychological support to the people affected by the war since 2014. With the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the work of the psychological team was expanded.
Psychologists provide both group and individual consultations. They work in shelters, transit centers for refugees and displaced persons (for example, train stations and border crossing points) and in inclusive child care centers. They also work with schoolteachers and with people in hospitals, who have lost their limbs due to the war, and so on.
Journalists are invited to learn more about how psychologists work.
Fore reference: Malteser Relief Service is an international charity working in 120 countries. It has been operating in Ukraine for 32 years. Malteser Relief Service has a number of branches in Ukraine and the main office in Lviv.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Revolution of Dignity Museum in Kyiv organizes a series of events to commemorate the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred. This year’s slogan: “The Heavenly Hundred are the first heroes of the russo-Ukrainian war.”
From February 16 to 20, numerous exhibitions, a tour of the Sites of the Revolution of Dignity, and the annual “ANGELS OF MEMORY” campaign will take place in the capital, among other things.
For reference: “The Heavenly Hundred” is the name given in Ukraine to the group of protesters who died during the Euromaidan (Revolution of Dignity) in December 2013 — February 2014.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Residents of a micro-district in Irpin, Kyiv region, which sustained significant damages during the fighting and partial occupation of the city, have been struggling to restore their damaged buildings for almost a year. Volunteers helped to clear the debris last summer, and the owners of damaged apartments are currently collecting funds to restore their houses. For example, the cost of rebuilding just one building reaches UAH 15 million (over USD 400,000). In certain cases, only the facades of buildings remain, several other houses have already been demolished, and new ones are to be built in their place.
For reference: in February-March 2022, Irpin in Kyiv region became a major battlefield during the russian offensive on Kyiv. A third of Irpin was occupied, and it was here that the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the Territorial Defense Forces managed to crush the russians. During the fighting, more than 300 civilians were killed, and thousands were left homeless. In particular, one of the micro-districts of the city (mentioned above) was almost completely destroyed, due to the use of russian aerial bombs, among other things.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
“Ukrainian Women Veteran Movement” NGO is a community of women with military experience in Ukraine. The NGO takes care of about a thousand female veterans and new recruits: from advocating for the rights of female defenders to providing ammunition, basic hygiene products, cars, medical supplies, and drones. The mission of the organization is a professional army, where equal rights are guaranteed to both women and men.
On the first day of the full-scale invasion, a rapid response headquarters was set up on the basis of the movement to cover the needs of the military and civilians. The headquarters has its own workshop, where women’s military uniforms and camouflage cloaks are made. They also have a workshop for weaving camouflage nets, a drone workshop, etc.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Fuminori Tsuchiko, a 75-year-old Japanese volunteer, spent nine months of the war in the Kharkiv subway, where he helped locals. Now he lives in Kharkiv. Together with his assistants, he will distribute food to all those in need in the coming days. The funds for this food were raised thanks to donations from concerned Japanese.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Olena is a female chaplain who visits Ukrainian defenders in the hottest spots at the frontline. She prays with the military and supplies them with humanitarian aid. And bedsides, Olena had brought to life the chaplain’s initiative to create a mobile dental clinic (where both military and civilians are treated).
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Three volunteers and athletes from Kharkiv will run a 200-kilometer race from Northern Saltivka (Kharkiv area) to Kramatorsk in Donetsk Oblast on February 27. The race will be broadcast live, and all viewers can donate money to charities and volunteer organizations. Its details will be posted on the event’s website.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On Monday, February 20, a Ukrainian team of beauty industry professionals will visit Horenka in Kyiv Oblast. The beauty volunteers will give free haircuts and coloring, eyebrow correction, massages, or hygienic manicures to the residents.
For reference: the idea of beauty volunteering belongs to Olha Belytska, a makeup artist. Together with like-minded people, Olha comes to the de-occupied settlements of Kyiv Oblast every week (recently, they also worked in the Kharkiv region) to help people who have survived occupation horrors feel beautiful again.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Currently, the Bucha City Council, together with the Kyiv Regional Military Administration and other partners, is implementing a project for Vokzalnaya Street comprehensive restoration. Every damaged and destroyed house is planned to be rebuilt. Almost 200 people work daily to restore the legendary street.
For reference: During the full-scale invasion, the Ukrainian troops destroyed a large column of Russian equipment on Vokzalnaya Street in Bucha. Photos of this street went viral at the time.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Two more mobile shelters will be installed in Kherson as part of the SafePlace4UA project in March. In six months, volunteers have already successfully installed six mobile shelters: 4 in Kherson and 2 in Mykolaiv. They are also looking for opportunities to install such mobile shelters in other cities that the occupiers constantly shell — these are Zaporizhia, Kryvyi Rih, and Nikopol.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Voices of Children Charitable Foundation and the Kharkiv Institute for Social Research will present a report on russia’s crimes against Ukrainian children on February 22. The presentation of the unique book “Voices of Children on War” and the opening of an exhibition of illustrations created by famous Ukrainian and foreign artists for children’s quotes will also be held during the event.
In particular, the book “Voices of Children on War” contains up to 100 moving quotes by children illustrated by Ukrainian and foreign artists. All the donation funds raised for the book sale will be used to provide psychological assistance to children.
For reference: the Voices of Children Charitable Foundation provides psychological and psychosocial assistance to children affected by the hostilities.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
One of the educational institutions in Nemishayeve, Kyiv region, will hold a lesson in the ‘special safety classroom’ for the first time on February 20.
Students will particularly learn how to provide first aid and familiarize themselves with the mine safety standards. The lesson will be held with the participation of the State Emergency Service representatives. Accreditation is required on the spot.
For reference: The government approved the equipping of ‘special safety classrooms’ throughout Ukraine in September last year. It has the appropriate equipment to organize training on fire and mine safety. Children are also taught rules of conduct in an emergency and in case of an air-raid warning. The ‘special safety classroom’ will involve teachers, specialists from the State Emergency Service, the National Police, medical workers, combatants, and mine safety experts.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
By the anniversary of the start of the full-scale war, on February 24, 2023, the final event of the regular session of this international film festival is planned to be held in Kyiv. The demonstration of the best films, reports by scientists of Ukrainian studies, and creative meetings with film artists will be performed in the Assembly hall of the Research Institute of Ukrainian Studies.
The winners and laureates of the film festival will also be announced. The event will end with a concert by young performers and soloists of the Song and Dance Ensemble of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
More than 130 works from more than 30 countries of the world were sent to the jury of the “Dispatches of War” film festival. The organizers of the film festival were pleasantly surprised by the amateur tapes submitted to the festival and the tapes made by school students from different countries of the world.
Link:http://ndiu.org.ua/index.php/features/2817–l-r
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The project “You, me…war: 100 love stories” was launched by four Ukrainian women in the first months of russia’s full-scale invasion in order to prove that even in the most difficult times there is a place for sincere feelings and hope for the future. The goal of the project is to collect a hundred unusual wartime love stories of different people (from paramedics to volunteers, from policemen to refugees, from rescuers to doctors, from journalists to soldiers).
Important notice: journalists have an opportunity to find out how the idea of such a project came to be, see how it is implemented and, if possible, talk to the heroes of the project — couples with captivating wartime love stories.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ruined houses and covered holes from explosions — the village of Moshchun, Bucha district, Kyiv region, is currently recovering from the events that happened here at the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion into Ukraine. Some of the fiercest battles with the enemy took place in this village located next to Kyiv. This place became an outpost on the russian invaders’ way to the capital. Almost 70% of the housing stock in Moshchun was destroyed. The Armed Forces of Ukraine fully liberated the village from the russian military on March 21, 2022.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ukrainians who have lost their jobs, but have a desire to work on the economic front, can join “Army of Recovery” project. This state initiative is already fully operational in 10 regions. Over 800 people have joined it, in Kyiv region. Among other things, people can be involved in landscaping, clearing debris or repairing housing. They get paid for this work.
Journalists have an opportunity to see how this project is being implemented in Kyiv region.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Maria Kobets quit her job (she used to work as a junior employee in one of the museums of Chernihiv region) and decided to continue her husband’s blacksmith business, as he is currently defending the country.
For nine months, Maria has been working in the forge and performing difficult work by herself: grinding coal, lighting the furnace and shaping the heated metal. During this time, the woman learned to make objects of various types and sizes, among them, for example, cutlery.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The goal of the volunteer project “Brave to Rebuild” is to help residents of the de-occupied territories of Ukraine to restore housing and social institutions damaged as a result of the russian federation’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine. Since the beginning of May 2022, over 2,000 volunteers from Ukraine, Europe, the U.S., Canada and Australia have been involved in the project. Among other things, volunteers helped to clear debris, repair roofs and windows in 228 detached houses and 153 apartments in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Kherson regions.
Upcoming events:
February 21-22, 2023 (Kyiv) — setting up “Volunteer Indomitability” hub in the premises of the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. This indomitability center will help volunteers and young activists, as well as provide electricity to enable work during power and communication outages. In fact, it will be a public co-working space, arranged by the activists themselves.
February 25-26 (Irpin, Bucha and surrounding villages). Clearing debris, small repairs in detached houses.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On February 22, 2023, the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War will present “Defenders” project to mark the anniversary of russia’s full-scale invasion. The project will exhibit powerful photos of Ukrainian soldiers who have been resisting the invaders for over a year.
The photos were taken during the museum’s expedition, which took place in July 2022 with the support of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Photo printing of the highest quality was done free of charge by photo lab Crimson.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Issa Sadi from the Republic of Guinea in West Africa has been living in Ukraine for over 30 years. The man studied in Kyiv. He was a Vice-Consul of the Honorary Consulate of Guinea in Ukraine. Currently, he is the President of “African Council in Ukraine” NGO.
In the first days of russia’s full-scale invasion, the man helped the Africans to evacuate. He also provided the Ukrainian military with warm clothing. Later, he joined the volunteers of “Dobrobat” (Volunteer Building Division). He has already helped to clear debris in Kyiv region on multiple occasions, and also repaired a roof destroyed during the war. The man also plans to involve his family and acquaintances in volunteer work.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
“IVMED” Fertility Center offers semen cryopreservation (sperm freezing) to the Ukrainian military free of charge. In this way, the clinic gives the defenders of the country an opportunity to fulfill their desire to become parents and help with the demographic crisis.
In addition, experts at the center say that during the war, servicemen of the Armed Forces may face physical exhaustion, overheating/hypothermia, injury, all of which have a harmful and even detrimental effect on their reproductive system and ability to conceive a child.
5-6 soldiers come in for this procedure every week.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In Bucha, Kyiv region, the reconstruction of a residential high-rise building on Vodoprovidna Street is almost completed. After the russians’ rocket attacks on this building 20 apartments, the entrance and the roof needed major repairs.
Among other things, the windows in the attic have already been replaced, and the entrance and apartments have been overhauled. It is noted that the owners of the apartments in the remodeled building will finally be able to return home.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
From an ordinary basement with raw walls to an exemplary shelter: a bomb shelter was recently set up in one of Kharkiv lyceums in accordance with all the rules and requirements. Among other things, this shelter now has ventilation, electricity and the Internet. In addition, the temperature in the room is now adjustable. There are beds, study desks, a separate cafeteria and a corner for relaxation. The shelter takes up over 500 square meters. Currently, students of the lyceum study online. During air raid alerts, school employees and refugees living in the premises, go down to the bomb shelter.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Kharkiv-based activist teachers of physical education from “JuniorS” NGO came together to give a good childhood for children even at the times of war. There is a ban on mass events in communal and state institutions, but they found a way around it. As the result of the joint efforts by “JuniorS” and a shopping mall, classes in various sports (pétanque, baseball, badminton, frisbee, interesting relay races) for the youngest are held in the parking lot of the shopping mall, i.e. in a shelter.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On the evening of February 23, the Swiss light artist Gerry Hofstetter will light up the building of the Central Post Office on Khreschatyk in Kyiv as part of his art tour of Ukrainian cities “Commemoration. Light for hope.” A famous stamp and other images will appear on the facade of the country’s main post office building.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
According to Ukrposhta, given how special the new “FCK PTN!” stamp is, the main post office of the capital will be turned into a modern art object for one day, where anyone can step into the shoes of a graffiti artist.
Date: February 24, 2023 (Friday). Prior registration is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Roman is an engineer and a graduate of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute in Kyiv, who lives in Irpin (at the end of March 2022, the city was liberated from the russian military). The man produced about 400 metal detectors. These devices are used by Ukrainian sappers and the military. So, for example, bomb squads of the State Emergency Service have already worked with them in Kyiv, Chernihiv, Kharkiv and Kherson regions. Engineer’s group mates from university and Ukrainian activists helped with parts, as well as donations for metal detectors
For reference: earlier, the State Emergency Service reported that 30% of the territory of Ukraine was mined.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In the capital, “Without Limits” prosthetics, orthotics and rehabilitation center helps patients who have lost limbs due to the all-out war. In addition, soldiers and civilians have been coming here for prosthetics since 2014.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On February 27, a “Classroom of safety” will be opened in one of the educational institutions of Berezan, Kyiv region. During classes in these rooms, students will be taught first aid and mine safety rules. Employees of the State Emergency Service will participate in the opening.
For reference: The government approved the opening of “Classrooms of safety” throughout Ukraine last September. These classrooms are properly set up to provide fire and mine safety training. Among other things, children are taught what to do in the event of an emergency and during air raid alerts. Educators, specialists of the State Emergency Service and the National Police, medical workers, combatants and mine safety specialists will be involved in the work of “Classrooms of safety.”
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Halyna is a resident of Mariupol and Co-Founder of Halabuda Educational Hub. At the start of russia’s full-scale invasion, this hub became a support center for thousands of people. Those whose houses had been destroyed as well as many others came here. Over two hundred volunteers worked in the hub. At that point, Halyna took over all the processes related to assistance coordination.
A field kitchen was set up in the hub. So, for example, people could cook food on refrigerator grills. To get water, they had to melt snow. Volunteers delivered food to those in need and helped the wounded.
Despite the war, the educational platform “Halabuda” is currently developing in other cities of Ukraine, particularly, in Cherkasy and Lviv regions. (Since 2014, the educational platform has been engaged in volunteer support for the military and civilians).
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In one of the villages in Lviv region, refugees (mostly from Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts) have set up an eco-farm and are building a house of hemp. In order to implement this project, “Go Friends” NGO had bought an abandoned farm and some land. A hundred people can live in such an eco-house. Currently, the refugees are busy insulating the walls of the future house.
In addition, the settlers have already brought in a hundred different animals to this eco-farm and are planting a vegetable garden. Five lakes on the farm were filled with fish.
The concept of this eco-household is that people work and provide themselves with food. There are also plans to start craft production on site.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Pavlo Vyshebaba, a soldier and a poet, will go on his first charity tour of Ukraine. Charity performances will take place in several cities of the country (for example, on March 2, the military man will visit Lviv, and on March 14 — Kyiv). 100% of the collected funds will go to the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Fore reference: Pavlo Vyshebaba is a military man, Ukrainian poet, musician and public activist. His video poetry is getting millions of views on social media.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Dismantling of detached homes destroyed by the russians continues in Bucha, Kyiv region. In particular, the City Council showed a house on Vokzalna Street. Experts have already dismantled the damaged buildings and cleared the area around. (During the full-scale invasion, Ukrainian military destroyed a large column of russian equipment on Vokzalna Street in Bucha. At the time, photos of this street spread around the world.)
The dismantling of the detached houses damaged by the russian shells in Bucha and surrounding areas has become possible with the help of the UNDP Ukraine project funded by Japan’s government. In the near future, nearly 30 damaged homes will be disassembled as a part of this project.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Malteser Relief Service launched ‘Mobile Space for Games’ project to provide psychosocial support to children in an entertaining form. Three specialized teams on buses filled with game and sports equipment go on trips around Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Zakarpattia regions. Each team consists of psychologists, entertainers and art therapists who organize the so-called “smart entertainment.”
In this way, experts help children cope with psychological trauma caused by the war, as well as facilitate integration of refugee children in new communities. They plan to help 8,000 children as a part of the project.
Up to 100 children of all ages take part in “smart entertainment” during a single trip.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On March 1 at 11:00 AM, there will be a presentation of “Brave” startup accelerator for Ukrainian women who dream of starting their own business or have already founded a micro- or small enterprise.
The official opening of “Brave” startup accelerator will be attended by: Valeriya Ionan, Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation for European Integration; Svetlana Chirva, Vice President, Country Manager for Ukraine and Moldova at Visa; Anna Strakhovska, Head of the Diia.Business center in Bucha.
Accreditation is required.
For reference: The project was initiated by Diia.Business center with the support of the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine and the Entrepreneurship and Export Promotion Office with the assistance of She’s Next Empowered by Visa global initiative.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A ‘point of invincibility’ has opened in St. Andrew’s Church in Kyiv. The Kyiv City Military Administration reports that the Point of Invincibility can accommodate several dozen people. It has Internet connection, is equipped with a powerful generator, industrial electric fan heater, medical supplies, hot drinks, and a small library. In addition, any visitor can receive spiritual support, namely, a talk to a priest.
For reference: St. Andrew’s Church is an 18th-century historical architectural monument of decorative art of world significance built in 1747-1762 in the Baroque style by Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Yevhen Sosnovskyi is a photographer who has lived in occupied Mariupol for over two months. He took his first series of photos during the full-scale russian invasion in early March. He photographed the shelled area where he lived, the destruction, and people fleeing their homes. Among other things, the Yevhen filmed people melting the snow to get water. He also had to treat wounded relatives. To get out of the occupied territories, he and his wife overcame crossing more than 25 checkpoints.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
At the beginning of the year, philanthropists completed the arrangement of a mini-school in the surviving recreation center in Bohdanivka village, Brovary district. An assembly hall were turned into three giant classrooms for primary classes. (There is no need to drive small children to a neighboring village to study). In addition, digital educational centers were set up in other classrooms. Pupils of all ages can come here to learn English, draw, talk to psychologists, and more, among other things.
For reference: during the full-scale russian invasion of Ukraine, the occupiers destroyed a school and a daycare center in the Bohdanivka village, Brovary district.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Liudmila Kulyk is a physical education teacher in Cherkasy. She holds classes on various sports activities for children of the city and children of IDPs despite the fact that, due to the war, there are a lot of mattresses in the gym in case it needs to be quickly turned into a shelter:
“During the first half of the year, all students were on distance learning. At the end of October, the school was prepared to house internally displaced persons. Desks had been taken away from all classrooms and these mattresses had been brought in. However, we are already used to them, sometimes we use them for exercise,” — said the teacher.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
After the liberation of Kherson, some of the actors of Mykola Kulish Music and Drama Theater returned to their hometown. Despite the enemy shelling, the actors are currently working in the art hub of a shelter. Recently, the thespians presented the play called “A Kitten to Remember the Darkness”. The team is also working on rebuilding the theater.
For reference: In November, Kherson was taken back under Ukraine’s control. Back in May, the occupation authorities of Kherson appointed a man who had previously worked as a security guard to manage Mykola Kulish Music and Drama Theater. In July, the occupiers set up an artillery ammunition depot in the premises of the theater.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On March 4 and 5, volunteers of “Brave to rebuild” project will help residents of Kyiv region. In particular, the activists will clear the debris of buildings destroyed during the war in Irpin, Hostomel and Horenka.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
“Female Pilots of Ukraine” school is an initiative created to help Ukrainian women find their place in the army. School instructors teach women to control reconnaissance drones and determine coordinates.
Several hundred women have already applied for training. A new batch of students is currently receiving training. Female cadets are already learning to pilot drones.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
After an entrepreneur from Ivano-Frankivsk, together with German investors, set up its business, a newly built plastic surgery clinic placed only a few operations on a commercial basis. Since the war outbreak, everything has changed. It was then that it was decided to turn the facility into a volunteer surgical hospital where wounded soldiers are treated free of charge. Doctors from all over Ukraine and even scientists agreed to work unpaid. In addition, the entrepreneur opened an outpatient clinic where internally displaced persons are treated for free.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Bohdan is a resettler from the temporarily occupied Enerhodar city in Zaporizhia Oblast. He owned a bar in this city, but on the first day of the war, it was forced to close. After six months of occupation, he left his hometown, having his family still live there. Today, the man works as a waiter in a restaurant in Kyiv.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
This spring, more than 19 new animal pairs were created in Kyiv Zoo. (Zoo officials explain that couples and families are created for different reasons: in order to breed or just for a company, according to the zoo’s strategic collection planning). Recall that the zoo has sheltered almost 400 animals from the affected areas of the country.
Among other things, the employees are currently arranging a whole family ranch for the newly created raccoon family, as the family is quite large: these are 16 animals, including nine rescued from the war.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
As the volunteers of the Zhytomyr regional branch of the All-Ukrainian charity organization “Turbota pro Litnih v Ukraini” (Age Concern Ukraine), ‘Grandma’s Battalion’ helps Ukrainian soldiers. More than 30 older women have joined the team. The oldest one is 85 years old.
Among other things, the women sew pillows, bedding, balaclavas, mittens for the military, and even special underwear with fasteners for wounded defenders. The women also knit socks.
For reference: ‘Grandma’s Battalion’ has been helping the military since 2014. It was Ukrainian defenders who came up with the name.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On March 7, 2023, the ‘Ambulance’ project will be presented on Mykhailivs’ka (Saint Michael’s) Square in Kyiv. An ambulance formerly operating in the Derhachi district of Kharkiv Oblast before the full-scale Russian invasion is to exhibit on this day. During the shelling, this vehicle served to evacuate people out of dangerous areas. However, after it came under attack, it was put out of action.
Since it was the only four-wheel-drive ambulance to reach even the most remote villages off-road and in bad weather, many people have now lost the opportunity to receive prompt medical treatment. The vehicle has become one of the symbols of the occupiers’ cruelty against the civilian population.
This ambulance will be exhibited in different cities in European countries within the project. It will start in Vilnius and come with donation fundraising for new ambulances for the affected communities that need medical equipment today. The shot-up ambulance will also be on display in Riga, Ghent, Munich, Tallinn, Colchester, and Warsaw.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
During the year of the war, 800 enterprises were relocated to safer regions of the country under the government’s relocation program. 623 of that number have already resumed work in a new location, according to the Ministry of Economy report. Most enterprises were relocated to Lviv, Zakarpattia, Chernivtsi, and Ivano-Frankivsk Oblasts.
Earlier, the Rubizhne Hosiery Manufacturer, the factory that was destroyed by the russians during the seizure of the city, moved to Lviv. It was decided to continue its business in western Ukraine: they found factory premises and purchased equipment. Some employees also left Luhansk to continue their job at the company. The factory had been successfully operating for over 20 years before russia’s full-scale invasion and occupation of Rubizhne.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On March 10, 2023, journalists are invited to join a press tour to get acquainted with the Ukrainian developer and manufacturer of portable and stationary electronic warfare systems providing new solutions to suppress enemy communication channels that are impossible to imagine the modern defense and internal security sector without.
During the press tour, ‘PIRANHA-TECH’ and its founders will be introduced, and it’s planned to visit the test site to demonstrate the company’s flagship products in action.
Please register here.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Psychologist Oksana Sliepova works with families of veterans, fallen soldiers and internally displaced persons using dog-assisted therapy: a method of positive psychosocial influence on people with the assistance of trained therapy dogs. According to Oksana, the list of problems that children are currently facing includes panic attacks, depression, night terrors, fear of the dark or of being alone.
Oksana Sliepova has been working as a psychologist for more than 19 years at the Kyiv-Sviatoshyn Center for Social and Psychological Rehabilitation of the Population, which was founded to help people affected in Chornobyl tragedy.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Eight surgeons from the U.S. will arrive in Lviv to help Ukrainians free of charge. They will consult people with congenital and acquired disorders, mine blast injuries to the face and burn injuries. Some of the patients will undergo surgery after consultations.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On March 11, Lviv will host the first SUPERWOMAN forum since the full-scale invasion started. This time, the event has two charitable goals: the collected funds will be transferred to support NGO “Ukrainian Women Veteran Movement” — VETERANKA, which takes care of the needs of women in the army (by purchasing ultra-light plates, hygiene kits, women’s uniforms, shoes, drones, cars, tactical medical kits). The second part of the funds will be sent to the grant #100chansivdlya100zhinok (100 chances for women) — an educational project that provides training in digital professions to women who suffered from russian aggression.
SUPERWOMAN LVIV is a forum organized by women for women and about women. It is a place to support all professions, social roles, views and beliefs at all stages of their life journey.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On March 10, Naoya Kodama, President of Earth Walkers NGO, will hand over the heaters to equip the school shelter in Hora village, Kyiv region. The heaters were purchased with the money from donations collected in Japan. Naoya Kodama also brought letters for Ukrainian students from high school students of Miyazaki and Fukushima prefectures. The children from the school in Hora village will also write back to Japanese students.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Tetiana Brovarets is a folklorist, candidate of philological sciences and an employee of the Institute for Art Studies, Folklore and Ethnology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.
On February 23, 2022, the woman went on a business trip from Kherson to the capital, where she found herself when russia’s full-scale invasion began. Later, she decided to join “Dobrobat” volunteer movement. For nine months, Tetiana has been volunteering to help clear the rubble of buildings destroyed by the war and even install window slopes. Her mother also joined the volunteer work.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In Moschun, Kyiv region, the work has begun to prepare the territory for the installation of the memorial. In particular, a part of the podium has already been installed and a driveway has been built. On March 11, relatives and friends of soldiers who died during the battles in Kyiv region will gather there to honor their memory.
For reference: some of the fiercest battles in Kyiv region took place in Moschun. Almost 70% of the houses in the village were destroyed. The Armed Forces of Ukraine liberated the village from the russian soldiers on March 21, 2022.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Teachers in Zaporizhia hold sports and entertainment activities for refugee children every week. Entertainment activities and performances are held in a theater. Parents and children who moved away from the occupied territories of Zaporizhia and Kherson regions come here every Sunday.
Due to the lack of high-quality equipment and the fact that the premises are unsuitable for sports games, creative teachers invent games for children with objects made of available materials: paper, balloons, etc.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Vitalii and Andrii are the first patients to receive bionic hand prostheses at the Superhumans Center. Wearing the prosthesis, one of the defenders of Ukraine drew a blue and yellow heart, and then picked up and put down various objects, turned on the charger. Now he can drive a car, fold his clothes and comb his hair by himself. Another defender painted the Ukrainian flag and tried to fill the bag with things and lift it up, which he managed to do.
For reference: the Superhumans Center is a modern prosthetics, reconstruction and rehabilitation clinic that will soon open in Lviv. Currently, the hospital facilities are being supplied with necessary equipment. Superhumans services are free of charge for the victims of war.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Since the beginning of the full-scale war, the Ukrainian-Israeli medical volunteer movement FRIDA Ukraine has been going on charitable rescue missions and helping civilians. Currently, doctors are actively working in Kharkiv, Kherson and Donetsk oblasts. Journalists are invited to join the team of medical volunteers during future trips to the de-occupied territories.
For reference: Volunteer doctors (of various specialties) make trips and help local residents who complain about their health. They provide consultations, perform surgeries, evacuate people and distribute medicine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
According to “Ukrainian Women Veteran Movement” NGO, paramedics wear over 31 kg worth of gear every day: body armor, helmet, backpack with medicine, tourniquets, bandages, etc. They need to move quickly, roll over or carry the wounded. Veterans know from their own experience that it is difficult and could lead to devastating consequences for the musculoskeletal system. Therefore, the NGO decided to make life easier for these women and purchase 50 ultra-light bulletproof vests. (The weight of such a vest is 2 kg on average, and a standard one is 7 kg or more).
For reference: “Ukrainian Women Veteran Movement” NGO is a community of Ukrainian women with military experience. The NGO takes care of about a thousand female veterans and recruits: from advocating for the rights of female defenders to providing ammunition, basic hygiene products, cars, medical supplies, and drones. The organization’s mission is to help build a professional army where equal rights for women and men are guaranteed.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On Saturday, March 11, the all-Ukrainian project “Mobile Doctors” invites journalists to come along on a medical trip to Novoselivka village in Chernihiv region. The organizers pointed out that the Polish government helped to put up a modular town there. At the moment, up to 300 Ukrainians, whose homes have been destroyed, live in this town.
Accreditation required.
For reference: “Mobile Doctors” is a team of professional healthcare providers who have come together to treat people in the de-occupied villages and communities of Ukraine. They go to places where there is a shortage of doctors, pharmacies, and hospitals. They also developed a prototype of a “hospital on wheels” with its own laboratory.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Truth Hounds organization documents war crimes and is a member of Ukraine 5 AM Coalition (a coalition of human rights organizations that document war crimes during the russian armed aggression in Ukraine). It is Truth Hounds team that is responsible for the thorough investigation into the circumstances of the deaths of people, who were standing in line for bread when russian artillery shelled the civilian infrastructure of Chernihiv on March 16, 2022. As a result, 14 people died and another 27 were injured.
According to the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, in recognition for its work, Truth Hounds received an award that honors those who resist the oppressive state machine that encroaches on human rights values.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Soldiers of the ‘Seneca’ Special Forces unit, as a part of the 93rd separate mechanized brigade “Kholodnyi Yar”, have been defending Ukraine near Bakhmut for almost six months. ‘Seneca’ consists of more than 100 initiative volunteers engaged in aerial surveillance, dropping drone shells, working with ‘kamikaze’ drones, and wiretapping enemy radio stations.
‘Seneca’ is ready to share video footage of their work with journalists and, whenever possible, take the media with them on field trips.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Vasyl is originally from Romania but has lived in the UK for the past seven years. Now the man is actively volunteering in Ukraine. In particular, he helps to dismantle the rubble of buildings destroyed by the war, build walls and repair roofs. Recently, he also joined the digging of a ditch to lay a pipe and deliver water to the house. He also repairs bicycles, which are then distributed to citizens in the affected regions of the country.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Mikheil Saakashvili’s family, supporters and political allies have announced the launch of the global initiative “SAVE MISHA” to save his life. In particular, they presented ten steps that the movement initiators plan to take to free Saakashvili. These include, for example, filing additional lawsuits with the European Court of Human Rights and launching a petition to release him (the organizers plan to collect one million signatures).
For reference: Mikheil Saakashvili is the 3rd President of Georgia. He was the Head of the Odesa Regional State Administration and Advisor to the President (2015-2016) in Ukraine. From 2020 to 2021, he was the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the National Council of Reforms of Ukraine. In 2021, Saakashvili returned to Georgia, where he was arrested. He was charged with illegal border crossing. Recently, in a commentary to Sky News, while being in the hospital where he was transferred from prison, Saakashvili said to be on the verge of death.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Ministry of Health says that mobile “health centers” will appear in place of the destroyed local primary health centers. Each center will be equipped with furniture, a refrigerator, separate sanitary facilities, etc. This is a temporary decision — until full-fledged primary health centers are rebuilt on the site of the destroyed medical facilities.
Recently, UA Dream Charitable Foundation established the first modular “health center” in Moshchun village, Kyiv region. Currently, the Ministry of Health, in cooperation with the foundation, plans to put up a few more such mobile centers throughout the country.
For reference: on the territory of Kyiv region, the russians damaged 124 medical facilities and completely destroyed 4 of them within over a year of the war.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Priest Andriy Zelinskyy is one of the first military chaplains in Ukraine. In June 2014, he provided spiritual support to Ukrainian soldiers in the east of the country. In Kyiv, he visited the first wounded in the Central Military Hospital.
Currently, the Armed Forces of Ukraine is in need of hundreds of chaplains for the army. In October 2022, Ukraine even saw the creation of the Military Chaplaincy Service to organize the training of chaplains.
For reference: Military chaplains are priests who combine their ecclesiastical office with other activities. A citizen of Ukraine with a higher theological education who is a clergyman of a church or religious organization registered in Ukraine may become a chaplain. This person must also be authorized to act as a chaplain by their church.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On March 15, a demonstration of the work of service dogs will take place in Obukhiv district, Kyiv region. During the event, dog handlers will demonstrate the work of service dogs including arresting criminals, searching for explosives and drugs, as well as investigative work.
The participants will include: Head of Kyiv region police, General Andrii Nebytov and dog handlers with police dogs.
In addition, the event will feature a presentation of the newest cars for canine units of Kyiv region donated by The Howard G. Buffett Foundation.
Accreditation is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On Thursday, March 16, a lesson with the participation of the workers of the State Emergency Service will be held in the “Classroom of safety” in one of the educational institutions of Nemishaieve settlement, Kyiv region. In particular, students will be taught mine and fire safety rules.
For reference: The government approved the opening of “Classrooms of safety” throughout Ukraine last September. These classrooms are well-equipped to provide fire and mine safety training. Among other things, children are taught what to do in the event of an emergency and during air raid alerts. Specialists of the State Emergency Service and the National Police, medical workers, combatants and other experts are involved in the work of “Classrooms of safety.”
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Residential buildings mutilated by russian shells are being dismantled on Vokzalna Street in Bucha and new homes are being built in their place. Specialists are rebuilding 12 completely destroyed houses from the scratch and reconstructing another 80 damaged buildings. Workers are also replacing all communication lines and laying new ones in certain places on Vokzalna Street. There are plans to completely replace the sidewalks and finish repairing the pavement.
Bucha Town Council is implementing the “Vokzalna Street” project with the support of the international organization “Global Empowerment Mission,” the U.S.-based Howard G. Buffett Foundation and the Ukrainian NGO “Quality of Life.” The reconstruction efforts are also supported by Kyiv Oblast Military Administration and the Ministry of Regional Development.
For reference: During the full-scale invasion, the Ukrainian military destroyed a large convoy of russian vehicles on Vokzalna Street in Bucha. The photo of this street went viral around at the time.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On Thursday and Sunday (March 16, 19), volunteers of the “Brave to Rebuild” project will repair used bicycles delivered from Amsterdam. Repaired bicycles will be handed over to people in de-occupied settlements of Kharkiv region.
Usually, volunteers repair such bicycles in one of the capital’s bicycle shops. A bicycle shop owner tells the volunteers how to fix bicycles and also joins in the work.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On March 16, a regional conference entitled “Alternative forms of family care: reasons for the decrease and seeking opportunities” will be held in Kyiv. The conference will feature discussion, in particular, on how to facilitate family-based care and support parents. Also, the study “Reasons for the shortage of alternative forms of family care and difficulties in functioning” will be presented at the event.
The participants of the conference will include: Uliana Tokarieva, Deputy Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine; Serhiy Lukashov, National Director of SOS Children’s Villages Ukraine; Oksana Dashchakivska, Research Coordinator, Candidate of Political Sciences.
Representatives of social services, foster parent teachers who practice family-based care will also join the discussion. The media representatives will have an opportunity to talk to them and hear the families’ stories.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Five volunteers from Odesa, including welders, mechanics and electricians, assembled a military buggy. They developed the vehicle themselves, and even took some spare parts from a soviet car. They managed to assemble the buggy by themselves within one month. In the near future, defenders who shoot down enemy drones will be able to use it. And very soon volunteers will make another vehicle.
In addition, volunteers are making portable bathing facilities for the military, which will be also equipped with washing machines. There will even be a place to set up a barbershop in these facilities so that the military can shave and get a haircut.
Also, Odesa volunteers began making a mobile Invincibility Center out of a large bus.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On Friday, March 17, the journalists are invited to learn how mobile DNA labs work. Police officers will demonstrate the work of mobile laboratories, as well as forensic centers, where experiments are conducted.
Oleksandr Malysh, Chief Forensic Officer of Kyiv region, will join the event to talk about the experience of working at the places where the bodies of dead citizens were found during the occupation, as well as at mass graves in Bucha, Irpin, Borodyanka and other settlements where hostilities took place.
Prior registration is required to join the tour.
Accreditation by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine is required as well.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Journalists are invited to the handover ceremony of mobile bath and laundry facilities to two combat units of the Ground Forces.
These facilities enable the soldiers to take a hot shower, wash and dry their clothing, and rest after combat missions.
Within three weeks, Charitable Foundation “RIY” (Swarm) managed to collect funds and equip two bath and laundry facilities, which will be handed over to the army on March 17. The goal is to provide the army with at least 20 facilities this year.
Accreditation required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The most famous chef of Ukraine, Ievgen Klopotenko, is organizing a dinner party, the dishes for which will be created together with ChatGPT and Midjourney AIs. Artificial intelligence will generate 7 dishes, and the chef will cook them. The event will take place in Kyiv on March 29. And on March 30, Netflix will release a film about Ievgen Klopotenko called “Borscht. The secret ingredient.”
For reference: Ievgen Klopotenko is the most famous chef of Ukraine. It was thanks to his efforts that Ukrainian borscht was included to the list of intangible cultural heritage of UNESCO. In addition, Klopotenko, together with Ukrzaliznytsia (Ukrainian Railways), presents Ukraine to foreign politicians through our national cuisine. After all, it is he who decides what world leaders, for example, Boris Johnson or Antony Blinken, will eat on their way to the Ukrainian capital.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Volunteers of “Dobrobat” will clear the rubble of buildings destroyed as a result of the war in Irpin, Kyiv region. The work will start in the morning of March 18. Those who want to join the volunteer effort are currently being recruited.
For reference: “Dobrobat” is a volunteer building division that helps victims by promptly rebuilding housing and social infrastructure facilities in the de-occupied territories.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
NGO “Center for Civic Education “Almenda” has been documenting the militarization and destruction of the identity of children the occupied Crimea for 9 years, and with the beginning of the full-scale invasion— in the occupied territories of Kherson and Zaporizhia regions as well.
The organization points out that today it is already possible to single out 10 tools with which russia destroys the identity of children in the occupied territories.
Journalists are invited to find out more about these tools and the conditions, which students in the occupied territories find themselves in, from Valentyna Potapova, Head of NGO “Center for Civic Education “Almenda” and former teacher from Crimea.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
ARTREHUB is a volunteer-based initiative that provides psychological rehabilitation to veterans. Art rehabilitation therapy sessions are held once a week at the military rehabilitation center near Kyiv. The ARTREHUB’s team has been working with veterans since 2017.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Since the beginning of the all-out war, volunteers of “Save Ukraine” charitable foundation have returned more than forty children who were deported to the russian federation and occupied Crimea. They even had to organize rescue operations to save the children. The volunteers are also evacuating children from the war zone.
For reference: according to Children of War, a state platform for searching children, as of March 20, more than 16,000 Ukrainian children were deported by the occupiers.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The operational headquarters of the State Ecological Inspectorate of Ukraine calculated the damage caused to the environment as a result of russia’s armed aggression. Its total amount reaches almost USD 52 billion (February 24, 2022 to March 3, 2023). This estimate includes air, land and water.
Journalists are invited to find out how much of Ukrainian land is polluted with remnants of ordnance, how many oil products were burned during shelling, and how many forests were burned by rockets and shells, etc. In addition, journalists can learn more about the methods that the State Ecological Inspectorate of Ukraine uses to estimate the damage to the environment as a result of russia’s full-scale invasion.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A field kitchen in the shape of a tipi (Native American tent) was put up in Sokilnyky, Lviv Oblast. There, the refugees are treated to vegan dinners. The menu may include, for example, roasted soybeans and wood-fired borscht. No electricity or gas is used for cooking. Within a day, volunteers make several hundred portions of food.
The field kitchen was put up with the help of the American organization “Altruist Relief Kitchen” from Alaska. Tipis may be installed in other cities of Ukraine in the near future.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On March 22, at 3:00 PM, Media Center Ukraine will host a presentation of the Legal System Guide for Military Personnel developed by Human Rights Center for Military Personnel “Principle.” The legal system guide will be presented by the co-founder of “Principle,” lawyer and veteran Masi Nayyem, together with the Head of the organization Liubov Halan. Media representatives will also have the opportunity to talk with Mariia Kravchenko, Co-facilitator of the Military Medical Commission Volunteer Movement in Kyiv.
For reference: “Principle” is a non–governmental organization founded in 2023 to provide legal protection for military personnel, including those wounded in action. Masi Nayyem is a Ukrainian lawyer and human rights defender who protected Ukraine in the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. On June 5, 2022, Nayyem suffered a severe head and eye injury, and has since undergone a number of surgeries and experienced firsthand the challenges that wounded veterans face.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Museum of War Fragments was created in the capital. It features exhibits from the time of russia’s full-scale invasion. Each of these items is cast in resin. So, for example, you can see a fragment of a chair from the Chernihiv football stadium in a transparent cube, a children’s toy found after the rocket attack, and even a fragment of the destroyed “Mriya” cargo aircraft.
The completed art object is sold at an auction to raise funds to help the children affected by war. Now the museum functions in the format of an online platform featuring all 300 artifacts. Journalists are invited to see how the team works on new exhibits.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Bohdan Hnatiuk joined the ranks of the “Dobrobat” volunteer movement. On weekdays, he volunteers in Kyiv region by clearing rubble and repairing roofs. In addition, together with his neighbors, he cooks food and delivers it to the defenders.
Bohdan is a singer by profession. He studied at a conservatory, and sings in a professional church choir on weekends. At one time, he even toured as part of the H. Veryovka Ukrainian National Honored Academic Folk Choir. By the way, back in the 80s, the man served in the Black Sea Fleet on the Moskva cruiser. (As reported, in April 2022, russian guided missile cruiser Moskva was hit by Ukrainian cruise missiles and sank).
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Bill Clinton’s former personal physician, an American plastic surgeon whose father is from Ukraine, and six other surgeons from the United States recently arrived in Ukraine to help Ukrainians.
During this mission, doctors will help Ukrainians with post-burn deformities, congenital and acquired facial deformities, and neurosurgical injuries.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On March 23, the UNBROKEN National Rehabilitation Center in Lviv is opening a prosthetics workshop equipped with equipment from one of the best manufacturers in the world, the German company Ottobock. Patients of the Center will come to the opening, as well as the first child that received a prosthesis from the UNBROKEN center, a 13-year-old son of Ukraine’s defender. Doctors and patients will also draw a picture of the sunrise as a symbol of the beginning of a new day. This piece of art will later be put up on the walls of the new building of the UNBROKEN National Rehabilitation Center, which will be opened on April 11.
For reference: The UNBROKEN National Rehabilitation Center operates from the building of the First Medical Association of Lviv — the largest medical institution in Ukraine, which includes two adult hospitals and one children’s hospital. The directions of the Center’s work include reconstructive surgery, orthopedics and prosthetics. In addition, the Center provides physical, psychological and psychosocial rehabilitation. Patients receive all medical assistance free of charge.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On March 25-26, volunteers of “Brave to Rebuild” project will clear the rubble of buildings destroyed in the war. They will work in Kyiv region. In particular, they will visit Irpin, Hostomel and Horenka. (The list of settlements may expand).
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In Irpin, Kyiv region, volunteers of “Zoopatrol” NGO opened a shelter for rescued animals. Currently, there are rescued animals from Irpin amalgamated territorial community, as well as those brought by volunteers during their evacuation missions (Izyum, Kharkiv region, Bohorodychne and Kostyantynivka, Donetsk region).
In particular, a cat named Beta lives in the shelter now. Volunteers brought him from Izyum, Kharkiv region, immediately after its de-occupation. The cat used to live in the barrel of the destroyed russian Solntsepyok multiple rocket launcher. By the way, Beta has already found his new owners abroad.
There are about 70 dogs and 63 cats in the shelter.
For reference: “Zoopatrol” is an NGO that was formed at the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine to rescue, evacuate, provide treatment and find homes for animals that have suffered from war and human cruelty.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On March 27, a briefing on the handover of 33 ambulances from the WHO to the Ministry of Health of Ukraine will be held in Lviv region. Ambulances will help healthcare workers provide medical care more quickly and efficiently during the russian invasion of Ukraine. Participants of the event will include: Viktor Liashko, Minister of Health of Ukraine; Jarno Habicht, WHO Representative in Ukraine at World Health Organization; Maciej Popowski, Director-General – Directorate General European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO); Tetiana Rastryhina, Senior Project Management Specialist at USAID Ukraine Health Office.
Accreditation is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Stanislav is a school bus driver at the Volodarka Professional Lyceum in the Kyiv region. At the beginning of the russian invasion, he started selflessly helping evacuate people from the occupied towns and villages. The man was carrying civilians from Bucha, Irpin, Brovary, Borodianka, Nemishajeve, Rudnya, and Chernihiv. During this period, Stanislav took dozens of people to safe places.
There have been cases of people evacuation carried out in close proximity to the firing positions of the invaders.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On March 25, Dobrobat volunteer movement members will be clearing the rubble of buildings destroyed by the full-scale russian invasion in Irpin, Kyiv region. Currently, group volunteer recruitment is still ongoing.
For reference: “Dobrobat is a volunteer building division helping those affected to restore housing and social infrastructure in the de-occupied territories.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The W2U (Women to Ukraine) marathon – a round-the-clock conference on the impact of war on women and women on war will take place on March 27 and 28.
The 24-hour marathon is devoted to discussing ways to protect and empower Ukrainian women with a live broadcast at 13:25 in each of the time zones of the countries participating in. The Kyiv studio will be kept open during daylight hours, and Zoom Rooms with experts involved from around the globe will be on the air for 24 hours.
In 24 hours, participants will be able to hear more than 65 speakers from 15 countries.
Among the speakers: Kateryna Levchenko (Government Commissioner for Gender Policy, Ukraine), Irene Fellin (NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for Women, Peace, and Security), Oleksandra Matviichuk (Head of the Center for Civil Liberties (CCL), first Nobel Prize winner, Ukraine), Vineta Kleine, Head of the NATO Information and Documentation Center in Ukraine, Latvia) and many others. See here for more details on the event and its participants.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The volunteer project “Marriage for a Hero” helps to organize turnkey weddings for soldiers. Previously, only soon-to-be newlyweds from Cherkasy region and Kyiv could apply for the service. Nowadays, the project has expanded to the whole country. Volunteers have already organized wedding celebrations in Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv and many other cities. The number of applications to the project has also increased significantly.
For reference: after russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Svitlana Olifer from Cherkasy, who has been involved in the wedding business for seven years, decided to organize the volunteer project “Marriage for a Hero”. The woman gathered a team of photographers, cameramen, make-up artists and florists who help to organize the celebration free of charge. Sometimes restaurants or caterers are ready to provide services on special terms. In general, newlyweds will have to spend money only on wedding clothes. Nowadays, caring Ukrainians also contribute to the project with donations.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Volodymyr is a school bus driver at Volodarka Lyceum in Kyiv region. At the beginning of the war, he joined the effort to evacuate people from occupied cities and villages. The man transported the civilian population out of Irpin, Bucha, Brovary, Borodianka, Nemishaieve, Rudnya and other settlements. He managed to save dozens of people.
The evacuation of the population was carried out in the immediate vicinity of the invaders’ firing positions.
As reported, March 28 marks the first anniversary of the liberation of the town of Irpin in Kyiv region, which last year became the main battlefield during the battles for Kyiv. Kyiv region was completely liberated on April 2, 2022.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Additional modular houses were opened in the modular town “Mariapolis” in Lviv. Now 1,500 people will be able to live here. So far, the town has received about 700 refugees, who are mostly women with children from Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv regions.
In addition to residential modules, “Mariapolis” has kitchens, showers, bathrooms and playrooms. The modular town was built with the support of the UK and Poland.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Lviv-based company “Skeiron” made a 3D model of Mariupol Drama Theater destroyed by russia. (As reported, on March 16, the occupiers dropped an aerial bomb on this cultural site, while civilians were still hiding inside). Currently, specialists are working on the development of a digital image of the interior of the institution, as well as of the central part of Mariupol. By the way, since the beginning of the full-scale war, the team digitized over 40 objects in the 3D format (they worked in Lviv, Kyiv, Khmelnytskyi, Volyn, Vinnytsia and Chernivtsi regions).
For reference: #SaveUkrainianHeritage project by “Skeiron” company aims to create 3D models of Ukrainian cultural sites by using laser scanning in order to preserve the cultural heritage of Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On March 29, in Hostomel, Kyiv region, “Dobrobat” volunteers will clear the rubble of buildings destroyed as a result of russia’s full-scale invasion. Volunteers are still being recruited.
For reference: “Dobrobat” is a volunteer building division that helps the victims of war to rebuild housing and social infrastructure facilities in the de-occupied territories.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
From the first days of the full-scale invasion, despite being outside his hometown of Hostomel, Kyiv region, Vitalii and his friends remotely organized a system for transmitting the coordinates of the russians who occupied Hostomel. He collected information on the location and movement of enemy troops online and helped to direct the artillery fire at them. During the occupation of the city, he recognized the location of the Chechen unit in a video posted on social media by Ramzan Kadyrov. Then he helped the Armed Forces of Ukraine to destroy the unit, for which he received a state award.
For reference: Hostomel in Kyiv region was liberated from the russian occupiers on March 31, 2022. Ukraine commemorates the anniversary of the complete liberation of Kyiv region on April 2.
The Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine helps journalists find participants and witnesses of those events.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On March 29, UNIT.City will host the presentation of the art book “Born out of Flame,” which is dedicated to the country’s heroes — soldiers, volunteers, and medics.
At the event, journalists will have an opportunity to chat with the heroes of the art book (Tata Kepler, Eva Tur and Serhiy Litvinko), listen to the poems written by soldiers and with their own eyes witness a visual performance accompanied by Maryana Golovko, a soloist of “New Opera,” creator of SUOK, her solo project.
The art book was made to support the Main Military Hospital of Kyiv.
Entry is free but prior registration is required https://forms.gle/56F67ZmQnYzVqRYG9
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Liudmyla is 76 years old. She is an anesthesiologists-resuscitators by profession. At the outbreak of the full-scale invasion, the woman joined the rescue effort of the occupied Hostomel in Kyiv region wounded residents (two people had shrapnel wounds). The outpatient clinic lacked the necessary tools, so she had to suture the wounded civilians with an ordinary sewing needle.
For reference: On April 2, Ukraine marks the anniversary of the liberation of the country’s northern regions(Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy) from russian occupiers.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Doctors of the Hospitallers Medical Battalion will teach civilians how to provide medical aid to the injured. The training is expected to start next week in Kherson.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Tetiana and her husband returned to their house in Moshchun in April 2022, and it had been destroyed as a result of fighting. They immediately started volunteering: interacting with foundations and other volunteers and asking for help (food, clothes). They supported the villagers and garden associations in every way possible, including setting up a humanitarian center in the local club. Today, the woman holds art therapy classes with local children.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
“Bucha’s Flame of Memory and Hope” rally will be held to mark the anniversary of the de-occupation of Bucha. The participants will honor the residents of the community who died during the russian occupation. Those who wish to participate are encouraged to bring candles and flashlights with them.
The rally will begin on March 31 at 6:30 PM on Vokzalna Street, which has become a symbol of the city’s indomitability. (During the full-scale invasion, the Ukrainian military destroyed a large column of russian vehicles on Vokzalna Street in Bucha. At one point a photo of this street went viral.)
For reference: March 31 is the day of Bucha’s liberation from the russian occupiers.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
To mark the anniversary of the sinking of the Moskva cruiser the National Military Historical Museum of Ukraine in Kyiv will open a new exhibition displaying artifacts from the ship. In particular, the visitors will be able to see a lifebuoy and a signal buoy from the sunken flagship of the russian fleet.
For reference: The Moskva guided missile cruiser sank on April 14, 2022 after being hit by two Neptune missiles. The ship was the largest warship of russia’s Black Sea fleet.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Vadym’s house in Moschun was hit by the enemy “Grad” twice: the man risked his own life to pull his grandson out of the flames. In addition, he helped other residents of the village by bringing food, providing people with fuel, and organizing the evacuation of hundreds of people. Vadym knows the entire chronology of the events in Moschun village.
For reference: fierce fighting took place in Moschun during the battles for Kyiv region in the spring of 2022. 80% of the houses were destroyed in the village.
On April 2, Ukraine commemorates the anniversary of the liberation of its northern regions from the russian invaders.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On March 31, Ukrposhta invites journalists to a stamp cancelation ceremony “We will not forget! We will not forgive! Bucha. Irpin. Hostomel,” which honors the towns of Kyiv region.
The participants in the ceremony will include: Oleksandr Markushin, Mayor of Irpin; Serhii Borysyuk, Head of the Hostomel Military Administration; Ihor Smilyanskyi, Director General of Ukrposhta.
The authors of the images and a person in one of the photos used for the stamp were invited to the event as well.
The event will take place in Irpin. Accreditation required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In April, Superhumans Center, a modern prosthetics and rehabilitation hospital will officially open in Lviv. Superhumans services are free for victims of war (civilian and military).
The second facility of the institution is planned to be opened in October. It will include 2 operating rooms, 45-bed wards and apartments for foreign doctors who will pass on their experience to their Ukrainian colleagues. In addition, Ukrainian prosthetists and rehabilitators from different parts of the country will be trained at Superhumans Center.
As reported, even before the official opening, two Ukrainian defenders have already received the first bionic prostheses in the hospital.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Tetiana is a resident of Hostomel and Head of Apartment Owners Associations for two residential buildings. At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, she opened up all the basements and put pallets in them for people to have somewhere to hide. Later, more than a hundred people were sheltering there. There was even a 2-month-old baby among them. The woman cooked together with her neighbors in her apartment. When all utilities were shut off, they cooked outside. Tetiana’s husband was injured by a blast wave.
On March 5, the occupiers entered the buildings and settled in them. People stayed in basements. Later, some of them decided to evacuate and went to another neighborhood, but they didn’t manage to leave. The occupiers told the people to return or they would be deported to Belarus. No one agreed to it. Most went to the bomb shelter in the local prison.
For reference: on April 1, 2022, Hostomel village was liberated from the russian occupiers.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
To mark the anniversary of the de-occupation of Hostomel, a series of events will be held in the village. In particular, on April 1, people are invited to a commemorative meeting “Hostomel — the defensive gate of the capital” (Venue: the Cultural and Recreational Center). In addition, the Orchestra of the Main Directorate of the National Police of Ukraine in Kyiv region will perform in the village (“Shchaslyvyi” (Happy) Park).
For reference: on April 1, 2022, Hostomel village was liberated from the russian occupiers.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On April 4, “Dobrobat” volunteers will work in Irpin, Kyiv region. They will clear the rubble of buildings destroyed as a result of russia’s full-scale invasion.
For reference: “Dobrobat” is a volunteer building division that helps the victims of war to rebuild housing and social infrastructure facilities in the de-occupied territories.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
NEST mobile houses project by Serhiy Prytula Charitable Foundation provides modular houses in Kyiv region to families who lost their homes as a result of russia’s full-scale invasion. For people, this is an opportunity to get temporary but comfortable housing on their own land, while the family rebuilds the destroyed house. The project has already provided 16 families with temporary homes. Additional funds for the modules that will house 22 families have already been put to use, and the modules are currently being manufactured. Works to put up new houses will begin on April 10. Project organizers can help find people for stories — those who already live in modular houses, or people who are still waiting for such accommodation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ukrposhta invites journalists to the opening of the exhibition of foreign postage stamps “In Solidarity with Ukraine,” which were issued by 15 countries as a sign of support and solidarity with Ukraine and its people throughout 2022.
The participants in the event will include Ihor Smilyanskyi, CEO of Ukrposhta and Oleksandr Bankov, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
Ambassadors of foreign countries and representatives of diplomatic corps, as well as heads of Lithuanian and Latvian post offices will also be present at the opening of the exhibition.
Date: April 05, 2023 (Kyiv). Registration is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Hennadiy is an anesthesiologist and Head of the Anesthesiology Department of the Chernihiv Regional Hospital. At the very beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion, he was in the hospital around the clock.
As reported, during the most difficult days of the siege, more than 50 wounded people in need of surgical intervention were brought there within one hour. Having no power, heating and water supply, the man, together with other doctors and medical personnel, saved patients and even performed extremely complex operations while being bombed and shelled by artillery. During surgeries, the operating room had to be lit with improvised means (headlamps and ordinary flashlights, mobile phones), because lights in the room were constantly flickering. In order to warm the wounded, they even had to cover them with plastic bottles filled with hot water.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On April 5, a charity event will start in Bucha. All visitors will be treated to real Ukrainian borscht and a hot pizza from the oven. This rally is organized by Help.NGO in partnership with Pizza for Ukraine organization and American chef Noah Sims.
Food will be cooked in public. Visitors will also be treated to hot tea and coffee. The organizers are making 1,000-1,500 helpings, so that there will be enough for everyone.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
This week (Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, as well as on weekends), volunteers of the “Brave to Rebuild” project will be clearing the rubble of buildings destroyed as a result of russia’s full-scale invasion. They will work in Kyiv region, particularly, Irpin, Hostomel and Horenka.
In addition, on Thursday and Sunday, volunteers will repair used bicycles that came from Amsterdam. Later, the repaired bicycles will be handed over to people in de-occupied settlements.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A modular kindergarten now opened in Zahaltsi village in the Kyiv region. It can accommodate 55 children at a time. The facility is fully equipped with the necessary furniture, appliances, kitchen, and generator. The modular kindergarten was installed with the assistance of the Hungarian Ecumenical Charity Relief Service Ukraine.
“About 30 children are already attending the kindergarten, and there are also classes for 1st and 2nd graders. The modular kindergarten is a temporary solution to ensure a continuous educational process, having its next step a comprehensive reconstruction of educational institutions,” the Ministry of Education and Science reports.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Tetiana and her husband returned to their house in Moshchun in April 2022, and it had been destroyed as a result of fighting. They immediately started volunteering: interacting with foundations and other volunteers and asking for help (food, clothes). They supported the villagers and garden associations in every way possible, including setting up a humanitarian center in the local club. Today, the woman holds art therapy classes with local children.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On April 11, a new building of the UNBROKEN National Rehabilitation Center will be opened in Lviv. The center, equipped with the most modern appliances and the latest techniques, is fully dedicated to returning the military and civilians to full life. The new center building includes seven floors for rehabilitation, with the apartments and a shop modeled. This way, the patient can prepare for new living conditions as much as possible. Every year, 10 thousand Ukrainians will be able to receive help here.
For reference: the UNBROKEN National Rehabilitation Center based at the First Medical Union of Lviv is a unique place where everyone affected by the war gets a chance to be saved and receive quality rehabilitation. A multidisciplinary team: a surgeon, traumatologist, prosthetist, psychotherapist, and rehabilitation specialist works with each such citizen. The patient does not have to seek help abroad or in several different institutions but receives it at one single center.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On April 13, a “Classrooms of Safety” will be opened in one of the educational institutions of Bila Tserkva with the participation of employees of the State Emergency Service. Rescuers will teach children the rules of mine and fire safety, as well as tell them how to provide medical aid.
For reference: The government approved the opening of “Classrooms of Safety” throughout Ukraine last September. These classrooms are well-equipped to provide fire and mine safety training. Among other things, children are taught what to do in the event of an emergency and during air raid alerts. Specialists of the State Emergency Service and the National Police, medical workers, combatants and other experts are involved in the work of “Classrooms of Safety.”
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
At the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, more than 65 people were hiding on the territory of the ethnographic complex “Ukrainian village.” (A Sunday school used to be located in the basement of the complex, but later it was converted into a shelter). At that time, there were constant explosions and planes circling around the area. Buildings were riddled with “Grad” fragments. The occupiers did manage to enter the territory of the “Ukrainian Village” complex. They looted the museum and threatened the security guard with a weapon.
Journalists are invited to learn more about the way people were staying alive and how the complex was rebuilt after the russian invasion.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Since the start of the invasion, a free mobile app for the development of emotional intelligence created by the Ucare.me project team has already been downloaded by 50,000 people in Ukraine and another 100,000 Ukrainians abroad. The goal of the project is to provide an opportunity for our citizens to receive “quick emotional self-help” in their smartphone for free. In particular, with this application, users can improve their psycho-emotional state and develop the ability to quickly cope with panic attacks.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
From the first days of the full-scale invasion, despite being outside his hometown of Hostomel, Kyiv region, Vitalii and his friends remotely organized a system for transmitting the coordinates of the russians who occupied Hostomel. He collected information on the location and movement of enemy troops online and helped to direct the artillery fire at them. During the occupation of the city, he recognized the location of the Chechen unit in a video posted on social media by Ramzan Kadyrov. Then he helped the Armed Forces of Ukraine to destroy the unit, for which he received a state award.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
To help children and their parents overcome the psychological implications of the occupation, mobile teams of psychologists from the Children’s Voices charity foundation visit villages and small towns with no specialists, suitable institutions, or stable public transportation. They organize individual and group psychological and psychosocial support for children and parents.
Currently, such mobile teams of psychologists are working in Kyiv and the region, Mykolaiv and Vysoke. During the year of the full-scale war, the foundation provided psychological and psychosocial assistance to 4,700 children and more than 1,800 adults.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Tetiana is a resident of Hostomel and the head of two apartment buildings co-owners association. At the outbreak of the full-scale invasion, she opened all the basements for people to hide and placed pallets to have a stay. Later, more than a hundred people were hiding there. There was even a 2-month-old baby among them. The woman did the cooking with her neighbors in her own apartment. When all communications were cut off, they prepared food on the street. A blast wave injured Tetiana’s husband.
On March 5, the occupants entered the houses and settled there. People stayed in the basements. Later, some of them decided to evacuate and go to another neighborhood, but they did not manage to leave. The occupiers told people to return, or they would be taken to Belarus. No one has been willing to. Instead, most went to the local prison bomb shelter.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Repair together will be having communal work gathering to clear rubble and rebuild housing for people affected by the war back again. In particular, on April 8 and 9, they will work in the Kulykivka municipality in the Chernihiv region. In general, they plan to hold clean-ups in different communities throughout April.
For reference: the ‘Repair Together’ project volunteers assist people in restoring houses damaged and destroyed by the war. In addition, they organize communal community work in villages to help deal with debris remaining from demolished buildings in their yards. The initiative also provides targeted assistance to those in need: for example, they can provide people with the necessary household appliances.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Books to the Front project is a Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine and the Cultural Forces Public Organization, headed by Ukrainian singer and soldier Kolya Sierga, joint initiative. The project involves book collection and delivery for the military that are currently on the front line. The project aims to support Ukrainian defenders and provide them with an opportunity to distract themselves after a busy day of combat. Ukrainian bookstore retail chains have become partners of the initiative.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The International Rehabilitation Forum will be held in Lviv on April 11-12. Specialists from all over the world (doctors, experts, representatives of international institutions and foundations, including Red Cross and Red Crescent societies national representatives) will come together to discuss, analyze and develop ways to provide quality rehabilitation for people affected by the war in Ukraine.
During the Forum, participants will be able to learn more, in particular, about the UNBROKEN project, observe Ukrainian medics working in emergency conditions, and join the discussion to search for strategic solutions for the treatment, prosthetics, and rehabilitation of war victims.
Accreditation is required.
For reference: UNBROKEN National Rehabilitation Center is a unique place where adults and children affected by the war receive comprehensive, qualified medical care. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, more than 11,000 wounded Ukrainians have been treated here, including 350 children.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On April 12, 2023, Media Center Ukraine — Ukrinform, the Media Initiative for Human Rights will present a map of places where the russians are holding Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war. The map contains systematic data on more than a hundred detention centers in russia, Belarus and the occupied territories of Ukraine. Information on places of detention was collected during interviews with victims and witnesses. Oleksandr Zhuhan, a civilian from Sumy region, who was held hostage by the russians for almost a year, will take part in the presentation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
More than 2,000 military personnel and more than 1,000 civilians have undergone tactical medicine training at “Soloma Cats” charitable foundation since the beginning of this year. Training is open for everyone in April. After all, it is certain that in a critical situation, people who have undergone training will be better equipped to help themselves or save those around them.
For reference: “Soloma Cats” charitable foundation helps Ukrainian military, rescuers and civilians. Their focus is on tactical medicine and mine clearing.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On April 21, Lviv will host the Armor Fest charity festival to raise UAH 1 million. The funds will be spent on purchasing ultralight body armor plates for Ukrainian paramedics who save the lives of soldiers in the most challenging areas of the frontline. The festival is organized by the VETERANKA Women’s Veteran Movement, which assists the defenders of Ukraine and people affected by the Russian invasion.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On April 13, the planned explosive ordnance disposal discovered in the de-occupied territory of Kyiv Oblast will take place. (Controlled TM-62 and VOG-25 anti-tank mines clearance and artillery shell fuses disposal will be carried out).
The event will be attended by Mykola Murai, Head of the Kyiv Oblast Explosive Ordnance Disposal Service, and personnel responsible for providing information on demining in the Oblast.
Accreditation is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Dobrobat volunteer movement members are rebuilding houses damaged by the Russian occupiers in the Demydiv in Kyiv Oblast. Currently, group volunteer recruitment is still ongoing to join the work.
For reference: “Dobrobat is a volunteer building division helping those affected to restore housing and social infrastructure in the de-occupied territories.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On April 13, at 11:00 AM, 5 ambulances provided by Switzerland will be delivered to medical institutions in Kramatorsk and Kharkiv at the initiative of the SMARTA NGO.
Address of the press event: Kyiv Oblast, Chabany village.
Participants: Mr. Alvaro Borghi, Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Switzerland in Ukraine; Lilia Kislitsyna, Chairperson of the SMARTA NGO; Embassy of Switzerland in Ukraine, Donetsk Regional and Kramatorsk City Administrations, targeted medical institutions, national and regional media representatives
For reference: SMARTA is a civil society organization based in Kramatorsk (Donetsk Oblast) whose primary goal is to protect women’s rights and promote gender equality. In recent years, the organization has implemented a number of socially significant projects in the field of combating discrimination against women in the labor market, advocating for women’s reproductive rights by creating a third-level perinatal center in the Donetsk region and localizing the agenda of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security. After russia’s invasion, the organization focused on providing humanitarian aid to the country’s east.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
12 mothers and 27 children currently live in Lviv-based Mother and Child Center “Unbreakable Mothers.” (There are mothers from Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia, Mykolaiv and Kharkiv regions).
This modern facility was created last summer with the support of the Red Cross. The center is designed for more than a hundred people. Pregnant women and women with newborn children who left their homes fleeing the war can find shelter there. Comfortable living conditions have been created for these women. They can also obtain various social services.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Lviv Defense Cluster manufactures light body armor and hands them over to the women in the military. Instead of the standard 20 kilograms, the body armor made by Lviv Defense Cluster weighs only 7-8 kilograms. Recently, female border guards serving in Kharkiv region received such bulletproof vests.
In addition, children’s protective kits featuring helmets and bulletproof vests, which are manufactured by Lviv Defense Cluster, are also in active use on the frontlines. For example, in Donetsk region, every crew of “White Angel” — local police officers who help to evacuate people — have children’s helmets and bulletproof vests made by Lviv Defense Cluster.
For reference: Lviv Defense Cluster unites specialists of defense enterprises, volunteers and production facilities from all over the country to provide the Defenders of Ukraine with high-quality and well tested body armor. The Cluster has its own laboratory for testing finished products.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In Horodnya, Chernihiv region, construction of a multifunctional educational center has started in a shelter of a school. This is “first aid” for education in communities affected by the war. The center located in the shelter is a safe space for learning, where the educational process will not be interrupted by air raid alerts. The center is comfortable and cozy, it has furniture, electronic devices, books, and other learning aids. Two more such centers will be set up in Anysiv and Kolychivka of Ivanivka community, Chernihiv region.
Digital educational centers for children are already in operation in Kyiv and Chernihiv regions.
For reference: Digital educational centers are locations for learning and leisure, located on school grounds (with some exceptions).The work of centers is managed by mentors. In particular, centers provide entertainment and relaxation activities.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On April 19, a mobile settlement, built at the expense of Lithuania, will be opened in Borodyanka village, Kyiv region. The participants of the event will have an opportunity to also see the school that Lithuania is currently rebuilding.
A press briefing by the delegation of the Republic of Lithuania is planned as part of the event.
For reference: Mobile settlements built with Lithuanian funds are houses that provide temporary residence for people from the destroyed village. The walls in the settlement will be decorated with the works of a Ukrainian muralist, and there is a school that was destroyed by the russians next to it. Lithuania is already rebuilding this school so that the children can continue their studies in September.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A presentation of UkRebuild: Future Cities, a project to rebuild Ukrainian cities, took place in Odesa. Its purpose is to bring together investors, experts from various fields and representatives of the authorities with the goal to restore Ukraine. The project will be implemented with the support of NGO SOS Ukraine and the Institute for the Development of Regional Communities of Lithuania. There are already preliminary agreements on cooperation with the authorities of Odesa, Cherkasy and Sumy regions.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A team of doctors will provide quality medical care in regional communities. (The mission in Donetsk region will take place on April 22-23 and on April 29-30 in Sumy region). The teams include therapists, surgeons, pediatricians, dermatologists and other specialists. For the first time, a team of dentists will join the mission to Donetsk region. In total, the team is planning to provide about 1500 consultations.
Journalists are invited to join the team of medical volunteers during the planned missions. There is also an opportunity to cover the activities of FRIDA Ukraine and conduct interviews with the team without traveling to the hot spots.
For reference: FRIDA Ukraine is a non-governmental, non-profit Ukrainian-Israeli charitable mission of volunteer doctors who, since the beginning of the invasion, have been providing emergency and outpatient medical care to the civilian population in the war-affected regions.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In partnership with the European Union, we have created a Photobank that contains openly available photos from official sources that you can use free of charge to illustrate your news stories. We plan to expand this image database in the future.
You can view photos and read the terms and conditions for using them in the corresponding section of the Photobank on our website.
Stay tuned for more updates!
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The International Commission on Missing Persons started working in Ukraine. The organization identifies people who have gone missing as a result of armed conflicts or natural disasters. The DNA database of the ICMP includes 130,000 biological samples, in particular from Ukraine. With the support of the Media Initiative for Human Rights, the International Commission holds a series of meetings with the relatives of the missing in various cities of Ukraine. During those meetings, ICMP speakers talk about how to search for missing persons, collect and process data, as well as about the capabilities of the DNA laboratory in The Hague. In addition, the relatives of missing servicemen can submit DNA samples for identification.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On Thursday, April 20, people in Bucha will be treated to Ukrainian borscht and Neapolitan pizza for free. The charity event is organized by Help NGO in partnership with Pizza for Ukraine organization and Ukrainian pizza chef Ihor Savosin.
Dishes will be made in front of the visitors. Adults will be treated to borscht, and children will be treated to pizza. Hot tea and coffee will be available to everyone. The organizers expect to make 1,000-1,500 servings, so there will be enough for everyone.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On April 22, trees will be planted along the riverfront in Irpin as a part of “1 Million Trees of Life” rally (Greening of the Planet project). The purpose of the rally is to restore the earth’s ecosystem, unite the people of the planet and raise funds to buy 10 drones for the “1000 drones for Ukraine” project. Anica Djamić, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Croatia to Ukraine, and Ruslan Strilets, Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine, are to take part in the rally.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
37-year-old Iryna Horobtsova worked in one of the Ukrainian IT companies and became famous with her posts on social networks about life under occupation. Iryna published photos with Ukrainian symbols, and called her apartment “the home headquarters of the resistance.” On May 13, 2022, the russians abducted her from her home and put her in a pre-trial detention center in Simferopol. No one is allowed near Irina, and she is kept in complete isolation from the outside world. The activist’s parents are ready to talk to the media representatives to share her story and get their daughter released as soon as possible.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Tuzly Lagoons National Nature Park together with Green Leaf NGO are holding an awareness raising event “Protect the dolphins — save the Black Sea.” The goal is to educate people about the impact of military operations on cetaceans in the Black Sea.
The park will present the results of its work in 2022. They monitored the death of dolphins caused by the war in the park. According to experts’ estimates, about 50,000 animals died. Hundreds of dolphins suffered concussions, which had never happened in the Black Sea before.
Book “War is the peak of the ecocide of Black Sea cetaceans” by Doctor of biological sciences Ivan Rusev, Head of the Research Department of Tuzly Lagoons National Nature Park, and “Black Sea Dolphins” poster will be presented at the event.
The event will take place in Odesa on April 21.
(April 22 is International Earth Day around the world)For reference: The Ministry of the Environment notes that, due to russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine, about 600 species of animals and 750 species of plants and mushrooms are currently under threat of extinction.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
75-year-old Japanese volunteer Fuminori Tsuchiko opened a coffee shop in Kharkiv (in a residential area that was badly affected by russia’s full-scale invasion). He provides hot lunches for people free of charge. He opened the cafe with the money from selling his apartment in Japan. Some sympathetic people also help him financially.
Previously, Fuminori spent 9 months in Kharkiv metro and provided assistance to local residents. And later, together with his assistants, he distributed products to those in need.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Decisions of European countries to ban the import of Ukrainian grain will lead to significant losses and may significantly affect this year’s sowing campaign and the country’s economy in general, Ukrainian agricultural experts say.
“Now, after long rains, farmers are planting crops en masse, and now they again do not understand what to do, whether to sow, if so what crops, whether they will need the products, and whether they will be able to export them,” Roman Slaston, Director General of the Ukrainian Agrarian Business Club Association, said.
The Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine is ready to help with the contacts of Ukrainian experts who can comment on the ban on the import of Ukrainian grain.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Every Animal NGO team has been promoting veganism practice and is engaged in creating a vegan movement in Ukraine (they set up training courses on veganism, organize street animal protection actions, etc.). Since the outbreak of the full-scale war, activists have been sending vegan field rations to male and female soldiers, feeding people with free vegan food in 10 cities of Ukraine, and holding charity festivals called Vegan Weekend.
On April 22, the next Vegan Weekend charity festival will take place in Kyiv. This time, it is dedicated to women at the frontline (currently, more than 60 thousand women are defending the country). The event’s goal is to raise 150,000 UAH for vegan military rations for the Ukrainian Defense Forces and the Ukrainian Women Veteran Movement or the needs of female defenders. Among other things, the event program includes interviews with female soldiers.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Luke Tomich, an American neurosurgeon with Ukrainian roots, will come to Lviv for the third time to operate on Ukrainian children with brain diseases. The neurosurgeon will work at St. Nicholas Hospital for Children from April 30 to May 6. Together with his Ukrainian colleagues, he has already planned to perform surgeries and hold a series of consultations.
The doctor’s visit will be supported by the Razom for Ukraine charitable foundation, founded by Luke Tomich with his Ukrainian wife in 2014.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
“The Race for the Drama Theater will start on April 23 at the Lviv Opera House. To participate, you need to fill in a registration form and make a charitable contribution. People from other cities can join the campaign online. The donations raised during the race will be transferred to The Association of Families of Azovstal Defenders. Families members of Azovstal’s Defenders will also take part in the race. The charity race organizer, Maria Nekrasova, has to experience Mariupol occupation herself.
For reference: More than 700 Azov fighters are still held captive by the Russians. They voluntarily laid down their arms in May 2022 after several months of defense of Mariupol.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Rescuer Nika is the first woman to master the profession of a dog handler sapper in the ranks of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. Her partner is a German Shepherd named Hosha, who can search for explosives outside as well as inside cars and rooms. Hosha isn’t new to this service. The dog has been helping sappers demine territories liberated from the occupiers.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
At the beginning of the full-scale invasion the occupiers heavily shelled Yasnohorodka village near Kyiv. Houses and infrastructure were destroyed. People in the village were left without a medical facility. However, a modular urgent care center was recently put up there. The building was installed by Reinvent Ukraine Charity Organization, which specializes in the restoration of housing and social infrastructure. (The funds for the project were donated by a benefactor from the Czech Republic). The area of the modular urgent care center is 48 m². It is made of metal structures. The center has two doctor’s offices, a waiting area and a technical room.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Currently, if an air raid alert is announced in a certain Ukrainian city, it affects its entire territory. But with the Israeli system, air attacks warning will concern only certain areas. So in the rest of the city, people will not have to go to the shelter. The “Tzeva Adom” system (Red color) calculates the flight trajectory of a missile or drone and determines its flight path and the target. In addition, notifications about the attack are available in smartphone apps on the IOS and Android platforms. The system will be tested in Ukraine in May.
Alexander Niman is a paratrooper who served in the Israeli army as a master sergeant. With the beginning of the full-scale invasion, he came to Ukraine. He took part in military operations along the Kherson axis. Now he works as an instructor on a volunteer basis. In comments to journalists, he can explain how the Israeli early warning system works and how it can be implemented in Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On April 27, in Lviv, experts of the Heritage Emergency Response Initiative will present the results of their work. Experts spent over six months going on dozens of expeditions in Chernihiv, Sumy, Kyiv, and Kharkiv regions to record the damage caused to Ukrainian cultural heritage as a result of the russian invasion. The collected information includes: photographs of damage, documentation carried out in accordance with the methodology of the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property, eyewitness accounts, aerial photography, 3D models, etc.
Detailed program of the conference is available at: https://bit.ly/3N2HLZX
Awareness raising events will be held in Kyiv — with a focus on looted museums, and in Kharkiv — with a focus on war crimes against cultural heritage.
For reference: in February, Oleksandr Tkachenko, Minister of Culture and Information Policy, said that about 1,500 objects of cultural heritage and cultural infrastructure had been damaged or destroyed as a result of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
More than 200 people have already received help at the Odesa Center for Psychological Support of the Naval Forces. These are Navy personnel and members of their families, as well as relatives of captured and deceased soldiers. The center specializes in various types of therapeutic support, in particular, animal-assisted therapy. Groups of military personnel have undergone equine-assisted therapy, and for children they have introduced canistherapy (rehabilitation with the help of dogs). The Psychological Support Center works with professional canine experts.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The national selection for the Invictus Games will be held in Lviv (international competition among servicemen and war veterans who suffered wounds and injuries, as a result of or in active duty in the war zone). This year the competition will include 9 sports. The national team of Ukraine will be formed based on the results of the selection. It will represent the country at the Invictus Games international competition in September in Germany.
The accreditation is open until 6:00 PM on April 26, 2023.
Important: For security reasons, the organizers are forced to introduce restrictions on spreading the information during the competition. All media representatives that will receive accreditation will be able to collect information unhindered, but it can be made public only after the end of the competition.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In Irpin, the demolishing works began on the house, where one of the graffiti by world-famous street artist Banksy is painted. The image of the gymnast standing on the hole from a russian shell will be preserved. It is to be detached from the building.
For reference: There are seven works by Banksy in Kyiv region. On November 17, 2022, the artist confirmed the authorship of these works on his Instagram by publishing a video of how they were made and his trip to Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On May 4, 2023, Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, will hold a large press conference in Kyiv.
The Commissioner is ready to speak about the atrocities he saw with his own eyes: torture chambers in the liberated regions of Ukraine, mass burials in Izyum, testimonies of people who were in occupation and who know from their own experience what the conditions in the torture chambers were like, the return of Ukrainian children kidnapped by the russian federation, communication with the russian Commissioner for Human Rights regarding humanitarian issues, the results of this communication, the return of Ukrainian soldiers who were in russian captivity, problems with the return of civilian hostages currently held by the russian federation.
Accreditation is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On April 28, Lviv will host a briefing by Artem Sytnyk, Deputy Head of the National Agency on Corruption Prevention.
Time: 11:30 AM
Place: Media Center Ukraine, 20 Ruska St., Lviv.
Accreditation is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On April 27, an exhibition of artists’ paintings on the remains of russian rockets that were used in the attack on Kyiv region will open in the capital. The exhibition is dedicated to the anniversary of the liberation of Kyiv region from russian occupation forces.
The opening of the exhibition will be attended by: Emine Dzhaparova, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine; Lieutenant General Yevhen Moisiuk, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine; Oleksandr Markushyn, Mayor of Irpin; artist Yosyp Bartosh.
Organizers of the exhibition: Hennadii Udovenko Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine, Strategic Communication Office of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Maksym Pasichnyk, a veteran of airborne assault troops, and Vadym Kovalenko, one of Ukraine’s best triathletes, are going to the U.S. to raise funds to help veterans of the russo-Ukrainian war. Vadym and Max will hold a series of meetings with rehabilitation experts, public figures, athletes and officials. At the end of the trip, Ukrainians will take part in the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon. They will run the distance together with American military veterans. All collected funds will be used to rehabilitate Ukrainian heroes. On April 28, Maksym Pasichnyk and Vadym Kovalenko will hold a briefing for journalists at Media Center Ukraine — Ukrinform. Marathon runners are available for comments in Kyiv until April 29.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The first social hostel for internally displaced persons from Mariupol will be opened in Dnipro, on April 27.
The participants of the event include: Pavlo Kyrylenko, Head of Donetsk Oblast Military Administration; Vadym Boichenko, Mayor of Mariupol; Borys Filatov Mayor of Dnipro and others.
For reference: A pilot project for the reconstruction of a hostel for the refugees from Mariupol is being implemented in Dnipro. The project will open opportunities to attract international funding and remodel hostels in other cities as well.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In the occupied territories of Ukraine, russians most often resort to electric shock torture and beatings while tormenting civilians. The russian army mostly detains and abuses former military personnel and Joint Forces Operation participants, volunteers, civil and political activists, as well as government officials and entrepreneurs. These are the results of the ZMINA Center for Human Rights researchers study conducted from February 2022 to March 2023. 345 cases of torture of Ukrainian civilians were recorded. Media covering this topic will have the opportunity to talk to victims of russian crimes.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
VETERANKA Women’s Veteran Movement members, together with the ICF Victory Park representatives and the Kyiv Municipal Association Kyivzelenbud workers, planted magnolias in Maria Zankovetska Park in the capital.
There are signs with a QR code to find near each tree. It redirects to raise funds to purchase army summer boots for women in the military. These are paramedics, aerial reconnaissance, machine gunners, and assault troops who spend more than 17 hours a day in the trenches, on combat positions in extreme terrain. You can also join the charity project online.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On April 28, Kyiv will host a presentation of the study “The Impact of War on Youth in Ukraine”. The purpose of the study is to analyze the impact of the all-out invasion on Ukrainian youth, as well as to provide recommendations and suggestions on better support and engagement in the recovery process, in particular after the war. Event schedule
Accreditation is required.
For reference: The study prepared by Cedos Think Tank and Info Sapiens Research Agency on the initiative and with technical and organizational support provided by the United Nations Population Fund in Ukraine, UNDP in Ukraine, and the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, with financial support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Victoria Drone School project goal is to create a talent pool for both the Armed Forces (future UAV operators and engineers) and civilian industries where drones are used.
The three-block classes are a theoretical part, simulator exercises, and practical classes where teenagers can try flying a quadcopter independently. The training school is free of charge and accepts children aged 12 to enter.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Save Ukraine has recently opened a “Hope and Recovery” center for IDP families in the Kyiv region. The center has already housed 28 families evacuated by Save Ukraine from the frontline areas. Among other issues, the residents were provided with rooms for living and play areas for children. All the details of everyday life and hygiene were taken care of. The children have already begun to engage in art therapy classes with the center’s psychologist.
For reference: “Save Ukraine is a charitable foundation coordinating dozens of organizations, volunteers, individuals, and legal entities assisting internally displaced persons. On top of everything else, the team provides help with evacuation, resettlement, and humanitarian aid.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
37-year-old Iryna Horobtsova worked for a Ukrainian IT company and became known for her social media posts about life under occupation. Iryna posted photos with Ukrainian symbols and called her apartment her “home resistance headquarters.” On May 13, 2022, the Russians abducted her from her home and kept her in a pre-trial detention center in Simferopol. No one is allowed to visit Iryna, and she is completely isolated from the outside world. The activist’s parents are ready to talk to the media to spread her story and get their daughter released as soon as possible.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The White Angels police unit works in hot spots. They evacuate the population, provide emergency medical aid, deliver humanitarian aid, and transport the bodies of the dead. Police officers save people, despite the risk to their own lives.
Journalists are invited to learn more about the work of law enforcement officers involved in the evacuation effort by talking to Pavlo Dyachenko, Communications Officer of the Bakhmut district police department, a member of the White Angels police unit.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ukrainian military man Maksym Kolesnikov, whose photo with an apple went viral and made him famous after the release from captivity, returned into the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In addition, in April, Kolesnikov took part in the OSCE meeting in Vienna, where he spoke of the crimes that the russians are committing to Ukrainian prisoners. He is ready to tell his story to the media as well.
For reference: Maksym Kolesnikov was captured in March 2022. He was released during prisoner exchange on February 4, 2023.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On May 3, Media Center Ukraine — Ukrinform will host a briefing entitled “Ukraine cultural events within the Eurovision Song Contest.” Topics of focus at the event include: representing Ukrainian culture at the Eurovision Song Contest and its impact on the positive image of Ukraine; the primary public events of Ukraine and the Ukrainian cultural ambassadors’ activities.
The participants of the briefing include: Emine Dzhaparova – First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine; Halyna Hryhorenko – Deputy Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine; Volodymyr Sheiko – Director General of the Ukrainian Institute; Jamala – Ukrainian singer, winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2016.
Accreditation is required
For reference: The Eurovision Song Contest kicks off in May. (Ukraine will be represented by “TVORCHI” band). Last year, Ukraine won the Eurovision Song Contest, however, due to the war unleashed by russia, this year’s competition will be held on behalf of Ukraine in the UK.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Magdy Zachary an American who served eight years in the Marine Corps and six years in the US Army and has been practicing tactical medicine for almost 30 years. He came to Ukraine after seeing a report from liberated Bucha. Since then, he has traveled around the country instructing units of the Armed Forces, Territorial Defence Forces, and volunteer groups.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oleksii Surovtsev is a Ukrainian actor. At the beginning of the all-out russia invasion, he responded to a request to save a cat in Irpin. Since then, people have been asking him to take to safety their pets (cats and dogs) now and again. Despite all the risks, he took the animals out of Irpin daily. And after the Ukrainian Armed Forces liberated the Kyiv region from the invaders, he set up a cat shelter and is now building a veterinary clinic.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Starting May 2, the data on missing persons will be submitted to the Unified Register of Missing Persons. A total of 23 thousand people are currently listed as such. The register was developed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs together with the Commissioner for Missing Persons and other agencies.
“A centralized source of information on missing persons will help to establish more effective search activities. Only by cooperating with other agencies will we be able to find missing persons as soon as possible,” said Oleh Kotenko, the Commissioner for Missing Persons.
Click here to see more about the register
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Active Rehabilitation Group instructors who have, themselves, spinal cord injuries help people with similar injuries. They work with patients in medical facilities of Rivne, Lviv and Kyiv regions. One of their main principles is “peer-to-peer,” which means that they do not seek to teach people, but rather share their experience. Active Rehabilitation Group works so that people who have suffered a spinal cord injury can return to an independent life as soon as possible.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The national program “Save a limb” was launched last year at the initiative of the international charitable foundation “Health of the Ukrainian people.” Its goal is to provide high-quality and professional care, as well as treatment of limbs of military and civilians by performing 15,000 surgeries a year. The program is free. Thanks to it, about 100 people have already undergone surgery. So, for example, one of the first participants of the program was a resident of Kyiv region, who almost lost her leg. However, thanks to the work of orthopedists and traumatologists, the limb was saved.
Journalists are invited to learn more about what makes it possible to save limbs, how doctors work and, if possible, talk to people who have been operated on.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Since the beginning of the russian aggression, the Wild Animals Rescue Center in Kyiv region has taken in hundreds of animals, mostly those abandoned by their owners who were trying to escape shelling. Wild animals were left in destroyed menageries, petting zoos and enclosures, even in the yards of privately owned houses. Tigers, lions, bears, wolves and many other animals receive help at the Center. And now a major extension to the center is being built to rehabilitate wild animals as best as possible.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Zemliachky (Countrywomen) NGO together with Viddani project brought together 15 Ukrainian companies to create “dream weddings” for women who defend Ukraine. In particular, a jewelry brand, a lingerie store, a flower salon, hotels and restaurants joined the initiative. Their efforts came to fruition and the first wedding for a Ukrainian military woman was held on April 21. The idea for the project appeared after volunteers began to receive requests from the front line for a wedding wreath or an embroidered dress for a wedding at the front.
For reference: Zemliachky NGO helps military women, in particular, with women’s military uniforms. They also provide psychological assistance.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On April 10, during the exchange of prisoners, Valeriia Subotina, call sign “Nava,” Spokeswoman for the “Azov” regiment, returned to Ukraine. The woman was captured on May 16, 2022, during the withdrawal of the Ukrainian military from Azovstal.
Her love story went viral in Ukraine and the world. While still under siege at the Azovstal plant, she married a border guard, Andrii Subotin, on May 5 (the birthday of the Azov regiment). He even made engagement rings for them out of foil. However, he died shortly after, on May 7.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Students of the Ukrainian Leadership Academy brought a 50-kilogram book “Crime without Punishment” to Europe. This book contains information on russia’s crimes in Ukraine. The book is 6,000 pages long, which symbolizes the 6,000 children kidnapped by the russian occupiers. The activists were “inspired” to create the book, the title of which is an allusion to the russian classics, by the arrest warrant for Maria Lvova-Belova, the children’s ombudsman of the russian federation. The book will arrive in Ukraine in a few days.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In the de-occupied village of Hrakove, Oleksandr, a farmer, kitted out his ordinary tractor to clear his fields of mines. The vehicle travels through the dangerous ground without a driver, as it operates by remote control. Among other things, the sides of the tractor were reinforced with panels stripped from abandoned russian infantry fighting vehicles and wooden bars to protect it from shrapnel.
Important notice: photo and video recording can be dangerous. The tractor has already hit explosive devices twice.
For reference: Due to russia’s full-scale invasion, a third of Ukraine’s territory is heavily mine-contaminated. The explosive devices still remain in agricultural lands. Therefore, there are often reports of people being injured or killed while working in the fields.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine says that according to preliminary estimates, the war has already caused more than UAH 2 trillion in damage to Ukraine’s environment (figures as of early May)
Journalists can learn more about the impact of russia’s full-scale invasion on the environment from experts from the Ecoaction Center for Environmental Initiatives.
For reference: The Center for Environmental Initiatives Ecoaction (Ecodia) is a non-governmental organization, whose experts and activists are united by the idea of preserving the environment through influencing decision-making.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
An outpatient clinic in Horenka, Kyiv region, was shelled by the russians in February 2022. In November, the work began to rebuild the facility, with the principle of green restoration used in the process. Now the hospital is equipped with a modern heating system with a heat pump and a solar power plant with a battery.
With these innovations, the outpatient clinic has become more autonomous, and now it can work during power outages. In addition, heating costs were reduced by 80%, CO2 emissions decreased, and negative impact on the environment lessened.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Lviv Defense Cluster together with ArtArmor project provides an opportunity to replace bulletproof vests that were damaged at the front free of charge. After all, body armor that has been hit at least once is no longer usable. Used armor plates from an old bulletproof vest will not go to waste, as artists from ArtArmor will turn them into works of art. Some of the works will be sold at auctions, and the proceeds will be used to help the military.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Metta NGO provides military members with an opportunity to mentally recover by taking part in 1-2 day trips to the Carpathians. Participation in such hikes is free (food and transport will be provided). Mountain therapy is intended for military personnel on leave, military personnel undergoing rehabilitation, discharged soldiers, military medics, paramedics and volunteers, as well as their families.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On the anniversary of the death of Denys Antipov, a teacher, entrepreneur and soldier of the 95th Airborne Assault Brigade, the Memorial platform invites you to the early screening of the documentary to honor the memory of Denys “Either we. Or they.”
The people featured in the documentary and the film crew will attend the screening on May 10, at 6:30 PM in “Lira” cinema, at 40 Velyka Zhytomyrska Street. Everyone is welcome. Free entry with prior registration: https://bit.ly/3M5rin1.
“I am very sorry that I get to know such a soldier as Denys Antipov already after his death. When his parents, friends, colleagues talk about him, their eyes light up so much, it’s such an energy that cannot be described in words. I want as many people as possible to learn the story of a brave patriot for whom Ukraine really was above all else. For him, these were not just words, but his whole life,” Diana Zvinklis, the film-maker, says.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The relatives of imprisoned Azov regiment defenders will hold a media briefing at the Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform on May 16 to discuss the topic: “A year of leaving Azovstal steelworks: cry out, as it’s impossible to be silent.” Nataliia Zarytska, Chair of the “Woman of Steel” Council of Wives and Mothers of Ukraine’s Defenders,” wife of a release from captivity soldier of the Azov Regiment; Nataliia Kravtsova, mother of a captured Azovstal defender; Nelya Shastun, mother of Azov battalion soldiers, whose one son was killed and the other was held in captivity; Anastasiia Mikhilova, one held for two months in an Azovstal bunker with her four-year-old son; Sofiia Cherepanova, sister of a captured Azovstal defender will become participants in the event.
Accreditation is required.
For reference: On May 16, Azov fighters started leaving the Azovstal steel plant, where they had held the line for several months. Over 7000 Azov fighters are still in enemy prisons.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Foreigners are now actively supporting the “Brave to Rebuild” volunteers project. For example, 66-year-old Manfred flew in from Australia to rebuild Ukraine. The man has 40 years of experience in construction.
A Canadian residing in Ukraine for a year is among other foreign volunteers, for instance.
Journalists can learn more about these and many other foreign volunteers observing their work whenever possible.
For reference: Brave to Rebuild is a volunteer project aimed at assisting the de-occupied territories of Ukraine residents to restore housing and social institutions damaged due to Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The first animals have been returned to the Alpaca Valley of the Feldman Ecopark in Kharkiv Oblast, the one affected during Russia’s full-scale invasion. (Earlier, the life-saving evacuation of animals was unfolded). Today, alpacas, horses, llamas, ponies, and goats live there.
The Alpaca Valley was cleared of mines in late April and is scheduled to open to the public on June 1.
For reference: Before Russia’s all-out invasion, the Feldman Ecopark had about 5 thousand animals. During the full-scale war, the territory was under severe occupant attack. More than 300 animals died, some of them escaped. Groups of animals were taken out as a part of a coordinated rescue effort. The park’s infrastructure was significantly destroyed. 6 people who helped the animals were killed.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Rehabilitation specialists of the Healthy Body project help Ukrainian defenders to recover (in particular, after injuries or carrying heavy ammunition for a long time). Mobile teams go to the military at frontline positions with the necessary equipment: mobile devices for shockwave therapy, ultrasound diagnostics, etc. Specialists can help several dozen defenders in one working day.
Currently, this project, as an experimental freelance physical rehabilitation group, is a part of “Kharkiv” Operational Group of troops. So far, this is the only organizational unit of its kind in the army.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
During the press conference, representatives of Save Ukraine rescue network will present the evidence of crimes committed by the aggressor country against Ukrainian children, which are manifestations of genocide. The evidence was obtained during one of the rescue missions carried out by the network’s team, which resulted in the return of 96 children.
A family of mother and daughter, brought home as part of the sixth mission, will talk about the circumstances of the child’s deportation to russia and the intentions of the aggressor country regarding the girl’s future.
Participants: Svitlana Popova, mother of a girl deported to russia; Alina Kovaleva, a girl, returned after being deported to russia; Mykola Kuleba, Founder of “Save Ukraine”, Commissioner of the President of Ukraine for Children’s Rights (2014-2021); Myroslava Kharchenko, a lawyer at “Save Ukraine”; Kateryna Rashevska, Legal Expert at the Regional Center for Human Rights (RCHR) NGO.
The press conference will be held on May 11, at Media Center Ukraine — Ukrinform. Registration is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On May 13, a new modular town will be opened in Irpin, Kyiv region. It was put up on the territory of Lastivka health resort. 36 houses will accommodate people whose homes were destroyed as a result of the war, as well as displaced persons. Each house is designed for one family. Temporary housing was put up due to the efforts of the Finnish government.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
At 1:00 PM, on May 11, Media Center Ukraine — Ukrinform will host a presentation of educational programs for training the personnel required for reintegration of Crimea.
In order to ensure the functioning of state and law enforcement agencies, avoid chaos and solve security, medical and humanitarian issues, public administration will have to be restored immediately after the de-occupation of Crimea. Therefore, it is very important to train future workers now. In order to fully restore this talent pool and even grow it, Ukraine will need to train about 50,000 specialists.
Participants:
– Tamila Tasheva, Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine to the Autonomous Republic of Crimea
– Volodymyr Bugrov, Rector at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
– Natalia Aliushyna, Head of the National Agency of Ukraine for Civil Service
– Iryna Vereshchuk, Vice Prime Minister, Minister for the Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine
– Oleksii Kuleba, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On May 13, a meeting with Valeriia Subotina (call sign “Nava”) will take place in Kyiv. The woman spent 327 days in russian captivity. While still under siege at the Azovstal plant, she married a border guard, Andrii Subotin, on May 5 (the birthday of the Azov regiment). The man even made engagement rings for them out of foil. However, he died shortly after, on May 7.
Attendees will have an opportunity to listen to Valeriia’s poems from the poetry collection “Flowers and Weapons,” which was republished due to Andrii Subotin’s parents’ efforts while the woman was in captivity. After the event, Valeria will talk to the media representatives. Considering her physical and psychological exhaustion, the organizers kindly ask to limit the number of questions, but there will be an opportunity to arrange further interviews.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On May 14, more than 70 veterans who were wounded at the front will take part in “Unbreakable Kyiv” sports competition. Among other things, the program includes archery and disabled strongman competitions. Famous athletes and active military personnel will join the veterans in the competition.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
FRIDA Ukraine, a mission of Ukrainian-Israeli medical volunteers, continues to provide assistance to the civilian population affected by hostilities.
A total of 3 missions will take place on May 13-14. Two of them will take place in the de-occupied and front-line parts of Kharkiv and Kherson regions. A team of 20 doctors will provide quality medical care in regional communities for two days.
Also, another team of volunteer doctors will take outpatient appointments at the “Enjoying Life: Care” support center for displaced persons in Kyiv as part of the marathon organized jointly with “Enjoying Life” charitable foundation. It is the first time, FRIDA doctors will take appointments with temporarily displaced persons at such a scale.
Journalists are invited to accompany the team of medical volunteers during planned missions in Kharkiv or Kherson regions, or join the mission in Kyiv. There is also an opportunity to cover the activities of FRIDA Ukraine and conduct interviews with the team without traveling to hot spots.
Accreditation required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
International Day of Families is observed on May 15. Recently, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, announced the reform of the boarding school for orphaned children, which will be implemented with the help of the European Union. 30 Ukrainian NGOs appealed to international donors with the plea not to fund the reconstruction of destroyed children’s orphanages. They note that children who grow up in such boarding schools are more likely to have delayed cognitive and physical development, and legal problems in the future.
Zinaida Kyianytsia, Deputy Director at international charitable organization Partnership “For Every Child,” former Deputy Minister of Family, Youth and Sports of Ukraine can tell:
- how the reform of boarding schools for orphaned children is progressing;
- about the lives of adoptive families, families that adopted children after russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine;
- about the problems that families raising children most often face during the war (loss of housing, problems with payments, moving abroad)
- during the war, many families with children are forced to live in uninhabitable living conditions: how you can help them.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A piece of the wall with mural by the world-famous English street artist Banksy in Irpin will be moved.
In April 2023, the building with the graffiti on its wall was dismantled. However, the city authorities decided to keep the image of the girl gymnast performing a handstand on chunks of broken masonry devastated by a Russian shell.
For reference: There are seven works by Banksy in the Kyiv Oblast. On November 17, 2022, the artist confirmed the authorship of these works on his Instagram, posting a video about their creation and his trip to Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The construction of Ukraine’s first 3D-printed school has begun in Lviv. The concrete mixture for the structure has already been tested, showing good results. The printer will be used to construct the building for junior high school, designed for 100 first-graders. The construction should take four to five weeks. The school is set to open in 2024. The school project was developed by the Balbek Bureau architectural studio.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Save Ukraine rescue network has brought back 96 children illegally detained by Russia to the homeland during six missions. The following rescue mission preparation is currently underway.
Journalists can learn more about Ukrainian children rescue from Mykola Kuleba, Founder of “Save Ukraine,” Commissioner of the President of Ukraine for Children’s Rights (2014-2021).
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Journalists are invited to attend the “Keep fighting – you are sure to win” project presentation to be held on May 16 to be the first to see and hear the unique audio postcards
The “Postcards of Heroes” project collects 12 stories of modern Ukrainian heroes. Azov commander Denys Prokopenko “Redys”, fighter pilot Vadym Voroshylov “Karaya”, volunteer Tata Kepler, soldier Oleksandr Budko “Teren”, journalist and blogger Ihor Lachenkov, and others are among them. They all have embodied the characters of the postcards and will share the inspiring stories that motivate them to fight and win.
The event will be attended by:
Igor Smelyansky – Director General of Ukrposhta
Vlad Bolsun – Creative director of MOZGI Group
Tata Kepler – volunteer, the “Ptahy” movement founder, which helps the military and civilians
Kateryna Prokopenko, wife of Azov regiment commander Denys Prokopenko.
Other postcard characters and illustrators will also be present.
Registration is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Gen.Ukrainian NGO deals with the treatment of children’s psychological trauma caused by the war. The organization is supported by the Olena Zelenska Foundation.
One of the project’s missions is to update international protocols for helping war-affected children around the world based on the real experience of the war in Ukraine.
Gen.Ukrainian organized a Gen.Camp, a health and educational camp for the psychological rehabilitation of children who have experienced traumatic events, lost their parents or witnessed war crimes.
Gen.Camp is a free camp that was based in Spain last year, and this year is located in the Carpathians. Ukrainian therapists work with young Ukrainians to stabilize their psycho-emotional state. (A new group of children will come to the camp on May 18).
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
An inclusive bakery in Kyiv, which provides employment to people with mental disabilities, bakes 1,500 loaves of bread every day, which it distributes for free to those in need. In particular, since the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion, the bakery has provided 300,000 loaves of bread to the military, displaced persons and people in the liberated and front-line territories. Now about 5,000 loaves of bread are sent out to Kharkiv and the de-occupied territories of the region every week. They deliver bread to Donetsk region, deliver it to Luhansk, Kherson and Mykolaiv regions.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On May 16, Media Center Ukraine — Ukrinform will host a briefing entitled “A year of leaving Azovstal steelworks: cry out, as it’s impossible to be silent” by representatives of Women of Steel NGO.
In May, it will be one year since Azovstal steelworks defenders left the plant’s territory after 86 days of unprecedented defense in the tripled enemy encirclement. Back then, the whole world admired the strength of the spirit of Azovstal defenders. However, neither the fighters nor their families could have imagined that following the evacuation from the drop point of five-ton aerial bombs, they would be sent to torture chambers for an indefinite period of time.
Participants of the briefing:
– Nataliia Zarytska, Chair of the “Women of Steel” Council of Wives and Mothers of Ukraine’s Defenders,” wife of a released from captivity soldier of the Azov Regiment;
– Nataliia Kravtsova, mother of a captured Azovstal defender;
– Nelya Shastun, mother of Azov battalion soldiers, whose one son was killed and the other was held in captivity;
– Anastasiia Mikhilova, who was held for two months in an Azovstal bunker with her four-year-old son;
– Sofiia Cherepanova, sister of a captured Azovstal defender.
Media accreditation required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On May 19, “Samurai” NGO of Ukrainian sapper Vladyslav Yeshchenko, who completely lost his sight during demining, will sign a Memorandum with Ukraine and Spain. The document will discuss cooperation between countries to provide modern vision restoration technology for military personnel who have suffered eye injuries.
For reference: Sapper Vladyslav Yeshchenko lost his sight during mine clearance. 84 anti-personnel mines exploded near him.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The village where farmer Hennadii lives was under shelling for six months. In order to detect explosive objects in the fields where he grew wheat, the man decided to purchase a drone with a thermal imager. (Debris of rockets or mines are displayed in a thermal imager differently than, for example, the ground or vegetation). With the permission of the military, the farmer inspects the land and takes pictures to show the EOD.
In addition, the farmer’s lavender field was damaged due to russia’s full-scale invasion. About a third of the plants died. Now he and his wife are trying to restore it. Previously, tourists visited the lavender field and held photo shoots there.
As reported, Oleksandr, another farmer from Kharkiv region, rebuilt an ordinary tractor to demine his fields.
Important notice: taking pictures of mined fields can be dangerous.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On May 18, on the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Genocide of the Crimean Tatar People, the event entitled “Remembering history — returning the territory” will be held in Kyiv. The art performance “Tashke-Tavaksay hell road” will be held as part of the event. During the event, guests will be able to join the marathon of writing letters to political prisoners, as well as get acquainted with two photo projects dedicated to crimes against the Crimean Tatars in 1944 and today. The participants include: Tamila Tasheva, Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine to the Autonomous Republic of Crimea; Refat Chubarov, Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People; Iryna Vereshchuk, Minister for the Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine; Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Veteran Oleksandr Shvetsov, who lost his leg in 2014 near Luhansk, and his brother in arms Serhii Khrapko, who has a prosthetic leg and arm after being wounded in eastern Ukraine in 2015, set out on a journey to meet each other halfway. The distance between the soldiers is 120 kilometers, Oleksandr is coming from Zhytomyr, and Serhii is from Kyiv. By doing this, the veterans want to draw attention to the need to create a modern admission department at the National Military Medical Clinical Center “Main Military Clinical Hospital” and raise funds for a gastroscope worth over UAH 3.5 million.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
According to the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, 175 cases of sexual violence perpetrated by the occupiers have been recorded since the beginning of the full-scale war in Ukraine. Obviously, far from all cases are reported, because some of the victims do not share their experiences publicly. Every victim has the right to receive free medical, psychological, social and legal assistance from the state.
Legal assistance is provided by the Free Legal Aid system. This is a network of physical legal aid offices and remote services responsible for providing legal aid that employs experienced lawyers. They provide consultations, help with the preparation of documents, making statements to law enforcement agencies and, if necessary, accompany victims in court. In addition, the system’s partner institutions can provide psychological support.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On May 18, a “War crimes against Crimean Tatars – the signature of those found guilty committing the 1944 deportation” press conference will be held at the Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform. The current actions of the russian occupiers in Crimea largely repeat the ethnic cleansing the Soviet secret police NKVD on the peninsula was responsible for in 1944. The russian occupiers are persecuting local activists and leaders of the Crimean Tatar people. Speakers at the press conference will include Crimean Tatars who know firsthand what it is like to be persecuted on the peninsula.
For reference: On May 18, it’ll be 79 years since the forced eviction of Crimean Tatars from the peninsula, an egregious act that was recognized by Ukraine as genocide of the Crimean Tatar people.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Soldier Pavlo survived his car hitting a mine while driving. Pavlo was driving while returning from a combat mission with his comrades. In a moment, his comrade sitting next to him was burned alive.
Pavlo was wearing glasses that saved his eyes from burns. He tried to get out of the car, but the wreckage pinned his right leg.
The man has already undergone 21 limb-saving surgeries. Currently, the national program #SaveLimb of the International Charitable Foundation “Health of the Ukrainian People” doctors are fighting for the soldier’s limb. Its mission is to stop the invalidism of Ukraine people due to war-related injuries to their arms and legs.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
An exhibition of war photographs by fallen Ukrainian Armed Forces soldier Maksym Burda titled “Heavenly Photographer” organized by Maksym’s family and the Serhiy Prytula Charitable Foundation, will be held in Kyiv on May 18.
The exhibition of Maksym’s war collection of photographs was a dream of his, now being realized by the family. As a civilian, Maksym was a well-known photographer in the Volyn Oblast. After the full-scale invasion outbreak, he went to war and was a UAV operator. He died on January 26, 2023, near Bakhmut while performing a combat mission.
“Photographer”, Maksym’s call sign, did not leave his favorite job, even on the front line. He photographed his comrades, their everyday life, work, and life “from the ground zero”. The exhibition will feature a total of 176 photographs. 35 photos from Maksym’s latest flash drive, which was recently transferred from the front line, and never published before, will be presented. Maksym’s family and friends are invited to the opening. Photos at the exhibition are available for purchase. The proceeds will be used for drone procurement for the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On May 20, a charity marathon “Run for those from Steel. RUN FOR AZOVSTAL. Run to support the defenders of Azovstal.” (With the support of the YOUkraine Charitable Foundation and the Women of Steel public organization)
The organizers want to remind about and call for the release of prisoners who have not yet returned home, to help their families, and to help those who have already been released from captivity.
The charity event aims to raise UAH 200 thousand. All the funds raised will be used for rehabilitation activities for the released prisoners and support for their families.
Among other things, the event program includes an exhibition and sale of “Eyes of Azov” exclusive photographs signed by the defenders from the former head of the Azov Regiment’s press service, Dmytro Kozatskyi, call sign Orest.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Kateryna Semenyuk from Lutsk became a volunteer and military chaplain after russia’s full-scale invasion. At first, Kateryna helped to collect aid for Ukrainians from abroad, then she began making trips to the de-occupied territories. And now she regularly visits the frontline. With her husband Serhii, Kateryna is raising five children, the youngest son, Luka, was born on February 24, 2022, the day when russia began its full-scale invasion.
For reference: Military chaplains are priests who combine their ecclesiastical rank with other activities. A chaplain can be a citizen of Ukraine with a higher theological education who is a part of clergy of a church or religious organization registered in Ukraine. They must also obtain a mandate from their own church for the right to perform chaplaincy.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On May 20, 2022, the last Ukrainian defender left the territory of the Azovstal steelworks. Following 86 days of heroic defense, the formerly flourishing city by the sea found itself under complete occupation. According to preliminary data alone, more than 22,000 citizens of Mariupol died, 90% of the city’s infrastructure was destroyed, and thousands of Mariupol residents were forced to leave their homes.
On May 19, 20 and 21, the exhibition “Mariupol. 86 #Live,” public lecture “Unbreakable” about the lost ethnic groups of Mariupol and performative literary event “#Live” will be held in the territory of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War.
So, for example, the exhibition “Mariupol. 86 #Live” will tell how the world watched the struggle of the city during the 86-day-long siege via social networks and mass media. Photographs, artifacts, and video materials connected to the defense of Mariupol, its heroic defender, and the lives of people under occupation will be presented, as well as a film about the blockade of the city.
Visitors will have an opportunity to talk to the participants and witnesses of the events in Mariupol and the defenders of the city.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On May 20 at 11:00 AM, the procession “We are waiting for the heroes of Mariupol to come home” will take place in Shevchenko Park in Kyiv. And already in the evening, installation art symbolizing indomitability and faith of the prisoners of war from Azovstal will be unveiled on Sophia Square. Also, a charity run in vyshyvankas (embroidered shirts) “Towards Freedom” will take place on May 20 in Brovary, Kyiv region. The distance is 3 kilometers, all those willing to participate must pay a charity contribution of UAH 300.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Sergiy Ivanchuk, a well-known Ukrainian opera singer, an entrepreneur and a volunteer became the brand ambassador of the national program #SaveTheLimb of “Health of the Ukrainian People” foundation. The main goal is to reduce the number of Ukrainians, who become disabled due to injuries to the limbs, received as a result of the war.
Cooperation with the foundation became a personal matter for the man, since Sergiy was attacked by russian saboteurs. He received 5 bullet wounds, spent 16 days in intensive care and survived.
The singer has organized the first fundraising campaign on his Instagram page, where he is giving away 10 Forbes magazines with the autographs by blogger Lachen (Igor Lachenkov) and 30 prominent Ukrainian figures. To enter the giveaway one must make a donation to #SaveTheLimb program. The goal is to raise funds for high-quality surgeries and rehabilitation for 20 soldiers.
For reference: From the very beginning of the full-scale invasion, opera singer Sergiy Ivanchuk became a volunteer. During the first days of the war, he evacuated residents of Kharkiv and Sumy regions. He took out about a hundred people from the regions affected by the russian invasion.
During one of the trips, on March 10, 2022, a car with a volunteer and civilians came under saboteurs’ fire. Serhii was seriously injured. After 12 surgeries in Ukraine he continued his rehabilitation in Germany.
The man was included into Forbes’ “30 Under 30” list of young Ukrainians who will influence the future of their industries.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
“Dobrobat,” volunteer building division, is holding charity auctions as a part of the “Art of Invincibility” project. The proceeds will be used for materials and equipment required for the reconstruction of the Khortytsia National Educational and Rehabilitation Academy. The educational institution was significantly damaged as a result of a rocket attack by the occupiers in October of last year. “Dobrobat” intends to restore the premises of the academy.
The remains of russian rockets and ammunition, which have been turned into art objects, will be sold off at a charity auction. The lots include works by professional artists, amateurs and children from different regions of Ukraine. The auction will last until May 31.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Native Crimean woman, Yulia became the founder of the volunteer project “Stepanivski bees” in Vinnytsia region. During the full-scale invasion, people, who are willing to help, cook food to hand it over to the soldiers at the front. A production site was set up in the abandoned premises of the kindergarten. Both local residents and refugees work there to make delicious home-made dishes for the defenders (lamb shurpa, cabbage rolls, grains with meat and much more). Food is delivered in retort pouches, which are convenient for defenders at the front.
When russia occupied Crimea, Yulia had to leave her native peninsula.
In December 2022, her husband Volodymyr, who had been defending the country, died in the battles for Bakhmut.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On May 25, the 15th annual Kyiv Security Forum ” For Our Freedom And Yours / Fighting for NATO” will begin with its central theme being Ukraine’s ascendance to NATO.
The participants of the Forum include: Oleksandra Matviichuk, 2022 Nobel Peace Prize Winner; Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine; Sviatlana Tsikhanovska, President of the Coordination Council of Belarus; General Wesley Clark, Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO in 1997-2000; Michael McFaul, U.S. Ambassador to russia in 2011-2014.
The 43rd President of the United States George Bush Jr., Prime Minister of Great Britain in 2019-2022 Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of Australia in 2013-15 Anthony Abbott, United States Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland, U.S. Secretary of State in 2005-2009 Condoleezza Rice, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy Baiba Braže, President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Joelle Garriaud-Maylam and American philosopher, Stanford University professor Francis Fukuyama will address the participants of the Forum and all of Ukraine.
Accreditation for media is open until 4:00 PM on May 24. The venue for the forum will be disclosed together with the confirmation of accreditation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
More than 140 Ukrainian children are currently studying at the newly established school in Cambridge. Lessons are taught in Ukrainian and English, according to the program of the Ministry of Education of Ukraine. All the teachers have experience working in Ukrainian schools.
The school’s founder, Rend Platings, herself fled the war in Iraq as a child. Right now, she is a pro-Ukrainian activist in Britain. She also organized the celebration of Vyshyvanka Day and other events in support of Ukraine. Currently, she is in Kyiv and can talk to journalists.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On May 27-28, volunteers of “Brave to Rebuild” project will clear the rubble of the buildings destroyed as a result of russia’s full-scale invasion. They will work in Irpin, Horenka, Hostomel (Kyiv region).
For reference: Brave to Rebuild volunteer project’s mission is to help residents of the de-occupied territories of Ukraine to restore housing and social institutions damaged as a result of the russian federation’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine. Volunteers from Europe, the U.S., Canada and Australia also join the relief effort.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On May 26, Ukraine’s third Model NATO Youth Parliamentary Assembly will take place in Kyiv. The event is organized by ANTS, National Interests Advocacy Network with the support of the NATO Information and Documentation Centre in Ukraine. More than 230 students from 47 universities listened to lectures by leading world experts on NATO’s work. The event will take place in the building of Kyiv City State Administration.
Participants of the event will include: Vitali KLITSCHKO, Head of Kyiv City State Administration, Mayor; Mark VOYGER, Advisor to the United States Army Europe for Russia and Eurasia; Vineta KLEINE, Head of the NATO Information and Documentation Centre (online), ambassadors of European countries and others.
Accreditation required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On June 28-30, Lviv Urban Forum will be held in Lviv. The event will largely focus on rethinking the principles of restoration, transformation and development of Ukrainian cities and villages. The participants include more than 30 Ukrainian and foreign architects and urban planners, particularly, Shigeru Ban, a Japanese architect and laureate of the Pritzker Prize, and Kees Christiaanse, a leading world urban planner from the Netherlands.
In addition to the lectures, the program features workshops and a community opportunity fair.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On May 26, the anthology consisting of six documentaries “Cities and Their Heroes” will premier in Ivankiv, Kyiv region. A hero was chosen in each of the 6 cities – Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv, Okhtyrka, Bashtanka and Ivankiv – to be featured in the documentary about their city. Hennadiy Popenko is the hero in the documentary about Ivankiv. He was an actor and TV presenter before 2022. Having survived the occupation of Ivankiv with his family, he joined the territorial defense and became an active participant in community life.
The creators of the project will be present at the premiere, as well as the people featured in the film – residents of the village that survived the occupation.
“Cities and Their Heroes” films have already been presented in Bashtanka (Mykolaiv region) and Okhtyrka (Sumy region). After Ivankiv, the project will be screened in Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv, Kyiv and Lviv.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Kherson authorities plan to install 60 mobile shelters. As of now, about 30 of them have already been put up in the city. In general, the authorities also want to install 150 mobile shelters in the de-occupied parts of Kherson region. They plan to put them up, first of all, near schools that do not have bomb shelters. The region also continues to repair shelters that have been abandoned and out of use.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On May 26, at 11:00 PM, Media Center Ukraine will host a briefing entitled: “Key results of the Commissioner on Persons Gone Missing under Special Circumstances activities”
Participants:
– Oleh Kotenko, Commissioner on Persons Gone Missing under Special Circumstances;
– Ivan Anhelin, Commissioner on Persons Gone Missing under Special Circumstances;
– Oleh Khoroshykh, Advisor to the Commissioner on Persons Gone Missing under Special Circumstances;
– Nataliia Babiichuk, Advisor to the Commissioner on Persons Gone Missing in Special Circumstances;
At the briefing, the participants will talk about the work of the search groups of the Commissioner’s Office, the number of already covered locations and the number of bodies returned from the de-occupied territories, how the process of searching for the missing persons takes place, and more.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Some UAH 15 million were raised by Save Ukraine charitable fund and PrivatBank as a part of the charity campaign “Give Light to Children.” With these funds, benefactors purchased “security and development” backpacks for almost 2,000 children who lost their parents due to the war.
The results of the campaign will be announced on June 1, 2023 in Kyiv during a charitable educational event for 25 children cared for by Save Ukraine fund. PrivatBank specialists will hold a lesson on financial literacy for them, and Save Ukraine volunteers will talk about psychological practices that reduce the negative impact of war related trauma.
Visitors at the event will be the first to receive “security and development” backpacks as a part of the campaign. There is a tablet with educational apps in each gift bag. In addition to tablets, the backpacks also contain power banks, blankets, and other useful items that can give a sense of support to the children, from whom the war took away their most precious ones.
For reference: June 1 is International Children’s Day
As reported, Save Ukraine rescue network went on 6 missions to return 96 children to Ukraine after they had been illegally deported by russia.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Kolonshchyna Lyceum of Bucha district in Kyiv region will hold a charity fair on May 27 to commemorate Children’s Protection Day. The funds will go to help the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The second reason for the fair is to raise awareness. Representatives of the Kyiv Aeronautical Society will start a campaign to collect sponsorship funds to build a safe shelter for students of the Kolonshchyna Lyceum.
According to the organizers, Kolonshchyna has always been the center of aviation in Kyiv region. Currently, more than 200 children from the de-occupied village are studying online, and flights are banned until the area is completely cleared of mines. But the aeronauts, who have already collected money for 8 ambulances with the help of foreign colleagues, will once again turn to the international aeronautical community to get help for children.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On June 1, a multi-functional educational center will be opened in a school shelter in Horodnia, Chernihiv oblast, near the border with Belarus. This is “the first aid” for education in communities affected by the war. This center in the shelter is a safe space with comfortable furniture, books, and computers, where the educational process will not be interrupted even during air raids. It will be a really important event for the students, because the school received permission to hold in-person classes only a month ago.
For reference: Digital educational centers are locations for learning and leisure, put up on school grounds (with some exceptions). The centers are run by mentors, who provide entertainment and relaxation activities. Digital educational centers for children are already in operation in Kyiv and Chernihiv regions.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On May 27, relatives of civilian prisoners from Kyiv region will organize the peace walk “Free the civilian prisoners.”
The organizers of the walk say that it has been almost 14 months since the civilian residents of Dymer and neighboring communities were taken captive by the aggressor, the russian federation.
“Thousands of civilians are currently held captive by russia. They are tortured, starved, put under psychological pressure and placed in an information vacuum. Innocent people are abused morally and physically. All of them should be released. WITHOUT CONDITIONS AND EXCHANGES!”.
Time: 9:30 AM
Location: Dymer Village Council.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Journalists are invited to join the Volunteer Day at the environmentally responsible hot meal preparation and distribution center Dobra Kuchniya in Kharkiv on June 2. Each participant can volunteer at the soup kitchen and prepare meals for 800 Saltivka industrial district residents.
Accreditation lasts until May 30, inclusive. Journalists from Kyiv will be provided with a transfer to and from Kharkiv.
For reference: Saltivka is a Kharkiv residential area to suffer the most from Russian shelling. More than half of the buildings there were damaged.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Heavily damaged during the fighting, Irpin’s private sector is under comprehensive reconstruction. The area suffered most from constant artillery shelling and air strikes carried by the Russian military. More than 60 families who lost their homes could finally move back into their own homes by the end of this year. The houses will be restored at the expense of local and regional budgets, as well as the UN Refugee Agency. The agency is providing more than $2 million in construction materials. In addition to the houses, public works aim to complete street repairs.
For reference: In February-March 2022, Irpin city in the Kyiv region became the main battlefield during the Russian offensive against the capital. Russian invaders occupied a third of the city, and it was here that the Ukraine Armed Forces and the Territorial Defense Forces managed to defeat the Russians. Over 300 civilians were killed in the fighting, and thousands have become homeless. In particular, one of the city’s neighborhoods (described above) was almost completely destroyed, including by Russian air bombs.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A social project supporting Ukraine’s defenders has been operating in Lviv and Ternopil since the beginning of the full-scale war. Here couples can undergo a free infertility treatment program and cryopreserve (freeze) their biological material (sperm and eggs).
Journalists can learn more about this project from Stefan Khmil, MD, a fertility specialist, and from couples who have joined the initiative whenever possible.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The independent volunteer art collective Spilka started drilling a well in the village of Korolivka, Makariv district, Kyiv Oblasts, on May 30. This village was heavily damaged during the fighting in February-March 2022. The drilling of the well is one of the stages of the project to help the village community: the hospital reconstruction, partially damaged by explosions, was the project’s first phase. Another stage will be constructing a bomb shelter at the Korolivka Lyceum. Currently, students cannot attend the institution having no shelter.
For reference: Spilka is an independent volunteer collective of artists based in New York, Paris and Kyiv. Spilka’s activities are focused on raising funds through artistic, cultural and sporting events in the cities of its main base.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Loshadkin Dim riding school and equestrian theater, which managed to leave the now-occupied Kreminna in Luhansk Oblast, reopens in Lviv Oblast. Loshadkin Dim has been in Drohobych for over a month. Territory preparatory work for future classes with children is underway. The school had existed in Kreminna for 9 years, and they managed to take the horses out just before the occupation. A few hours after the animals were evacuated, their stables completely burned down.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
At the beginning of 2023, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (Taiwan) provided more than 100 tons of humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
Taiwanese assistance was provided to 85 local communities (which were under occupation or affected by shelling and which hosted IDPs) in 14 oblasts of Ukraine.
Among other things, dozens of Ukraine’s non-governmental organizations, local administrations, and individual volunteers were involved in the project being implemented.
The purpose of the press conference, to take place on June 1, is to report on the results of the 100 tons of humanitarian aid to Ukraine project and other projects implemented by partners in Ukraine and to discuss future humanitarian needs and opportunities for cooperation in various spheres.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The scale of destruction affected Ukraine as a result of Russian aggression requires new approaches to infrastructure restoration. In order to make the recovery plans and processes as clear as possible to the public, the Ministry of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine in cooperation with the United Nations Development Program in Ukraine, with financial support from the Government of Japan, has initiated a media training “Restoring Ukraine Together” to be held on June 3.
Among the lecturers: Olena Shulyak, Head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Organization of State Power, Local Self-Government, Regional Development and Urban Planning; Oleksandra Azarkhina, Deputy Minister of Development of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure of Ukraine; Valeria Ivanova, Deputy Head of the Recovery Agency and others.
Registration is required by 6:00 PM on June 1, 2023. Details on the venue will be sent after registration is confirmed. Upon completion of the training, participants will receive certificates of successful completion.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On May 31, the European Union diplomats delegation will visit Kyiv City Clinical Hospital No. 8. The delegation includes: Heidi Alasepp, Vice Chancellor of the Health Department of the Ministry of Social Affairs of Estonia, and Lauri Luht, Head of the Eastern Partnership, representative of the Estonian Center for International Development.
During their visit, the honored guests will meet with Professor and Head of the Expert Council of the #SavetheLimb National Program Mykola Ankin and President of the Health of the Ukrainian People Foundation Serhiy Soshynskiy.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On June 16, actor Oleksii Surovtsev will open a veterinary clinic for homeless animals in Irpin. Ukrainian celebrities will visit the opening.
As reported, at the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion, Oleksii responded to a request to save a cat in Irpin. Since then, people began to actively appeal to the man to save their pets (cats and dogs). Despite all the risks, he evacuated the animals every day. And after the Ukrainian Armed Forces liberated Kyiv oblast from the occupiers, he created a shelter for cats.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On June 2, the Center for Civil Liberties, an organization that won the Nobel Peace Prize, invites journalists to a press conference on the russian federation’s crimes against media workers since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
Participants: Sergiy Tomilenko, Head of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine; Svitlana Ostapa, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Detector Media, Head of the Supervisory Board of Suspilne; Serhiy Movchan, Head of the War Crimes Documentation Department of the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union (UHHRU); Anna Popova, Project Manager of the Center for Civil Liberties. Moderator: Oleksandra Romantsova, Executive Director at the Center for Civil Liberties.
The following topics will be discussed during the press conference:
- Is it possible to name the exact number of media workers who died while performing their work duties?
- How many journalists and other media workers died while serving in the military?
- How do the occupiers destroy newsrooms and broadcasting facilities, such as TV and radio towers?
- How often do media workers take the side of the enemy and become collaborators?
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Building Ukraine Together NGO in cooperation with military personnel of the 126th Separate Territorial Defense Brigade is organizing a camp to set up the Military Leadership Center in Odesa. In June and July, 150 volunteers from all over the country will work in the camp. First volunteers are expected to arrive on June 4.
The Military Leadership Center is to become a space for informal education of current and future officers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In particular, military management, command formation, military history and cyber security will be taught there. The military of NATO countries, Israeli officers and representatives of combat units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are to be involved in the work of the Center.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On June 1, at 12:30 PM, “Ukraine 5 AM Coalition” will hold a press conference entitled: “Ukrainian children under russian control: how to protect their rights and future?”
During the event, the participants will discuss: the current situation with the abduction of Ukrainian children by the russians, specific cases of such crimes, attempts by the russian occupiers to “re-educate” Ukrainian children and destroy their identity, etc.
Participants:
- Onysiia Syniuk – legal analyst at ZMINA Center for Human Rights;
- Valentyna Potapova – Head for National Advocacy in Education at Almenda Civic Education Center;
- Kseniia Korniienko – lawyer at the Regional Center for Human Rights;
- Anastasiia Pantelieieva – Head of the Documentation Department at the Media Initiative for Human Rights;
- Ievgeniia Kapalkina – lawyer at Ukrainian Legal Advisory Group.
For reference:
“Ukraine 5 AM Coalition” started working on February 25, 2022, the day after russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Today, 34 NGOs and four individual experts are united in the Coalition. They combined their efforts to systematically document war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the russian armed aggression against Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The construction of the first part of a 3D printed school, has been completed in Lviv. The team disassembled and moved the printer to begin printing the second, final part of the building. The entire building is planned to be put up in 10 days.
It will be the first school in Ukraine created with 3D printing technologies: the building is designed for 100 first-graders. The institution is planned to open in 2024. The school project was developed by Balbek Bureau architecture studio.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On June 5, at 11:00 AM, Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform will hold the event entitled “Veterans and military: respect vs. discrimination.”
As part of the event, the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs together with the Independent Anti-Corruption Commission (NAKO) and the sociological group “Rating” will present a study: “Discrimination of different social groups in the Armed Forces of Ukraine: military and civilian points of view.” And there will also be a discussion of complex and important topics.
Participants:
- representatives of the Ministries
- Ruslana Velychko-Trifonyuk – First Deputy Executive Director of the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation
- Svitlana Musiiaka — Head of Research and Policy at NAKO
- Liubomyr Mysiv – Deputy Director of the Sociological Group “Rating”
- Oksana Hryhorieva – Gender Advisor to the Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
- Maria Berlinska – a veteran, volunteer
- Yulya Kirillova – veteran, analyst of the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation
- veterans
Issues to be discussed include:
- Veteran policy is one of the Government’s priorities. More than 15% of the population of Ukraine will be eligible for veteran benefits after the end of the russo-Ukrainian war. Is the state ready?
- Discrimination of the military in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Which categories are the most vulnerable and why is it an important issue to investigate?
- How the attitude towards women in Ukraine’s Armed Forces and society has changed since 2014. Is “positive discrimination” a challenge?
Registration is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On June 5, Kyiv will hold a press conference entitled: “Announcement of Invictus Games Team Ukraine, which will represent Ukraine at the international competitions in Dusseldorf – 2023.” Participants at the press conference will include Yulia Laputina, Minister for Veteran Affairs of Ukraine; Ilona Voloshyna, Operations Team Lead of Invictus Games: Team Ukraine; Olena Ianovska, Head Coach of Invictus Team Ukraine 2023.
All-Ukrainian Invictus Games competitions took place in Lviv at the end of April. Based on their results, the selection committee chose the team roster that will represent our country in Dusseldorf at the Invictus Games international competition in September 2023.
For reference: The Invictus Games in Ukraine are the largest adaptive sports competition for veterans, which are designed to create new opportunities for wounded and traumatized Ukrainian veterans and servicemen, supporting them on the way to physical recovery, psychological rehabilitation and social integration.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
It is planned to hold a panel discussion “LGBT community and society. What has changed since the full-scale war outbreak?” on June 5, at 2:00 PM.
Speakers:
– Inna Sovsun, MP, initiator of the draft law on registered partnerships (in person);
– Alyona Gruzina, Culturologist, Communication Specialist at “Gender in Detail” (online)
– Andrii Kravchuk, NASH SVIT Center Advocacy Expert (in person)
– Maksym Potapovych, Media and Communication Manager at the NGO “Ukrainian LGBT+ Military” (in person);
– Dmytro Havryliuk (Moralis), Head at the Executive Committee of the NGO “Ukrainian LGBT+ Military” (in person);
Topics for discussion:
– Change in attitude towards the LGBT community and society since the beginning of the full-scale invasion
– Are there any signs of discrimination against LGBT people at the front and in the army?
– Draft law on registered partnerships.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Kateryna Semenyuk from Lutsk became a volunteer and military chaplain after russia’s full-scale invasion. At first, Kateryna helped to collect aid for Ukrainians from abroad, then she began making trips to the de-occupied territories. And now she regularly visits the frontline. With her husband Serhii, Kateryna is raising five children, the youngest son, Luka, was born on February 24, 2022, the day when russia began its full-scale invasion.
For reference: Military chaplains are priests who combine their ecclesiastical rank with other activities. A chaplain can be a citizen of Ukraine with a higher theological education who is a part of clergy of a church or religious organization registered in Ukraine. They must also obtain a mandate from their own church for the right to perform chaplaincy.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Soldier Pavlo survived his car hitting a mine while driving. Pavlo was driving while returning from a combat mission with his comrades. In a moment, his comrade sitting next to him was burned alive.
Pavlo was wearing glasses that saved his eyes from burns. He tried to get out of the car, but the wreckage pinned his right leg.
The man has already undergone 21 limb-saving surgeries. Currently, the national program #SaveLimb of the International Charitable Foundation “Health of the Ukrainian People” doctors are fighting for the soldier’s limb. Its mission is to stop the invalidism of Ukraine people due to war-related injuries to their arms and legs.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform to host an event dedicated “Culture vs. War” project about Ukrainian artists at war and the first documentary film about the ANTYTILA band release
Speakers:
- Andrii Rizol, project producer
- Marco Ferraro, European Union project Program Manager
- Kadim Tarasov, director of the series of documentaries
- Taras Topolia, the Antytila band leader
- Alina Krasnianska, the project’s documentaries executive producer
- Serhii Vusyk, the Antytila band manager and musician
- Dmytro Zholud, the Antytila band guitarist
The Culture vs. War project tells the world about the values of Ukrainian culture through the stories of artists who left their everyday lives and creative ambitions to defend the country. A key component of the project is a series of documentaries where Ukrainian musicians, filmmakers, writers, photographers, and other cultural figures are the main protagonists telling about this war through their own stories and memories.
Accreditation is mandatory.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Free football training sessions for amputees and servicemen who lost limbs in war with the occupiers to begin in Kyiv on June 6. The Ukrainian Football Association for People with Disabilities organizes the training. The project’s primary goal is to help with the social adaptation and rehabilitation of veterans. The players who show the best results can represent Ukraine in international competitions.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform to host an event dedicated “Culture vs. War” project about Ukrainian artists at war and the first documentary film about the ANTYTILA band release
Speakers:
- Iryna Borovets, Director General for Public Diplomacy and Communications Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine
- Marco Ferraro, program manager at the EU Delegation to Ukraine
- Andrii Rizol, project producer
- Alina Krasnianska, executive producer of the series of documentaries
- Taras Topolia, the “Antytila” band leader
- Serhii Vusyk, the “Antytila” band manager and musician
- Dmytro Zholud, the “Antytila” band guitarist
In-person attendance of all participants.
The Culture vs. War project tells the world about the values of Ukrainian culture through the stories of artists who left their everyday lives and creative ambitions to defend the country. A key component of the project is a series of documentaries where Ukrainian musicians, filmmakers, writers, photographers, and other cultural figures are the main protagonists telling about this war through their own stories and memories.
Accreditation is mandatory.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Experts are calculating the ecosystem damage caused by Russia blowing up the Kakhovka dam. The Center for Environmental Initiatives Ecoaction (Ecodia) is ready to share contacts of English-speaking experts who can comment on these issues.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oksana Pohomii, a volunteer and a Kherson City Council member, waited for the city to be liberated from the Russian invaders throughout the occupation. She also helped those who were going through hard times with her. She even managed to post videos from the occupied city. Now Oksana Pohomii continues to stay in Kherson, ready to talk to the media about the mood of the city, people’s self-organization, readiness for evacuation, etc.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Bohdan Logvynenko is currently preparing to go to the Kherson region to help those affected by the flooding caused by the explosion of the Kakhovka HPP by Russian troops. He is also gathering volunteers for the humanitarian mission online.
For reference: Bohdan Logvynenko is a journalist and, writer, founder of Ukraїner (a socio-cultural multimedia project of Ukrainian studies based on the results of his own expeditions).
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Dnipro city is preparing to welcome the victims of the occupiers’ explosion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant and to resettle them in shelters. Those affected will be provided with food and other necessities.
Journalists can look firsthand at the preparatory process to receive people underway.
For reference: Charitable organization «Charitable Fund: Revival of Ukraine!» and the “Institute for the Promotion of Public Initiatives” Public organization are helping the victims.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Journalists can contact the Media Center Ukraine Producer Department to get contacts to official services (police, rescuers, etc.) in Kherson and the Oblast.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The team of the World Central Kitchen charity organization is feeding people who are forced to evacuate from flooded areas due to the explosion of the Kakhovka HPP dam. In particular, they work in Kherson region, Kryvyi Rih and Zaporizhia.
For reference: WCK has been working in Ukraine since the first days of russia’s full-scale invasion. In general, this organization funds and provides products to create food kits in countries and regions experiencing humanitarian, climate or man-made crises.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In Kyiv region, volunteers of “Zoopatrol” NGO are planning a trip to Kherson region to help the evacuated people and their pets. (The date of the trip is yet to be determined). Currently, volunteers help by providing information and coordination, as well as raising funds for the victims.
In Lviv, a team of volunteers from “Home of Rescued Animals” charity foundation is also planning a humanitarian mission to Kherson.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The organizations Helping to Leave and Vostok SOS help with the evacuation of residents of the areas affected by the blowing up of the Kakhovka HPP dam. They are ready to show their work and provide comments to journalists.
For reference: Helping to Leave is a 24-hour hotline to help Ukrainians affected by the russian military invasion and genocide. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, Helping to Leave operators have taken more than 53,000 people through the evacuation process.
***
Vostok SOS organization, in turn, has already evacuated 46,000 Ukrainians since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Kherson team of “Save Ukraine” Charitable Foundation is evacuating residents of the South, who found themselves in the flood zone after the russians had blown up the Kakhovka HPP dam.
They are also providing all necessary support for the victims.
For reference: “Save Ukraine” is a charitable foundation that coordinates dozens of organizations, volunteers, individuals and legal entities to help internally displaced persons. Among other things, the foundation’s volunteers organize rescue operations to return deported Ukrainian children.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Volunteers of “Brave to Rebuild” project announced that they were collecting essential items for the people affected by the occupiers’ blowing up the Kakhovka HPP dam (disposable tableware, food, power banks, etc.). Rescuers also need help: inflatable boats, underwater cutting tools, etc. Tomorrow, June 8, volunteers will take the collected aid to Kherson.
Journalists are invited to see how people donate aid in Kyiv and bring essential items.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oleksandra Vasylenko, Director General for Economic Diplomacy and Sanctions Policy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Special Commissioner for Humanitarian and Sanctions Policy, will hold a press conference on June 8 at Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform. Topics of focus include: the reaction of the global community to the blowing of the Kakhovka HPP, the consequences for the economy of Ukraine, and assistance to the victims.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On June 8, Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform will host a press conference by Dmytro Zaruba, First Deputy Head of the State Environmental Inspectorate of Ukraine. The topics of focus include: the ecological consequences of blowing up the Kakhovka HPP and the damage caused by russian aggression to the environment of Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Representatives of the animal protection organization “UAnimals” are rescuing animals that suffered as a result of russians blowing up the Kakhovka HPP dam. (There are frightened and abandoned pets).
Over the past day alone, animal activists and concerned citizens have evacuated more than a hundred animals from flooded areas.
In addition, the day before, “UAnimals” launched a series of single-person pickets under the slogan “russia is killing the planet.”
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Ukrainian-Israeli medical volunteer mission FRIDA Ukraine is currently helping those affected in Kherson region.
The mission mobilized efforts to:
– provide primary and secondary medical care to victims,
– evacuate victims in need of medical assistance to hospitals,
– organize volunteer groups to help with humanitarian and logistical issues.
Very soon, additional 35 specialty physicians will join the team of volunteers to provide high-quality secondary care to everyone who needs it.
Journalists are invited to cover the work of medical volunteers. Accreditation is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Building Ukraine Together (BUR) is creating a base of hosts from its community, who are ready to shelter people affected by the occupiers’ blowing up of the Kakhovka HPP. The volunteers will transfer the collected contact database to partner organizations that are directly involved in evacuating and finding accommodation for the victims.
Journalists are invited to learn more about this initiative and, if possible, talk to a volunteer who has already been included into the contact database and is ready to provide shelter for victims.
For reference: Building Ukraine Together is an NGO that creates opportunities for young people to bring about changes in the country through volunteering.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On June 12, a press conference will be held at NEZLAMNI National Rehabilitation Center, during which experts will present the first case of osseointegration prosthetics in the history of Ukrainian medicine and share their successes.
Osseointegration is the newest technique in our country. During the surgery, a part of the prosthesis is simply implanted into the bone. And after healing and recovery, an artificial foot is fitted.
Defender Ihor Krupnov was the first Ukrainian to receive osseointegration prostheses. The man is 57 years old, who volunteered to go to war. He lost his legs as a result of a mine explosion in a car. The implant surgery was performed on April 10. Six weeks later, on May 24, prosthetists fitted the last part – artificial feet. During the press conference, Ihor and the Center’s experts will talk about how he took his first steps and how he feels now.
It will also be possible to film physical therapy exercises with a robotic walking system.
Accreditation required.
Photos and video materials with all stages of prosthetics and rehabilitation process, as well as Ihor Krupnov’s first steps, will be provided to journalists.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Dmytro Havryliuk (Moralis), Head at the Executive Committee of the NGO “Ukrainian LGBT+ Military lost his beloved in the war last December. Dmytro did not manage to see him before his death. But even if he was able to get to the intensive care unit on time, the state could have prevented Dmytro from seeing his beloved. After all, only relatives are allowed to the intensive care unit, and Dmytro and his partner’s relationship wasn’t officially registered.
Currently, Dmytro is pushing for the adoption of a law under which members of the LGBT community will be able to legitimize their relationships before the state. Dmytro knows, like no one else, that this issue is urgent these days, especially for LGBT military personnel.
For reference: According to current laws, same-sex couples cannot officially register their relationship in Ukraine. But the situation may change soon: in March, a draft law on registered partnerships was brought in the Verkhovna Rada, and the Ministry of Justice is developing another one.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
People and the environment suffer from the consequences of the occupiers’ blowing up of Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant, and the country’s economy will see significant losses as well. In particular, the impossibility of taking water from the irrigation canals will make agriculture very difficult. Losses related to grain, oilseeds, vegetables and melon crops will be significant, and the situation will be difficult for the dairy industry as well. Denys Marchuk, Deputy Chairman of the Ukrainian Agrarian Council, made this statement during a briefing at Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform. More details are available here.
Journalists are invited to ask for an expert’s comment to learn more about how this situation will affect Ukraine’s agriculture and economy.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Patron Pet Center in Kyiv shelters rehabilitates and helps to find animals from Kherson region owners. Currently, 75 animals are under their care. Almost all of the rescued wildlife the center currently houses are home pets. That is why the organization is making every effort to find the animals’ previous owners. The center has already helped several families from the Kherson region find their pets.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Kyiv will host INSCIENCE CONFERENCE 2023, the largest popular science conference in Ukraine, this year entitled Science to Rebuild Ukraine on June 17 and 18. The guests will attend global and Ukrainian speakers’ speeches and workshops. The program includes 39 participants from the United States, Estonia, France, Germany, and South Korea in particular. Aerospace engineer, writer, and founder of the Mars Society Robert Zubrin, Vice President of Skeleton Technologies Arnaud Castagnier, and marine biologist and member of the expedition to the Akademik Vernadsky station Mariia Pavlovska are among them.
The conference exhibition will also feature 20+ deep tech startups and scientific developments: drones, bionic prostheses, and rocket engines. It is an excellent opportunity for the conference guests to learn about innovations made in Ukraine and to communicate with innovators personally.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Khortytsia National Reserve also suffered due to the occupiers’ blowing up the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station. Experts have recorded the water bodies shallowing. In addition, the reserve administration notes that the water level drop in the Dnipro River has revealed the remains of wooden bridges dating back to 1944, which had been underwater for almost 70 years. Read more here.
Journalists can also learn more from local scientists about the consequences of the Kakhovka HPP explosion for the Kamianska Sich National Park in the Kherson region.
For reference: The Khortytsia National Reserve includes the island of Khortytsia (the largest Dnipro island), the adjacent(Baida, Try Stohy, Dubovyi, Rozstebyn islands, and Serednia, Blizniuky rocks), and the Vyrva tract on the right bank of the Dnipro, as well as the Kamianska Sich historical monument of national importance in Kherson region.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
“Dental Front is a charity project of the Association of Implantologists of Ukraine, assisting dental clinics and specialists in the field. Recently, the first dental readiness and oral health clinic for military service in Ukraine was opened in the Lviv region. It will provide free dental services, ensuring mobilized soldiers medical readiness prior to deployment. Later, similar clinics will be opened in Kyiv and Dnipro Oblasts (in general, the project will be implemented in all regions).
For reference: the project website states that every 3rd soldier has a dental problem. Because of this, soldiers experience great discomfort and often suffer from unbearable pain when they get to the front.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Various items continue to wash up on the beaches of Odesa Oblast, including building parts and pieces of furniture that washed up in Kherson Oblast due to Russia blowing up the Kakhovka dam. City services periodically clean the city’s beaches, but the sea keeps bringing more and more debris to the shore. Journalists will have the opportunity to talk to environmentalists and volunteers who will show the state of the beaches and tell them about the dangers of coastal littering.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
ZooPatrol Volunteers have already brought over a hundred animals from the Kherson region and continue to rescue new ones. The shelter, the clinic, and the partner foster house pets.
These days, people have already started coming to adopt the saved animals. In addition, volunteers are looking for the previous owners of the animals.
For reference: ZooPatrol is a non-governmental organization formed at the beginning of the full-scale invasion to rescue, evacuate, treat, and find homes for wildlife affected by war and human cruelty.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Paramedic Liudmyla, call sign “Ariyka,” has been rescuing the wounded since 2014. During russia’s full-scale invasion, the woman left her job at a publishing house and started rescuing people at the front, including in the hottest spots. Liudmyla rescues people as part of the volunteer medical battalion “Hospitallers.”
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Tetyana Marina, the wife of the Spanish citizen Mariano García Calatayud, who was kidnapped in Kherson, is seeking the release of her husband from russian captivity. Mario is a well-known volunteer who has been living in Ukraine since 2014. On March 19, 2022, the Spaniard was kidnapped by the russians. Since that time, the wife has received only one confirmation from the military prosecutor’s office of the Black Sea Fleet that her husband has been detained, but there is no information in which pre-trial detention center he is being held. Tetyana assumes that Mario is in Crimea, because that is where the reply came from.
For reference: Currently, there are more than 22,000 civilians held hostage in russia and the temporarily occupied territories.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Center for the Protection of Children’s Rights works with children who have been subjected or become witnesses of russian crimes. At the institution, specialists receive information from children and their families, conduct medical examinations and provide the necessary assistance.
The Center operates according to the Bring Kids Back UA action plan. This is a set of measures taken by the Ukrainian authorities, foreign governments and international organizations that protect children’s rights. In particular, this plan is to facilitate the return of Ukrainian children who were illegally deported to russia.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The organizers are strengthening the Army of Drones not only with drones but also with professional UAV operators. At the first stage, they set a goal to train 10,000 professional drone operators in a year. Together with the UAV operator training centers, the goal was achieved in 10 months. Now they are starting the second stage of drone operators training, as even more drones and, accordingly, professional UAV operators are needed on the battlefield.
During the briefing, the speakers will tell: How many drone operators will be trained this time? What types of UAVs will the military personnel learn to operate? What is unique about this stage of education?
Speakers:
- Mykhailo Fedorov, Vice Prime Minister for Innovation, Education, Science and Technology Development – Minister of Digital Transformation
- Representatives of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
- Tymofiy Mylovanov, President of the Kyiv School of Economics
- Olga Ustinova, CEO of Vodafone
- Representatives of 26 UAV Operator Training Centers
- Representatives of the 190th Training Center of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Date: June 15. Accreditation is required (the venue will be announced after registration, transfer services are possible)
For reference: The Drone Army is a joint project of the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Digital Transformation, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the State Special Communications Service and UNITED24.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ukrainian photographer Marta Syrko founded the photo project “Sculpted” last December. The subjects of her photos are Ukrainian defenders who suffered as a result of the russian federation’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. (These are soldiers who received injuries, burns or whose limbs were amputated.) Ten defenders have already participated in the photo project. Civilians who have suffered as a result of the war can also take part in the project.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On June 16, a veterinary clinic and a shelter for animals, founded by actor Oleksii Surovtsev, will be officially opened in Irpin. Ukrainian celebrities will attend the opening. Among other things, it will be possible to take a look at cats rescued from Kherson region.
Background: Famous Ukrainian actor Oleksii Surovtsev has been rescuing animals since the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion. (In Kyiv region, he was evacuating pets from shelled areas). Recently, the man went to Kherson region to save animals that suffered as a result of the occupiers’ blowing up of the Kakhovka HPP.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Medical volunteers of FRIDA Ukraine will provide assistance to people in Kharkiv and Zaporizhia regions.
In Kharkiv oblast, 25 doctors will work in close proximity to the front line. The team includes: therapists, surgeons, pediatricians, dentists, urologists, ophthalmologists and other doctors.
A team of 20 doctors will also go on a mission to Zaporizhia region.
Journalists can join the volunteer medical team during scheduled missions. There is also an opportunity to cover the activities of FRIDA Ukraine and conduct interviews with the team without going to hot spots.
Accreditation is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The damaged Russian military equipment exhibit on Mykhailivska Square in Kyiv. The enemy UAVs, burned BM-21 ‘Grad’ rockets, broken tanks, trucks, and infantry fighting vehicles are among the pieces. The enemy drones and the remains of missiles regularly targeting Ukrainian cities are also on display. The Military History Museum of Ukraine prepared the exhibition. It will be open until 6:00 pm on June 18.
For reference: The Military History Museum of Ukraine collects artifacts of the Russian-Ukrainian war. There is currently an exhibition dedicated to the Russian cruiser Moskva’s destruction, featuring the remains of a Neptune anti-ship missile that hit the flagship and a life preserver from the ship.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Superhumans Center is a modern clinic in Ukraine that provides free medical services for prosthetics, rehabilitation, reconstructive surgery, and PTSD treatment. In addition, the center owns a laboratory where prostheses are manufactured.
Journalists can learn more about the clinic’s activities and talk to those the specialists provide assistance to, wherever possible.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Neopalymi (Unburnt) is a national program of external rehabilitation for war-affected people. Everyone who needs help can receive free treatment for burns or scars of a non-domestic nature within the project.
For example, the project treats Natalia, who was injured in Mariupol in mid-March 2022. She took her children to a shelter and returned to get her belongings when an air raid hit. Illia, who joined the ranks of defenders voluntarily, got severe burns last September due to a tank fire. A patient named Olha was injured as a result of a rocket attack targeting Vinnytsia (the fire broke out, giving a woman hand burns, leaving post-burn scars, and making her undergo a transplant). Another victim named Tina received a scar on her forehead as it took her to crawl on the ground during enemy shelling.
Journalists can learn more about the project and talk to people who receive burns, scalds, and scars course of treatment, wherever possible. The Neopalymi project operates throughout Ukraine, as well as in Poland and Moldova.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Frankie and Coen, two well-known restaurant owners from the Netherlands, are visiting Ukraine for the twelfth time with their mobile restaurant. The men treat people with free French fries and snacks. During this trip, they will go around several Ukrainian cities. In particular, the volunteers will travel to Mykolaiv and Kherson to support people affected by the Kakhovka dam collapse. Later on, they will go to Donbas.
Frankie and Coen also support orphanages and assist other humanitarian organizations in medicines and food package distribution in the frontline area. They also arrange hospital equipment transportation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Kharkiv technicians have created a mobile workshop – a unique technical development to be used to repair military vehicles right on the front line site. All the necessary tools were placed in a military truck on standby. The craftsmen or even the military themselves repair everything that is needed on the spot: cars, ATVs, pickup trucks, and light armored vehicles. The mobile workshop truck can be equipped to meet any request of the military. Spare parts for the military vehicle trailer are manufactured in Kharkiv, and the entire workshop is assembled in Kyiv.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Volodymyr “Shamil” Sheredeha is a Joint Forces Operation veteran who went back to defend the country on February 24, 2022. Last summer, he injured his leg and has been undergoing treatment in Kyiv since then. After the injury and several unsuccessful surgeries on his leg, the soldier became depressed and was twice hospitalized in a psychiatric hospital in Kyiv. But Volodymyr managed to get the disease under control and now continues therapy with his psychologist. “Shamil” is well aware of the importance of mental health for people returning from the front. So he managed to attract more than 30 thousand of his Twitter followers to raise funds for the rehabilitation of the military.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Roman Pelekh, a veteran of the Russian-Ukrainian war, makes an old Ukrainian liqueur whose recipe was lost at the beginning of the last century. Before the full-scale invasion, Roman found 90 liters of alcohol called kontabas in an old abandoned hut in Zakarpattia and a notebook with a recipe. The drink’s main ingredient is blackcurrant buds, which are quite tricky to acquire. But Roman managed to resume production of the drink and even improved the recipe. After being wounded at the front and returning to civilian life, the man set up an actual kontabas production in Lviv.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) Representative in Ukraine, Caroline Lindholm Billing, will give a briefing in Kyiv on the occasion of World Refugee Day. The topic of the exact number of Ukrainian refugees in the world and assistance to Ukraine in addressing the issue of housing recovery and reconstruction is among the issues to be discussed.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Odesa “Workshop of Invincibility” volunteers repaired an old minibus turning it into a mobile barbershop for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It took the repair technicians a month to complete this “transformation.” Now the minibus is a real barbershop on wheels: equipped with necessary furniture and even heated water. Local barbers who had previously worked with the military joined the vehicle’s interior furnishing. Later, this mobile barbershop will be sent to the front.
Earlier, volunteers from Odesa made a buggy car and a mobile bathhouse for the defenders.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The country’s only First Military Veterinary Clinic is operating in Khmelnytskyi. The clinic’s veterinarians treat both service animals and pets of internally displaced persons. Often, their patients are animals that got concussions or were wounded by shell fragments.
Vets also travel to the frontline and de-occupied territories to rescue animals. For example, the veterinary center now shelters a fox from Bucha, which was found by local children and handed over to doctors. Despite burns covering 80% of the animal’s body, medical professionals managed to save it.
Overall, since February last year, the clinic’s specialists have helped several thousand animals.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Mykola Mohylevskyi, a 24-year-old volunteer from Fastiv, has been to the most dangerous places on the frontline during the full-scale invasion: Chasiv Yar, Bakhmut, Lyman, Soledar and Siversk. He took everyone he could persuade to evacuate to safe places. In addition to people, Mohylevskyi had to take out animals: dogs and even cows. Mykola goes to the front line every month. Now journalists can visit him in Fastiv, Kyiv region for conversation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oleksandr Shylin started his own business with the help of the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation. Waste Technology is a company that removes bulky and household waste that happens after missile debris is shot down over Kharkiv almost after every Russian attack. The Northern Saltovka, the area that is subject to the most extensive shelling, is a place where much remains to be done. After Oleksandr set up Waste Technology, he enlisted in the army. He was recently wounded and is currently undergoing treatment in a hospital in the Kharkiv region.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On June 24, within the XI Book Arsenal, journalists will have a chance to hear the story of the women held captive by Russians (WOMEN’S VOICES).
Participants of the event:
– Mariana Mamonova, a military medic from Lviv, who was captured pregnant while leaving Mariupol and held prisoner for six months;
– Viktoriia Andrusha, a teacher from the Chernihiv region who was abducted by the occupiers from her parent’s house and held in captivity for six months;
– Lyudmila Huseynova, a human rights activist from the Donetsk region who was arrested in 2019 and held in prison for three years.
Journalists can be assisted in organizing professional comments on this topic or an interview with one of the event participants.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Experts from the Media Initiative for Human Rights (MIHR) will present their analysis of the places where Ukrainian prisoners of war are being held in Russia at a briefing in Kyiv. The event will also be attended by relatives of the prisoners.
Speakers:
– Tetyana Katrychenko, the MIHR coordinator
– Maria Klymyk, investigative journalist at the MIHR
– Andriy Yakovlev, lawyer, and expert with the MIHR
– Iryna Latysh, a prisoner of war relative
– Nataliia Yepifanova, head of the “Warrior’s Liberation” public organization, a relative of a prisoner of war
For reference: Based on interviews with service members released from captivity, the Media Initiative for Human Rights identified and mapped 42 places of detention of prisoners of war on the territory of Russia. These are pre-trial detention centers and penal colonies. The public organization describes ten of them in detail in new analytical material. These are the places where the highest number of prisoners of war are held and where a large number of war crimes are committed.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Mariia Smirnova, 24, joined the military in the summer of 2022 and choose the Da Vinci Wolves battalion to serve. Without hiding her sexual orientation, a girl she did not experience any harassment or prejudice from her fellow soldiers though. Serving as a clerk at the Da Vinci Wolves battalion, Mariia then decided that she wanted to be useful directly on the front line, so she transferred to the airborne assault troops. Now she is undergoing training in Zhytomyr region.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
FRIDA Ukraine teams of doctors to leave for two missions that will be carried out simultaneously in the Donetsk and Sumy regions. For two days, doctors will conduct full outpatient appointments in regional communities.
25 doctors divided into teams will work in several settlements in Donetsk Oblast at the same time. The teams of surgeons, cardiologists, dermatologists, ophthalmologists, and other specialists. A team of 16 doctors is going on a mission to Sumy Oblast.
Journalists can join the team of medical volunteers during the planned missions. There is also an opportunity to cover the activities of FRIDA Ukraine and conduct interviews with the team without traveling to the hot spots.
Holding a pre-accreditated status is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Female Pilots School starts a new drone operators trainee onboarding. The girls will have a busy schedule: theory, basic skills training on simulators, and practice at a training ground in Kyiv Oblast.
Since the school’s inception, 50 students have already completed training on DJI and Autel so-called ‘civilian drones’ in particular. These are the drones that are now successfully operating at the front. Classes are taught by instructors who combine pilot training with work in the combat zone.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Next week, a team of doctors from the Center for Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery is going to Donetsk region to examine the hearts of children and adults. They will work in settlements of Volnovakha and Pokrovsk districts.
This will be the team’s fifth visit to Donetsk region. During the previous trips, doctors examined almost 600 children and adults. Some of the examined children have already undergone the necessary heart surgeries at the Center for Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery (free of charge).
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the start of the full-scale war, Kyiv-based organization CRAF was engaged in car tuning and preparing them for races. But after February 24, 2022, the team promptly changed the format of their work, and now they help the military camouflage everything: from cars and armored vehicles to helmets and assault rifles. CRAF paints each car according to their own methodology to hide it either in the field or in the forest. For more than a year of work, at least 900 cars were painted for Ukrainian defenders.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On June 26, the equestrian sports camp, organized in Zhytomyr oblast by refugees from Kharkiv, will welcome a new group of children. The camp is designed for schoolchildren aged 10 to 17 years. For ten days, camp attendees will be taught horseback riding and how to care for horses.
As reported, the children’s equestrian sports school was damaged as a result of russia’s full-scale invasion. During the battles for Kharkiv region, the horses began to run out of food: all the hay was in the occupied territory. An enemy shell even hit the territory of the stables, but did not explode. The owner of the school, Anna, together with her family, decided to evacuate the animals from Kharkiv. Later, they found a stable near Zhytomyr, where they started all over again.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Kyrylo Barashkov has built a modern bunker in the Kyiv region: equipped with sofas, a fireplace for heating, double flow ventilation, a dry closet, and even a utility room, and the Internet is provided. The bunker is located at a depth of 4.8 meters, with reinforced concrete on top. The construction of this shelter took two months, costing about 18 thousand dollars. Apart from the family, Kyrylo lets neighbors hide in the shelter during air raids.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The WOMAN AND WAR psychologists charity platform helps and supports women and children affected by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In that regard, specialists have developed various group therapies: those for mothers, for women abroad, for women who lost a loved one during the war, for military wives, and teenagers.
In 15 months, the team has assisted nearly 7000 women and children.
Journalists can talk to the charity platform psychologist, as well as to participants who have applied for help by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Kateryna Halushka is a volunteer and combat medic with the Hospitallers Medical Battalion. Even before the full-scale invasion, Kateryna underwent Hospitallers training and served at rotation method. After February 24, she rejoined the Hospitallers: from mid-March to mid-April 2022, she worked in the Kyiv region: Bucha, Hostomel, and Irpin. Then she went to the East to rescue the military in the Avdiivka sector. During the war, Kateryna lost her beloved: he and his unit were going to liberate Mariupol but were killed in action. Now Kateryna works in the Armed Forces as a communications officer. She has now returned to Kyiv, and in a month, she will return to the East.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Andrew was born in the U.S.A., but he has Ukrainian roots – two grandfathers from Lviv. By profession, he is a family physician. When russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, Andrew first provided medical aid to Ukrainian refugees in Poland as a volunteer. And later he became part of a team of medical and psychological care volunteers who help people at the railway station in Lviv. The man also teaches tactical medicine to his colleagues.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On June 28, the first of three “Mariupol Reborn” project offices will be opened. This platform will work on strategic and architectural modeling of Mariupol’s reconstruction. During the event, Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boichenko will present the Mariupol Restoration Plan after the De-Occupation. Leading world architects, urban planners, urban design experts, donors and representatives of municipalities will also join the event.
For reference: Mariupol Reborn is Europe’s largest city restoration project since World War II. The project is being carried out upon the decree of Pavlo Kyrylenko, Head of Donetsk Oblast Military Administration, as well as under the auspices of the EBRD, the World Bank, the USAID Project “Economic Resilience Activity” and the SCM company. They united to rebuild Mariupol using modern techniques, the latest equipment and best practices. They are already working on the action plan, so that after the de-occupation, reconstruction can begin quickly and efficiently.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On June 28, Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform news agency will host a press conference entitled “Missing Ukrainians: presentation of the report on people abducted by russia in the occupied territories,” during which human rights defenders will present data on enforced disappearances and arbitrary detentions of active citizens since the beginning of the full-scale war. The participants of the press conference will include:
- Natalia Okhotnikova, Human Rights Adviser at ZMINA
- Maryia Kvitsinskaya, Expert on Europe and Central Asia at the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)
- Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights (participation to be confirmed)
- Anna, a friend of the kidnapped volunteer, an active parishioner of one of Marharyta Kharenko’s churches
- Oleksandra Stoliar, the mother of kidnapped Iryna Navalna, an active citizen who was accused of planning sabotage in Mariupol
- Anhelina, the sister of the wife of the kidnapped volunteer Yaroslav Zhuk
For reference: russia has been abducting Ukrainians since 2014 in the occupied territories, but after the full-scale invasion, there have been many more cases of disappearances. The russian federation is doing this deliberately in order to suppress the active Ukrainian resistance in the occupation. ZMINA Human Rights Center collected data on enforced disappearances during the full-scale war.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the full-scale Russian invasion, Anastasiia Strokach had never done any repairs, let alone roof repairs. However, she was always keen on restoring things. In April 2022, Anastasiia joined the Dobrobat volunteer building division. At first, she got down to clearing the debris in the Kyiv region but later realized there was a lack of people who could repair roofs. Then Anastasiia overcame her fear of heights and now works in a team that repairs roofs mercilessly shattered by Russian shelling.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Training for 20 participants of the “Sports Ambassadors” project by the “Come Back Alive” Foundation will start in July. These are 20 active veterans who have gone through their own recovery journeys after being injured on the front line. Now they will help others to go through the same.
Over three months, the ambassadors will be trained in adaptive sports, coaching, mentoring, and leadership to help their brothers and sisters in arms restore their faith in themselves and their abilities after an injury.
Journalists will be able to attend the training of the Sports Ambassadors in the Kyiv region.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The head of the Military Souvenir NGO, Yurii Lysak, has opened a woodworking workshop where veterans can come to work. The initiative aims to create a place for the military to communicate and support each other while teaching them how to work with wood. According to Lysak, this will help veterans get back to normal life and improve their psychological state. Currently, they are recruiting for those willing to join. There are enough tools and equipment to train seven soldiers at a time.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Anna joined the 93rd Mechanized Brigade “Kholodnyi Yar” in the spring of last year. Since “Tsunami” has a background in logistics, the girl had planned to do this kind of work, instead she became a liaison officer. And later, she even retrained to become a kamikaze drone operator. Then she became the commander of an FPV drone unit. Anna has already been to many hot spots: Izium, Soledar and Bakhmut. There, she successfully used drones to attack the invaders. The woman has already transferred to “Herts” regiment of the Airborne Assault Troops. And now she is in Zhytomyr oblast for additional training.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Media Center Ukraine launched the English-language War Memes Web Museum, which collects the best memes about war. It is available via the link https://warmemes.com.ua/
The main task of the platform is to tell the global audiences how Ukrainians, even in difficult times for the country, despite all the horrors of war, manage to keep their spirits and optimism high as well as continue facing the enemy and boldly persist towards victory. The War Memes Museum presents a fascinating timeline that begins on February 24, 2022. It contains the most striking memes translated into English. Each of them is accompanied by a description of the events of that time, in order to add context and help to understand the humor and creativity of Ukrainians around the topic.
Journalists can receive comments on the launch of the War Memes Museum Platform.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On June 30, at 11:00 AM, Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform will host a presentation of the “Guide for Veterans and Their Family Members” (within the system of providing psychological, medical-psychological, and psychiatric care in Ukraine).
This guide is a collection of work and adapted materials based on the experience of the crisis support hotline of the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation (UVF) of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs. It was prepared by expert psychologists who work as UVF Hotline Counselors. The guide contains a “Road Map” to the system of psychological, medical and psychiatric care, as well as recommendations for veterans and their family members.
The participants of the event will include:
Svitlana Kashenets — Deputy Minister for Veteran Affairs
Natalia Kalmykova — Executive Director of the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation
Oleksandr Chamorsov — veteran, UVF Crisis Hotline Counselor, crisis psychologist, trauma therapist
Olena Lashko — UVF Crisis Hotline Counselor
Oksana Zbitnieva — Head of Barrier-Free NGO, Head of the Coordination Center for Mental Health under the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Rustem Skybin is a Crimean Tatar artist who has established his own style of ceramics called “Quru Isar”, which means “dry barrier” in the Crimean Tatar language. Rustem was forced to leave his native Crimea in 2014 due to the Russian invasion. After moving to the capital, he found himself living in his car as he did not have his own home. Later, when life started improving, he opened a workshop. But in 2022, Russia tried to take everything away from him again, this time in Kyiv. The man volunteered and evacuated those who could not leave the city. Then he began to counteract information warfare waged against Ukraine by organizing information resistance. He created a series of posters about cities that were under Russian occupation and a “museum of trophies,” i.e., things left behind after the Russians retreated. He opened the museum in a symbolic place – a toilet. Now the “museum” displays more than 50 exhibits, which are given to the artist by his friends from the front.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Military Innovation Rehabilitation Center “BASE 4.5.0” has worked with combatants and their families for over six years. This time they are organizing water therapy. The military will be given surfing and wakeboarding lessons. In addition to physical exercises, the soldiers will have a theoretical part with military psychologists. The Center says such classes help the military return to civilian life.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In the Zhytomyr region, rehabilitation classes with horses are being held for wounded soldiers and veterans as part of the “Hippotherapy – Back in Life’s Saddle” project. The equine-assisted therapy program includes feeding the animals, engaging in activities with them, and riding with an experienced instructor. All this is free of charge. Classes are held outdoors.
For reference: Hippotherapy is a method of treatment based on human interaction with a specially trained horse adapted to the rider’s ability to master riding.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Vadym Ihnashov, a sailor from Kherson, served on a Portuguese merchant ship. The man learned about the outbreak of hostilities and the occupation of his hometown from a chat in Telegram, where his frightened friends wrote that they heard explosions from the Chornobaivka village. A few days later, the ship entered the port of the Russian city of Vladivostok. There, the Russians first interrogated all the Ukrainians who worked on the ship, then forcibly abducted Vadym from the vessel and brought false charges against him for publicly calling for extremism.
A Russian court sentenced Ihnashov to 1 year and four months in prison. A week before his release, the man was even transferred to a penal colony. And there, the institution staff offered him to apply for Russian citizenship, saying that Kherson had already become part of Russia. Vadym refused.
Currently, Vadym Ihnashov is outside Ukraine, but journalists can communicate with him on WhatsApp.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Chi came from Hong Kong to help Ukrainians affected by the full-scale war. A 53-year-old accountant joined the volunteers of the “Brave to Rebuild” project two weeks ago. Now he spends his weekends dismantling the rubble of destroyed buildings in the Kyiv region.
The foreign volunteer will be available for journalists to talk to after July 10.
For reference: Brave to Rebuild is a volunteer project aimed at helping residents of the de-occupied territories of Ukraine restore housing and social institutions damaged due to Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the full-scale Russian invasion, Rina Reznik was a high school biology teacher interested in treating brain injuries. Later, she joined the Holosiivskyi Territorial Defense Forces and, in a few weeks, headed to the Donetsk region. Today, Rina is a medic with the Hospitallers Medical Battalion, and she is in charge of blood transfusions at the front and ensuring proper conditions for medical procedures.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The first mobile bomb shelter, funded by a European donor, was installed in Kherson on the 30th of June. It was financed by German artist Dennis Josef Meseg, who also created the decorative appearance of the shelter. It was the 11th protection facility installed by “Youth 2.0” NGO. It was mounted on the site where 5 people were killed by Russian artillery fire on February 11, 2023.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The international organization “The Halo Trust” had been helping to demine the territory of Ukraine even before the start of the full-scale invasion. Currently, 800 Ukrainians are involved in mine clearing efforts in 5 regions: Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, Sumy, Kyiv and Chernihiv. “The Halo Trust” also works at the sites of flooding caused by the breach of the Kakhovka Dam. In the last eight weeks alone, sappers discovered more than 5,000 mines in Kharkiv and Mykolaiv regions.
The international organization “The Halo Trust” surveys recently liberated Ukrainian lands, using the methodology tested in more than 30 countries of the world.
For reference: According to the State Emergency Service, 30% of the territory of Ukraine is mined. According to some assessments, it may take more than 10 years to clear the land.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Stefan was born and raised in the USA, where his family emigrated at one time. Parents raised him to love Ukraine, Ukrainian customs and culture. Stefan arrived in Lviv in April 2023. He says that he had a rough idea of what was waiting for him, because his relatives stayed here and told him about the situation in the country. Stefan has already joined the work of several organizations that send humanitarian aid to the east of Ukraine, and in addition, the young man devotes his time to volunteering at the Lviv railway station.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
To help children survive the psychological consequences of the war, the Voices of Children Charitable Foundation organizes summer camps in various cities of the country. Children of military personnel and prisoners, as well as those who left the occupation or front-line territories were invited to free psychosocial support camps.
Children participate in various activities: trips, camping, sports games, master classes, volunteering. Special attention is paid to the psycho-emotional state. Experienced psychologists of the Foundation hold group and individual classes with children.
Day camps are held in Lviv, Dnipro, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kryvyi Rih, Chernivtsi, Chernihiv, Skhidnytsia. There are also camping sites with overnight stays in Mukachevo, Uzhhorod and Lviv.
Background: During the year of the full-scale war, Voices of Children Charitable Foundation provided psychological and psychosocial assistance to 4,700 children and more than 1,800 adults.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A mentoring program has been launched at NEZLAMNI National Rehabilitation Center with the goal to help patients adapt to trauma and return to living independently outside of a medical facility. This model of social support is called “peer-to-peer.” According to it, former patients, who themselves have gone through a difficult path to recovery and rehabilitation, share their experience and help current patients of the Center to cope with new circumstances.
Mentors are already counseling men and women affected by the war.
Currently, there are three mentors working in the NEZLAMNI team.
Victoriia. A Lviv resident. She was hit by a bus at the crosswalk. The girl lost her leg. In the NEZLAMNI Center, Victoria underwent rehabilitation and received a prosthesis.
Mykhailo. Paratrooper He lost his left arm and right leg when he was running to save his brothers in arms during the battles for Izyum. He got a bionic prosthetic hand at the NEZLAMNI Center.
Pavlo. Athlete. He has been in a wheelchair since the age of 12. He was injured as a result of falling from a tree. Despite this, he continued to do sports and became the champion of Ukraine and Europe in powerlifting.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
14-year-old Taisiia cannot fully engage in her favorite activity – drawing, because there is no bomb shelter in her art school. The institution is located in Saltivka (Kharkiv district, which suffered greatly as a result of russia’s full-scale invasion). The shelling even caused school windows to shatter. Currently, they are planning to auction off drawings, the money will be used to set up the bomb shelter.
The shelter will allow children to work offline and return to in-person communication.
After the victory, the students of the school plan to use the shelter as a gallery in the future.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Military man Andrii Merchuk knocked out an enemy tank along the Lyman axis in May 2022. He was wounded, but did not leave his position. And before being captured, he even managed to write a message to his beloved Anastasiia. For some time Andrii was considered missing. Later, news came that he was in russian prisons. In April of this year, Andrii returned from captivity and soon married Anastasiia. His beloved serves as a patrol officer in Lutsk police.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On the first day of the full-scale war, Andrii went to the army recruiting office and enlisted in the army to defend the country. At the time, he was 18 years old. In October last year, an enemy mine injured his leg. He was talking on the phone with his mother, who heard the explosion and how her son was applying a tourniquet to his leg. Andrii was admitted to the Superhumans Center in Lviv. This year in June, a few days after his discharge, Andrii rode 100 km on a bicycle with a prosthetic left leg.
Last year, the man proposed to his beloved. He made an engagement ring out of a shell casing. The couple paints paintings together and puts them up for charity auction, and donates the proceeds to the needs of the military.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
After being drafted into the army on February 25 last year, Oksana’s husband, Andrii Hankevych, became a combat medic. The Last time Oksana had a telephone conversation with her husband was at 11 p.m. on July 5, 2022, and at 1 a.m., he died. That time, her husband told Oksana: “You are strong. You will succeed no matter what happens to me.” These words enabled Oksana to move on, seek support, and raise her three children. The woman calls the Office of Support for Military Families in Lviv her second home. Thanks to the people at the Office, Oksana was able to create her own project, “Keep on Living.” And she is now trying to help the wives and mothers of soldiers who have been killed, gone missing, or captured. The project consists of several parts, including a photo shoot for women. The project’s author is convinced that positive emotions are the medicine that gives military families the strength to persevere in difficult times.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Strongman Federation of Ukraine continues to implement a project for the sports rehabilitation of war veterans and bringing them to civilian life through sports. A sports event for veterans is scheduled to take place in Kyiv on July 8. The competition program will include crossfit, bench press, and rowing.
The program is adapted to different categories of wounds suffered by the defenders. Honored athletes and coaches of Ukraine will be the competition’s judges: Serhii Konyushok, Oleksandr Lashyn, and Vasyl Virastyuk.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Antonina is a Crimean and a non-binary person in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. She moved from Simferopol back in 2014 after the occupation of the peninsula by Russia. Antonina’s occupation is a filmmaker. She has worked as an actress and participated in performances. On February 25, 2022, Antonina went to the army recruiting office and enlisted in the Territorial Defense Forces of Kyiv. During the full-scale war with Russia, Antonina took part in the battles for Kherson and Kharkiv regions and fought in the Bakhmut sector. Antonina is currently a mortar gunner in the 206th Territorial Defense Battalion. Despite making a titanic effort every day, she manages to be vegan and even play the ukulele occasionally.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
FRIDA Ukraine, together with Polska Misja Medyczna, is launching a new project in the Kharkiv Oblast: mobile clinics will operate in the region. A team of doctors and healthcare workers will have patient appointments in different parts of the de-occupied Kharkiv region for 6 months.
The doctors have already undergone a series of training sessions to be qualified to examine local residents in any condition. In particular, a course was held by The HALO Trust, during which doctors were taught the rules of safe behavior in war conditions and told about the risks of handling explosive devices.
For reference: FRIDA Ukraine is a Ukrainian-Israeli mission of medical volunteers aimed at helping the civilian population.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
One of Save Ukraine’s centers, the Good Samaritan House of Mercy, operates in the Lviv region. It takes care of people with limited mobility who suffered due to Russian aggression. Most of them are older adults unable to take care of themselves.
The Save Ukraine team evacuated these people from the dangerous area in time, and now they are safe and well-housed.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Kyiv will host an exhibition of art objects called “Weapon Transformation” during the “Stadium of Culture” charity festival on July 8-9
The Weapon Transformation project is an initiative that has involved more than 80 artists from all over Ukraine. Its goal is to transform spent weapons, including tubes and shell casings, into art objects. One of the project’s main priorities is to draw attention to the war in Ukraine and raise funds to support the army and rebuild the country. Over the six months since the project started, the sale of art objects has already raised more than 400 thousand UAH for the army’s needs.
Journalists will have the opportunity to talk to the artists.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Canine specialists of Base 4.5.0. the Center for Innovative Military Rehabilitation will hold canine therapy sessions in the capital. Several trained dogs were chosen for therapy: Welsh corgi Foksi and Laisve, German boxer Linda, and Yorkshire terrier Shusha. The center experts say that during their first sessions they worked with the children who had stopped speaking after the beginning of russia’s invasion. However, after working with animals, the children started talking again. Canine therapists say that working with dogs normalizes the work of the nervous system, reduces stress, conflict and anxiety.
For reference: Canine therapy is a method of positive psychosocial and physical rehabilitation influence on people with the help of specially trained dogs. It is one of the methods of zootherapy.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The preparation of Ukraine’s national team for the Invictus Games continues. This year the competition will be held in the German city of Düsseldorf (September 9-16).
Ukraine will be represented by a team of 24 athletes. These are servicemen and veterans of the russo-Ukrainian war, who were injured during or as a result of performing official duties in the combat zone.
They will participate in archery, athletics, cycling, powerlifting, indoor rowing competitions, etc.
For reference: the Invictus Games is an international Paralympic sports competition. It was founded by British Prince Harry in 2014.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
“Kyiv450” workshop was founded by a volunteer and entrepreneur Andrii, who bought seven 3D printers together with like-minded people at the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion. These devices help Andrii and his team produce a large number of various parts for Ukrainian military personnel. Currently, components for dropping projectiles from UAVs are in high demand. The volunteer explains: the printers work at night, and in the morning the team collects the finished parts, like a harvest, and sends them to the front. Andrii says that the military appreciates the efficiency of the 3D-printed parts. His team has already managed to create thousands of components, and they continue to receive orders.
Important notice: to ensure the safety of the volunteers and their production, Andrii keeps the location of the workshop secret. Journalists are welcome to talk to Andrii and his team online or by phone, as well as receive all the necessary photos and video materials from them.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Dmytro is an anesthesiologist-intensivist by profession. He joined the army on February 25, 2022, took part in battles along the Bakhmut axis. Even in civilian life, the man was interested in electric vehicles: unicycles and electric scooters. And in May 2022, he decided to try a unicycle at the front. He bought a used device, camouflaged it and took it with him to the East. Since then, he has successfully used the unusual transport. The military man says that the unicycle saves him a lot of time, especially in those places where you have to walk for a long time. He also uses a unicycle on combat missions. Now he is teaching his brothers in arms a new way of moving at the front. Dmytro is currently on vacation in the capital and is willing to talk about his experience.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On July 12, 5 boats of the Kyiv region water police will be placed in service. The boats will be personally handed over to the law enforcement officers by the well-known writer, heiress of the Sheraton hotels and businesswoman Mitzi Perdue. The boats are named after five Heroes of the Foreign Legion who gave their lives for Ukraine in the war with russia.
Parents of fallen soldiers will also be present at the event. A briefing by the leadership of Kyiv region police is scheduled within the event.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
When russia first attacked Ukraine in 2014, Vladyslav was 12 years old. The boy lived in a village in Shakhtarsk district, Donetsk region, and he believed everything that russian propaganda told him. But over time, the boy’s opinion about the occupation began to change, he wanted to leave for Ukraine-controlled territory. Although his parents did not approve of such a decision. Vladyslav graduated from school, received a russian passport and entered a university in Donetsk. But he did not abandon the hope of leaving the occupied territory. In the end, thanks to a distant relative, Vladyslav was able to leave. First, he got to Kazakhstan, and from there with the help of “Donbas SOS” NGO he was able to reach Ukraine. In Prykarpattia, the boy was sheltered by his friend’s relatives. Vladyslav received a Ukrainian passport and plans to register with the military.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oleksii Kushner took up arms in 2014 and fought as an Azov regiment member. After demobilization, he experienced problems with socialization. The man began his rehabilitation with long walks and hikes in the mountains. Over time, he realized that the mountains made him feel a sense of calm. In 2016, Oleksii started work as a mountain hiking trip guide for other military personnel. On February 24, 2022, Kushner enlisted in the army again and is now defending Ukraine at the front. But he is already looking for a location to go back to practice mountain therapy for the military, however, not including hiking this time. After all, many service members who have been injured and need rehabilitation may be unable to handle long climbs. Oleksii plans to implement the mountains rehab project with the money he received as compensation for the death of his military father.
Journalists can contact Oleksii online. In addition, the soldier can send journalists photos and videos of his previous projects on mountain therapy.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the full-scale invasion, Diana Ilnytska was conducting parenting courses and devoting herself to raising her two children. At the end of February 2022, the woman began to actively volunteer, sending clothes and shoes to Ukrainian defenders. Over time, Diana noticed that most of the military sleep in low-quality sleeping bags, freeze, and cannot rest properly. Diana and the team of the Riy Charitable Foundation managed to develop unique sleep systems that allow soldiers to sleep “just like in a bed”. According to Diana, their sleeping bags meet NATO standards but are several times cheaper than their foreign counterparts.
In addition, she organized the mobile bath unit production. One bath equipment made by Riy 150 soldiers can take a bath, wash, and dry their clothes daily. Six mobile units are already installed at the front, but the production facility in the Kyiv region is working on manufacturing new ones.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On July 13, at 1:00 PM, the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War will host a briefing on the large-scale project of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine – the Soviet-era coat of arms removed and replaced with the Ukrainian trident on Motherland’s shield being implemented.
The Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, along with its partners, will present information about the stages, funding, challenges, decisions, and other details of the historical project to replace the USSR coat of arms with the trident on the shield of the Motherland Monument. Oleksandr Tkachenko, Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine; Yurii Savchuk, Director of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the World War II; Oleksii Pergamenshchyk, sculptor of the project;
Vasyl Borodai, a descendant of one of the authors of the sculpture of Motherland Monument.
Event accreditation is required.
For reference: 85% of Ukrainians voted to replace the USSR coat of arms with a trident on the shield of the Motherland monument in the Diia application polled last year.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Nataliia Sosmii, a cadet of the Ivan Kozhedub Kharkiv National Air Force University, faced the Russian invasion in Kherson. In the first months of the occupation, she rode her bike around the city and passed information about the Russians to the Ukrainian soldiers she possessed. In late August, Nataliia decided to leave Kherson. But the flight was postponed, and 30 armed Russians broke into the cadet’s house. Natalia’s home was searched, and she was taken to a temporary detention center there. There, she was beaten and psychologically pressured: in particular, her 16-year-old daughter was threatened with rape. “They said that they would take me to Donbas and let me go towards the Ukrainian military to be shot by Ukrainian soldiers. I said that I would rather be killed by my people rather than die here,” the cadet recalls.
Nataliia also heard how her classmate Oleksandr was being tortured. To save him, she agreed to take part in the recording of a Russian propaganda video. Nataliia has left Kherson and is safe and ready to talk to the media.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On July 15, the “Brave to Rebuild” project volunteers will open a Social Bicycle Repair Workshop in Kyiv. The workshop could provide bicycle repair service on daily basis for vehicles handed in by benefactors from the Netherlands. Subsequently, this transport will be delivered to people in the de-occupied territories.
For reference: The Brave to Rebuild project aims to help residents of the de-occupied territories of Ukraine. Volunteers are restoring housing and social institutions damaged as a result of Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Alona Danilova’s stepfather enlisted in the army in 2014, was held captive, and since the full-scale invasion outbreak, he mobilized again. Alona’s husband had military experience: In 2018, he received a gunshot wound and became disabled, but this did not stop him from defending Ukraine again. Alona’s brother is studying at a military academy, so after the Russian invasion began, he went straight to practical training.
At the end of March, Alona created a channel in the telegram, gathering proactive women she knew. It was the beginning of the Ukrainian Women’s Battalion. The girls quickly determined the basic needs of the military and started to provide them with helmets, body armor, ammunition, and first aid kits. Over a year, the military expressed gratitude to the Ukrainian Women’s Battalion team, and at the end of 2022, the President of Ukraine recognized their work. The team has also launched a number of other initiatives, including the Women’s Voice project uniting women in need of psychological support willing to share their stories. The Ukrainian Women’s Battalion tells stories on its social media platforms so the world knows what Ukrainian women have been through.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Hospitals project aims to help animals and evacuate them from the war zone. It is a joint initiative of the Hospitallers Medical Battalion and the Khvostati (‘Tailed animals’) NGO, which is involved in animal care and rehoming.
The project team comprises experienced veterinarians and volunteers who rescue injured animals using mobile hospital units and an evacuation bus. Subsequently, the evacuated animals found new homes in safe areas.
Over the previous two trips, the project has rescued 80 animals from the affected Kherson region.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Denys Dudnyk is a professional pilot who served at the Sevastopol international airport in Belbek from 1993 to 1995. In 2014, he joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine and participated in the battles near Volnovakha and Debaltseve. After his demobilization in 2015, Denys set up a knifemaking workshop as a therapy for the military. When the full-scale invasion began, Denys enlisted in the army again. Russians destroyed his workshop and home in the Kyiv region, and the soldier was injured at the front. Later, Denys took part in the Ukrainian Veterans Fund’s Varto 2.0 project, secured financial support, and opened the Tanto psychological assistance hub in Irpin. The hub employs psychologists ready to provide psychological assistance to veterans and those who lost loved ones during the war.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Yuliia’s father, Serhii Khrypun, is a civilian who, at the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, found himself under occupation in a village in Zaporizhia. Serhii tried to leave the Russia-occupied territory many times, but having no passport, he was refused to pass through the checkpoints. Later, the family found out Russia had taken Serhii prisoner. Yuliia collected bits of information about her father from the military, who were released through exchanges. In September 2022, the girl received the last news from her father, a letter in which Serhii wrote that they were being treated well in captivity. However, Yuliia talked to those who had seen her father. From them, she learned that the man was subjected to electrical torture and was forced to sing the Russian anthem for six hours a day.
Together with other relatives of the prisoners, Yuliia created the NGO Civilians in Captivity. They contact all possible organizations to find out where and under what conditions their loved ones are taken captive.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Another training for future volunteer medics will take place on July 16, Sunday in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. The Hospitallers medical volunteer battalion organizes the courses regularly. In total, the training lasts for ten days, and future paramedics can attend classes both near Dnipro and in Kyiv.
Journalists can cover the training process.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the start of russia’s full-scale invasion, Yuliia Vitova worked as a journalist, her husband was a TV cameraman. In the first days of the war, he was mobilized and became a fighter in the territorial defense forces. The woman made news reports, and a little later became a TV presenter. Yuliia often had to hold back her emotions during live broadcasts, because her husband was in the area attacked by the enemy. In the end, Yuliia decided that it was time to join her beloved: on March 13, 2023, the woman joined the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Currently, Yuliia has the call sign “Volyn” and serves together with her husband as a rifleman. She admits that with her height of 1.57 centimeters and a weight of 45 kilograms, the military service was not easy at first. After the victory of Ukraine, the servicewoman plans to become a psychologist and support those who need her help.
Important notice: Yuliia Vitova is in a war zone. She is ready to talk to journalists online and provide the necessary video and photo materials.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Vinnytsia based volunteer Maksym Huzii received a trophy from the Ukrainian defenders from the Avdiivka axis – a used tube from the Javelin anti-tank system. Then Maksym got the idea to make something out of these weapons that could once again be useful for the Ukrainian army. Together with Vinnytsia engineers, Maksym created powerful audio systems based on the tubes. One speaker weighs 47 kilograms and produces a powerful sound. The volunteer plans to auction and raffle off these speakers among foreign donors in order to receive funding to buy ambulances, which are needed at the frontline. The first speaker has already been purchased by a Ukrainian IT worker who lives in the U.S. He bought it for UAH 500,000.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On July 18-19, the International Forum of the Crimea Platform Expert Network ” Foreseeing the Future: Expert’s View” will be held in the capital. The speakers and participants at the forum will include leading experts from over 20 countries of the world.
Representatives of the Office of the President of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will take part in the event.
Ukraine’s victory in the war started by russia will usher in a new world order. In order to understand how to build a post-war global security configuration and establish an order based on the principles of international law, Ukrainian experts and human rights defenders initiated this forum.
The participants of the event will discuss the future architecture of world security and the security of the Black Sea region.
Pre-registration is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Joe is 61 years old. Twenty years ago, he served at New York City Police Department and later trained police paramedics. But Joe has been in Ukraine for almost a year now: he joined the Ukrainian-Israeli medical volunteer mission FRIDA. As a paramedic (sometimes as an ECG technician), he travels with specialists to the de-occupied and frontline regions to help people. For example, the man had to help patients in bomb shelters. And also in settlements where no doctors were left due to the full-scale invasion of Russia.
For reference: FRIDA Ukraine, the Ukrainian-Israeli medical volunteer charitable mission, has been helping civilians since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In particular, they counsel people, operate, evacuate and distribute medicines. Volunteer doctors (of various medical specialties) travel to the regions (for example, Kharkiv, Kherson, or Donetsk) to help local residents with health issues.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the full-scale Russian invasion, the medic with the call sign Shining got a degree in history and archaeology and planned to enter the field. With the outbreak of the great war, Shining decided that the history teacher’s classroom could wait, but evacuating the wounded from the front line was urgent business. So she volunteered to join the Hospitallers medical battalion. She rescued the injured military personnel in the hottest spots of the frontline, and now she is working in one of the stabilization centers. This is a place to stabilize wounded soldiers’ health conditions as quickly as possible, and everything is done to help them get to a hospital. The girl often had to perform resuscitation in extreme conditions, bringing defenders back to life. But sometimes doctors are powerless. In such cases, Shining is afraid to see the face of a soldier whose life they failed to save on the news.
The girl is not disclosing her real name for security reasons.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Daniel Johnson, a member of the Ukrainian LGBT community, served in eastern Ukraine from 2015 to 2018 and was a tank commander. He was demobilized and entitled to the status of a combatant. When the full-scale invasion began, he returned to the army. On February 25, Daniel participated in the battles for Chernihiv until he was wounded in April. For his service, the soldier received an award for “defense of the city of Chernihiv”. After rehabilitation, Daniel went to the East to continue his service. In February 2023, he completed a psychology course and was promoted to the psychology officer position. Daniel says he faced discrimination because of his orientation. He was even forced to transfer to another unit because for this particular reason.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On July 20, journalists are invited to attend an event at the MeMariupol center in Kyiv, where the mayor of Mariupol, Vadym Boichenko, will talk about the life of Mariupol residents during the year of occupation. He will also talk about the year of operation of MeMariupol centers, plans for the city’s rebuilding, and programs for Mariupol residents. The event will be attended by:
– Oksen Lisovyi, Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine
– Étienne de Poncins, Ambassador of France to Ukraine
– Donetsk Oblast Military Administration and Kyiv City State Administration leadership
– Borys Filatov, Mayor of Dnipro
– Serhii Morhunov, Mayor of Vinnytsia
The event will also be joined by Save the Children, World Central Kitchen, and the USAID Economic Support for Ukraine project representatives, which have been actively helping Mariupol residents return to life after the destruction of their city. In addition to the event’s guests, journalists will have the opportunity to talk to Mariupol residents who regularly visit the center.
Event accreditation is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Women from the IT industry, who have been actively helping Ukrainian defenders since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, make infantry shovels for the military. They realized that, although such shovels are needed by the majority of Ukrainian soldiers, it is extremely difficult to find an inexpensive shovel of good quality. Therefore, the girls united in a volunteer initiative called “Teeth Shovel.” They managed to establish the production of high-quality shovels, costing UAH 150 per piece. “Teeth shovel” has already handed over 18,000 shovels to Ukrainian fighters. Currently, the goal of the “toothy” girls is to provide 30,000 soldiers with infantry shovels.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
All her life, Viktoriia had been afraid of needles and she would even lose consciousness when her blood was being taken for a test. Despite this, on February 23, 2022, the woman donated blood for the military for the first time: she wanted to help the Ukrainian army in the east. Already after February 24, donation became a usual task for Viktoriia. The woman donates blood as often as doctors allow.
Viktoriia also began actively blogging about blood donation. She debunks myths and gives advice to those just starting out on this path. In particular, she talks about her experience, shares the best places to donate blood and describes the entire procedure in detail. Viktoriia says that she managed to persuade a considerable number of people to donate blood.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The All-Ukrainian Center for the Adoption of Homeless Animals “Patron Pets Center” launched a new project entitled “Walk with me.” Its purpose is to socialize four-legged friends. Those who are willing to take part in the project can walk animals in the center of the capital every day from 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM, and from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM.
“Patron Pets Center” cooperates with volunteers who evacuate animals from regions suffering from russia’s full-scale invasion. So, for example, the Center recently sheltered more than a hundred pets from Kherson region. Volunteers also bring animals from Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv regions.
In Kyiv, “Patron Pets Center” provides shelter to animals, rehabilitates them and helps to find owners.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On July 20, Top Lead content marketing agency’s study “Russia-Ukraine War: Environmental Impact” on the impact of russian armed aggression on Ukraine’s environment will be presented at a press conference. The topics of focus include: what are the damages to the environment from the full-scale war; what is Ukrainian business doing to overcome the consequences of ecocide; the problem of demining agricultural land, “green” recovery.
Participants:
- Stanislav Shum, CEO Top Lead;
- Oleksandr Krasnolutskyi, First Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine;
- Natalia Slobodian, Head of the Climate Change and Environment Protection Department, DTEK;
- Mykhailo Rizak, Director for Government Relations and Sustainable Development, NIBULON;
Pre-accreditation required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
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.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Mykola Polezhayev is a pyrotechnic engineer from the Mykolaiv region who has been working in this field for over 7 years. In April this year, a newly developed cluster munition detonated near Mykola in the garage cooperative where he came to work. An EOD 9 special protective suit saved him from death. However, his injuries could not be avoided: his left hand had burns, fractures, and shrapnel wounds, and his right finger was broken.
Now the pyrotechnician has undergone rehabilitation and is back working side by side with his colleagues to defuse ammunition.
For reference: Currently, 30% of Ukraine’s territory is contaminated with mines. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion, 221 people have been killed by landmines or unexploded ordnance, and 450 others have been injured.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Every third Friday of the month, 12 Kyiv subway stations host first aid training sessions. The training is conducted by the Center for Emergency Medical Care and Disaster Medicine experienced specialists and instructors. Anyone can join the training available free of charge. Practices on how to conduct an initial assessment of the victim’s condition, how to act in case of massive bleeding, airway obstruction, thermal burns, etc are taught by doctors.. The training was launched last year by the Ministry of Health and the Kyiv Metro. At least 10,000 passengers have already undergone 11 trainings, thanks to which at least 10,000 passengers have acquired first aid skills.
Important: Ministry of Defense of Ukraine event accreditation for the foreign media is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the full-scale war, Maksym worked as a mechanic at the Antonov plant: he serviced the world’s largest airplane, the Antonov AN-225 Mriya, which the occupiers later destroyed. On the eve of the occupation of Hostomel, he managed to take his daughter and mother out of the city while he himself returned. The man saw civilians being shot. He hid in the basement for several weeks. After all, he has been through, he volunteered to go to the front. He fought in the Donetsk region, was hit by a mine in Soledar, and lost his leg. Now the 29-year-old veteran is preparing for prosthetics at the UNBROKEN National Rehabilitation Center.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Vitalii Hrytsayi is 48 years old and has been repairing cars in Zaporizha for 28 years. The man is a veteran who fought in 2014 in Mariinka, Donetsk Oblast. Later he was demobilized and returned to car repair. Vitalii says he has always dreamed of building a car with his own hands, but he never thought he would have to make one for the war. It took the mechanic 6 years to build his first all-terrain buggy entirely on his own in his spare time. When the full-scale invasion outbreak, he had to speed up because his military friends asked him to build them a war buggy. Now Vitalii is building his third all-terrain vehicle. Each vehicle is different from the others because Vitalii modifies the design to fit a specific task for the soldiers: reconnaissance, assault, or evacuation. Vitaliy cannot draw, so he keeps all the necessary diagrams and calculations in his head.
The mechanic says that Ukrainian defenders need such buggies because they are difficult for the enemy to detect. And they go where a jeep or off-road vehicle cannot.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Mykhailo Konik lived most of his life in Mariupol, where he founded 40 hives apiary. On February 24, 2022, when Russia began to destroy the city, Mykhailo and his family hid in the basement for several days from powerful shelling, and the man was injured. Eventually, they managed to leave for the Ternopil region and later for Mykhailo’s small homeland, Khmelnytskyi. The man knew that there was an apiary in the forestry, so he turned to its director and offered his help. The apiary was in poor condition, Mykhailo says, and the conditions for bees in Khmelnytskyi are worse than in Mariupol. Nevertheless, Mykhailo managed to get the apiary up and running and last year produced about two tons of honey.
Forty of Mykhailo’s hives remained in Mariupol, and he was unable to take them out. The man dreams of getting back to his hometown Mariupol to start rebuilding the apiary in the city that was ruined by the Russians.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The charity initiative “Save Beauty” is already working with civilians and military personnel who suffered from the russian aggression both in the rear and at the front. The project fully covers the costs of doctor’s consultations, examinations, surgeries and post-surgery procedures. After the plastic surgery, the team, together with doctors and psychologists, supports the patient over the course of their rehabilitation.
Journalists are invited to talk with doctors and, if possible, with patients who came for help.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Veteran paramedic Yuliia “Kuba” has been rescuing the wounded in the hottest spots of the front since 2014. After retiring from the service in 2019, she started working in fashion design and participated in Ukrainian Fashion Week. After the start of russia’s full-scale invasion, the veteran returned into the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to save lives. While still being at the front, the woman joined the creation of a clothing brand called Cubitus Dei, which is produced in the VETERANKA workshop. Recently, a charity collection of this brand – “Fire of Liberty” – was presented in France. Anyone can buy the first accessories from the collection – “Kolos” brooches. The money from the sale will go to the rehabilitation of wounded servicewomen, who are cared for by the Veteranka foundation.
Volunteers of the VETERANKA shop, led by designer of famous Ukrainian brands Hanna Suvorkina and Ukrainian designer Stanislav Bitus, also worked on the creation of the “Fire of Liberty” charity collection. During the full-scale invasion, Stanislav changed his line of work and began producing women’s military uniforms instead of fashionable dresses, became Head of “VETERANKA” workshop, and after the presentation of the collection, joined the ranks of the National Guard of Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the start of the full-scale invasion, the company of Kharkiv-based Ihor Yefimenko was doing car repairs. After February 24, 2022, his team reformatted and began manufacturing level 5 body armor for the military. When a relative of Ihor Yefimenko lost his toes due to a mine explosion, the entrepreneur realized that his team should also develop protection for sappers and EOD experts. They took the Canadian model as a basis, adapted it to the needs of the Ukrainian military and rescuers, and began production. The weight of each boot is 4 kilograms, and the team uses 3D printers to manufacture the parts. Ihor Yefimenko explains that boots are not a magic cure, they will not be able to completely prevent injury, but they still allow those who use them to avoid traumatic amputation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On July 25, Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform will hold a briefing entitled “Chemical weapons, biolaboratories and nuclear provocations: how russia lies about the health of Ukrainians — VoxCheck monitoring.” Over 1,800 news stories and posts with lies and propaganda about the health of Ukrainians were discovered by VoxCheck fact-checkers in cooperation with the USAID Health Reform Support Project in the information space of Ukraine, russia and Belarus from June 2022 to June 2023.
Participants:
- Olena Hlyvynska, USAID Health Reform Support Project (online);
- Svitlana Slipchenko, VoxCheck Project Manager (in person);
- Anayit Khoperiya, Head of the Department for Countering Information Threats to National Security at the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (in person);
- Mykola Balaban, Deputy Head at the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security (in person);
- Dzvenyslava Shcherba, Analyst and Journalist at Internews Ukraine NGO (in person).
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The artist Serhii Petrov, known professionally as Bob Basset, produces accessories in the style of techno-romanticism. Serhii first created the masks for himself: the man has a strabismus and says that the mask simplifies interpersonal communication. In January 2023, the artist created his first mask for a soldier, Masi Nayyem, who lost his eye at the front. According to Nayyem, the leather mask by Bob Basset is more comfortable than standard bandages because it has a triple fastening system and is made of soft leather. Serhii was asked to make a second mask by the daughter of an Azov soldier who was wounded in Mariupol.
The Mask for a Hero is a charity project the artist managed to get a grant for to cover the cost of materials and rent of a room to work on the masks for the military.
For reference: Bob Basset started his workshop back in 1989. He has collaborated with Metallica, Korn, Avril Lavigne, Zayn Malik, Ghost, Givenchy, Yiapanis, Riccardo Tisci, Beissoul & Einius.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On July 26, at the Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform, the Media Initiative for Human Rights, a member of the 5AM Coalition, presents an investigation into the mass murder of Azovs in Olenivka Colony No. 120. During the presentation, based on the documented testimonies of the victims, the MIHR journalists will reveal in detail the circumstances of the crimes committed in Olenivka colony: how it happened, what happened inside and outside the barracks with the Azovs regiment members, why no one saved them, and who is to blame.
To reconstruct the events of the night of the mass murder of prisoners from July 28 to 29, 2022, the MIHR team interviewed crime witnesses. At the time of the attack, they were inside the barracks. At that time, two explosions killed about 50 Azov soldiers and seriously injured more than 70 others.
Speakers:
Tetiana Katrychenko – author of the investigation, Media Initiative for Human Rights (MIHR)
Maria Klymyk – author of the investigation, journalist at MIHR;
Anna Lobova, wife of a prisoner of war wounded in Olenivka;
Arina Khavanskykh, wife of a prisoner of war killed in Olenivka.
Event accreditation is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Media accreditation for the open training session of the Ukrainian wheelchair basketball national team at the 2023 Invictus Games, which will take place on July 27 in Kyiv, has started.
At the start of the open training session, the team members will be addressed by Minister of Veterans Affairs Yuliia Laputina, Minister of Youth and Sports Vadym Gutzeit, representatives of the NGO Invictus Games, as well as the coach of the Ukrainian national wheelchair basketball team Taras Shpuk and the coach of the US national wheelchair basketball team Hannah Walker.
Journalists can attend the wheelchair basketball game and talk to national team members.
Important notice: The program of the open training session and detailed information about the venue will be sent only to accredited journalists who agree to the terms of the press embargo on information dissemination. Accreditation lasts until 9:00 PM on July 26.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Roksana is the wife of a prisoner of war of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine officer. Her husband was taken prisoner in May 2022. (At that time, by order of the higher command, Ukrainian defenders withdrew from Azovstal in Mariupol to save the lives of their personnel.) It is known that the man was held in the occupied territory in the Olenivka Colony, and now he is in the territory of Russia. There is no contact with him.
According to his wife, relatives of prisoners of war of the border guards testify to a very small percentage of border guards returning during exchanges. Many border guards have been in enemy captivity since March last year.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oleh, Yaroslav, Hlib, and their grandmother Oleksandra left their native village of Hnutove, which was one of the first settlements to experience the horror of a full-scale Russian offensive. Seeking salvation, the family went to Mariupol, but later it was besieged by Russians. Later, there was no electricity, gas, water, or service. The children and their grandmother had to survive literally. They stayed in the basement for two months. They managed to escape the occupation in their native village by being subjected to filtration in the notorious camp system. Recently, thanks to donors, the Voices of Children Charity Foundation bought a house for a family in the Kyiv region.
In 2017, Oleh became the protagonist of the Danish director’s documentary The Distant Barking of Dogs, which told the story of Ukrainians on the front line that was shortlisted among 15 candidates for the 2019 Oscars in the Best Documentary Feature.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Volodymyr became interested in pottery in his youth: he tried different techniques and learned from many masters. He had to quit doing it when Russia first attacked Ukraine in the east. Volodymyr mobilized in 2015, took up an anti-tank guided missile, and became an enemy of Russian tanks. After demobilization, he got back to his hobby of pottery. After February 24, 2022, Volodymyr began volunteering and helping Ukrainian defenders. In particular, he visited one of the capital’s hospitals to support the military and hold a pottery workshop for them. Today, the veteran and his wife conduct art therapy for the military in their workshop. They have enlisted the support of the Ukrainian Veterans Fund to scale up into a Pottery Art Center and create an art residence. They plan to take in more military personnel who need therapy.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Twenty-three years old Ryan used to work in the US Navy. During the full-scale invasion, he decided to come to Ukraine and help people. He joined the Building Ukraine Together volunteers, the Odesa department in particular, where volunteers built the first Military Leadership Center in Ukraine. The man poured concrete and prepared the walls for painting. And now, as part of the Building Ukraine Together camp, he is assisting to equip the space of the Ridne Misto (‘Hometown’) youth center in the city hall in the Ternopil region. The man says he is impressed by the strength and unity of Ukrainians.
For reference: Building Ukraine Together is a non-governmental organization that creates opportunities for young people to change the country through volunteering.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oleksandr was 29 when he was wounded and lost his leg in 2014 at the front near Luhansk. What came next is amputation, a wheelchair and a prosthesis, which Oleksandr refused to wear, because he did not accept himself without a leg. The veteran began abusing alcohol and drugs.
In the end, the man managed to overcome his addictions. And after visiting the city of Lourdes in France, his panic attacks and terrible headaches disappeared. Oleksandr decided that such trips should be shared with other servicemen. The veteran posted an invitation on social media looking for those who would like to go and those who would help to pay for the trips. A sponsor was found quickly, and there were so many people willing to join the trip that he had to order a tourist bus for the servicemen. This is how the “Hero Bus” project came to be. Oleksandr has already lost count of how many military personnel he managed to show the miraculous springs of Lourdes, Krakow, the Louvre, how many people he took to the Red Sea so they could take a swim in it.
Since February 24, 2022, Oleksandr has taken only military personnel with amputation of one leg above the knee on his travels, because he has suffered the same kind of amputation, and the veteran knows exactly how to help these people.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Christopher is a professional journalist working on world terrorism and disinformation for a long time. In particular, russian terrorism in Ukraine and Syria. Christopher created a single platform to collect reliable and verified information for journalists, politicians, and even investigators to use in their work. Currently, Christopher is focusing his efforts on the russian Wagner PMC, which russia has brought onto the territory of Ukraine during the all-out invasion. Christopher collects, fact-checks, and publishes verified information and journalistic materials on his website. In addition, Christopher plans to hold discussions with journalists and experts covering the russian-Ukrainian war to keep the site up to date.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The MOAS Ukraine charitable foundation provides medical assistance to both the military and civilians. The foundation gathered a team of 150 Ukrainian doctors, paramedics, nurses and drivers, who have a “fleet” of 50 ambulances. After being formed MOAS mobile medical teams have helped over 20,000 people. In particular, doctors saved patients from critical injuries caused by mines, fragments of artillery shells, and small arms. Foundation teams work in Kharkiv, Donetsk, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Vinnytsia and Kyiv regions. Since the beginning of 2022, MOAS Ukraine has attracted more than USD 10 million for its work through donations from people and non-governmental organizations from the U.S. and the UK.
Journalists are welcome to film the work of mobile teams in different regions upon prior agreement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On July 28, at 11:00 AM, Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform will hold a briefing entitled “Olenivka: Impunity – Encouragement of Terrorism.” One year ago, the russians committed a terrorist attack brutally murdering the unarmed and powerless defenders of Azovstal, who had been held captive for more than two months at that time. As a result of the barbaric crime, according to unconfirmed data, at least 53 Ukrainian defenders were killed
Participants:
– Nataliia Zarytska, Chair of the “Woman of Steel,” wife of a released from captivity soldier of the Azov Regiment;
– Nataliia Pashniuk-Pashnieva, the mother of the defender of Azovstal who died as a result of the terrorist attack;
– Mariia Alieksieievych, the wife of the wounded defender of Azovstal, injured as a result of the terrorist attack in Olenivka;
– Nelia Shastun, the mother of two soldiers of the Azov Regiment, the elder of whom died, and the second was captured after leaving Azovstal and kept in the Olenivka barracks during the terrorist attack;
– Mykyta Shastun, Azovstal defender released from captivity, who was kept in the Olenivka barracks during the terrorist attack;
– Oleksandr Zarutskyi, international lawyer;
Prior accreditation is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In a training center in Kharkiv region, dogs are being trained to help to demine the Ukrainian lands. The project was launched by Anti-Terrorist Operation veteran and professional dog trainer Serhii Lukinov last November. The Ukrainian Veterans Fund helped with the funding. Currently, 5 German shepherds are being trained at the center. All of them are less than a year old. They are being taught to look for explosives.
For reference: Serhii has been working as a dog trainer for 37 years. In particular, in 2021, a man trained guide dogs. However, during russia’s full-scale invasion, Serhii once again volunteered to defend the country. The man is currently undergoing rehabilitation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On July 29, specialists of the “Mobile Doctors” project will visit the Nova Basan territorial community in Chernihiv region, which suffered as a result of russia’s full-scale invasion. The community was under occupation for more than a month. On March 31, 2022, the Armed Forces liberated it.
Three mobile outpatient clinics will arrive at the community. Local residents will be able to receive a consultation from a gynecologist, cardiologist, therapist, neurologist, endocrinologist, and ophthalmologist. There will also be ultrasound equipment, an opportunity to test blood and get some free medicine.
For reference: Within 9 months of its existence, “Mobile Doctors” project has turned from a small car with 2 doctor’s offices into the largest fleet of outpatient clinics on wheels in Ukraine providing services in the de-occupied territories. This is a number of trucks that have been converted into clinics in accordance with the recommendations of the Ministry of Health. One vehicle equals three doctor’s offices, qualified healthcare professionals and hundreds of patients who receive high-quality medical services close to home.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On July 29 and 30, during “Kurazh” charity fair in Kyiv, everyone is welcome to play ping-pong with soldiers who were wounded at the front and received prostheses in Superhumans Center, the modern rehabilitation and prosthetics center for victims of war.
Visitors at the event will also be able to hold and even try on one of the prostheses in order to understand what Superhumans Center patients are dealing with and why quality rehabilitation is important to learn to live with a prosthesis.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Valentyna has dreamed of becoming a soldier since she was a little girl. She looked up to her father, who has served in the Armed Forces since 2014. So she went to medical school and signed a contract with the 128th Combat Brigade in 2020. Valentyna became a combat medic and spent 9 months in the front-line trenches. During her service, she met her future husband, Dmytro. Together they faced the full-scale Russian invasion at a training ground in Dnipro. A few days later, they were transferred to Melitopol. Near Tokmak, an enemy shell hit the tank where Valentyna and Dmytro, and their comrades were. The comrades were killed on the spot, and Valentyna and her beloved were thrown away by the blast wave. Dmytro suffered a concussion but still managed to pull the girl away from the tank, stop the civilian car and bring Valentyna to the hospital, and her coma lasted 10 days. The soldier got a severe skull injury, a fractured pelvis, arm, and trachea. Valentyna underwent 15 surgeries, and now after rehabilitation can breathe on her own again. Dmytro proposed to his beloved right in the hospital. The man was given a military discharge so he could take care of his wife in the Lviv region.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Vadym is 19 years old. Before the all-out invasion, he worked as a director: On February 23, 2022, he arrived in Lviv to approve the script and budget for a music video. However, in the first days of the invasion, Vadym mobilized to the 206th Battalion of Kyiv Territorial Defense. Later he was transferred to the 93rd separate mechanized brigade Kholodnyi Yar. As a member of this brigade, he performed the duties of a mortarman for six months, covering the infantry near Bakhmut. After getting wounded, he was later transferred to the Seneca special forces unit and began conducting aerial surveillance.
The guy has a lot of videos of hits taken from a drone. Now Vadym is on vacation in Kyiv and is ready to talk to the media.
For reference: A while ago, the soldier created a Twitter account where he posted memes about the everyday life of a mortarman. While working with mortar launchers he mastered the drone flying, a Mavic 3, handed by volunteers.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Niels is a firefighter in Germany. Back in the spring of 2022, he arrived in Kharkiv to help assist. Later, he performed tasks with rescuers in the Donetsk region: he eliminated the consequences of enemy shelling, extinguished fires, and cleared rubble. The rescuer also worked in the Kherson region in the first days after the Kakhovka dam collapse.
During this time, the volunteer rescuer went home for only a few months. And recently, he got back to the Kharkiv region again.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On August 1, the Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform will host a presentation of a study entitled “Veterans’ Needs and Barriers to Employment”
Analysts of the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation of the Ministry of Veterans conducted a thorough study, during which 475 employers were surveyed, and 10 in-depth interviews were conducted with Ukrainian business representatives and business leaders. The participants in the event will present the results of the study and discuss the needs and problems of veterans’ employment opportunities.
Participants:
– Svitlana Kashenets, Deputy Minister for Veteran Affairs;
– Ruslana Velychko-Trifonyuk, First Deputy Executive Director of the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs;
– Yulya Kirillova, Head of the Department of Educational and Analytical Work of the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation;
– Olga Bandrivska, Coordinator of the Military Vacancies Department at Lobby X;
– Maksym Pylypenko, PR Director at Work.ua;
– Vitalii Kucherenko, veteran employer, founder of the company for humanitarian demining of de-occupied territories;
Among other things, speakers will discuss whether veterans are supported and confident in future employment, how the state supports and provides opportunities for veterans to return to civilian life, and whether employers are willing to hire veterans.
Event registration is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ivanna Slobodyanyuk worked as a journalist, project author, and TV host for 10 years. During the full-scale invasion, she covered Russian crimes in foreign media outlets and began documenting the war traveling to the East after the loss of her friend. Ivanna decided to make a film in honor of her friend, an aerial reconnaissance man Felix Kurtanych, who died in April 2022,
The historical-documentary film “Felix” tells the story of a Ukrainian hero and includes references to Ukraine’s way to independence. The film presents key events that make the audience reflect on the price the nation paid for its independence through the centuries and continues to defend it to this day.
The film was funded by Ivanna as a director and supported by donations from the military and compassionate individuals. The entire team worked voluntarily.
The movie will be presented in Lviv on August 10, Ivano-Frankivsk on August 11, Kolomyya on August 12, and in Austria on August 25. The proceeds from the film’s screening will be donated to the needs of the army.
Reference: Felix Kurtanych defended Ukraine in 2014. After two years, he left the service. With the beginning of the full-scale war, he defended Kyiv Oblast and later fought in the East of the country. The young man saved his comrades and was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage, Third Class.
It was he who flew a drone with an ad stating Garage for sale in Kyiv’s Solomianskyi district with the phone number of the former Russian embassy in Ukraine, which intruded into the Reuters’ live broadcast from Kyiv’s Maidan Square on February 16, 2022.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On Thursday, August 3, “Okhmatdyt” National Children’s Specialized Hospital doctors will conduct mobile consultations for children in Makariv, Kyiv Oblast.
All children from the city and community are welcome to participate. The visit of the capital’s medical professionals is part of the charitable project “Health Treasury.”
Doctor appointments are available with:
• Olha Medvedieva (Head of the Pediatric Department at “Okhmatdyt”)
• other health professionals
• Vadym Tokar, the mayor of Makariv (about the city’s restoration after the occupation and the healthcare system overview)
• parents, and children living in Makariv.
The “Okhmatdyt” Children’s Hospital specialists have conducted nearly 50 medical services visits of a kind in the past year, including in the liberated cities of Zhytomyr, Kyiv, and Chernihiv Oblasts.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oleh Andriienko was seriously wounded during the defense of Kyiv in the spring of last year — the man came under enemy airstrikes. Oleh spent five days fighting for his life in Makariv under constant russian airstrikes. Later, he was evacuated to a safe place, but it was not possible to save his leg. Then the veteran received a prosthesis. Oleh says that his relatives, especially his daughters, helped him to cope with the injury, because he had no right “to come apart” in front of them.
Today, with his own example the man inspires other veterans who had also been injured. Oleh coordinates the “Active Parks” project, which was created so that military personnel could find some psycho-emotional relief. In the future, Oleh plans to take up extreme sports such as rope jumping and take part in the Invictus Games.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
When russia first attacked Ukraine in 2014, Halyna Klempouz was still a student. The girl started actively volunteering. In 2016, Halyna decided to become a military officer, the girl held various positions in the army and ended up in air reconnaissance. A year later, Halyna was demobilized, her father died and the girl had to stay at home to take care of her mother. With the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the veteran wanted to mobilize, but Halyna’s boyfriend, who was defending Mariupol, made her promise that the girl would stay in the rear until he returned home. Halyna’s beloved was captured by the russians along with other defenders of Azovstal. Thus, Halyna’s struggle for Ukraine turned into a struggle for Ukrainian prisoners. Currently, the veteran works as a spokesperson at the Association of Azovstal Defenders’ Families.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Wind Hunters yachting school invites military personnel, who were injured at the front and are undergoing rehabilitation in Lviv, to learn yachting. Classes for the soldiers are free.
Defenders will join the general groups that are already learning. One yachting lesson lasts 3.5 hours. The course is designed for a total of 6 classes.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Benjamin is a lawyer from Dusseldorf, Germany. Since the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion, the man has been helping Ukrainians. For instance, he sheltered a family from Kyiv in his own house, delivered about 40 tons of aid to Ukrainian cities and villages: for this he had to make 15 trips. Benjamin collects and delivers clothes, medicines, equipment and water purification systems. Voices of Children Charitable Foundation coordinates where this aid is most needed.
Benjamin renovated and equipped a room for children’s study and recreation in a dormitory for displaced persons in Kharkiv. Also, together with Voices of Children, the man is planning to create an art therapy workshop for the children.
Benjamin is currently in Ukraine and is ready to talk to the media.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Kulykiv community, in Chernihiv oblast, suffered at the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion: 300 houses were damaged and more than 40 were destroyed as a result of shelling by the occupiers.
In order to help the residents with reconstruction, the community leadership has implemented dozens of grant projects and attracted foreigners since last year. Among other things, they were able to restore two damaged culture centers and an urgent care center. They also managed to involve volunteers from different parts of the world to put up 24 modular houses for people to live in temporarily. (For example, volunteers from Norway, France, Poland, the Czech Republic, Latvia, etc. worked there.)
Journalists are welcome to talk with people who lost their homes and for whom modular houses were built.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The idea for a charity comic book came from American comic book writer Scott Dunbier after the start of russia’s full-scale invasion. He united many comic book artists to make an anthology and transfer the proceeds to Ukrainians who suffered from russian aggression. The first edition of the anthology Comics for Ukraine. Sunflower seeds was released in 2022. Since then, Ukrainian comic book artists have been watching what will happen to the anthology, because they considered it an invaluable collection from the best comic book creators in the world.
In 2023, the publisher of the anthology approached the team of the UA Comix publishing house and suggested translating it into Ukrainian. In Lviv, the project is overseen by Bohdan Kordoba, Founder of UA Comix. The Ukrainian team plans to finish the cover and text translation by the end of this year. All proceeds will go to the benefit of Ukrainians who suffered from the war.
Journalists are welcome to talk to the Ukrainian team working on the comic book.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Viktoriia Kovach has been fighting since 2014, went to the front as a combat medic, and now heads the medical service of the 3rd separate assault brigade. Apart from active duty, Viktoriia has worked at the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and has been involved in advocating for the rights of interns and expanding their powers. After her victory, the combat medic dreams of getting a good night’s sleep, reading a book, and hiking in the mountains.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Roman is an artist from Lviv who taught at the Ukrainian Academy of Printing. On the first day of the full-scale war, he voluntarily joined the Armed Forces. In between combat missions and shelling, he drew with pencils.
He was badly wounded in June this year near Bakhmut. Shrapnel cut the right side of his body. The arm he used to paint with was injured by shrapnel, and his traumatized. Doctors managed to save both limbs.
Now the guy is rehabilitating at the UNBROKEN Center and can hold a brush in his hand again. Roman even had his first master class for UNBROKEN National Rehabilitation Center, where he taught other wounded defenders how to paint.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A resident of the Kyiv region, Yana Sheremet, has been looking for her father, Serhii Khrolenko, for a year and a half. The man was abducted by Russians in Dymer in late February last year. During the village occupation, the 52-year-old man went to the store but never returned home. According to witnesses, the Russians forced him into an armored personnel carrier. They took him to the territory of a factory where many civilian hostages were being held at the time. On March 19, Serhii was last seen there then the trail of the man disappeared.
Yana conducted her own investigation: she interviewed about 30 people freed on the prisoner exchange who had been held hostage in Russia. She went to the office of the International Committee of the Red Cross in the Czech Republic and is trying to get a response from Ukrainian law enforcement about the investigation into Khrolenko’s case. And in the near future, Yana plans to file a lawsuit with the ECHR over her father’s abduction.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Alisa Shramko took her first first-aid training back in 2018. It was a Hospitallers volunteer medical battalion course. Together with Hospitallers, Alisa went on her first deployment. Later, she became a combat medic instructor for new medics and recruit soilders.
When Russia attacked Ukraine in 2022, Alisa was pregnant with her second child. The woman says that the pregnancy was challenging, but despite the difficulties, Alisa escaped from the hospital to conduct first aid training. The paramedic kept taking lessons until she gave birth. After the baby was born, she signed an enlistment contract with the Fastiv First Aid Station, started serving in the capital, and took up the position of a medical corps instructor. Now she often takes her children with her to hold training for newcomers. As a civilian, Alisa works at the National Museum of Folk Architecture and Life in the Department of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In Lviv, soldiers who have lost their limbs and are going through a rehabilitation process can give the most extreme sports, such as rope free-flying, a try. It is about jumping with a rope over the Arena Lviv stadium from a height of 34 meters. The jumps are free for the defenders. The initiative is organized by the charitable foundation “With an Angel on Your Shoulder.” According to the benefactors, 13 soldiers have already made extreme jumps, and dozens are more daring to experience it.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On August 8, the Lots of Care project, aimed at multidisciplinary rehabilitation for wounded defenders, will be presented at the Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform.
Participants:
Serhii Kryzhanovskyi, Chief Doctor at a rehabilitation center
Oleksandr Hudimov, Serviceman in the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Oleksandr Gudimov, soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Olga Kharlan, Ukraine fencer, Olympic champion.
The “Lots of Care” project aims to raise funds for the high-quality rehabilitation of injured military personnel by selling lots at auction (about 50 famous people will sell lots). All the funds raised will be used for the effective rehabilitation of our defenders.
Event accreditation is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On August 8, at 5:00 PM, the Lviv Municipal Art Center will open the exhibition “Artifacts of Invincibility in Resin: Exhibition of the Museum of War Fragments in Lviv”.
The Museum of Artifacts of War is 300 stories and objects, silent witnesses of what cannot be kept silent. Artifacts collected during a full-scale Russian invasion and frozen in transparent cubes.
In particular, in the cubes, you will see items that the warriors of Azov carried through the capture after the defense of Azovstal and a salt crystal from Soledar.
After presenting exhibitions of artifacts of recent history in London, Tbilisi, and Odesa, the Museum of War Fragments will be on display in Lviv for a month.
For reference: The museum exists as an online platform on which all 300 artifacts will be presented. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of the cubes will go to the rehabilitation of children, soldiers and help to their families.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Mariana Mamonova, 31, is a doctor, Armed Forces of Ukraine Medical Service Captain who has been traveling to the ATO/JFO area since 2018.
At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, she served in Mariupol. In mid-March, she found out that she was bearing a child. Despite pregnancy, she continued to save the lives of others. Later, together with her colleagues and dozens of civilians, she was at the Illich Steel and Iron Works. She was captured by the occupiers on April 4. The pregnant woman spent six months in the Olenivka colony. On September 21, she was set free. Four days after the exchange, she gave birth to a daughter.
For reference: more than 500 Ukrainian doctors are currently being forcibly detained across Russia. There are both civilian and military doctors among them, according to the Center for Civil Liberties. Journalists can also ask for the Center’s experts’ comments.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In Kyiv, animal-assisted therapy classes are held for defenders undergoing treatment. A pilot rehabilitation project therapy sessions with animals for the military take place in one of the capital’s medical institutions. The Kyiv Zoo joined the project. (All animals are closely monitored by veterinarians and have the necessary vaccinations.)
For reference: Animal-assisted therapy is a type of therapy that incorporates interaction with animals. The therapeutic intervention aims to improve the patient’s social, emotional, or cognitive functions.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Antonina Semenova is an illustrator and artist. On the eve of the full-scale invasion, she was working on themed children’s alphabets. After February 24, 2022, she realized that there was no way she could draw peaceful illustrations anymore but instead had to reflect on the events of that day. Thus, she came up with the idea to create a “Visual Diary of War.” The woman draws one small sketch about what is happening daily in the country. (This Diary could be seen at exhibitions in Ukraine and abroad).
Later, the idea arose to transform the diary from a personal lifeline of one artist into a project that would be the voice of different Ukrainians. So now, with the support of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation, she is working on creating an art book to assemble the artist’s illustrations and stories from Ukrainians. She is currently collecting stories about every day of the war-torn country.
Selected stories for the period from 24.02.22 to 25.02.23 will be published in a book that will be kept in museums and libraries of Ukraine and Ukrainian cultural centers abroad and will participate in exhibitions dedicated to the struggle of the Ukrainian people against the Russian invaders.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Mykola has been working in the agricultural industry for about 30 years. The man manages a farm in Kyiv region that sells seeds on the country’s domestic market. (Specifically, legume, wheat, buckwheat, barley, oats seeds, etc.).
However, due to russia’s full-scale invasion and the blockade of sea ports, Ukrainian farmers cannot sell their crops, so they have no money to buy new seeds.
So, the farm managed by Mykola was able to sell only 10% of last year’s stock of soft wheat seeds.
For reference: On the topic of agricultural enterprises and other farms affected by the full-scale war, journalists are welcome to receive comments from experts of the “Ukrainian Agrarian Council” and the international fund SaveUA, which was created by agrarians in the first days of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On Friday, August 11, Center for Endoprosthetics, Osseointegration and Bionics will hold a press conference. In particular, the participants will announce the first shoulder osseointegration surgery and there will be a knee replacement surgery demonstration.
Military personnel who have already received free surgical assistance invited to the press conference include:
Oleksandr Davydov, who was seriously injured in the explosion while providing cover for his brothers in arms with his own body;
Roman Kuksiuk, who was wounded during fierce fighting near Bakhmut;
Andrii Oshlakov, who came under artillery fire near Lysychansk;
The format of the press conference includes a demonstration of knee arthroplasty technique. Serhii Mynder will undergo surgery. In 2015 he joined the intelligence service and was wounded during the Anti-Terrorist Operation. With the beginning of a full-scale invasion, he went to war again. He went through Bucha, Marinka, Kozelets and Troitske.
Leading doctors of the country will take part in the event. The “Life Saving Center” charitable foundation provides free treatment of servicemen at the Center for Endoprosthetics, Osseointegration and Bionics.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Vasyl Tsapiuk gained the nickname “Vasyl-Oboronprom” because he had set up the production of a number of useful inventions for Ukrainian defenders. In addition, Vasyl introduced the “blockchain” system – a decentralized production system that works through data recording and transmission systems. This means that the production of devices is not concentrated in one place, which provides additional protection in wartime. Vasyl, together with his team of engineers located in different regions of Ukraine and abroad, creates means for shooting down enemy drones, as well as quadcopters, drone drop systems, tracking devices, heating vests and much more. All this is produced with the help of 3D printers.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
From August 10 to 13, volunteers of the “Brave to Rebuild” project will go on their second trip to restore a school in Lykhachiv, Chernihiv region. The building was damaged in russia’s full-scale invasion. The peculiarity of the educational institution is that it is a mazanka hut from 1923. Volunteers have already rebuilt the walls using the authentic technique. In particular, sand, clay and straw were mixed in a specially prepared container by using their feet. The resulting mix was further processed to reach the right consistency.
The local community is also involved in these works. A carpenter with experience in building mazanka huts oversees the work and trains the volunteers. Among other things, the work ahead includes roof and windows replacement as well as wheelchair ramp installation. Later, invited artists will paint a mural with traditional Ukrainian ornaments on the walls of the school.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Vitalii Kucherenko is a Ukrainian military man with almost 30 years of experience. He has been defending Ukraine since 2014 (he took part in the battles for Ilovaisk, Maryinka, and Avdiivka in particular). He was discharged from military service in 2017. During his service, he faced the major issue of the occupiers’ mining of Ukrainian land and in 2020, founded a private humanitarian company in mine action and later a training center for those wishing to learn the explosive ordnance survey and clearance experts profession. The center operates in the Khmelnytskyi region. There are already 174 people who have taken the course, including about 30 veterans of the Russia-Ukraine war, who are now qualified as demining experts. Currently, Vitalii’s company employs three veterans, and they are preparing to take part in land release operations.
For reference: According to preliminary forecasts, every 10th worker in Ukraine will be a veteran after the war is over. According to a recent study on ex-military employment, over 60% of employers had no experience working with veterans and, accordingly, had no experience recruiting veterans.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Larysa Bozhenko, the starosta (headman) of Orlove village in the Kherson region, lived under Russia control for three weeks. After her village was liberated from the invaders, she was offered to join the army ranks. Larysa decided that if serving as a cook, she would be able to repay the Ukrainian defenders for liberating her home from the enemy.
In addition, the 7th Arei Battalion was being formed at that time, and it has now become Larysa’s second family. One of Larysa’s brothers serves in the Arei. Another brother is now on the front line in another battalion. Every day, about 400 military members expect Larysa to prepare food for them.
Larysa is ready to give interviews to journalists at her place of service in the Donetsk region. You can also talk to her online.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Briefing entitled: “The soldiers who died in the battles for Mariupol are still not buried. Who is preventing the creation of the National Military Cemetery in Bykivnia?” will take place in Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform on August 11 at 12:00 PM.
The Verkhovna Rada passed a law on the creation of the National Military Cemetery in Bykivnia, where the fallen heroes of the Russia-Ukraine war will be buried. The location was a compromise between the Cabinet of Ministers, the Kyiv City State Administration, the Institute of National Remembrance and the families of the fallen. Money was allocated from the 2023 budget to set up the cemetery. The first burials were to begin already this fall, but the construction never started. Relatives of the victims will give an update on how the situation is being solved and what needs to be done to implement the project.
Participants:
– Vira Lytvynenko, Head of the “Heart nAZOVni” NGO
– Nataliia Zarytska, Chair of the “Women of Steel” NGO
– Nelia Shastun, “Women of Steel”
– Olena Tolkachova, Head of the Patronage Service of the Azov Regiment.
Event accreditation is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Hamish came to Ukraine from Australia. It was in the local newspaper that he found out about the volunteers of the “Brave to Rebuild” project, who are helping to restore Ukraine, and decided to join them. The man is a carpenter by profession, so he decided that his skills might prove useful in reconstruction. Hamish volunteers in Kyiv region. Among other things, the man sorts out rubble.
For reference: The “Brave to Rebuild” project aims to help residents of the de-occupied territories of Ukraine. Volunteers are restoring housing and social institutions damaged in russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
At the end of July, a temporary shelter was opened in Kharkiv for representatives of low mobility groups and people with disabilities who are being evacuated from frontline communities. They, for example, take care of bedridden people, people in wheelchairs or on crutches. The shelter is designed for 30 people. One can stay there for up to three weeks. But, if necessary, the period of stay can be extended.
For reference: This shelter has been created as a result of a joint initiative of Vostok SOS Charitable Foundation and Volunteer-68 Center for Humanitarian Aid.
Since the beginning of the full-scale war, representatives of “Volunteer-68” have been taking care of people with disabilities and physical disorders. Among other things, volunteers take people out of shelled areas and provide humanitarian aid.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On August 15, training for future medical volunteers will take place in Kyiv. Such courses in Ukraine are organized on a regular basis by the volunteer medical battalion “Hospitallers.” Training in the capital will last 7-10 days.
Journalists are welcomed to cover the process of medical training.
For reference: “Hospitallers” is a volunteer paramedic organization. It was founded by Yana Zinkevych at the beginning of hostilities in Ukraine in 2014. Then russia annexed Crimea and started hostilities in the east of the country.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Yurik Mkrtchian is a military doctor. He worked as an anesthesiologist and intensivist at the Dnipro Military Hospital. At the end of March 2022, he was informed that there was a shortage of doctors in Mariupol, where heavy fighting was taking place. So Yurik arrived in the city. Rescued people at Illich Steel and Iron Works.
On April 12, 2022, along with other medical workers, Yurik Mkrtchian was taken prisoner. First, they were taken to a filtration camp in Sartana. The camp was set up on the territory of a destroyed farm. The prisoners had to sleep on the floor, and they ate only once a day. And even in those conditions, doctors tried to continue treating wounded Ukrainian soldiers. A few days later, the prisoners were transferred to the penal colony in Olenivka. And from October 16 to November 3, the man was detained in occupied Horlivka. In total, the doctor spent 206 days in captivity.
For reference: more than 500 Ukrainian doctors are currently forcibly detained by russia, including both civilians and military medics, the Center for Civil Liberties reports. Journalists are welcome to request comments from the Center’s experts.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The serviceman with the call sign “Darwin” was mobilized a few weeks after the start of russia’s full-scale invasion. The military man says that he did not hesitate before this decision, but he had to settle the affairs he had in civilian life. “Darwin” is a doctor by profession, his expertise is in DNA analysis. Before the big war, the soldier combined medicine and IT work: he wrote code for DNA analysis that would help detect genetic diseases in children. “Darwin” has applied to Oakland University in Michigan, the U.S. and was supposed to begin his studies in the fall of 2022. However, he decided to postpone his education until Ukraine’s victory.
Now “Darvin” is at the front, journalists are welcome to communicate with him online or – by agreement – in one of the settlements in Kharkiv region.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the full-scale invasion, Yurii Yahusevich was working in the music industry organizing music festivals. He also had horses at the farm. Among the animals bought by Yurii, one happened to be of the Polissia breed. As it turned out, this breed has almost disappeared. Therefore, the man decided to revive it in Ukraine.
Yurii built the “Shcherbati Tsugli” farm in the north of Kyiv region, because there was enough space for a small herd. Before the invasion, Yurii and a team of enthusiasts took the young horses away from the border, but seven adult animals remained. They found themselves under occupation. Although they were not harmed by enemy shelling, they were left without pasture. After all, the area where they used to graze is now littered with unexploded ordnance, and in some places it may be mined. As of now, Yurii brought the animals to Rzhyshchiv, Kyiv region, and is looking for a place where 24 horses could be grazed. Military personnel come to Yurii to ride the horses, so do ordinary residents of Kyiv region who are interested in horses. The man does not take the fee for the ride, but asks to donate to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In the National Reserve “Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra,” the second round of events of the military rehabilitation program is underway. Military chaplains, who work directly on the front lines, have already arrived for this purpose. After them, military personnel and former PoWs in need of rehabilitation will also come to the Lavra. Several stages of “cultural rehabilitation” await them. In particular, the study of the history of Ukraine and the history of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, icon painting and art therapy. The soldiers will go to the caves of the monastery and take part in archaeological excavations on the territory of the Lavra.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
At the Superhumans Center, a modern rehabilitation and prosthetics center for war victims, hydrotherapy is used as one of the methods of rehabilitation. There is a state-of-the-art pool that is specifically adapted to the needs of patients. The treatment improves both the physical and psychological condition of the victims.
Patients can exercise in the pool only when wearing a special waterproof prosthesis.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On August 16, Nine days will have passed since Andrii Babinskyi died in a battle against the russians. The organizers of the rally in memory of the fallen combat medic and the founder of the Vyshyvanka Megamarch call on everyone to wear embroidered shirts to work, study or just for a walk around the city.
On the same day, a commemorative event will be held in Kyiv, to which people are also invited to come wearing vyshyvankas:
6:30 PM – Gathering near the monument to Yaroslav the Wise (Zoloti Vorota metro station)
7:30 PM – The Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen for Ukraine (Triohsviatytelska St.).
After the performance by several musicians, the participants will go to the Wall of Remembrance, where they will honor Andrii Babinskyi, Maksym Nepyjpyvo and all fallen heroes in the russo-Ukrainian war with a moment of silence and performance of the National Anthem of Ukraine.
For reference: On August 8, 2023, Andrii Babinskyi, the creator of the Vyshyvanka Megamarch, a public figure, a biochemist by profession, a senior soldier and a combat medic of the 80th Separate Airborne Assault Brigade, died in a battle with the russian invaders.
While still a student, in the fall of 2008, Andrii started the Vyshyvanka Megamarch – an event in the capital that eventually became an international movement. Participants of the Megamarch traditionally gather twice a year in vyshyvankas and march through the streets of cities.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The team of Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has produced the documentary Beyond the Peace. It was created based on footage made in Bucha district, Kyiv oblast in February 2024.
The documentary depicts the consequences of war crimes committed by the russian army as well as Ukraine’s resistance. The film also includes testimonies by the locals from the previously occupied areas.
The documentary aims to showcase the war crimes that took place during the occupation of Bucha district, Kyiv oblast.
The creators of the film are ready to provide all the necessary broadcasting rights to the documentary.
The English version is available here.
The Ukrainian version (with English subtitles) is available here.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Kateryna Onishchenko lived in Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, after the start of russia’s full-scale invasion, she and her husband immediately started volunteering. Subsequently, the couple founded their own Volunteer Center in Kramatorsk and Hatiko UA charitable foundation, which began to care for disadvantaged people and animals in the east of the country. For more than a year, Kateryna and her husband have been taking care of those who need help: they bring food, clothes and medicines, as well as food and animal cages. Volunteers often delivered humanitarian aid to the hot spots at the front-line, in particular, they went to Avdiivka and Chasiv Yar. They also evacuate four-legged friends and their owners to safe places.
Important notice: Kateryna Onishchenko is currently in Lviv, ready to communicate with journalists both online and in person. Kateryna’s husband is willing to meet with journalists in Kramatorsk.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Mykhailo-Kotsiubynske village is located near Chernihiv. At the beginning of the full-scale war, it was under occupation for more than a month. In March 2022, two russian missiles hit the local lyceum: the first and second floors of the building and the sports ground were destroyed.
The computer science, chemistry, physics, biology and defense of Ukraine classrooms, as well as the archive were also destroyed. The gym was damaged too.
Currently, the charitable foundation “savED” is helping to restore the lyceum (this foundation restores access to education in communities affected by the war).
Also, as part of the efforts by UNITED24, global initiative to support Ukraine, a charity match was held in London, where Ukrainian football players Andriy Shevchenko and Oleksandr Zinchenko took to the field to raise funds to restore Mykhailo-Kotsiubynske Lyceum in Chernihiv region.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On August 17, another rotation will start at the camp supporting the psychological and emotional state of teenagers from Kherson region, who suffered as a result of hostilities and by the explosion of the Kakhovka HPP caused by the occupiers. The camp is located in Truskavka, Lviv region. For 14 days, the visitors will focus on restoring their psycho-emotional state with the help of professional trainers and psychologists. Every day, teenagers will play outdoor games, engage in physical activity, attend trainings and master classes.
For reference: Leisure for teenagers from Kherson region is organized by the Coordination Center “Power of Youth” of the Ukrainian Leadership Academy together with the “JuniorS” NGO.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
To commemorate the Earth Overshoot Day, “Let’s do it Ukraine” invites media representatives, opinion leaders and volunteers to join the Good Kitchen, an environmentally friendly cookhouse on August 18, 2023 to make and deliver hot meals for IDPs and the Ukrainians affected by the war.
During the event, each of the participants can personally become a charity kitchen volunteer and prepare dinners for residents of the affected areas of Mykolaiv region.
Transfer services from Kyiv to Mykolaiv and back will be provided for journalists.
Accreditation required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Bohdan is 27 and was born in Donetsk. He studied at the Donetsk National Medical University, but in 2014 he had to transfer to Kyiv and continue his education.
Before the full-scale war, he worked as a cardiologist in private medical centers. After February 24, 2022, he joined the FRIDA Ukraine Ukrainian-Israeli medical volunteer mission. He provided medical assistance for over 50 medical missions. He treated people in the de-occupied and frontline territories. He had to deal with his work accompanied by the sounds of explosions and doing his job in shelters. During this time, the doctor conducted lifesaving missions to Ukrainians in Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Kherson, Sumy, Donetsk, Mykolaiv, and Dnipro regions.
Recently, Bohdan became the head of a project launched by FRIDA Ukraine in the Kharkiv region together with Polska Misja Medyczna: mobile clinics operate in the region. The team of doctors will have patient appointments in different parts of the de-occupied Kharkiv region for six months.
Journalists are also welcome to cover how mobile clinics operate in the Kharkiv region.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Strongman Federation of Ukraine, together with the Kyiv City Council Department of Youth and Sports, continues to implement a program for veterans to get back on track in life through sports rehabilitation. On August 19, Kyiv will host a competition for military personnel and veterans.
Over 200 participants from all over Ukraine will compete in strongman, athletics, rowing, archery, bench press, and other disciplines.
Defenders with amputations and injuries of arms and legs, internal organs, wheelchair users, etc., will also join the competition.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Volunteers of the Rapid Response Units are among the first to arrive at the scene of emergencies. They evacuate people with limited mobility from under fire and provide humanitarian aid to those remaining in the hot spots. The meeting on August 18 will bring together 90 volunteers from emergency response teams from across the country. In addition, to experience exchange, the meeting will include mine safety training programs conducted by the State Emergency Service and chemical, biological, radiation, and nuclear threats from international partners. Volunteers will also practice one of the emergency scenarios.
Kyiv to venue transfer is organized for journalists.
For reference: Since the beginning of the all-out invasion, rapid response volunteer units have evacuated more than 309 thousand people from the war zone.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Prior to Ukraine’s Independence Day, celebrated on August 24, journalists have the opportunity to interview famous Ukrainian historians. The experts are ready to comment on various issues related to the independence of the Ukrainian state.
- Vladlen Maraiev is a historian Ph.D. in History. He is the host and co-author of the popular YouTube channel about the past of Ukraine and the world, History Without Myths, which currently has more than 700,000 subscribers.
- Serhii Hromenko is a historian, Ph.D. in History, an employee of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory, and a columnist for Radio Liberty’s – Crimea.Realities project, and a participant in the public education project to popularize the history of Ukraine, Likbez. Historic Front”.
- Oleksandr Alforov is a historian, Ph.D. in History, and researcher at the Institute of History of Ukraine. He has his own history YouTube channel, with more than 350 thousand subscribers.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Sarah Ashton-Cirillo is 46 years old. She is an American journalist and transgender woman. Sarah came to Ukraine at the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion. In March 2022, she covered the topic of Ukrainian refugees in Poland, and later joined the territorial defense forces of Ukraine and became a combat medic. At the same time, Sarah continued to write reports for foreign media about enemy shelling. In 2023, the woman was injured, and soon after she received an invitation to join the public relations team of the Territorial Defense Forces. Sarah Ashton-Cirillo’s new position has sparked a lot of discussion. However, this did not affect Sarah’s motivation to serve in the Armed Forces.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ihor Bezkaravainyi is a veteran who in 2015 was injured in a mine explosion. In October 2022, together with his wife Olena, they created the “Unconquered” charitable foundation, which aims to help and support other veterans and their families. After all, spouses know from their own experience how to navigate the path after receiving injury and undergoing rehabilitation, and how to support their partner and return to life.
Currently, the charitable fund is focused on helping the veterans of the russo-Ukrainian war with physical and psychological recovery, as well as with retraining and acquiring a new profession.
Journalists will have the opportunity to talk to Ihor Bezkaravainyi, as well as other veterans who are currently in the charitable foundation’s care.
For reference: Currently Ihor also holds the post of Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine. And in 2020, the man was a member of the Ukrainian team at the Invictus Games.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On August 20, Kyiv will host the presentation of the “Brave Cyclers” project and the official opening of the bicycle workshop. During the presentation, volunteers, including foreigners, will hold a bicycle repair master class for everyone.
In general, in this workshop volunteers repair bicycles provided by benefactors from Amsterdam. Later, these bikes will be sent to people in the de-occupied territories.
For reference: the “Brave Cyclists” initiative is implemented by volunteers of the “Brave to Rebuild” project.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On August 21, Media Center Ukraine — Ukrinform will host the presentation of the US-Ukraine Veterans Bridge. This is the first organization created by American veterans to support Ukrainian combatants.
Participants:
- George Chewning – a U.S. veteran, executive director of the US-Ukraine Veterans Bridge, former White House Presidential Innovation Fellow.
- William Attig – a U.S. veteran, Executive Director at Union Veteran Council, member of the US-Ukraine Veterans Bridge.
- Dennis DJ Skelton – a U.S., Co-Founder of Paradox Sports, member of the US-Ukraine Veterans Bridge.
- Cory Bythrow — Chief of Staff of the American Federation of Government Employees, a member of the US-Ukraine Veterans Bridge.
- Lindsay Church – a U.S. veteran, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Minority Veterans of America, Strategic Advisor at the US-Ukraine Veterans Bridge.
- Colonel Volodymyr Lahuta – Ukrainian veteran, active military serviceman, Chair of the Board of Veteran’s Movement of Ukraine public union.
- Dmytro Shatrovskyi – Ukrainian veteran, active military serviceman, Head of Veteran Brotherhood All-Ukrainian NGO.
- Kateryna Pryimak – Deputy Head of the Ukrainian Women Veteran Movement NGO.
The topics of focus will include cooperation within the framework of the US-Ukraine Veterans Bridge, as well as solutions for Ukrainian veterans and their family members that can be implemented now.
Pre-registration is required.
For reference: the US-Ukraine Veterans Bridge is a coalition of leading US veterans’ organizations and human rights activists united in a common cause to support Ukraine’s developing veteran community.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On August 22, Kyiv will host two panel discussions and a special event by the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People within the framework of the Third Summit of the International Crimea Platform. The goal is to give a background for the discussions that will take place at the Third Summit of the International Crimea Platform: to discuss ways to liberate temporarily occupied Crimea and part of the waters of the Black and Azov Seas; to investigate the opportunities available to Ukraine for the liberation of certain regions; to assess the most likely problems and risks on the way to establishing sustainable and reliable peace; to determine the range of problems on the way to the reintegration of Crimea and to develop a vision for overcoming them.
Participants: representatives of the Expert Network of the Crimea Platform, state authorities of Ukraine, international think tanks and NGOs, representatives of the International Crimea Platform countries officials, and representatives of the academic community.
Some of the participants include:
- Kajsa Ollongren, Minister of Defense of the Netherlands (TBC)
- Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine
- Andriy Kostin, Prosecutor General of Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Serhii Karnaukhov first joined the defense of Ukraine in 2014: he fought at the Donetsk airport, and later served in the east of Ukraine. Alina and Serhii met during the war: the woman came to the front as a volunteer. They later married, and when Serhii’s contract expired, he returned to civilian life. However, for a short time, with the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion, the man took up arms again. And in May 2022, Serhii Karnaukhov died. Alina joined the army to continue what her husband started. However, with her disability, the woman wasn’t allowed to fight at the front itself: she became a military financier and founded “Zhyva” NGO, which supports women who lost their loved ones in the war.
Important notice: Alina Karnaukhova is ready to speak to journalists online and, by prior arrangement, to meet in Dnipro in person.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Kateryna is from Alchevsk, Luhansk region, she had to leave the occupied town back in 2014. There she had a mushroom growing business.
The woman moved to Lviv region, where she decided to start a new business. At first, it was a goat breeding farm, which later turned into an agricultural cooperative. Nowadays, craft cheeses are produced there following authentic and original recipes.At the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion, Kateryna created “Roof over your Head” shelter for displaced people in Lviv region. Dozens of IDPs stayed in the free housing, and now 16 displaced persons live there. (These are, in particular, people from Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhia regions).
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On August 26, on the eve of the Day of Remembrance of Defenders of Ukraine, the All-Ukrainian Patriotic Run “I honor soldiers, I run for the heroes of Ukraine” will take place. For security reasons, the race will be held online.
Anyone who registers can run a distance of 2, 5 or 10 km. The name of the hero whose memory you want to commemorate could be indicated during registration, or the organizers will provide the name together with the participant number. Participants also have the opportunity to choose several distances and which hero to run for.
The patriotic run “I honor soldiers, I run for the heroes of Ukraine” will be held for the sixth time. Participants from different countries of the world will run together with Ukrainians.
For reference: The patriotic run “I honor soldiers, I run for the heroes of Ukraine” is an annual tradition of honoring the memory of fallen defenders. The event was started in 2018 by Taisiia Bratasiuk, Dmytro Prymachenko and Oleh Durmasenko, the father of the fallen hero in the russo-Ukrainian war, “cyborg” Oleksii Durmasenko. The run is to be held on August 29 – the Day of Remembrance of Defenders of Ukraine. Every year, thousands of Ukrainians join the race to honor the memory of those who died defending the independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine, as well as to show gratitude to the families of fallen soldiers.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The sculpture “Cruise Missile” by artist Illia Chornomaz consists of fragments of shells that were hitting the Kharkiv region. During the first days of the enemy invasion, the 24-year-old man was hiding in his workshop. And then he got down to work. Illia spent a year of his life and 500 kilograms of Russian missile fragments on the metal sculpture. He managed to find and collect all the material, thanks to the rescuers. With his sculpture, Illia wants to show the importance of art even in such challenging times. And it also aims to demonstrate the tension experienced by a person who has been living in war for two consecutive years. The “Cruise Missile” is planned to be sold at auction, and the proceeds will be used to support the military defending the Kharkiv region.
Illia Chornomaz is in Kharkiv, ready to talk to journalists, both online and in person.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On Independence Day, a photo exhibition, “Generation of the Unbreakable. The Art of Creating,” dedicated to the defenders and their families whose lives were changed by their service. On August 23, the exhibition will be opened by its heroes, patients of the National Rehabilitation Center UNBROKEN. Each of them was seriously injured and now needs long-term treatment and rehabilitation.
The five defenders will share their stories and the challenges they face on a daily basis. Together with the specialists of the Mental Health Center of the National Rehabilitation Center UNBROKEN, they will tell how to communicate with defenders who have been seriously injured in the war, how to behave properly, and what not to ask.
The National Rehabilitation Center UNBROKEN patients are among the participants:
Volodymyr Rudkovskyi, a military man and young father. Before Russia’s full-scale aggression, he had been living an active lifestyle, running his own business, and was involved in sports. His right leg was amputated.
Mykhailo Bakaliuk, a soldier, originally from the Donetsk region. Father of three sons, the youngest is three months old. A serviceman had his left leg amputated.
Valentyn Anokhin, a soldier, dreams of playing basketball and making children fall in love with sports.
Oleksandr Zhuravel, a military paramedic, is the second patient in Ukraine to have a prosthesis implanted in his bone. His right leg was amputated.
Pavlo Patseruk, soldier, junior lieutenant, platoon commander. Multiple shrapnel injuries of two lower limbs.
Other participants:
Andrii Sadovyi, mayor of Lviv, ambassador of UNBROKEN.
Oleh Samchuk, Director General of the First Medical Association of Lviv.
Iryna Zaslavets, development director of the First Medical Association of Lviv, UNBROKEN project manager, moderator of the event
Oleksandr Kobzarev, Executive Director of the UNBROKEN Foundation.
Natalia Grodz, a psychologist at the Mental Health Center of the National Rehabilitation Center UNBROKEN.
Victoria Khemych, mentor at the National Rehabilitation Center UNBROKEN.
Event accreditation is required for the exhibition.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
An exhibition of Russian military equipment destroyed during the war will be held in Kyiv. It is currently being assembled on Khreshchatyk. The exhibits include damaged Russian tanks, armored personnel carriers, and destroyed missiles. In total, there are plans to display more than 50 pieces.
Journalists can learn more about the exhibits from a representative of the National Military History Museum of Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On August 23, at a briefing at the Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform, wives of Ukrainian captured border guards will tell the stories of their husbands. Journalists will also be able to learn about the struggle that the wives of prisoners are waging to bring their loved ones home.
Participants:
Yaryna Herasymova, wife of a captured border guard;
Anzhela Zvereva, wife of a POW border guard;
Svitlana Shakirova, wife of a POW border guard;
Svitlana Polishchuk, wife of a POW border guard.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
14-year-old Matvii Hlazunov fled the war twice: in 2014 from Avdiivka in Donetsk region to Izyum in Kharkiv region, and in 2022 his family was forced to move to Mukachevo in Zakarpattia region. The boy reflects on these events in his animated films. He makes each character and designs each stage himself, then captures all the movements on camera and edits the cartoon. In 2021, his film “Melissa” won the Grand Prix at the Children Kinofest International Festival. The following year, with the film “Black February”, Matvii won in the festival’s nomination “Best animated film.” “Down the Rock” is the latest and the third cartoon by the young artist, which made it to the finals of the Children Kinofest.
Important notice: Matvii and his family are currently in Odesa, ready to talk with journalists, both online and offline.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In Chernihiv region, an international construction camp for the reconstruction of housing destroyed as a result of russian aggression has started working. It was launched by the organization Repair Together, which is known for its community clean-up events. The project will last three months (until October 10 this year). During this time, there are plans to build at least 9 houses on the site of destroyed buildings.
Eoin, a professional construction worker from Ireland, is one of the many foreign volunteers who joined this camp. The man became the chief foreman, and he helps with reconstruction. There are also volunteers from France, Israel, Finland, Peru, Spain, Lithuania, Germany, Romania, Italy, U.S., Belarus, Poland and Austria.
For reference: Repair Together is an organization that involves volunteers in restoring destroyed villages. Volunteers have already rebuilt 7 completely destroyed houses, repaired another 20 and coordinated the repairs and restoration of 49 buildings.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On August 24, the Independence Day of Ukraine, Lithuanian high-ranking officials, together with representatives of the local administration, will open a kindergarten restored by Lithuania in Irpin, Kyiv region. The officials will then talk to media representatives.
Lithuania rebuilt the largest kindergarten in the city in just eight months after it had been almost completely destroyed by russian troops. The project budget exceeded EUR 4.8 million.
Pre-registration is required.
For reference: This kindergarten sustained the most damage among all the kindergartens in Irpin community. As a result of repeated shelling and fire, the facility was 75% damaged.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On August 25, Media Center Ukraine — Ukrinform will host a networking event for journalists and fixers.
Participants:
– Alina Bondarchuk, Head of the Information Collection and Monitoring Department of the Center for Countering Disinformation of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine;
– Colonel Oleksandr Melnichenko, representative of the Department of Counterintelligence Protection of the State’s Interests in the Field of Information Security of the Security Service of Ukraine;
– Artem Shevchuk, Head of the Expert Group at the Strategic Communications Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine;
Topics of focus:
– The importance of communication with the public sector and why it is necessary to move away from what exists in the information space of Ukraine? How to safely work with the news coming from the russian federation?
– How did the level of media literacy of Ukrainians and immunity to russian fakes increase?
– Why are russian fake news on sensitive topics the most effective and how to work with sensitive topics correctly?
– How to choose a topic for the news so as not to become a tool in the hands of the enemy and stay on subject?
– Basic rules for working with information and responsibility for spreading information from the russian information space to the Ukrainian one.
Pre-registration is required. Registered visitors will be able to join the lecture online: they will be sent a link.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Since the fall of 2019, Nataliia Haietska has been the head of the “Mariupol Zero Waste” initiative group, which includes “Eco Gurt” (eco team) environmental NGO. She has also been an activist in Mariupol. Her activity began with large waste sorting centers in Mariupol. Her team also introduced waste sorting in about 100 housing co-ops of the city. In 2020, the team engaged in environmental education for adults, children and students. They held the first eco-festival in Mariupol and launched a project to implement waste sorting and composting in Mariupol hospitality establishments and parts of Pryazovia area. Their plans were to cover the entire hospitality industry of the region.
Nataliia was caught by russia’s full-scale invasion in Mariupol. She could not leave in the first days because of sick parents. The woman had to survive under the siege for three weeks – under shelling and bombing. Upon receiving help, together with her parents, she was evacuated to Zaporizhia. Then they got to Lviv by evacuation train.
Despite the war, Nataliia together with her colleagues from Kherson in 2022 implemented an international project on making the hospitality sector of Ukraine greener. This year, it was scaled up to the current project “Restoration and Modernization of Hospitality Establishments Based on Zero Waste & Climate Friendly Principles for the Sustainable Development of Ukrainian Communities.” Personnel of about 40 hospitality establishments from all over the country received training, and 10 establishments from 7 regions were chosen for direct offline work.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Marta Klok started volunteering back in 2021. At that time, the girl worked with a charity initiative that supported lonely blind Ukrainians. This year, Marta took up the task of rescuing animals that remained in the front-line zone. Together with the team of “Zhmut Shchastia” (bundle of happiness) charitable foundation, the girl is evacuating animals from the east to Lviv. The team tries to get new families to adopt these animals while transporting them, and those that need medical attention are taken to veterinarians. The foundation functions exclusively through benefactors’ contributions.
Marta is currently in Lviv, ready to communicate with journalists online and offline. By prior agreement, journalists are welcome to cover the evacuation process.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On August 27, a peaceful rally will be held in Kyiv at the initiative of the families of Mariupol border guards held in captivity.
Journalists will have an opportunity to talk in more detail with relatives of captured border guards.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On August 28, savED charity fund’s photo exhibition will be opened in Kyiv. The exhibition is dedicated to the stories of schools and children affected by the full-scale war.
The opening of the photo exhibition will be attended by students of Chernihiv, Mykhailo-Kotsyubynske (Chernihiv region), Borodyanka and Katyuzhanka (Kyiv region) schools, who, despite the horrors of war, shelling and occupation, have not lost their thirst for learning and are actively rebuilding their schools and communities. Their stories will be heard during the opening of the exhibition.
The photo exhibition will be a part of a campaign to raise funds for the construction of a temporary school in the village of Chervona Dolyna, Mykolaiv region. This, in turn, is part of the fund’s fundraising campaign #to_school_again, within which the fund is collecting money for the shelter and to restore facilities of Kyiv, Chernihiv, Mykolaiv and Kharkiv regions.
For reference: As of August 2023, every tenth school in Ukraine has been destroyed by russia. And over 1,500 schools are significantly damaged or destroyed and cannot be repaired.
savED is a charity fund that restores access to education where it was taken away by war.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the full-scale enemy invasion, Oleksii, who went by the nickname “Yogurt” in the army, organized festivals and gastronomic tours and participated in a famous Ukraine cooking show. After the Russian army invaded Ukraine, the man entered active duty service. He took up the food reform in the anti-aircraft missile artillery division of the 47th Mechanized Brigade ‘Magura,’ raising funds and setting up a food truck. It’s a vehicle equipped to cook that isn’t tied to one specific location and can quickly change a place of stay. Oleksii dreams that the General Staff will find out about his project, replace the military kitchen with a mobile field one, and display the food truck at the Victory Day parade.
Currently, Oleksii is in active service on the front line. The soldier is ready to give an interview online and offline by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Olha was an operating room nurse at the Department of Surgery in Hospital No. 555 in Mariupol. Russia’s full-scale invasion caught her while in Mariupol: she was helping to rescue wounded soldiers and civilians (including children). At that time, the medics did not even have time to sleep.
The enemy bomb hit the hospital on March 16, 2022. (The woman was in the operating room at the moment of the attack. The blast wave blew away her and her colleagues). The next day, the nurse was sent to the Ilich Iron and Steel Works together with other doctors. Under extremely tough conditions, in a bunker, they had to do, among other things, bandages and amputations, and doctors even performed open brain neurosurgery.
On April 12, 2022, the nurse and other doctors were taken prisoner. Olha was held in occupied Olenivka, Russian Taganrog, Valuiky, and Kursk, among other places. She was held in captivity for six months. The woman faced humiliation, interrogations, physical and psychological pressure.
For reference, more than 500 Ukrainian medical professionals are currently detained in Russia. Among them are both civilian and military doctors, according to the Center for Civil Liberties. Journalists can also ask for comments from the Center’s experts.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On August 30, media representatives are invited to visit the rehabilitation department at Bila Tserkva Hospital. During the event, the journalists will visit the rehabilitation unit, get acquainted with the work of the multidisciplinary rehabilitation team, and see how the department is organized to provide the best possible care to patients—military and civilians undergoing rehabilitation. Physical therapists will demonstrate the importance of an active approach to rehabilitation using the example of a patient with brain damage.
During the event, journalists will be able to learn about:
– The role of active, evidence-based rehabilitation in the process of treatment and improving the quality of life of patients;
– The rehabilitation process and its stages;
– How a multidisciplinary rehabilitation team works
– Why rehabilitation care it’s about a team of specialists rather than walls and equipment?
– Why should a rehabilitation unit be integrated into a healthcare facility, to work as a part of it, and not as a separate institution?
Event accreditation is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Kateryna Pryimak is one of the leaders of the Ukrainian Women Veteran Movement and a veteran of the russo-Ukrainian war. Kateryna knows firsthand how uncomfortable a uniform for women can be, if it has been sewn by man’s uniform standards. Therefore, when servicewomen began to request uniforms, the Ukrainian Women Veteran Movement, led by Kateryna and her sister in arms Yuliia Sidorova decided that it was time to create one on their own. The workshop started its work about a year ago, later Kateryna turned to the Ukrainian Veteran Fund for help in order to receive a grant and financial support for the development of production. They succeeded. With the grant, the workshop was able to expand to include workstations for volunteers and start courses on sewing technique. Civilians and three female veterans became their first students.
Kateryna is in Kyiv. The veteran woman is ready to communicate with journalists, both online and offline.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Serhii Yevtushenko is 34 years old. With the beginning of the enemy invasion, the man joined the Territorial Defense Forces in Rivne region. Later, he transferred to the 3rd Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Serhii was wounded near Bakhmut when he decided to save the life of his brother in arms, who was blown up on a mine right in front of him. The man says he knew he shouldn’t go, but he couldn’t leave his brothers. When Serhii applied the tourniquet, the enemy mine, which was under the wounded man, detonated. That’s how Serhii lost his foot and ankle. Two months have passed since the amputation, and the soldier is already learning to walk on a prosthesis. Serhii dreams of returning to the army, building a career and getting married.
Serhii is undergoing treatment in Lviv oblast. The soldier is ready to communicate with journalists online and, by prior agreement, in person. He is currently on vacation in Rivne region and will return to continue his treatment later.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On August 30, the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, the Center for Civil Liberties is organizing “VOICES” rally in support of civilian prisoners.
The purpose of this rally is to draw the attention of both the Ukrainian and the global community to the problem of civilians forcibly detained by russia.
The rally will include the following events:
1. A meeting with relatives of civilians detained by russia;
2. Performance by the Actors For Future team, during which actors will show the conditions in which civilians are being kept;
3. Presentation of a brochure containing 50 stories of civilian prisoners, created within the framework of the Prisoners Voice initiative.
Accreditation is required. The rally will take place in Kyiv.
For reference: The Center for Civil Liberties is aware of more than 150 penitentiary facilities in russia and in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine that detain civilians abducted during the occupation without reason. The prisoners were kidnapped from their own homes, on the way to the store or from the workplace.
If journalists are interested in the topics and stories of civilian prisoners and need professional comments, they are welcome to contact the Center for Civil Liberties.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Journalists are invited to a press briefing on a training mission to provide prosthetic services to Ukrainians affected by the war. As part of the project started on August 21, doctors from the Medical Center Orthotics & Prosthetics (Maryland, USA) will train Ukrainian specialists to work with complex amputation cases and complex prosthetics.
On Thursday, August 31, at a press briefing at the Superhumans Center, the first results of the exchange of experience between American and Ukrainian doctors, as well as the teams’ joint work on complex prosthetics for wounded soldiers, will be presented.
Event accreditation is required. Journalists will have the opportunity to talk to doctors and patients.
For reference, the Medical Center Orthotics and Prosthetics (MCOP) is an American medical center in Maryland specializing in prosthetics for patients who are missing limbs with complex amputation cases. The center is known for its work with the U.S. military, as it cooperates with the U.S. Department of Defense. The center’s doctors have prosthetically treated more than 1,000 veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and annually prosthetically treat more than 350 patients on average.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Dobrobat volunteers are helping to restore a destroyed school in Romny, Sumy region. They are currently clearing the rubble and repairing the roof of the workshop.
Four people: the school director, her deputy, a secretary, and a librarian died, the school building was destroyed, and the nearby facilities were vandalized as a result of a Russian drone hitting the educational institution on August 23.
For reference, as of July 2023, according to the Ministry of Education, 180 schools were completely destroyed, and more than 1,300 educational institutions were damaged as a result of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
“Dobrobat” is a volunteer construction division that helps victims in the urgent restoration of housing and social infrastructure in the de-occupied territories.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On August 31, Media Center Ukraine and the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance will hold an educational project presentation that will help to bring the context of this war to the knowledge of foreign and domestic audiences in short-form video content format to debunk myths about Ukraine’s history, and uncover the truth about ‘ruscism.’
Participants:
– Anton Drobovych, Head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance;
– Volodymyr Tylishchak, Deputy Head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance;
– Svitlana Chepurenko, communications manager at Media Center Ukraine;
– Maryna Ponomarenko, producer.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
General David Petraeus, Commander of the U.S. Central Command in 2008-10 and Director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency in 2011-12, will participate.
Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Head of the KSF, Prime Minister of Ukraine in 2014-2016; Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine; Philip Zelikow, Counselor of the U.S. Department of State in 2005-07; Steven Rademaker, The U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation in 2005-06; Lawrence Summers, President Emeritus and Charles W. Eliot University Professor of Economics at Harvard University, The U.S. Treasury Secretary in 1999-2001; Natalie Jaresko, Member of the KSF Security Council, Chairperson of the Aspen Institute Kyiv Supervisory Board, Minister of Finance of Ukraine in 2014-16; Marcin Walecki, Senior Resident Country Director for the National Democratic Institute in Ukraine; Andriy Zahorodnyuk, Chairman of the Board of the Center of Defense Strategies, Minister of Defense of Ukraine in 2019-20; Amb. Valeriy Chaly, Chairman of the Board of the Ukrainian Crisis Media Center, Diplomatic Advisor to the President of Ukraine in 2014-15; Danylo Lubkivsky, Director of the KSF, will participate in the event.
Event accreditation is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oleksandr started making periscopes (an observation apparatus to see above the surface while in cover) after the military asked him to buy a few. The volunteer figured that it would be cheaper to manufacture self-made periscopes. He learned from craftsmen from Cherkasy all the production technology features. The raw materials for the periscopes are brought by other volunteers, neighbors, and all those concerned. Oleksandr also gets assistance from entrepreneurs who send him mirrors for the manufacture of the devices. The volunteer prints the rest of the necessary parts on a 3D printer he bought for donations. And on weekends, together with a friend, he assembles periscopes and prepares them for sending to the front.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On September 2-3, volunteers of the Brave to Rebuild project will be dismantling the rubble of buildings destroyed by the all-out invasion of Russia. They will work in Irpin, Horenka, and Hostomel in the Kyiv region:
For reference: The Brave to Rebuild project aims to help residents of the de-occupied territories of Ukraine. Volunteers are restoring housing and social institutions damaged as a result of Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine. Volunteers from Europe, the United States, Canada, and Australia are also involved in the project.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On September 1, a briefing “School education under Russian occupation: Incitement to hatred and destruction of Ukrainian identity.”
Participants:
– Peter Pomerantsev, British journalist, specialist in media and propaganda in modern Russia (online);
– Yevhen Bondarenko, Head of the Information Support Department of the Mission of the President of Ukraine in the AR of Crimea (in person);
– Valentina Potapova, Head of the Direction of National Advocacy Department of the Almenda Center for Civic Education (in person);
– Anastasiia Vorobiova, analyst at Almenda (online);
Topics of focus:
– Narratives that Russia imposes on children in the Russia-controlled territories through textbooks;
– How Russia’s educational propaganda is gaining momentum. What to expect soon? How does Russian propaganda affect children, and what is its effectiveness?
– Legal assessment of Russia’s actions to impose Russian education on the temporarily occupied territories. Is it possible to bring to justice the authors and distributors of the textbook?
– What to do after de-occupation, how to reintegrate youth and children. Strategy from the Ukraine President’s Mission in the AR of Crimea.
For reference: On September 1, a new academic year begins for children from occupied territories. For some, it will be the 10th year, and for others, it will be the second year of living in such circumstances. For all these years, Russia has been using education for propaganda purposes, destroying the Ukrainian identity of children and militarizing them. And school textbooks are an integral tool.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Natalia Tarabalka is the mother of Stepan Tarabalka, the Ukrainian hero and the protector of skies. The pilot died in air combat in March 2022. Working with a psychologist helped Natalia cope with the loss of her son. Later, when the woman received monetary compensation for the death of her son, she already knew what she would do with hers. In memory of her son, Natalia decided to create the rehabilitation center “Warmth of the Winged Soul” for servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The center provides both physical and psychological rehabilitation services to the military personnel. In addition, fighters will later be able to fish on the lake near the center, engage in art therapy or work in the garden.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Almost 9,500 children have been left without parental care since the beginning of the full-scale war. Of them, almost 1,500 were orphaned due to the terrorist actions of the russian federation. (Data of the National Social Service of Ukraine)
Journalists are welcome to learn more about the adoption of children during the war from representatives of the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine.
“Partnership for Every Child” charitable organization educates families who want to adopt a child into their family. The students of the express courses are people who want to become: adoptive parents, foster parents, patronage caregivers and adopters.
Journalists are welcome to talk to experts from the organization (in particular, instructors, who conduct training), as well as families who adopted children during the war.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The STRATCOM UKRAINE team, the founder of the Invictus Games in Ukraine, invites you to a joint viewing of the movie “Heart of Invictus” from Netflix, which premiered on August 30. The meeting will be held at the “Making of the Ukrainian Nation Museum” Museum.
Among other things, the event will include a tour of the museum, the joint viewing of the film and an opportunity to talk in an informal atmosphere. During the event, the organizers will recall the beginnings of Ukraine’s national team at the Invictus Games. They will also honor the memory of fallen heroes, who participated in the “Invictus Games Ukraine.”
For reference: The Invictus Games 2023 will be held on September 9-16 in Dusseldorf, Germany. Ukraine will be represented by a team of 25 veterans and servicemen who participated in the russo-Ukrainian war and were injured while performing or as a result of their duties in the combat zone.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
General David Petraeus, Commander of the U.S. Central Command in 2008-10 and Director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency in 2011-12, will participate.
Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Head of the KSF, Prime Minister of Ukraine in 2014-2016; Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine; Philip Zelikow, Counselor of the U.S. Department of State in 2005-07; Steven Rademaker, The U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation in 2005-06; Lawrence Summers, President Emeritus and Charles W. Eliot University Professor of Economics at Harvard University, The U.S. Treasury Secretary in 1999-2001; Natalie Jaresko, Member of the KSF Security Council, Chairperson of the Aspen Institute Kyiv Supervisory Board, Minister of Finance of Ukraine in 2014-16; Marcin Walecki, Senior Resident Country Director for the National Democratic Institute in Ukraine; Andriy Zahorodnyuk, Chairman of the Board of the Center of Defense Strategies, Minister of Defense of Ukraine in 2019-20; Amb. Valeriy Chaly, Chairman of the Board of the Ukrainian Crisis Media Center, Diplomatic Advisor to the President of Ukraine in 2014-15; Danylo Lubkivsky, Director of the KSF, will participate in the event.
Event accreditation is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before becoming a farmer, Natalia Koval taught at the Kharkiv National University of Economics. In 2011, her husband suggested starting a farm and Natalia agreed. In 2022, their family farm in one of the villages of Kharkiv region had more than three hundred cows and 12 employees. With the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the farm was occupied.
Families with children remained in the village, and the farm became their salvation. After all, milk was distributed there for free, as well as bread baked by farm employees. The farm had its own generator, and thus electricity. Sometimes one could even catch a mobile connection there.
Occupiers took Natalia’s husband “to the basement,” he miraculously managed to get out. Today, the farm is recovering after all the horrors it experienced.
For reference: on September 6, 2022, Ukrainian troops launched a major counteroffensive in Kharkiv region. Subsequently, Kharkiv region was completely de-occupied.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Ukrainian VR project “FIRST DAY” directed by Valeriy Korshunov and produced by Svitlana Korshunova will be presented for the first time at the 80th Venice International Film Festival.
FIRST DAY is a fully immersive first-person VR experience that transports the visitor to the first day of russia’s full-scale invasion, and allows them to experience the internal transformation that Ukrainians went through on February 24, 2022.
The project is based on the stories of real people. The viewer will be able to see the houses of Borodyanka and Bucha destroyed by invaders’ shells. Along with a large number of other artifacts of the war, the buildings were scanned and then reproduced in virtual space.
The project will be presented in Ukraine on September 7. At the closed press event, journalists will have an opportunity to visit the project’s virtual location in VR helmets, talk with the authors of the project and the founders of Venice Immersive in a live virtual format. Residents of Borodyanka and Hostomel, who witnessed the occupation and who can share their experiences, are also invited to the project presentation.
Prior accreditation is required.
For reference: The 80th Venice International Film Festival began on August 30 and will last until September 9.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In Kharkiv region, the Kharlamov family (mother Halyna, father Serhii, and son Yevhen) were evacuating people from under shelling since the beginning of the full-scale war. They became the founders of “Volunteer-68 Humanitarian Aid Center” NGO.
In particular, the volunteer family helped evacuate people across the Pechenihy dam in 2022, when part of Kharkiv region was still under occupation. Halyna recalls that it took people 5-6 hours to get to this dam alone, getting through more than 20 enemy checkpoints. Women with children, elderly people were completely exhausted. Almost every woman cried after reaching a safe place. And after the liberation of the region, “Volunteer-68” team drove into populated areas in ambulances and picked up people with limited mobility as well as everyone else who wanted to evacuate.
Recently, “Volunteer-68 Humanitarian Aid Center” NGO and Vostok-SOS Charitable Foundation initiated the opening of a temporary shelter in Kharkiv for low-mobility population groups and people with disabilities who are being evacuated from front-line communities.
For reference: on September 6, 2022, Ukrainian troops launched a major counteroffensive in Kharkiv region. Subsequently, Kharkiv region was completely de-occupied.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The “Contemporary View” public union has been working with the military for several years in a row. In 2019, the organization held the first enrollment for soldiers who lost their sight in the war. And before the beginning of the big war, about ten such camps were held. Since the full-scale invasion, the public union has held two successful enrollment campaigns and started the third one. Military personnel and their families are invited to a rehabilitation center in Lviv region, where they are taught to take care of themselves, in particular, to navigate the city, cook food, use public transport and gadgets. Military personnel are trained by instructors who have also participated in combat operations and are visually impaired.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A “Safety Training Classroom” starts classes in the village of Baryshivka, Kyiv region, on September 8. The classroom training will teach students how to provide first aid and familiarize them with mine safety rules. The State Emergency Service representatives will attend the opening of the classroom.
For reference, The government approved the Safety Training Classroom to start across Ukraine in September last year. The room is fitted out with appropriate equipment to organize training on fire and mine safety. Among other things, children are taught how to act in the event of an emergency and in the event of an air raid alarm. The experts from the State Emergency Service, the National Police, medical workers, combatants, and mine safety specialists are engaged in taking “Safety Training Classroom” classes.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A team of beauty industry professionals will visit one of the de-occupied villages in Mykolaiv region on September 10. The beauty volunteers will give free haircuts and massages and do eyebrows to the villagers.
For reference, the idea of beauty volunteering belongs to makeup artist Olha Belytska. Together with like-minded people, Olha comes to the de-occupied settlements of the Kyiv region, as well as to the other areas of the country, to help people who have faced the horrors of the occupation feel beautiful again.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Rivne Zoo offers tours for defenders undergoing rehabilitation. Guests can take a walk around the zoo, watch the animal’s feeding process, and get involved under the supervision of specialists. Tours give an inside look at African lions, Amur tigers, various primates (feline lemurs, Japanese macaques), and many other species of animals. There is also an opportunity to experience up-close encounters with some zoo inhabitants (horses, ponies, turtles, dwarf goats, and sheep). The tour can last 1.5-2 hours. Employees take into account the health status of the defenders and adjust the route and program for their comfortable rest.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On September 8, a press marathon on the situation in the temporarily occupied territories will be held in Kyiv.
Some of the participants include:
- Dmytro Lubinets, Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights
- Andriy Yusov, Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine
- Oleg Nikolenko, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine
- Aaro Ylitalo, Political Officer at the EU Delegation to Ukraine
- Anatolii Stelmakh, Deputy Minister for the Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine
- Ihor Solovey, Head of the Centre for Strategic Communication and Information Security
- Ivan Fedorov, Mayor of Melitopol
- Oleksandra Romantsova, Executive Director at the Center for Civil Liberties
Accreditation required (registration ends on September 7 at 6:00 p.m.). The location will be disclosed after accreditation for the event.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the Big War, Olena Kravchenko organized concerts in her native village in Poltava region. But since February 24, 2022, the woman has turned her organizational skills to volunteering. At first, Olena collected products for the territorial defense fighters of the region. In a few days, there was so much food that she could send several buses with supplies to the military.
Currently, Olena’s work resulted in food being collected in more than 10 villages of the community. Olena’s sister used to take products to the front line herself. Now it’s Kravchenko who has got behind the wheel and visits the military almost every week. Olena brings dried borscht and grain products, which it is convenient for the army men to take on missions, and those celebrating their birthdays get home-made cakes.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
With the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Fortune Volunteers NGO took up the task of providing medical supplies to the military. Volunteers, mostly women, began sewing first-aid kits for those at the front and learning what to fill them with. Currently, female volunteers sew first-aid kits according to NATO standards and fill them with medicines that may be needed at the front. In addition, women make knee pads and stretchers for carrying the wounded. Women from Zhytomyr say that they try to make everything as sturdy as possible so that things can last longer. But they always hope that none of the soldiers will have to use their first-aid kits.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Hassan moved from Syria to Ukraine in 1999, he studied to become a dentist, got married, and the couple had four children. When war broke out in his native Syria, Hassan’s parental home was one of the first to be destroyed by russia. And a few years later – in 2014 – Hassan himself joined the battle against the russian troops in the east of Ukraine. Back then he fought in the “Aidar” battalion, and with the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the man became a sanitary instructor in the 14th Mechanized Brigade “Prince Roman the Great.”
Important notice: the 14th Mechanized Brigade “Prince Roman the Great” will be waiting for questions from journalists who want to talk to the military man. After confirmation, the press service of the brigade itself will record a video with Hassan’s response and pass it on to journalists.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Hasidic pilgrims have been arriving in Uman, Cherkasy region to celebrate Rosh Hashanah for a week. This year, the celebration of the Jewish New Year falls on September 15-17. It is widely known that Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, founder of Breslover Hasidim, is buried in the city.
Security measures are being tightened in Uman. From September 11 to 21, a special regime of entry and exit, as well as the citizens’ travel through the city will be in place. Journalists who want to cover the celebration must obtain special permits.
Earlier, the regional authorities recommended that pilgrims refrain from visiting the country, given the war and regular mass shelling.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Anton is 27. He is a surgical oncologist. The man was born in Donetsk region, since 2014 he has lived in Kharkiv. In order to help people who suffered as a result of the war, in August last year he joined the Ukrainian-Israeli mission of medical volunteers FRIDA Ukraine. And since in September 2022 the Armed Forces liberated the occupied territories of Kharkiv oblast, Anton participated in the first field medical missions to settlements de-occupied from the enemy. He recalls that he was most stricken by the sight of broken houses and burnt down tanks between them. And while helping people, he heard that fighting was still going on somewhere nearby.
In general, the medical volunteer managed to visit almost all the de-occupied settlements of Kharkiv region.
For reference: on September 6, 2022, Ukrainian troops launched a major counteroffensive in Kharkiv region. Subsequently, Kharkiv oblast was completely de-occupied.
The Ukrainian-Israeli medical volunteer movement FRIDA Ukraine has been helping civilians since the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Volunteer doctors (of various specialties) travel to the frontline and de-occupied regions (for example, Kharkiv, Kherson, or Donetsk regions), where they help local residents who complain about their health. In particular, they consult locals, perform surgeries, evacuate and distribute medicines.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On September 11, a presentation of a VR exhibition about the crimes of russians in the temporarily occupied territories will be held in Kyiv. During the presentation, the authors of the exhibition will show a clip from the documentary film, photos, as well as a VR-video with testimonies of Ukrainian citizens from de-occupied territories.
The VR video of the documentary project “Deoccupation ” will allow “transporting” the viewers to the de-occupied territories and, with the stories of eyewitnesses, viewers will be able to experience everything that happened there more fully. It will be possible to “visit” Kharkiv, Kukhari village (Kyiv Polissia) and settlements of Sivershchyna.
Participants:
- Oleksandra Romantsova, Executive Director at the Center for Civil Liberties
- Vitalii Poberezhnyi, Producer of the docuseries “Deoccupation”
- Karina Piliugina, Producer and Author of Ukraïner projects
- Spokesperson for the National Resistance Center of Ukraine
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Tetiana Romaniuk joined the volunteer battalion “Hospitallers” in September 2022, when her skills as a quick response volunteer of the Red Cross Society in Ukraine came in handy. The woman went to the front line with five years of experience in emergency situations. In the break between evacuation missions, Tetiana works on towel embroidery, which is her way of trying to restore Ukrainian culture, which is being destroyed by the russian military.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ultramarathoner Boas Kragtwijk started his journey on July 22 in Amsterdam. The athlete set himself the goal of running to Kyiv and raising funds for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Mostly, for ambulances and medical equipment and, also to show that the russo-Ukrainian war is not as far away as it seems. Boas Kragtwijk ran at least 50 kilometers every day. He managed to raise EUR 56,500 and already bought one ambulance.
On September 13, Boas Kragtwijk is coming back to the Netherlands. The ultramarathoner is ready to communicate with journalists online.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In the Korolenko State Scientific Library of Kharkiv, emergency works are currently ongoing. In particular, a temporary protective cover is being installed over the building.
In March 2022, the entire library complex was damaged due to rocket attacks by the occupiers on the center of Kharkiv. For instance, fragments of shells and rockets pierced the roof of the main building, destroyed the lantern above the atrium (damaging stained glass windows). Blast waves knocked out windows throughout the library. The ceilings in the workrooms began to crumble. The heating system was destroyed. Workers are trying to keep the library fund safe from moisture and mold.
According to preliminary estimates, UAH 70 million are needed for repair and restoration works.
For reference: The main building of the library was designed by O. M. Beketov, an outstanding Ukrainian architect (built in 1901). The building is an architectural monument and a part of urban infrastructure of state importance. It is under state protection.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On September 12, a briefing on the topic: “Results of work by CO-PILOT NEURO mission of American neurosurgeons to Ukraine” will take place in Kyiv.
Participants:
Maksim Shapiro, neurosurgeon (USA)
Peter K. Nelson, endovascular neurosurgeon (USA)
Professor Dmytro Shcheglov, neurosurgeon specializing in interventional neuroradiology, Candidate of Medical Sciences (Ukraine)
Mykhailo Kostiuk, neurosurgeon, vascular surgeon, Candidate of Medical Sciences (Ukraine)
Olena Tieriaieva, medical expert, Project Manager at “RAZOM Health” program of the “RAZOM for Ukraine” charity (Ukraine)
The American neurosurgeons’ mission visited different cities of Ukraine on September 4-13. Doctors of the mission perform the most complex neurosurgical operations and help implement the latest costly neuroradiological technologies to treat cerebrovascular diseases in Ukraine.
On September 4-6, the mission performed surgeries in Dnipro, on September 7-9 in Lviv, and on September 10-13 in Kyiv.
For reference: The “Co-Pilot” program has been implemented by the “RAZOM” foundation together with partners during 2016-2023. It brings missions of American and Canadian doctors of various specialties to Ukraine: reconstructive surgeons, face, head and neck, eye reconstruction, neurosurgeons, orthopedists and traumatologists. The purpose of the program is to train professional doctors of the highest level in Ukraine, who would become the foundation, from which the latest knowledge and technologies will spread among the entire medical community.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
During Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Oleh decided to join the army to fight in the war. His unit was assigned to the 68th Jaeger Brigade. The man says that an enemy tank hit the building he was in. Shell fragments hit Oleh in the leg and severely injured it. Later, due to improper treatment, the metatarsal bone began to rot and had to be removed.
However, now the man is a member of the #SavetheLimb National Program, which entails amputation-free survival. Healthcare professionals are working towards leg salvage. Some patients treated within the program, depending on the complexity of their injuries, may undergo as many as twenty surgeries to avoid limb amputation.
For information: The “Save the Limb” national program was launched last year at the initiative of the International Charitable Foundation “Health of the Ukrainian People.” Its mission is to stop the disability of Ukrainians due to injuries to their arms and legs sustained during the war.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oksana Anisimova got down to setting up a museum in the Zemlianka village. It happened after the villagers decided to rename Lenin Street and name it after one of their prominent fellow villagers. That’s how the residents learned about their fellow countrywoman, Pelaheia Lytvynova-Bartosh, an ethnographer and researcher who worked in this area in the late 19th century. Pelaheia’s example inspired people to establish an ethnographic museum. In the museum, villagers collect ancient artifacts that they have kept since the time of their great-grandmothers and restore forgotten Ukrainian customs. Before the outbreak of the full-scale war, the museum was visited by many tourists, including foreigners. Although the enemy army did not occupy the village of Zemlianka in the Sumy region, the border area became dangerous to stay at.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A short film, “What Have We Lost?” written and acted by teenagers, will be screened in Kyiv. The film’s authors are children who survived the occupation, life near the fighting unfolded, traveling abroad, and other challenges of war. They will also present the film to journalists.
The teenagers created the film as part of an art therapy screenwriting course implemented by the Voices of Children Charitable Foundation. For three months, under the supervision of the director Marisa Nikitiuk, a group of children learned to live through the trauma of war through art.
The private screening of the film will take place on September 13.
Participants of the conversation:
- Nastia, Valeria, and Sofia, participants of the course, screenwriters, and actors of the film;
- Olena Rozvadovska, children’s human rights activist, Chair of the Voices of Children Foundation;
- Marysia Nikitiuk, film director (Ya.Nina, When Trees Fall), the screenwriting course tutor.
Actress Irma Vitovska and Azad Safarov, the second director of the “A House Made of Splinters” documentary, are others in attendance.
Event accreditation is required.
For information: The Children’s Voices Charitable Foundation provides psychological and psychosocial support to children and parents affected by war.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The survey results “From Poland to Germany. New Trends in Ukrainian Refugee Migration” are to be present in Kyiv on September 13. The study was conducted in August 2023 by the EWL Migration Platform, the EWL Foundation, and the Centre for East European Studies at the University of Warsaw and commissioned by the Chancellery of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland. It was conducted among 400 Ukrainian citizens who came to Poland after the outbreak of war, received temporary protection status in Poland, and then left for Germany.
Speakers:
- Jan Malicki, Professor, Head of the Center for East European Studies, University of Warsaw (online)
- Andrzej Korkus, the EWL Migration Platform Group Chairman of the Board (in person)
- Mariusz Kowalski, PhD, social geographer (online)
- Margarita Sytnyk, spokesperson of the EWL Migration Platform (in person)
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Olha Lekova first faced the war in 2014, when Russia attacked Ukraine in the East. The woman fled Donetsk almost on the last available train going to Kyiv. Here, she started her own business, an interior design studio. When the enemy stepped to the capital’s outskirts in 2022, she decided to stay and fight. She started to equip shelters that were in a poor state. Together with her team, Olha creates shelter furniture from recycled plastic collected by ordinary Kyiv residents and donated by businesses: chairs, tables, and folding beds. So far, they have managed to equip 15 shelters in 8 country regions.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A Lviv region rehabilitation center has initiated the “Fly” project to help soldiers wounded at the front who survived amputations learn new skills. It is about flying drones, which can become a new profession for veterans. The training includes gaining theoretical knowledge and practice experience: first, the military takes the course, then gives their skills a try on test simulators, and then trains to fly drones at specific locations. The project is supported by several charitable organizations, including Patients of Ukraine, With an Angel on a Shoulder, Protez Hub, and the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On September 14, the Veteranka Women’s Veteran Movement and the Hospitallers medical volunteer battalion representatives of NGOs that support women defenders will gather in Kyiv. The mission of the event is to emphasize the need for reliable protection for female servicewomen and to showcase the first anatomical female body armor suit made in Ukraine. The suit called “Ruta Liuta” (Furious Rue) was developed by Ukrainian Armor™ and has been certified by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
Event accreditation is required.
For reference: Since 2014, women have been actively participating in the fighting in the East. According to the Ministry of Defense’s latest data, there are 42,000 female soldiers in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including 60,000 civilian employees. Of these, 5,000 women are defending the country on the front line alongside men.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Lyceum No. 3 will be opened in Irpin, Kyiv region, on September 16. The institution suffered the greatest destruction at the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion. The Lyceum building and the surrounding area were hit by 30 enemy shells and mines. The level of damage was about 75%.
The restoration of the building of Irpin Lyceum No. 3 is currently being completed. The work was funded by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Ukraine. Foreign and Ukrainian philanthropists have also contributed to the reconstruction of the lyceum, and funds have been raised from the local budget.
The opening ceremony will be attended by:
– Oksen Lisovyi, Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine;
– Ruslan Hurak, Head of the State Education Quality Service of Ukraine;
– Serhii Babak, Chair of Verkhovna Rada’s Education, Science, and Innovations Committee;
– Ruslan Kravchenko, Head of Kyiv Oblast Military Administration;
– Danylo Mavlianov, Head of Bucha District Administration;
– Oleksandr Markushyn, Mayor of Irpin.
Event accreditation is required.
For reference, Irpin Lyceum No. 3 is one of the largest general secondary education institutions in the community and the only one located in a densely populated city neighborhood. Before the start of the full-scale war, about 2,000 students took morning or evening classes.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Andriana joined the defense of Ukraine for the first time in 2014. The woman was a member of assault troops, during the anti-terrorist operation, she participated in the battles for the Luhansk airport. Later, Andriana returned to civilian life and founded the “Veteranka” movement. Together with the members of the movement, the servicewoman fought for the women’s right to serve in the Ukrainian army. Immediately after the beginning of the big war, Andriana took up arms again. She fought in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Kherson regions. Nine months ago, the military woman was blown up by a mine. After long-term treatment and rehabilitation, Andriana is preparing to return to the front again.
Important notice: Until the end of September, Andriana will stay in Kyiv. Then she is going to the front.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Driving courses for women who found themselves in difficult life circumstances due to the war were launched in the capital: they were forced to leave their homes, they lost their work, income or survived the occupation. The first class has already taken place. After completing the courses and successfully passing the exam, students will be able to obtain category B licenses.
The Kyiv City Administration reports that the pilot project will provide an opportunity for 15 women to get a new profession and obtain a freedom that a car can provide, become independent and self-confident. Inclusive education for 5 women with disabilities is also provided separately.
For reference: The training courses are held as a part of the project for the development of the economic capacity of women “VONA hub,” which is carried out by the UN Population Fund in Ukraine with the implementation by “Innovative Social Solutions” NGO, upon the initiative of the Kyiv City State Administration and with the financial support of USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA).
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On September 15, free first aid training will be held at 12 stations of the capital subway. Experienced specialists and instructors of the Center for Emergency Medical Aid and Disaster Medicine will conduct training for everyone. Doctors will teach people how to initially assess the victim’s condition, how to act in case of massive bleeding, airflow limitation, thermal burns, etc.
Important note: Foreign media must obtain accreditation from the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On September 16, 2023, Redkolegia. Summit, the biggest media event of the year will take place in Kyiv. The summit is organized by Media Center Ukraine and the UNIT.City innovation park. Special celebrity guests and over 20 reputable speakers are expected at the event. Including:
Mykhailo Podolyak, Advisor to the Head of the President’s Office,
Mykhailo Fedorov, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation,
Illya Kabachynskyi, AIN.UA
Vladyslava Zatsarynna. DOU
Redkolehiia is the largest media forum in Ukraine, which unites representatives of television, press, radio and digital media. Media industry professionals come together to discuss problems and challenges in the industry and jointly find solutions to them, share ideas on new content formats, business development and expansion, as well as take a look at the profession in terms of ethics.
For reference: Media Center Ukraine and UNIT.City have already held two Redkolegia events. They took place in August 2022 and January 2023. At that time, Ukrainian journalists and the authorities came together to discuss how to speed up the victory of our country together, preserve journalism during the war, and make the media industry profitable.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The idea of an oven on wheels to cook pizza in it came to Vitaliy at the beginning of 2023. He saw a version of an oven on wheels in the form of a trailer attached to a bus, and it is completely mobile. To implement his plan, Vitaliy bought an old bus, took his time to repair it and finally turned it into a vehicle that can ride around the entire front line and feed the soldiers with pizza, just like the pizza chef dreams. First, Vitaliy plans to try to cook pizza in Kyiv region in military hospitals, and later to go to the front line.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Since the summer of 2022, the volunteer project “Marriage for a Hero” has been helping to organize “turnkey” weddings for military personnel. A team of beauty and event industry professionals provide their services for free. Organization and coordination of the wedding, make-up and hairstyle for the bride, wedding invitations, cake, cameramen and photographers’ services, decorations – this is far from a complete list of what they help with free of charge within the framework of the charity initiative.
The volunteer project “Marriage for a Hero” was founded by Svitlana Olifer from Cherkasy, who has been working in the wedding industry for seven years. Currently, the project has already been scaled up throughout Ukraine. The project has helped with a total of more than 20 weddings.
Important notice: In the near future, volunteers of the initiative will help a Kharkiv couple in love to organize a wedding celebration. By prior agreement, the mass media can attend the marriage registration ceremony.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In Ploske village, Kyiv region, savED charity fund is creating a Digital Education Center with the support of U-LEAD program. It will serve as a learning environment equipped for extracurricular activities for children of all ages.
The Digital Education Center is being set up in the premises of a kindergarten (renovations are currently underway there), next to a school that was damaged at the beginning of the full-scale invasion. Occupants stayed in it, and put their tanks near its walls. During the battle with the Ukrainian troops, tank ammunition detonated. A part of the school burned down to the ground.
For reference: Digital Educational Centers are locations for learning and leisure, which are set up in school premises (with some exceptions). There is comfortable furniture, necessary equipment, gadgets, books, board games, and creative materials. The work of the centers is organized by mentors. The centers, in particular, host entertainment and relaxation activities.
savED is an international charity fund that restores access to education in communities affected by russia’s war against Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On September 19, in Zhovten cinema in Kyiv, journalist Danylo Mokryk will present an investigative documentary for The Kyiv Independent “Children Who Never Were.” The film tells about the murders of Ukrainian children by the russian military.
Pre-registration is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Aelita Basanets is a mother and wife of an Armed Forces serviceman. When the full-scale invasion began, she went to Poland with her son. She returned eight months later wanting to be as close as possible to her beloved and the military’s families. Aelita saw women losing their husbands in the war withdrawing into themselves and becoming reserved, distancing people. She decided to support them and founded the Children of Angels charity in Kremenchuk, which provides free care for military children and their wives. The foundation’s volunteers are tutors who prepare children for higher education institution admission. The volunteering services also include eyebrow artists, dentists, and makeup artists who work with the wives of fallen soldiers.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Rehabilitation by Tourism project for rotating military enlisted personnel or those undergoing rehabilitation is now unfolding in the Lviv region. On September 23-24, the participants will spend two days traveling around the Lviv region. A river catamaran trip will be available. Considering the state of health, the military is welcome to take part in kayaking and rock climbing workshops. A guided tour and a caving trip to be also organized for the project participants. All activities are free of charge for the defenders. About 30 participants have already signed up. The “Rehabilitation by Tourism” project is being implemented by the Manivtsi Tourist Club together with the Youth and Sports Department of the Lviv Oblast Military Administration.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On September 19, Kyiv will host a “Nuclear prison: how Rosatom turned Europe’s largest nuclear power plant into a torture chamber and how the world can stop it” by Truth Hounds, documentary filmmakers, and international crime investigators.
Speakers:
- Roman Avramenko, Executive director of Truth Hounds;
- Dmytro Koval, Legal Director of Truth Hounds;
- Oleksandra Romantsova, Executive Director at the Center for Civil Liberties NGO;
The study analyses systematic kidnappings, torture, and murders of ZNPP employees, which have been carried out with the assistance of the russian state atomic energy corporation Rosatom since March 2022. Truth Hounds interviewed witnesses and victims, analyzed photo and video materials, and studied data from Ukrainian law enforcement agencies. The researchers proved that the actions of the russian occupation forces, which were known to Rosatom, constitute serious violations of international law in the form of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Anzhela Slobodian is a Kherson journalist who lived under enemy occupation for four months. She spent a month in captivity. The journalist continued her work despite the extreme risk to her life. The film she created based on the results of those months is called Invasion and tells the story of a family from the Kherson region. The widow of Leonid, a local resident, and her daughter share their memories. Leonid died in the first days of the Russian invasion in 2022. Anzhela filmed, among other places, in the hospital, where she talked to the wounded Leonid. In order to talk to him, Slobodian changed into a white cost and mask and get into the medical facility.
The journalist plans to show this film to the general public. She is currently adding English subtitles and submitting an application to one of the film festivals in Berlin.
Important: Anzhela Slobodian lives in Vinnytsia and comes to Kyiv every weekend. She is ready to give an offline and online interview to journalists.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A team of plastic surgeons will perform a free surgery for a Ukrainian defender in Kyiv as part of the NoScar initiative on September 22. Bohdan is 24 years old. He is a soldier from the Kirovohrad region. His military service took place near Kherson and was seriously injured. The defender lost his eye and had shrapnel wounds all over his body. His arm is not functioning properly. On Friday, the team of doctors plans to treat the largest scar on his chest, reconstructive surgery of the eyelids, and tissue lipofilling (to make the prosthetic eye not differ from a healthy one).
Journalists will have an opportunity to talk to the doctors and the patient.
For reference: NoScar is an initiative to provide free scar correction for Ukrainians who suffered in the war.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On September 28, training for future volunteer medics will take place in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast to last for more than a week. In October, the training will be held in Kyiv.
The Hospitallers medical volunteer battalion organizes such training sessions regularly across the country.
Journalists are welcomed to cover the training process.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
For ten years, dog trainer Larysa Borysenko searched and returned the bodies of dead soldiers and civilians to their relatives. In addition to working independently during search and rescue missions, the woman headed the Antares search and rescue squad. Larisa’s life almost ended in March 2023 in Kharkiv region, when she, along with her partner and a search dog, blew up on a tripwire. Larysa was seriously injured and was in a coma when she was taken to a hospital in Dnipro. The doctors did not expect a positive outcome, but Larysa woke up from a coma, underwent rehabilitation and returned to the Pavlohrad-based search and rescue squad a few days ago.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
David is a U.S. citizen, who runs a consulting company (working with NGOs and charities on their financial health and sustainability). The man visited Ukraine for the first time in 2012 (Kyiv, Kharkiv and Donetsk) and says that he fell in love with it. When russia’s full-scale invasion began last year, he went to Warsaw with International Medical Relief to help Ukrainians. He came to Ukraine in June 2023. Here he joined the volunteer project “Brave to Rebuild.”
The man has already joined the efforts to rebuild houses and repair schools. He even went to Kherson to help repair buildings that were damaged by floods and shelling.
David is currently in Kherson. And starting from next week, he will be ready to talk with the media in the capital.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The “On3wheels” project was founded by two friends in 2016. Sava and Oleksandr set out to organize accessible hikes in the mountains for people with disabilities. For this purpose, they purchased a special cart and recruited a large team of volunteers, ready to help people get to the peaks of the Ukrainian Carpathians. As the full-scale invasion began, the team contemplated a new format, mainly organizing hikes for soldiers, who lost their limbs due to war injuries. This year, they have already managed to hold one such hike for ten soldiers. Now the volunteers are preparing for the next hike with the military.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On September 21, a press conference entitled: “Interfaith cooperation between religious communities in Ukraine and the United States for the sake of peace in Ukraine” will be held in Kyiv. The participants include (in person):
- Dr. Mohammed Zaher Sahloul, MedGlobal President, professor at the University of Illinois Chicago and the University of Washington,
- Kareem M. Irfan, Vice President of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA),
- Rev. Gregory Seal Livingston, Ordained Baptist Minister, Pastor, Preacher,
- Sheikh Rustam Gafuri, Deputy Mufti of Ukraine of the Religious Administration of Muslims of Ukraine, representative of the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations,
- Evelina Kurilets, Director at Razom for Ukraine Charitable Foundation.
The topics of focus at the press conference include: countering the propaganda of the russian Orthodox Church and Patriarch Kirill in the U.S. and Muslim countries, as well as conveying the truth about the war in Ukraine to the highest political circles in the U.S.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On September 27, the Ukrainian Agrarian Council, with the support of the USAID Agriculture Growing Rural Opportunities Activity (AGRO), will organize a press tour for journalists to the affected agricultural enterprises of Chernihiv oblast and a roundtable discussion with the participation of representatives of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, the Committee of Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Agricultural and Land Policy, local self-government agencies, representatives of partner countries, charities and affected farmers.
During the press tour, media representatives will visit three farms in Chernihiv region of various sizes and specialized in different areas, which got damaged as a result of hostilities and lost their production facilities as well as livestock.
After the press tour, Kyiv will host a roundtable discussion to consider priority needs and tools to support the recovery of the agricultural sector. The participants include:
Mykola Solskyi, Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food
Yulia Svyrydenko, First Deputy Prime Minister – Agrarian Policy and Food Minister
Oleksandr Haydu, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Committee on Agrarian and Land Policy
Kseniya Sydorkina, Director for USAID AGRO Program
Andriy Dykun, Chair of the Ukrainian Agrarian Council
Also, the discussion will be joined by the affected agricultural producers from different regions of Ukraine and representatives of international donors.
Registration is required. A detailed event agenda will be provided after confirmation of media accreditation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The village of Hostomel in Kyiv region was one of the settlements that suffered at the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion. It is here that the French company Neo-Eco turned construction waste from buildings destroyed by the occupiers into new building materials.
The company dismantled 4 apartment buildings in Hostomel (and one more building was dismantled by another company). A total of about 50,000 tons of construction waste were collected and then sorted and processed. So, for example, bricks were turned into bedding material, concrete – into various fractions, which can be used in the future for the production of new concrete. A formula for concrete with the repeated use of recycled materials was developed as well. With modern technologies, it was possible to avoid environmental pollution with construction debris.
The company followed similar ecological principles when restoring the port destroyed by the explosion in the capital of Lebanon, Beirut.
The local authorities plan to use recycled building materials in the construction of new houses.
Journalists have the opportunity to obtain photos and videos of dismantling and recycling works, as well as to film at the site where recycled construction waste is stored and to talk with company representatives.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On October 1, the “Buhurt Sich” rehabilitation project for military and veterans will launch in Ukraine. Psychological recovery will be provided via buhurt sports. The military will be able to practice in team jousting in full armor, as well as try out costume reconstruction, pottery, archery and crossbow shooting. It is also an opportunity to spend time in a friendly community.
The project is to be integrated into the activities of the rehabilitation center, where psychologists and rehabilitation doctors will offer buhurt sports as one of the activities. There are also plans to organize additional “Buhurt Sich” sites in different cities of the country, they should become places where a veteran can come with their problems and find support.
For reference: the “Buhurt Sich” project was initiated by the NGO “Buhurt Association in Ukraine.” The founders of the initiative are Ihor Parfentiev, world champion in buhurt, coach, veteran, and Olena Noinets, an activist, public figure, and a volunteer for the military. The NGO has a large team, most of which are currently fighting at the front.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The UNBROKEN starts its prosthetic workshop on the anniversary of the prosthetics program launch on September 26. The center welcomes all Lviv residents comers to see what the daily work of a large team of prosthetists looks is and also to learn about all the stages of fabricating artificial limbs. There will be an opportunity to visit the rehabilitation center and see how long and how exhausting the patients’ journey from injury to prosthetics is.
A briefing and a workshop’s year’s work summary are also planned.
It is required to apply for media accreditation in advance.
For reference: the UNBROKEN National Rehabilitation Center launched the first mobile workshop on September 26, 2022. Now there is a modern multi-sectional 250 m² area workshop, equipped with the best equipment from leading manufacturers. Over the year of the prosthetic workshop’s operation, 215 Ukrainian amputees have already got artificial limbs. Six of them got their missing body parts replaced with bionic prosthetic arms.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Serhiy Bas is the founder of Zubayster Mobile Dentistry. He came up with the idea to visit soldiers and treat their teeth right at the front in the summer of 2022. The volunteer dentist says that dental problems on the front line often get worse and can sometimes even threaten the lives of Ukrainian soldiers.
Thanks to his investments and donations from all those concerned, Serhiy managed to raise more than $15,000 and create a mobile dental office to travel to the front line. For almost a year of the Zubayster project’s work, volunteers have provided the necessary dental care to more than 1,500 soldiers and civilians living in the frontline area. In a day, doctors have 25 to 30 soldier’s appointments in one mobile office. Since August this year, the volunteers opened a second office.
For reference: Volunteer dentists are ready to take those accredited by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine journalists to the point of deployment, provided they. In addition, the mobile office opened to the public in Odesa.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
DonorUA and the Civil Preparedness Center in Kyiv will host blood donations collected for the military and civilians. Residents of the city will be able to donate blood and listen to a lecture on the importance of regular donations. The blood collection will be conducted by the Kyiv Regional Blood Service Center.
Speakers:
- Aliona Myha, transfusionist, head of the blood center at the Amosov National Institute of Cardiovascular Surgery;
- Iryna Slavinska, co-founder of DonorUA, President of the All-Ukrainian Association of Donors of Ukraine, and co-author of the Law of Ukraine “On Safety and Quality of Donated Blood and Blood Components”.
Media accreditation is required in advance.
For reference: DonorUA is the only professional system of blood donor recruitment and navigation. It supports the 22 blood centers’ operation and cooperates with the Ministry of Health, the UCC, the WHO, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the Global Blood Fund. Today, the DonorUA database includes over 135,000 donors. More than 7,000 patients have received targeted assistance through the platform, and it takes no more than 20 minutes to find a donor for a particular patient.
The Civilian Preparedness Center is a project of the Serhiy Prytula Charitable Foundation, aiming to teach civilians basic military training and provide them with the survival skills that may be needed during war. There are more than 60 centers in 17 regions of Ukraine. Over 1450 trainings have been held within the Civil Preparedness Center framework, attended by more than 25 thousand civilian Ukrainians
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oleh Symoroz enlisted in the Defense Forces at the beginning of the full-scale invasion. The man defended the Kyiv region as part of the Territorial Defence Forces, and later his unit went to Eastern Ukraine. In October 2022, while performing a combat mission, Oleh’s vehicle hit an enemy mine. The soldier lost both legs and suffered a severe jaw fracture. Oleh has become a bilateral above-the-knee amputee, surviving one of the most difficult surgical procedures for further leg prosthetics. However, the man has taken a responsible approach to his rehabilitation, managed to stand on his prostheses, and is already planning his return to the front line. Oleh is considering a combat position only, perhaps he will train to become a UAV pilot.
For information: Oleh is currently in Kyiv and available to talk to journalists in person.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Olena Chekryzhova is an experienced English teacher who lived in Donetsk Oblast until 2014. There, Olena managed to create one of the first online platforms for learning a foreign language. However after Russia attacked Eastern Ukraine, she left her hometown and kept on doing her business in Kyiv. In 2022, when the full-scale hostile invasion began, Olena got started with volunteering and later taught soldiers English at a military base to make it easier for them to work with the weapons that our partners were sending to Ukraine. Eventually, she created her project to teach English to the Armed Forces.
For information: Olena is in Kyiv, ready to talk to journalists, both online and offline.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Mariia Yudina is an artist and designer. The girl comes from Berdiansk city, Zaporizhia region (currently under Russian control).
Mariia faced the first day of Russia’s full-scale invasion in Kyiv, where she came to bring an art project to life. Later, volunteers approached the artist with an offer to paint the remains of wrecked and damaged weapons. Since then, a one-off project developed into a regular basis art object-making. Mariia donates the painted shell casings, tubes, flasks, and remnants of rockets to charity auctions and fundraisers.
The artist mostly paints flowers on used weapons. Her slogan is: “They launch missiles, and I draw flowers on it.” Now the artist is also working on painting tubes with views of different cities: Zaporizhia, and Melitopol. Maria has also depicted landscapes of her native Berdiansk. She also plans to portray the Crimea landscape.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Alina Skrypnyk together with her husband Serhii founded their own agricultural enterprise over 20 years ago. At first, they worked on the parents’ land, then they rented fields, and later they were able to register their own company. With the beginning of the russian invasion, the company shut down for several weeks, the fields in the front-line Dnipropetrovsk region became dangerous due to fragments of enemy shells.
However, soon they decided to resume work: to sow the fields again and gather their harvest. Howere, they can do it only during the day, because at night it is extremely difficult to see fragments from dangerous enemy shells. In addition, Alina and Serhii support their employees, whose relatives have joined the ranks of the Armed Forces, particularly by buying the necessary gear.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The “Animal Rescue Kharkiv” NGO opened a contact rehabilitation center for cats “Little Prince.” Animals rescued from the war zone are rehabilitated there. In particular, the center has a contact room made to resemble a home as much as possible, where you can play with cats. According to the founders, it is a kind of rehabilitation and relaxation, both for the pets and for the people.
The room receives visitors 4 times a week. Everyone is welcome. Most of all, military personnel (who also participated in cat rescue) and children are invited there.
For reference: the “Animal Rescue Kharkiv” NGO team has been rescuing animals in the city and the region for more than 8 years. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, they have also been evacuating animals from the war zone and de-occupied settlements (Kharkiv, Donetsk, Luhansk and Kherson regions). Volunteers, in particular, provide emergency medical assistance to animals, give them temporary shelter and find old or new owners for the pets.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ukraine’s largest book festival — the Lviv International Bookforum — is being held in person again. The agenda includes over 150 events with the participation of 200 authors. The Bookforum will be filled with discussions, meetings and presentations. Due to the partnership with the Hay Festival (UK), 25 major discussions of the festival will be broadcast in English and with Spanish subtitles.
The topic of focus of the festival’s discussion platform is “Rewriting the Future.”
The guests of the festival include Ukrainian and foreign writers, intellectuals, journalists and poets: Jonathan Franzen, Elif Batuman, Halyna Kruk and David Toscana; essayists Rebecca Solnit and Pankaj Mishra; filmmaker Iryna Tsilyk; YA star Jonathan Stroud; cartoonist Art Spiegelman; poets Svitlana Povaliaeva and Pavlo Vyshebaba; Nobel Prize-winner Oleksandra Matviichuk; scholar Oleksandr Mykhed; journalists Alan Rusbridger, Ed Vulliamy, Charlotte Higgins, Christina Lamb, Vitaly Portnikov, Tetyana Teren and Luke Harding; writers Taras Prokhasko and Andrii Lyubka; philosopher Yermolenko Volonko; poets Ben Okri, Yaryna Chornohuz and Paata Shamugia; doctor Rachel Clark; policy analyst David Rieff; historians Timothy Garton Ash and Anne Applebaum; philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy; lawyer Philippe Sands; plus commemorations for Ukrainian writers Victoria Amelina and Volodymyr Vakulenko, recently killed in the war.
Joining online: Anne Applebaum (U.S.), Ben Okri (Nigeria), Ewa Thompson (U.S.), Art Spiegelman (U.S.), Georgi Gospodinov (Bulgaria), Jonathan Franzen (U.S.), Pankaj Mishra (India), Ozren Kebo (Bosnia), Slavenka Drakulić (Croatia) and others.
Prior accreditation is required. Accredited journalists will have the opportunity to arrange interviews with Bookforum participants.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On September 27, in Kyiv, the “Tribunal for putin” initiative will present two complaints to the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court: one of them concerns places in Kharkiv region where Ukrainians were held captive and tortured, and the other one – extrajudicial executions of Ukrainians by the russian military. Human rights defenders argue that russia’s actions are crimes against humanity.
Participants:
– Hanna Ovdiienko, expert at the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, co-author of the complaint;
– Maksym Reviakin, expert at the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, co-author of the complaint;
– Vladyslav Dolzhko, lawyer at the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, co-author of the complaint;
– Yulia Polekhina, Coordinator of the Admissions Office of the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union in Dnipro and Human rights group “SICH”;
– Nataliia Yashchuk, Project Management Coordinator at the Centre for Civil Liberties;
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Yurii Furyk is a gymnastics coach. He has been training athletes and preparing master gymnastics competition winners for 30 years. When the full-scale war started, the man enlisted in the military without any hesitation and moved to the front line. Yurii defended Kherson, Bakhmut, and Soledar, where he got a leg injury that later led to suffering limb loss. The trainer and soldier took up the challenge of learning to use the prosthesis. A month ago, he returned to school in Kolomyia and went on teaching gymnastics to the students who supported him throughout.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Yehor Oliinyk is 20 years old. In September 2022, the soldier lost his leg to an enemy mine at the front. Immediately after getting injured, Yehor even neglected to apply a tourniquet just to avoid being captured. However, the thought of his parents waiting for him at home helped him come to his senses and stop the bleeding. After getting the prosthetic in the winter, the man was preparing to return to the front line. Now Yehor is serving with his fellow soldiers and jokes about himself: “I am just like everyone else, just modernized.”
For information: Yehor Oliinyk is at the front line. The soldier is ready to talk to journalists online and offline, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
TMS HUB is a sports area where military and veterans with amputation and injuries can practice Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Classes are free of charge. The project promotes sports rehabilitation and socialization of defenders. One lesson usually lasts an hour and a half.
The initiative was founded by Artem Kuzmich, a veteran of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Originally from Belarus, the man has been at the front since 2014. In 2019, he hit an enemy mine and lost his leg. Despite this, he won Brazilian jiu-jitsu championships in Ukraine, Europe, and Brazil.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Pavlo Korniienko is 37. Before the full-scale invasion, he was in charge of educational and social welfare institutions in the Kyiv region. After the opal-out invasion outbreak, the man took up volunteer work and arranged help for residents of the capital outskirts. Once having visited Bucha and Hostomel, he was determined to join the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Together with his unit, he went to defend the Eastern Ukraine. A mine exploded on the “road of life” in Chasiv Yar, and the shrapnels hit Pavlo. The soldier’s head, torso, arms, and legs were injured. Pavlo was evacuated and taken to Lviv, where he continued his rehabilitation. Pavlo says that his spouse, who “is the meaning of his life,” helps him to keep fighting
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Svitlana Humeniuk is now the director of the Kolonshchyna Lyceum, a village in the Bucha district that went through the occupation. At the time of the full-scale Russian invasion, she worked as a Design and Technology teacher and a leisure-time activities teacher.
At the end of February 2022, the occupiers encircled the village of Kolonshchyna. People were prohibited from leaving. Many civilians who tried to escape the occupation spent the night in the school.
Svitlana and three other teachers risked their own lives to help their fellow villagers: they joined the distribution of humanitarian aid and even delivery. All this was despite the shelling and enemy missiles. To somehow protect themselves from the occupiers, they wore white ribbons on their sleeves. In addition, some families with children, including students of the lyceum she now heads, took refuge in Svitlana’s house.
Ukraine’s Armed Forces liberated Kolonshchyna village in late March 2022.
The journalists are welcome to talk to Svitlana and other Lyceum teachers. Currently, the educational institution has 215 students.
As a reminder, Ukraine celebrates Teacher’s Day on October 1.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
What is more important: a prize in the competition or a participant’s personal achievement? And should we measure the effectiveness of the Games by the number of medals? These and other issues will be discussed on September 29 during a meeting in Kyiv.
Participants:
– Anastasiia Halaiko, Head of the Department of Veteran Sports at the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine;
– Ilona Voloshyna, national coordinator of the Invictus Games in Ukraine;
– Alina Frolova, founder of the Center for Strategic Communications “StratCom Ukraine”;
– Taras Kovalyk, head of the Come Back Alive Veterans’ Department
– Olena Yanovska, head coach of the Invictus Games team;
– Ihor Krytsak, sports manager of the Invictus Games team;
– Maksym Zubov, member of the Invictus Games 2023 team;
– Volodymyr Tovkys, member of the 2023 Invictus Games team;
– Oleksandr Zozuliak, member of the Invictus Games 2018 national team;
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Labyrinths of Unbreakable Cities is a joint project of the Mariupol City Council and the Bakhmut City Military Administration aiming to help rethink the traumatic experience of war and its impact on the architectonics of Ukrainian cities.
The Labyrinths of Unbreakable Cities program will bring together representatives of the cultural, educational, technical, media, and creative spheres, as well as government officials and IDPs. The project should contribute to new initiatives to rebuild, restore, and revive cities that have suffered large-scale destruction and terrible loss of their historical and architectural heritage.
The exhibition will help to comprehend the depth of the losses of Mariupol and Bakhmut through a detailed exposition showing the buildings destroyed by the Russians and the mutilated streets, reminding us of what these unique cities looked like before the full-scale invasion. A separate interactive part of the exhibition is dedicated to visualizing the future of Mariupol.
For reference: Mariupol Reborn is the largest urban revival project in Europe since the Second World War. The project is being implemented on behalf of the head of the Donetsk Regional Administration, as well as with the support of the EBRD, the World Bank, the USAID Economic Support for Ukraine Project, and SCM. They have joined forces to rebuild Mariupol using modern practices, the latest technologies, and best practices. They are working on a clear plan to start rebuilding quickly and efficiently right away after de-occupation. The Mariupol Reborn plan has already been supported by the municipalities of Lviv, Vilnius, Gdansk, Wroclaw, and Utrecht.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Larysa Zahryva has devoted 25 years of her life to education. She worked as a teacher, and in 2022 she took up the position of the head of the Center for the Provision of Social Services in Chernihiv Oblast. When the full-scale war broke out, the village of Mykhailo-Kotsiubynske, where Larysa lived and worked, was under occupation. For 37 days, she kept going to work and taking care of the elderly people who remained in the village. Larysa hid documents from the Russians and was threatened with a gun five times. The occupiers came to her house in the middle of the night and interrogated Larysa’s husband.
After the liberation of Mykhailo-Kotsiubynskyi, thanks to the support of the United Nations Development Program, Larysa managed to set up the Third Age University. Today, there are already several fields of study in the curriculum: the Faculty of Healthy Lifestyles, the Faculty of Philosophy, and the Faculty of Decorative and Applied Arts.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
At the time of the occupation, Viktoriia was the principal of the Kalynivka Lyceum of the Snihurivka City Council (Mykolaiv Oblast), as well as a chemistry teacher and the natural scence for kids.
The occupied educational institutions’ principals suspended their work. However, Victoria managed to organize Ukrainian education for about 40 children.
Viktoriia and two other teachers held in-home classes according to an individual schedule to ensure that the students did waste an academic year. To prevent the occupiers from finding out about the educational work, they pass off their teaching activities as “providing consultations.” Teachers who had left the occupation sent assignments to Viktoriia, and she got online without Internet service in a garbage dump to send it to her students via Bluetooth.
Today, she serves as the Snihurivka Lyceum principal in the Mykolaiv region. The Russian occupiers wanted to introduce the educational process in this institution, but have failed miserably. During their retreat, they looted the lyceum, and even earlier they hit the institution with two S-300 missiles. Part of the school is still destroyed and they are trying to rebuild it.
Journalists can contact Victoria online or offline.
For reference: the Snihurivka community in Mykolaiv region was occupied from March to November 10, 2022. Four schools in Snihurivka were damaged during the full-scale invasion (one of them is beyond repair due to enemy attacks, and another is being designed with a bomb shelter and a digital educational center for the means of philanthropists). Filming the scene requires the Oblast Military Administration permission.
As a reminder, Ukraine celebrates Teacher’s Day on October 1.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ivan Soroka joined the ranks of the Defense Forces with the beginning of the full-scale invasion. On February 24, the military registration and enlistment office was recruiting soldiers for the 72nd Mechanized Brigade named after the Black Zaporozhians, and Ivan joined them. He defended the village of Moshchun, Kyiv region, and later his unit was sent to the East. In August last year, an enemy mine exploded a few steps away from the soldier. His brother in arms died on the spot, and Ivan lost his sight. “Who needs me if I’m blind?” was Ivan’s first thought when he regained consciousness. This question was answered by his fiancée Vladyslava, whom Ivan met online in April 2022. The girl visited the wounded soldier in the hospital until he was discharged. All this time, the couple hoped that Ivan’s sight would recover, but this did not happen. And then in September, Ivan and Vladyslava got married.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On October 22, the “Warriors’ Cup” will be held in Lviv region as part of the “League of the Invincible” project. Among other things, Ukrainian defenders will be able to compete in archery, athletics (100- and 400-meter dashes), shot put and table tennis.
As reported, the “League of the Invincible” project for the development of adaptive sports and sports exercise rehabilitation is operating in Lviv region. The project involves implementation of measures aimed at the psychological and physical rehabilitation of military personnel and war veterans (primarily persons with disabilities) with the help of exercise and sports.
For example, as part of the initiative, over 40 soldiers underwent rehabilitation in a two-day camp: they had the opportunity to climb a mountain peak, cross a 16 km river and overcome narrow passages through a cave.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The government project “Recovery Army” is already working in Ukraine. It involves unemployed Ukrainians in community service. As of September 18, more than 50,000 people have joined the initiative. People get paid for the work they do.
Kharkiv oblast currently ranks the first in terms of attracting the unemployed to the “Recovery Army” (more than 10,000 people, about 1,000 of whom are IDPs). Kyiv oblast holds the fourth place, after Poltava and Donetsk regions. In particular, the participants from Kyiv region are put to work weaving camouflage nets, improving city spaces, sewing clothes or making dry rations for defenders, setting up shelters, etc.
Journalists are welcome to take a look at how the project is being implemented in Kharkiv or Kyiv regions. They can also get a comment from the authorities on this topic.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Artur Proidakov is a native of the temporarily occupied Kadiivka, Luhansk region. Since childhood, the man has been fond of the Ukrainian language, literature, culture, music, and everything related to Ukraine. In 2007, Artur chose the profession of a teacher and decided to major in Ukrainian philology. He studied and worked until russia attacked the East of the country in 2014. The man moved to the capital and began to teach refugees, for this he created his own online Ukrainian language course. With the beginning of the full-scale war, Artur also developed an online course “Talk” for those who want to switch from russian to Ukrainian.
For reference: In 2021, Artur Proidakov became the winner of the Global Teacher Prize Ukraine. And this year, Proidakov made the rating of the top 50 teachers in the world.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Anna Pavlus is 38. She is a fashion designer by profession. The woman worked as a custom tailor (she had her own workshop). In 2016, Anna fell and suffered a spinal cord injury and has been forced to use a wheelchair ever since. The woman faced the problem of uncomfortable clothes for people with disabilities. She herself began designing clothes more suitable for the sitting position of the body, since there was no such thing on the market in Ukraine. And then she started making the clothes to order.
With the beginning of the full-scale war, her production stopped for a month. In order to restore and increase the capacity, the woman received a state grant. And since March 2023, a sewing workshop has been operating in Kyiv region, where Anna sews adaptive clothes. Three more people work there, including a person in a wheelchair.
Anna plans to create a social enterprise to train and employ other people in wheelchairs.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On October 5, the American artist Colette Miller will create a mural on Arsenalna Square in the capital, which will be followed by an official unveiling.
She came to Ukraine to create a street art installation that will become part of the Global Angel Wings Project.
Her “wings” are already adorning the streets of Kenya, London’s Heathrow International Airport, a refugee camp and an exquisite wall of a modern estate in France.
Prior accreditation for the media is required.
For reference: The American artist also created the mural “Angel Wings” on Sicheslavska Embankment in Dnipro.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On October 9, Kyiv will host a presentation of a unique app, in which sport is used to rehabilitate veterans and soldiers who have received injuries and wounds in active service.
The presentation will be interactive: the visitors will be able to compete with veterans and strongmen in rowing. (You need to take sportswear with you). The presentation will include a demonstration and a press briefing.
Accreditation is required and open until 8:00 PM on October 8.
For reference: The public organization “Victory of the Invincible” and the Strongman Federation of Ukraine, led by Serhii Koniushok, Oleksandr Lashyn and Vasyl Virastyuk, present TRENVET – a fitness app that offers veterans and military personnel the opportunity to find a trainer and undergo sports rehabilitation for free. It allows defenders to quickly find professionals using filters and geolocation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Joint Forces Operation veteran Andrii Nesmachnyi came up with the idea to set up a workshop where servicemen on leave or after getting injured could work few years ago. The BatArt workshop ran successfully in the Kyiv region, producing craft glassware and donating the proceeds to the needs of wounded combatants in eastern Ukraine until the Russians destroyed the workshop, after the start of the full-scale invasion. After it happened its founder Andrii took up arms again and rose in defence of Ukraine.
Recently, a serviceman renewed production. In between the military personnel rotations, he and his fellow soldiers work on craft glasses, shot glasses, knives, and various souvenirs. Bullet casings are used, among other things, for manufacturing. The money earned in the workshop is directed at providing units with drones, night vision devices, and vehicle repairs.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On October 6, Ukrainian defenders will climb Mount Parashka. The event aims to organize active leisure and mental rehabilitation for war veterans and their families. Ukrainian defenders who sustained severe injuries in combat and have problems with their musculoskeletal system attend the climb. They will be assisted to climb the mountain using a special wheelchair.
The event is organized by the team of the Department of Tourism and Resorts Department of Lviv Oblast State Administration. Partners: NGO “Veterans GO”
Media representatives are welcomed to join the climb. Event accreditation is required.
For reference: More than two dozen Ukrainian servicemen took part in the ascent of Mount Klyuch at the end of September.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On October 7, a school reconstructed by the Brave to Rebuild project volunteers to get running in the Chernihiv region. The building suffered from a full-scale Russian invasion.
The school is housed in the Mazanka Ukrainian traditional hut built in 1923 is the great thing about this particular school. Among other things, the volunteers rebuilt the walls using authentic technology: they kneaded sand and clay with straw with their feet in a specially prepared container. The resulting mass was beaten to create the right consistency. The local community was also involved in the work.
The roof and windows were replaced, and a ramp was installed. And artists painted a mural with traditional Ukrainian ornaments on the school.
Prior accreditation is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On October 6, Italian journalist Kevin Carboni will complete a three-week trek to Kyiv: the man set out on a 500-kilometer journey from the Polish border to the Ukrainian capital to raise €1 million to help Ukraine. Collected funds will be donated to the Voices of Children Foundation, to provide free psychological assistance to war-torn children, and the Energy Act For Ukraine Foundation, to install solar generators in schools and hospitals. The man also draws attention to the war in Ukraine with his hike. You can track his travel on the Walk to Kyiv initiative’s Instagram page.
Media representatives are welcome to meet Kevin in Kyiv city center, where he will complete his trip. Additionally, he plans to visit the Voices of Children office in Kyiv, where psychosocial and leisure activities for children are held.
For reference: in 2018, Kevin came to Ukraine taking an Erasmus exchange program to study at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. His friends from Kyiv helped him arrange the Walk to Kyiv initiative.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Last December, Lviv resident Viktoriia Khemych was hit by a bus right while crossing a pedestrian lane. After the accident, Victoria’s leg was operated on several times, but severely injured limbs salvage was impossible, it was amputated. Victoria was admitted to the Unbreakable Center in Lviv, where she was fitted with a prosthesis. For more than six months, Victoriia underwent rehabilitation and mastered the use of her now mechanical leg. Afterward, she decided to stay at the Center, but no longer as a patient, but as a mentor. Viktoriia supports and counsels the Ukrainian military and civilians who have lost their limbs, coping with living in a new way and preparing to get prostheses.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On October 8 Kyiv will hold a memorial evening for Canadian volunteer Anthony ‘Tonko’ Ihnat and Spanish volunteer and director of Road2Relief Emma Igual, who were killed in Donetsk Oblast. In September, along with other foreign volunteers, assisted by civilians they were traveling from Chasiv Yar to Ivanivske village. The car was hit by a Russian shell.
The memorial evening is held by Brave to Rebuild project volunteers together with the Road2Relief team.
For reference: Canadian Anthony sold his truck in 2022 and came to Ukraine to help people. He worked at clean-ups, carried bags for people at the Polish border, delivered humanitarian aid, evacuated people, and repaired schools.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Shortly before the start of the full-scale invasion, Serhi Kashtakov planned to become a front-end developer and work in the IT industry. However, on February 24 last year, his lover woke him up and told him that war had broken out. Serhii saw no other option but to take up arms, as he had already fought with Russia back in 2014. Serhii returned to the army and became a combat medic. His partner stayed home with the soldier’s mother to take care of her. Serhii made a camouflage last year. The soldier says his fellow soldiers accepted him and even became more tolerant of LGBT+ people.
Additionally: Serhii Kashtakov is on the front line. The soldier is ready to talk to journalists, both online and offline, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Musa, a Crimean Tatar, is the developer of the Dracarys buggy, which he and his team build for the military. The man left the native Crimea after Russia occupied the peninsula. He started a business in the capital. During the full-scale invasion of Russia, he engineered his own all-terrain buggy for the army’s purpose. He gathered a team of specialists who joined the production on the Internet ad. Musa’s buggies can accommodate 4 people (and more if necessary), and can also transport the wounded or necessary military supplies. The buggies are made with funds donated by ordinary citizens. Sponsors and charitable foundations are also involved.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On October 8, Kyiv will host a concert, a photo exhibition, a frontline float, and panel discussions that will address the topic of rebuilding Ukrainian cities after the de-occupation. The event is Ukraïner’s Brave Cities video project next up and aims to raise UAH 10,000,000 to support the Come Back Alive Foundation.
Last year, the Ukraїner team presented the Brave Cities research project. It’s a series of videos telling the story of the struggle of the temporarily occupied cities whose residents are heroically resisting. The videos were created by the Ukraїner team in cooperation with local historians, historians, civic activists, and athletes i.e. those who know and feel these localities best. Ukrainian musicians also joined the project and wrote songs about some of these cities. These songs will be performed at the charity concert. Palindrome, Druha Rika, Kryhitka, OTOY, Lilu 45, Sasha Chemerov, and others are among the participants.
Prior accreditation is required for the media representatives.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Olha Pavlik does teaching, she spent more than 25 years in Zaporizhia working in this profession. Later, Olha started working for an NGO in green tourism. Eventually, together with her husband, she started her own project, The Potter’s House. Her husband was a potter, and Olha together with her daughter manufactured handmade souvenirs and ceramic jewelry pieces. At the outbreak of the all-out invasion, Olha’s husband enlisted in the army and went to Eastern Ukraine, while she stayed in the village, which became a frontline village. Those fleeing the Russian occupation could stay in a shelter on the territory of the Potter’s House. Later, Olha’s husband returned from the front line with an injury and several contusions. To fill the gaps in specialized education to provide rehabilitation for her husband Olha is getting a medical degree so that in the future she can invite her husband’s comrades-in-arms and other soldiers to the eco-homestead for rehabilitation. She is currently working on creating a rehabilitation project for the military. In addition, the Potter’s House already has an inclusive space for people with disabilities.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Olena Yahupova, a resident of Kamianka-Dniprovska, was abducted from her home by the occupiers in October last year. A denunciation was made against the woman for her husband’s Armed Forces of Ukraine service. While in the occupiers’ custody, Olena was tortured. The Russian military wanted to locate her beloved whereabouts. They were also gathering information about people with pro-Ukrainian views. Besides that, Olena was forced into labor slavery by the occupiers, and hostages were pressured to dig trenches. Yahupova did hard labor and lived in inhumane conditions. Olena managed to be freed after more than six months in captivity and is now in Kyiv.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Psychologists from the Voices of Children Foundation will visit the de-occupied Katiuzhanka in Kyiv Oblast on World Mental Health Day observed on October 10. The specialists will conduct group psychosocial sessions with children and their parents.
The foundation’s Kyiv office will also hold psychological sessions for families with children affected by the war.
For reference: The Children’s Voices Charitable Foundation provides psychological and psychosocial assistance to war-torn children.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In the spring of 2022, amidst the full-scale invasion, Ivan Prybylo and his wife Svitlana decided to start their own business. Namely, snail farming. Although Ivan had already joined the Defense Forces ranks together with his younger son, this did not stop him from starting a snail farming business. At the same time, Ivan’s family home, which the family calls his brainchild, has become a refuge for those fleeing the war. The displaced people still stay here today.
When the snail farm had just turned a profit, Ivan’s family learned about the death of the family man. They did not dare to stop the business, because it was the defender’s dream. In addition, Ivan’s wife and daughter-in-law set up a farm camp for children from the eastern regions who had never been to western Ukraine. The family business was also supported by the Ukrainian Veterans Fund, which helped the snail farm receive financial assistance.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Liudmyla Tabolina is a Kharkiv resident and teacher of Ukrainian language and literature. In 2022, when the full-scale invasion began, the teacher walked 11 kilometers every day, going through checkpoints and under fire, to get to school. Here she set up a shelter for residents of neighboring houses and a humanitarian headquarters. In early March, Liudmyla also started a canteen for local residents. There were many mothers with children in the shelter.
Liudmyla hid class journals, seals, documents, and personal files of children and staff so that the occupiers would not get hold of them in case the school was seized. It was only in September 2022 that the teacher decided to leave Kharkiv and move to the capital. Today, Liudmyla continues to teach, but in a Kyiv lyceum.
For reference: In September, Liudmyla Tabolina was put on the list of the 50 best teachers in the world according to the Global Teacher Prize 2023.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Starting October 14, short-term reconstruction actions will begin in Kherson Oblast by the NGO Building Ukraine Together (BUR), which has announced the launch of the rebuilding initiative in southern Ukraine. BUR South is a volunteer construction activity in the communities of Kherson and Mykolaiv oblasts to restore hospitals, village councils, community centers, and private homes before winter.
The main goal is to involve residents in the restoration of infrastructure and private homes damaged by Russian shelling and to unite the community. It also aims to engage Ukrainian youth in volunteering.
BUR cooperates with three rural communities where critical social infrastructure was destroyed during the full-scale invasion.
For reference: Building Ukraine Together is an all-Ukrainian non-governmental organization that has been engaging young people in volunteering and working with communities and activists to implement socially important projects for 9 years. BUR welcomes volunteers to join restoration events and week-long BUrcamps to help communities.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Viktor Ilchak is 18 years old. By ethnicity, Viktor is a Roma ethnic group representative. He was born in Zakarpattia and has lived in western Ukraine all his life. When the full-scale invasion broke out, Viktor immediately warned his family that he was going to join the army and defend Ukraine. Viktor’s family tried to convince him to abandon the idea, his grandmother even went to the military recruitment officers to talk them out of considering Viktor’s candidacy. However, the guy stood his ground and fought in the Sonechko reconnaissance battalion. Now Viktor Ilchak is back in Zakarpattia, where he undergoes rehabilitation after getting injured and shell-shocked.
The soldier is ready to have both online and offline interviews with journalists by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Richard and David from the United States and Michelle from the Netherlands came to Ukraine to rebuild dwellings destroyed by the occupiers. The men volunteered to dismantle rubbles in the Kyiv region settlements (Bucha, Irpin). They prepared food for the wounded in Kharkiv. They restored houses in the Chernihiv region. Thanks to the Dobrobat volunteer building division, the foreign volunteers became friends. Three comrades even filmed and published videos of their volunteer activities and traveling around Ukraine.
Currently, the volunteers are making their contribution in different parts of Ukraine and are ready to talk to the media by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Maria Nazarova was 17 when the Revolution of Dignity broke out in Kyiv. At Euromaidan, Maria arranged medical aid stations and took care of the injured. Later, she began translating foreign protocols on tactical medicine, with regard to the Soviet medical guidelines’ lack of credibility. In 2014, when Russia occupied Crimea and parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, Maria worked as a frontline medic. In 2015, the combat medic taught tactical medicine to law enforcement officers, and a year later, she began to reform tactical medicine in the Armed Forces at the General Staff.
Also, thanks to her efforts, automated external defibrillators (AEDs) have been installed at every metro station in Kyiv, 9 of them have already proven to be lifesaving during resuscitation measures.
With the start of the all-out invasion, Maria returned to tactical medicine training at the Defense Forces.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A “Hobbit house” shelter was constructed on the territory of a primary school in Hostomel. A building resembles a Hobbit house (the Hobbits are one of the central characters in the Lord of the Rings series). The Gurtum Charity Foundation acted as the project implementer, and the diaspora of Ukrainians in Japan (Kraiany NGO) took over full funding for the construction. Later, other philanthropists joined them.
The shelter’s fairy-tale-like look aims to minimize stress for the children. Since safety standards prohibit any decorations, such as decorative beams or a fireplace, inside the premises, the walls were decorated with thematic drawings: books, a fireplace, and a Hobbit hat. The shelter can accommodate 55 people.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oleh Miedviediev recalls how rockets fell near his house on February 24, 2022. And at 5 in the morning, his frightened son called. He told his father that the outskirts of Kharkiv were on fire from shelling. So Oleh joined the army to defend the country.
Last December, he was wounded near Bakhmut: an artillery shell exploded over him. Both Oleh’s legs were injured: his knee joints were completely shattered.
The serviceman was included in the national program #SaveaLimb. Currently, the defender is undergoing treatment in Dnipropetrovsk region. Doctors performed an endoprosthesis surgery on one leg, but the second one is awaiting treatment as well. At the same time, the soldier wants to start walking again and return to the front.
For reference: In order to ensure limb-saving treatment, the “Health of the Ukrainian People” International Charitable Foundation in cooperation with Ukrainian orthopedic doctors launched the national program #SaveaLimb.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Yevheniia Molchanova and her husband founded the family farm “Green Grove” in Dnipropetrovsk region. With the beginning of the big war, Yevheniia opened their farm for those fleeing from shelling: she took in displaced people and animals rescued from hot spots. “Green Grove” became a shelter for a total of 311 people fleeing from the war with their pets. More than 1,500 animals in need of evacuation, treatment and rehabilitation also received help at the farm. Some of them include: donkeys, horses, pigs and sheep. Animals were brought from the hottest spots, in particular, Mariupol and Bakhmut.
Over time, the farm was reformatted into a rehabilitation center. Nowadays, families of fallen servicemen and children with disabilities come here. Psychologists work on the territory, and people can undergo treatment via equine- and dog- assisted therapy programs.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
28-year-old photographer Vitalii Yurasov has been documenting the war for almost one and a half years. He filmed battles, prisoner exchanges and secret operations of special forces. Vitalii doesn’t just visit the military, he lives together with the heroes he films at the frontline: he sleeps where they sleep and helps with whatever is necessary.
On October 15, Yurasov’s first photo exhibition “War Face Project” will open in the capital. He will present more than 50 works, in particular, those signed by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Valerii Zaluzhnyi and Kyrylo Budanov.
Journalists are welcome to visit the opening of the exhibition and talk with Vitalii Yurasov in the capital.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Serhii Titarenko is a former military pilot, a combatant and a retired Major of the Armed Forces. He runs “Joint Mission” NGOs and works as a psychologist at a rehabilitation center in Lviv region.
In 2012, the man took part in a peacekeeping operation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and two years later, due to russian aggression, he joined the defense forces of Ukraine. In June 2014, during a combat mission near Slovyansk in Donetsk region, the occupiers fired at a helicopter with Serhii (navigator) and other crew members on board. The helicopter caught fire and fell from one hundred meters. Serhii had to be pulled out, his spine was broken. Then there was a long rehabilitation process. The man ended up in a wheelchair. However, this did not prevent him from mastering the profession of a psychologist. Currently, he works with wounded soldiers who have acquired disabilities as a result of their injuries. He helps them socialize and process traumatic experiences. He also provides aid to civilians who have suffered as a result of the war.
For reference: Serhii’s story will also be included in the book “History is not without us: the formation of the movement for the rights of people with disabilities in Ukraine.” The book is being produced by Fight For Right NGO for people with disabilities. It will be presented at the end of October.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Radomyr Tiutiunnyk is a school student from Kharkiv, whose father is a military man. The man told his son how much the soldiers of the Armed Forces needed drones, so Radomyr decided to try to assemble UAVs himself. The Internet came to his aid. He learned about the necessary details and the process of assembling drones. Currently, Radomyr has sent 50 kamikaze drones to the front line. The cost of one is about UAH 15,000. The young man prints all the details on a 3D printer, and assembles the drones after school or on weekends. Radomyr is thinking about teaching one of his friends to assemble UAVs in order to speed up the process.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
An apartment in the city center and her own successful business — pet grooming salons. Yevheniia Zhyhulina had had all of it in Donetsk, until russia first attacked Ukraine in 2014. Then Yevheniia and her family were forced to leave their hometown. Odesa became a second home for Yevheniia’s family. When the full-scale invasion began, Yevheniia and her husband decided that they would not run away again. And despite the bug war, the woman began to think about starting her own business again. With the help of a state grant, in February 2023, the doors of Yevheniia Zhyhulina’s grooming salon opened in Odesa. The entrepreneur dreams that she will be able to create a whole network of salons for dogs throughout Ukraine, in particular, in Donetsk, Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On October 20-21, the International Forum “United for Justice. United for the Environment” will be held in Kyiv. At the event, Ukrainian and international statesmen, government officials, leading experts and representatives of NGOs will discuss the consequences of the war for the Ukrainian environment. The participants will also work out mechanisms to hold the russian federation accountable for the damage it caused, in particular, with regards to the clause 8 of the Peace Formula – stopping the ecocide and paying reparations to Ukraine for the devastated environment.
The topics of discussion at the forum will also include: the impact of russian ecocide in Ukraine on the whole world; how the environmental damage caused by the russian’s war in Ukraine is estimated; how the war affects the climate crisis in the world, in particular the Southern countries of the world.
One of the Forum’s key results will be the project of the environmental treaty, which will create conditions for sustained protection of the environment and the cessation of ecocide.
A briefing by Ukrainian and foreign guests of the conference is planned for the first day of the Forum.
Accreditation for media is required. Please confirm your participation by 6:00 PM on October 17.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the full-scale invasion, Daniel Bodu worked as a state auditor in Mykolaiv city in the south of Ukraine. He drew up energy performance certificates for buildings. After the russian invasion on February 24, 2022, Daniel Bodu almost lost his job, because energy efficiency was no longer a top priority for the front-line city, which was suffering from constant russian shelling. Daniel began to look for a new direction to apply his knowledge.
At first, he helped his friends working on production of power stations. In the winter of 2022, when russia began large-scale shelling of the energy infrastructure of Ukraine and everyone needed batteries and power banks, he decided to start his own production. Daniel received funding from a state grant, with which he bought equipment and materials. Then he started 3D printing power banks and power stations. He also hired two specialists and together with them developed several long-lasting power stations. Daniel donates his products to the Ukrainian military free of charge. Civilians can also buy his products.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Glenna Manchego is 22 years old. She was born in the United States, where she received her medical education. The woman decided that the best place where she could apply her skills is Ukraine. So, Glenna joined the Second International Legion as a paramedic. In order to save Ukrainian soldiers after shelling, knowing the Ukrainian language is not necessary, says Glenna, and tactical medicine is a lot like car repairs: it is universal. The American admits that even thousands of kilometers from the U.S., it feels almost like home to her, and her brothers and sisters in arms have become her second family.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On October 22, a mural dedicated to Ukrainian army volunteers called “Shadow” will be unveiled in Kyiv. The mural depicts military officer Oleksii Movchan, call sign “Shadow,” who died on May 1, 2022 in Donetsk region while performing a task. The man was not a military man by profession, but he had combat experience. He participated in the anti-terrorist operation, and on the first days of russia’s full-scale invasion, he joined the army to defend Ukraine.
The mural is based on Oleksii’s last photo, taken a few minutes before he died. In it, Movchan is holding a cat that he and his brothers in arms saved from under the rubble.
The idea of creating a mural came to Oleksii’s wife Yuliia in July 2022. She wanted to make a parting gift for her husband. The mural was paid for by Yuliia, as well as her relatives, her husbands’ fellow soldiers and people who knew Oleksii. “Shadow” was painted by a couple of artists: Vitaliy Gideone and Lena Noyna. After all, during his lifetime, Oleksii was very fond of the works of Vitaliy Gideone.
At the unveiling of the mural, journalists will have the opportunity to talk to Oleksii’s wife Yuliia Movchan and his brothers in arms.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
One of the areas of work of the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) in Ukraine is non-technical survey of the territory and clearance of explosives. The DRC work involves training sappers of the State Emergency Service and volunteer civilians to search for explosive ordnance. Since the contaminated areas are quite large, DRC is raising the number of demining specialists who, after completing their training, will get a job in the organization. Deminers work in Kyiv, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, and Mykolaiv regions together with the State Emergency Service, because it is sappers who have to remove explosive objects. In addition, the organization provides grant support to those affected by mines or other explosive remnants of war.
For reference: Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine’s territory has become one of the most contaminated with explosives in the world. According to the UN, it will take dozens of years to demine the country.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Kyiv-based rehabilitation center “Spirit” features a special “Spirit warrior” psycho-emotional recovery program for the military. Defenders are rehabilitated with the help of equine-assisted therapy. Psychologists of the center take part in the rehabilitation sessions. The techniques used during equine-assisted therapy for the military are aimed at teaching them to sense reality “here and now” and to be able to fully concentrate on the process. This therapy helps to relieve stress, improve sleep and get rid of obsessive thoughts. More than 600 defenders have already undergone this rehabilitation program.
For reference: rehabilitation center “Spirit” specializes in working with children with disabilities. And since the beginning of the full-scale war, it has been helping internally displaced persons to recover.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Vita Harasymchuk, 31, is an accountant by profession. She is the wife of a serviceman who made his dream come true and opened a gym in Lviv region. Vita’s husband is a military man who took part in the anti-terrorist operation. And since the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion, he has been protecting Ukraine in the hottest spots. The woman was able to open a gym at the end of last year.
Among other things, yoga, tabata, fitness, and modern dance classes are held in the gym. Classes with a trainer, a rehabilitator and massage services are also available there. Vita is gradually expanding her own business, because the plans are to make the gym a place for the rehabilitation of Ukrainian servicemen. And also — to get teenagers involved in sports.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On October 18, the “LOOK CLOSER” installation will be unveiled in Kyiv. On the occasion of EU Anti-Trafficking Day, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Ukraine is launching a new information campaign “LOOK CLOSER” with the aim of preventing human trafficking and raising awareness of safety rules during migration. It encourages people to think about the risks of exploitation and to see possible outcomes of offers of work or housing, which seem attractive at first glance.
In addition to Kyiv, “LOOK CLOSER” exhibition created as part of the campaign will be set up inside railway and bus stations and shopping malls as well as in the central squares of cities, etc. in 20 regions of Ukraine.
Participants:
- Iryna Postolovska, Deputy Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine for European Integration
- Marco Chimenton, IOM Ukraine Deputy Chief of Mission
- Theodora Dell, Deputy Mission Director at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Ukraine (confirmation pending)
- Nils Dahlqvist, Second Secretary of the Embassy of Sweden in Ukraine
- Oleksandra Khamulenko, Head of the Department for Quality Standards at the National Social Service of Ukraine
- Roman Delimbovskyi, Deputy Head of the Migration Police Department at the National Police of Ukraine
Accreditation is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Yana Biletska engaged in volunteer work in hospices back in 2011, long before the full-blown war began. Later, she founded the NGO Healthy Nation – Future of Ukraine. When the great war broke out, Yana never had any intention of leaving Kharkiv. She knew she could be useful in the city. Together with a team of like-minded people, Yana founded the Hub Vokzal volunteer association, which began delivering humanitarian aid to the residents of Slobozhanshchyna. During the year and a half of the enemy invasion, the association took care of 22 communities in the Kharkiv region, each numbering thousands of people, both locals and IDPs.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Antonina Samoilova is a Ukrainian mountaineer who embarked on a career in 2018. First, she climbed Kilimanjaro, then Mount Elbrus, Mount Vinson, and K2 in Asia, and last May she became the first Ukrainian woman to climb Mount Everest twice. On September 28, 2023, Antonina made another record-breaking ascent, this time to the Himalayan eight-thousander Manaslu. She became the first Ukrainian climber to do so. It took Antonina 37 hours to reach the 8163-meter peak. At the end of October, Antonina intends to hold a dinner to share the incredible details of her climb and spend all the funds raised on medical oxygen supplies for the Hospitallers volunteer battalion to rescue Ukrainian defenders at the front line.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform to hold a briefing involving the Ukrainian Burning Man team representatives, engaging the global community to rescue the Ukrainian military and civilians from hot spots in the war zone on October 19. The Burners started The Hedgehog Temple charity fundraising project to buy 20+ new Toyota cars to evacuate people from the war zone.
The fundraiser’s symbol is The Hedgehog Temple, this year’s Ukrainian art object at the Burning Man event, which took place from August 27 to September 4 in the Black Rock Desert, Nevada, USA. The Hedgehog Temple is a huge structure in the form of a hedgehog, built of steel, wood, camouflage nets, and 100 anti-tank obstacles — “hedgehogs,” which were exclusively made for the installation. In the center of the artwork, the stories of fallen soldiers and cultural figures who were supposed to be at Burning Man 2023 were placed.
Participants:
– Yaroslav Korets, Head of Ukrainian Burners NGO, Leader of Kurenivka Camp at Burning Man (online);
– Oleksandr Slobodianyk, Co-Creator of The Hedgehog Temple project, a volunteer helping the military (in person);
– Arsen Mirzoyan, Singer-Songwriter, Volunteer, Project Ambassador (in person);
– Iryna Guk, Head of Leleka Foundation (in person);
– Captain Andrii Maksymchuk (call sign Batman), airborne assault trooper, scout (in person);
For reference: Burning Man has been gathering people for more than 30 years, bringing together 80,000 artists and visitors from more than 50 US states and 35 countries every year.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On October 23, a sports ground and a rehabilitation ward will be opened at the Kyiv Regional Mental Health Center. The occupiers seized the center at the beginning of the full-blown war. Russian soldiers stole valuable equipment and severely damaged the Center while living in the facility. In particular, the windows and doors were smashed. After the de-occupation, the medical center reconstruction began.
The philanthropists who contributed to the restoration of the Center, as well as the first captain of the Ukrainian national team at the Invictus Games, champion of the Games, commander Oleksandr Pysarenko (to train patients exercises on the playground) will attend the new sports ground opening.
Journalists will also be able to interview the institution’s management and talk to doctors and patients as far as possible.
For reference: The Kyiv Regional Mental Health Center is a healthcare institution providing qualified inpatient physical health assessment, treatment, and social and labor rehabilitation for patients with mental disorders.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Iryna joined the Maidan self-defense and patrolled the streets of Kyiv during the Revolution of Dignity in 2014. Later, she started going to the East of Ukraine to deliver equipment to Ukrainian defenders. Iryna underwent training and became the second in command of a sniper team at a time. However, she did not join the army back then, and a few years later she left for abroad. She met the all-out invasion while in Bali. At the time, she did not have a passport, as she had handed it to the embassy for reissue. However, she decided that she had to return to her homeland by any means necessary. She was offered deportation and agreed. On the third day of the full-blown war, she was already in Ukraine and joined the 72nd p Black Cossacks Brigade as a sniper.
Now Iryna is on the front line and is ready to talk to the media with command prior approval.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Warrior Cup III competition will take place in the Lviv region on October 21-22. This tournament was founded in 2021 by veterans Serhii Shymchak, Pavlo Luchkiv, and Dmytro Sydoruk, and volunteer Mariana Salashnyk for other veterans and military personnel.
Dmytro Sydoruk was killed last April during the full-scale Russian invasion. Serhii and Pavlo will hold the third Warrior Cup competition in Dmytro’s memory. Apart from archery, athletics (that involves competitive running and shot put) and table tennis are a part of the tournament this time, as Dmytro’s dream was to develop the competition.
For reference: Serhii Shymchak is a combatant of 2014-2015 military action as a member of the Lviv Volia Volunteer Battalion and the 24th Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and from February 2022 to January 2023, he served in the 206th Territorial Defense Battalion of the Kyiv 241st Brigade. Serhii is also a Sports Ambassadors project participant, implemented by Come Back Alive NGO supported by the US Embassy in Ukraine, in partnership with the Games Invictus Ukraine NGO. The project brings together 20 proactive and motivated leaders of the veteran community with visible and invisible injuries and wounds experienced in sports and who are ready to try new adaptive activities.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On October 23, the Kyiv Security Forum, the Media Center Ukraine media partner, will hold a special event “A Bold Agenda for the NATO Washington Summit in 2024.” During the event, the Atlantic Council’s address to the President of the United States of America on Ukraine’s accession to NATO will be presented.
The position of the leading US think tank and our American partners will be presented by:
– Amb. John Herbst, Director of Eurasia Center, Atlantic Council, United States Ambassador to Ukraine in 2003-06;
– Amb. Alexander Vershbow, NATO Deputy Secretary General in 2012-2016, United States Ambassador to NATO in 1998-2001;
– Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute, United States Ambassador to NATO in 2013-2017
Ukraine’s position on joining NATO will be presented by:
– Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Founder and Chairman of the Kyiv Security Forum, Prime Minister of Ukraine in 2014-16;
– Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, Chairwoman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on the EU Integration of Ukraine;
– Danylo Lubkivsky, Director of the Kyiv Security Forum.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the full-blown war, Oleksandr Budko worked as a barista in a coffee shop. When the enemy invasion began, the man did not hesitate to volunteer for the Carpathian Sich battalion. In May of the same year, the soldier lost both his legs during fighting in the Kharkiv region. Oleksandr says that he was inspired to engage in rehabilitation activities by soldiers like himself. Those who started boxing or running after being wounded. Over time, the guy got prostheses and started writing an autobiographical novel. And recently he starred as one of the main characters in a documentary. The film to tell the story of the dancers who evacuated after Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine and created the United Ukrainian Ballet, will be produced by actress Sarah Jessica Parker.
For reference: Oleksandr Budko is currently in Ukraine, ready to talk to journalists, both online and offline.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The second department of the RECOVERY national network innovative rehabilitation center for wounded soldiers has started working In Kyiv enabling the rehabilitation of more than 600 Ukrainian defenders annually.
Since the Kyiv RECOVERY Center was launched at the end of May 2023, 150 Ukrainian soldiers have recovered here thanks to the multidisciplinary rehabilitation team and state-of-the-art equipment. With the opening of the second department, the number of beds in the center has been increased from 30 to 50, which will allow more wounded to recover.
The new ward is equipped up to the highest barrier-free standards. Every ward is equipped with multifunctional beds with electric drive and appropriate furniture for a comfortable stay of patients with limited mobility.
For reference: RECOVERY’s innovative rehabilitation centers for military personnel are already operating in Lviv, Vinnytsia, Kyiv, Odesa (two facilities), and Dnipro region (two facilities). In total, the specialists of the national network have already helped more than 3,500 patients this year. In 2024, the founders announced that the capacity of the national network would be at least doubled.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On October 21, Dobrobat volunteers will clean up a kindergarten damaged in a helicopter crash in Brovary in Kyiv Oblast from rubbles.
January 18, 2023 helicopter crash killed 14 people: the aircraft crew and all passengers, as well as a child and adult civilians at the crash site. The leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs who were on board: Minister Denys Monastyrskyi, State Secretary of the Ministry Yurii Lubkovych, and First Deputy Minister Yevhen Yenin were among the onboard victims. 25 people were injured (including 11 children).
For reference: Dobrobat is a volunteer building division assisting victims in the urgent restoration of housing and social infrastructure in the de-occupied territories.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Lviv JAM FACTORY ART CENTER’s grand opening is to take place on November 18. It will host contemporary art exhibitions in particular. The art center opening will be followed by a large-scale exhibition of more than a hundred works by Ukrainian artists titled “Our Years, Our Words, Our Losses, Our Search, Our Us”, which was developed for a year by the curatorial group of Natalia Matsenko, Borys Filonenko, and Kateryna Iakovlenko and the institution’s team. An exhibition about the history of the Jam Factory building and the Pidzamche district will be placed in the old tower. This exhibition will become a permanent display. At the same time, public spaces on the territory of the JAM FACTORY will become available.
The idea of creating a new cultural center in Lviv originated in 2015 when philanthropist and historian Dr. Harald Binder decided to support the development of JAM FACTORY as a center for contemporary art. The JAM FACTORY ART CENTER is located in a former industrial building that used to be a distillery and later a jam processing plant.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
21-year-old Daniil Melnyk studied at the Lviv Military Academy. He used to be a deputy platoon leader and defended the Kyiv region from the enemy at the beginning of the all-out invasion. In the Borodiansky district, he was ambushed but took the fights with other combatants. Getting his hands wounded, he couldn’t even bandage them. He gave his ammunition to a comrade. Then he lost consciousness. Two days later, the Russians found him and took him prisoner. He was first held in Ukraine, then in Belarus, Russia, and the occupied Crimea. On April 21, 2022, Daniel was released from captivity.
He lost both his feet, his left palm, and 4 fingers on his right hand. Now the defender wants to go back to active duty service. He recently took part in the Sculpture series photo project.
For reference: Last December, Ukrainian photographer Marta Syrko founded the Sculpture series photo project. The protagonists of her photographs are Ukrainian defenders who suffered as a result of Russia’s full-blown invasion of Ukraine. (These are soldiers who were injured, got burned, or had their limbs amputated.) Civilians affected by the war can also join the project.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Since the beginning of the full-scale war, Olena Yuzvak has been under occupation. Despite the Russians taking over Hostomel, the doctor stayed and continued to work and help people. Olena distributed medicine and took care of the wounded until the occupiers took her prisoner. The doctor was imprisoned for a day, and 10 days later, the Ukrainian forces retake control of Hostomel. Olena immediately went back to work and tackled to restore the medical facilities she managed. One of them was located in the village of Moshchun in the Kyiv Oblast and was destroyed by a direct shell hit. Thanks to the support of international funds, Olena managed to build a new Health Center and turn it to be an energy-independent Point of Invincibility. Now the doctor continues to work toward the restoration of medical facilities.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The idea comes from Illia Shpolianskyi, an anti-terrorist operation in 2014-15 veteran and father of three. It was after returning from the war in 2015 that Illia came up with the idea to create a comic that would help children understand their parents who had to defend the country and support parents adapting to civilian life.
With the full-scale invasion outbreak, Illia rejoined the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and created and led the the Angry Birds combined strike UAV unit. In 2022, the NGO “Association of ATO Veterans and People with Disabilities” submitted a comic book project to the Ukrainian Veterans Fund competition and got support, enabling its publishing in a printed run of 2,500 copies and sent to military families free of charge. Besides reading the story, the comic’s owners can also complete a quest and receive a pins set depicting the main characters as an additional gift. The project got hundreds of positive reviews from parents and children. The comics are now released digitally, and the team is looking for funding to make additional copies in print and is working on the next story, “My mom returned from the war.”
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On October 27, the final event to mark the completion of the SportAmbassadors project will take place in Kyiv. Journalists are invited to join the event and meet the sports ambassadors, learn firsthand about the motivation of the participants and the results achieved during the project.
In addition, the event will feature a demonstration of adaptive training equipment, including wheelchairs for basketball and concepts for rowing that will be used for training. The importance of adaptive sports and the involvement of veterans will be discussed as well.
Press registration is required to attend the event.
SportsAmbassadors are veterans from different regions of Ukraine who underwent a personal recovery journey following an injury sustained on the front line. They are united by a common feature and mission—recovery through sports and motivation to share their experience with their brothers and sisters-in-arms, to engage them in adaptive sports, and to create such opportunities for other veterans in their local communities to go through this path.
For reference: The SportsAmbassadors project is implemented by the Come Back Alive Foundation supported by the US Embassy in Ukraine in partnership with the NGO “Invictus Games Ukraine”.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Valentyna Tkach is a third-generation weaver. Her mother was taught this craft by her grandfather, and her mother taught Valentyna herself.
When the full-blown began, Valentyna’s son was mobilized. Later, he asked his mother to raise money for a military vehicle. The woman chose her best products and started selling them on social media. The car was purchased very quickly. Valentyna decided that her carpets could help buy necessary things for Ukrainian defenders. So she continued to put her work up for sale and donate the proceeds to the army. Now the weaver is working on raising money for a thermal imaging drone.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
With the all-out enemy invasion outbreak, Artem Rakitin took up evacuating civilians from Chernihiv, a city in the country’s north that Russians encircled last spring. Artem gathered a team of volunteers to evacuate those who had no means of transport and were unable to leave the war zone. The team brought humanitarian aid and military ammunition to Chernihiv.
When Russia withdrew forces from the north of Ukraine, and there was no more need for emergency evacuation, Artem decided to serve as an active-duty soldier and joined the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine. The serviceman took part in combat operations in the most dangerous areas of the frontline. Recently, the defender was wounded during an enemy assault. A Russian tank managed to hit the Ukrainian position Artem was defending.
Artem Rakitin is undergoing treatment in Kyiv and is ready to talk to journalists online and offline.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Nataliia Shevchuk and her son went to the military enlistment office to join the Ukrainian Defense Forces on February 25, 2022, on her birthday. Nataliia used to be a film producer as a civilian employee, so she had many drone pilots as colleagues. In the first days of the invasion, she called on them to create an aerial reconnaissance unit together. At first, Nataliia’s unit comprised only 8 pilots, but later it numbered 28. The soldier says that the group is a big family, where she is called “Mom.” Nataliia’s son also served as a military intelligence officer but in a different unit. The defender dreams of expelling the enemy from Ukrainian territory and starting to rebuild the country after the full-blown war.
For reference: Nataliia Shevchuk is on the front line, ready to talk to journalists, both online and offline, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Stefan came to Ukraine from Finland. He is an entrepreneur consulting asset and fund management companies and a fund management director, previously working in Luxembourg. He attained education in accounting and law.
The foreigner decided to help Ukrainians and joined the Brave to Rebuild project volunteers in early October. He dismantled the rubble of destroyed buildings in the Kyiv region. In addition, the volunteer helped make concrete for masons and dug a trench for a water supply system.
The man believes that the war in Ukraine is highly illustrative of the battle between good and evil that a person can witness nowadays.
Journalists are welcome to talk to Stefan during his volunteer work in the Kyiv region.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The French foundation AFUF (Association of Ukrainian Women in France) is handing over 4 ambulances and 4 off-road vehicles to Ukraine for some AFU brigades. The vehicles are equipped with medical hardware and medicines provision on board. That’s a third mission of this foundation, focusing on purchasing ambulances and evacuation vehicles.
Journalists can engage with the benefactors in Lviv, Kyiv, or, whenever possible, in the frontline area. There are French-Ukrainian in-house translators.
The Foundation implements the mission in cooperation with the Charitable Foundation Harmata Volunteers.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A soldier assigned the call sign ‘Amazon’ woman warrior has dreamed of the army since childhood. She knew she would serve and defend her country. She couldn’t enter a higher education for the military, so she got into law school and then mobilized. When Amazon was still a private soldier, she was entrusted with the control of a Soviet self-propelled artillery system. Later, the girl got admitted to a military university on the second try and eventually earned an officer’s degree. At the same time, Amazon was appointed as the US-made M777 gun crew commander. The girl acquired the skills to manage the crew in a few days, she can load the gun and fire artillery pieces targeting the enemy on her own. The girl wanted her army nickname to be ‘Daisy’, but her commander assigned the name ‘Amazon’.
For reference: The soldier is on the front line, ready to talk to journalists, both online and offline, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A two-day press tour, during which scientists and environmental activists will conduct the third sampling of water and sediments from the Dnipro River, the areas flooded by the Kakhovka dam disaster, the Dnipro-Buh estuary, and the Black Sea will take place on November 1 and 2.
The Ukrainian Scientific Center for Marine Ecology specialists together with environmental volunteers from the country’s largest environmental movement, Let`s Do It Ukraine, will conduct a study to analyze the condition of water bodies affected by the Kakhovka HPP breach. In particular, they will analyze the toxic pollution that got into the Black Sea as a result of the dam’s destruction.
The water samples will be promptly delivered to the laboratory on the same day, where journalists will have the opportunity to see how the analysis is carried out and talk to the specialists.
The press tour participants will also have the opportunity to attend the hot lunches in eco-friendly packaging distribution as a part of the Good Kitchen humanitarian project in Kherson Oblast.
Important! Journalists are to be provided with a transfer from and to Kyiv and an opportunity to stay in Mykolaiv overnight. The organizers ask for bulletproof vests and helmets to carry with you.
Prior accreditation is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On November 3, Odesa will launch to deliver tour guide training courses for internally displaced persons. The classes will last 4 months and are completely free of charge. Residents of Mariupol, Mykolaiv, and Kherson Oblast have already signed up to attend the guide courses.
According to the organizers, the training provides people not only with new knowledge but also with psychological support.
Journalists can attend the classes and cover the learning process.
The courses are being implemented by the Hospitable Hut humanitarian center, supported by the Department of Culture, International Cooperation, and European Integration of the Odesa City Council.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Colonel Monte and Colonel Chuck from the U.S. call themselves the “Traveling Colonels.” They are retired US Marine Corps officers, both are Iraq War veterans. The men help Ukraine: they bring medical and other supplies purchased, in particular, with funds donated by U.S. citizens. All this is transferred to the Ukrainian military at the front.
Monte and Chuck, together with volunteers from Ukraine, Canada and the U.S., prepared and packed 1,167 IFAKS (Individual First Aid Kit — standard individual first aid kit in NATO member state) and 16 medical bags this week in Kyiv.
Journalists will have an opportunity to talk with Colonel Monte in Kyiv over the next week.
For reference: Colonel Monte first came to Poland to help Ukrainian refugees in April 2022 and worked with World Central Kitchen. Then he went to Ukraine, now this is his 10th trip. Colonel Chuck made 7 trips. Currently, he is not in Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Viktor Dudko, a potter, holds clay therapy sessions for defenders who were injured or wounded in the war. Sessions take place at a pottery school near Lutsk. They are free.
Soldiers work at the potter’s wheel and create plates, cups, glasses or vases. Defenders often dedicate clay objects that they create themselves to their loved ones and sign them with “for my beloved wife” or “for my daughter.”
Such clay therapy sessions have been taking place for almost a year. More than a hundred defenders visited it during this time. For a fee everyone is welcome to Viktor’s workshops in pottery. The potter then sends the funds to help the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Background: Potter Viktor Dudko became famous in Ukraine last year when he made two clay models of the russian cruiser “Moskva,” which was sunk by the Defense Forces of Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On October 30, in Kyiv, the Ukrainian Veterans Fund, together with partners, will present an interactive map of veteran businesses within the framework of the “Veteran’s Way. Business” concept. Businesses of veterans and their families from different regions of Ukraine will be gathered on one platform. This way everyone can easily find and support a veteran business in their city.
Participants:
- Ruslana Velychko-Trifonyuk, Acting Executive Director of the Ukrainian Veterans Fund
- Dmitry Dubrovskyi, Co-Founder and CEO of Uklon, Ambassador of the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation
- Denys Sudilkovsky, Chief Marketing Officer at LUN, Ambassador of the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation
Accreditation of journalists is required and will be open until 6:00 PM on October 29.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On November 1, Lviv will present the book “History is not without us: the formation of the movement for the rights of people with disabilities,” which was created by the team of the “Fight For Right,” NGO for the rights of people with disabilities, with the financial support of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation. The book is the first in Ukraine to investigate the history of the formation of the public movement for the rights of people with disabilities through the stories of its 27 associates.
The people, whose stories are mentioned in the book, will take part in the presentation, in particular:
- Oksana Potymko, Executive Director of the Lviv regional branch of “Ukrainian Union of People with Disabilities – USI” All-Ukrainian NGO,
- Andrii Demchuk, Paralympic Games champion and co-founder of the “Accessible Cinema” project,
- Serhii Titarenko, major of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, military psychologist, who helps soldiers who have returned from the front,
- Maryna Holovina, the first volunteer of active rehabilitation camps in Ukraine, co-founder of the “All-Ukrainian Association of Persons with Disabilities “Active Rehabilitation Group” NGO.
The participants will also include:
- Yuliia Sachuk, Head of the “Fight For Right” NGO,
- Iryna Tekuchova, expert on the rights of people with disabilities, the “Fight For Right” NGO,
- Hanna Zaremba-Kosovych, researcher, Head of Community Building at the “Fight For Right” NGO and Concept Editor of the book.
Event Moderator:
- Tetiana Herasymova, Director of the “Fight For Right” NGO.
The book will be released in several inclusive formats: in addition to the full printed version, the book will also be published in an easy-to-read format for people with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities. The electronic and audio versions of the book will also be freely available.
For reference: the “Fight For Right” NGO for human rights of people with disabilities was founded in 2017 by people with disabilities themselves. The organization’s vision is a world in which everyone knows and respects human rights.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Serhii is a fighter of the 128th Mountain Assault Brigade “Zakarpattia.” In the early 1990s, the man served on the famous cruiser “Moskva” (at that time, there were negotiations on dividing the Black Sea Fleet between Ukraine and russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union). In April 2022, “Moskva” was sunk by the Ukrainian military. “If I could, I would have helped sink it himself,” Serhii says about the destruction of the cruiser.
With the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Serhii was determined to join the fleet, however, he was mobilized to the 128th Mountain Assault Brigade. The man received the call sign “Combiner,” because in civilian life he worked in the agricultural sector. Currently, Serhii commands a combat vehicle, he is a unit commander and holds the rank of junior sergeant, which he received after fierce battles in Zaporizhia region. His wife, two sons and a three-year-old daughter are waiting for him at home.
For reference: The serviceman is on the front line. He is open to be interviewed, both online and offline, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Nadiia is a teacher of the art of making coffee. The woman and her family had moved from Mykolaiv to Kherson, a city in the south of Ukraine that was under russian occupation for more than half a year. This had happened two months before the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion. Nadiia wanted to open a barista school in the city. The official opening was scheduled for February 26, 2022, but the war changed everything.
The woman found herself under occupation, worked at a friend’s coffee shop, and volunteered by cooking food. When threats from the occupiers poured in, she decided to leave. She had to overcome 70 roadblocks. From Zaporizhia, she went to Kyiv, where she started all over again. On August 7, 2023, precisely on the anniversary of her escaping the occupation, she was able to open a coffee shop near Kyiv with the help of a state grant. Nadiia also helped a displaced woman from Zaporizhia region by employing her as a barista in her coffee shop.
Together with her close circle, Nadiia created the “Welcome to Ukraine” charity foundation in Mykolaiv, which helps the military and civilians.
For reference: November 11, 2023 marks the anniversary of the liberation of Kherson from the occupiers. Last year’s counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the South of Ukraine also liberated some of the districts of Kherson region and a part of Mykolaiv region on the right bank of the Dnipro.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Engineer Albert Virnin makes devices that help Ukrainian defenders fight enemy drones. The man haі designed and makes anti-drone guns and dome-type devices (used for electromagnetic warfare in trenches – they create a dome around themselves that stops the enemy drone from working).
Currently, the Ukrainian military uses so-called anti-drone calculations: one fighter analyzes information and calculates the path of an enemy UAV, and the other one then shoots down an enemy drone. The engineer thinks it’s better to have a third fighter with another anti-drone gun, then the results are much better.
Albert Virnin has already made several anti-drone weapons and dome-type devices. He does all this in Odesa together with his family. Ukrainian defenders “order” such devices through volunteers. The cost of one portable anti-drone gun is up to USD 2,000.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Anton Tenyk has been engaged in farming for the past 5 years. He runs a farm in Kherson Oblast in southern Ukraine. Since the Armed Forces of Ukraine de-occupied the right bank of the Kherson region, farmers have decided to get back to work. However, it has proved to be an uphill struggle, as most of the fields were contaminated with mines. Ukrainian military and sappers were clearing these areas of land mines, and Anton and other farmers did not stand aside: they used handheld mine detectors to detect shell casings and mortar shells. When pinpointing an unknown object, they seek professional help.
The farmers turned to their colleagues and charitable foundations for help to get fertilizers, seeds, and diesel fuel. Anton says that overcoming the odds, they managed to sow 800 hectares of sunflower, 400 hectares of barley, and 150 hectares of peas. Now the man is trying to employ all those who return home to the liberated regions of Kherson.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Larysa is a graduate in law originally from Kherson. She learned about the full-scale invasion of Russia when traveling in Mexico. She immediately started looking for ways to return home. Larysa managed to get to Ukraine just in the days of the Russian occupation of Kherson. In May 2022, she traveled to the Russian-held city and took her friends, and those willing to leave for the territory controlled by Ukraine.
In the Kyiv region, Larysa joined the volunteer movement and dismantled the rubble of buildings destroyed by the war. She lived with the idea of a similar reconstruction project to be implemented in her hometown. So, after Ukraine regained control of Kherson on November 11, 2022, Larysa returned home and became the coordinator of the Dobrobat volunteer movement in the region. Larysa and her team cleared rubble and rebuilt homes. Local volunteers call Larysa “mom” for her dedication and care for people.
Journalists are welcome to talk to Larysa both offline and online.
For reference: November 11, 2023, marks the one-year anniversary of retaking Kherson. Also, during last year’s counteroffensive in southern Ukraine, the Armed Forces of Ukraine liberated some districts of the Kherson region and part of the Mykolaiv region on the right bank of the Dnipro River.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
“Recover together. Psychological issue of military rehabilitation” information seminar aims to bring together key participants in the rehabilitation process for a professional discussion on the psychological aspects of multidisciplinary rehabilitation teams and their interaction with patients in the military.
Event participants:
- Viktor Liashko, Minister of Healthcare of Ukraine,
- Vasyl Strilka, Director General of the Directorate of High-Tech Medical Care and Innovation of the Ministry of Healthcare of Ukraine,
- Masi Nayyem, Co-Founder of Human Rights Center for Military Personnel “Principle”,
- Yulia (Taira) Paievska, paramedic, volunteer,
- Kseniia Voznitsyna, Chief Doctor of Lisova Poliana Veterans Mental Health and Rehabilitation Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine,
- Hlib Stryzhko, marine, veteran, head of the Veteran Hub in Kyiv.
Prior accreditation is required to attend the event.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
12 years ago, Yuliia Roshchenko opened her own business together with her husband. In the village of Chornobaivka, Kherson region, the woman created a copy center where fellow villagers could make copies of documents or print out the necessary papers. After the start of russia’s full-scale invasion, Yuliia spent the night printing “Children” signs for cars so that those leaving the occupation could try to prevent russian attacks on their families.
Later, the occupiers came to the copy center and demanded that Yuliia and her husband print russian documents, as well as photos for russian passports. The couple refused even though the enemy threatened them with weapons. Because of the threat to their lives, Yuliia’s family went to the west of Ukraine, where they stayed until their native village was liberated by the Ukrainian military. After returning, the couple received a government grant to start the copy center again.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Since the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion into Ukraine, Fight For Right NGO has gone on more than 1,500 evacuation trips (including medical evacuations by ambulances). They transported people with disabilities and their family members away from hostilities.
Evacuation is carried out mostly from areas near the front line. One of the biggest difficulties is that sometimes it is very hard for people to find courage to leave their homes, even when it is dangerous to stay there.
The organization also provides psychological assistance, particularly, individual consultations for people with disabilities and for mothers of children with disabilities.
In addition, psychological support groups for IDP women with disabilities are currently operating in Dnipro. The organization plans to create such groups in other cities as well. First of all, in Kyiv.
By prior agreement, journalists are welcome to cover the evacuation process or the work of the organization on psychological support for people.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The book “Visual Diary of War” has been recently published. It contains 366 illustrations by artist Antonina Semenova and the same number of Ukrainians’ stories about one year of russia’s full-scale invasion that she collected.
The Ukrainian Cultural Foundation provided financial support to print the book. Its print run is 100 copies. Some of the books will be sent to volunteers/activists who will use the books in their charity fundraisers. Another part has already been sent to the libraries of Ukraine. Copies of the “Diary” will also go to war museums and Ukrainian cultural centers abroad.
Antonina plans to have the book translated into English to spread war stories around the world.
The artist prefers interviews in online format or by phone.
For reference: Previously, illustrator and artist Antonina Semenova worked on alphabet themes for children. And on February 24, 2022, she realized that she could not draw peaceful illustrations and had to reflect on the events of that day. So, the idea to create a “Visual Diary of War” came to her. Every day, the woman drew one small sketch about what was happening in the country. Later, she decided to transform the diary from the artist’s personal lifeline into a project encompassing the voice of different Ukrainians.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Yurii Zdor took up arms back in 2015, when Russia first attacked Ukraine. For the man, it seemed the only logical decision to make. He fought in different brigades and completed his military service as the 72nd Brigade named after the Black Cossacks member. The fighter was on standby when the full-scale invasion broke out, he has packed up all his belongings. Yurii’s wife Svitlana stayed at home in Chernihiv, and her husband went to Kyiv.
Yurii and his unit took part in heavy battles in Kyiv, Chernihiv, Donetsk and Luhansk regions. He was seriously wounded and lost his leg while fighting in eastern Ukraine. Yurii’s spouse says that waiting for her husband for stabilization point discharge was the hardest part, then she found he was getting treatment from the intensive care unit and never left him.
Yurii and Svitlana reside in Chernihiv. They are ready to talk to journalists, both offline and online.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oleksandr Knyha has been the director of the Kherson Regional Academic Music and Drama Theater named after Mykola Kulish for over 30 years. He is also an honorary citizen of Kherson and a member of the regional council.
At the beginning of Russia’s all-out invasion, Oleksandr ended up being in Russia-occupied territory. On March 23, 2022, the Russian military arrested him. After interrogation, they released him, but a few days later they came to the theater to force Oleksandr to cooperate. The man began to look for ways to flee life under occupation. He managed to escape on April 1, 2022.
After all he has been through, he did not quit his favorite occupation. While in the Ukraine-controlled area, he was preparing the annual Melpomene of Tavria international theater festival, which had previously been held in Kherson. And later he launched the theater in evacuation.
Meanwhile, the occupation authorities appointed a man who used to be a security guard at the theater in Kherson to the position of the director. They even “renamed” the Mykola Kulish Theater to the Russian Academic Theater.
After Ukraine forced retook Kherson on November 11, 2022, Oleksandr and some of the actors came back to their hometown. Despite enemy shelling, the artists work in a sheltered art hub. Oleksandr, along with other residents of the Kherson region, had to face the consequences of the flooding of his native land due to the occupiers’ blowing up the Kakhovka HPP dam. His house was underwater in the occupied flooded town of Oleshky.
Journalists are welcome to talk to Oleksandr offline or online.
For reference: November 11, 2023, marks a year anniversary of the Kherson liberation from the Russian occupation. Also, during last year’s counteroffensive in southern Ukraine, the Armed Forces of Ukraine regained some districts of Kherson region and part of Mykolaiv region on the right bank of the Dnipro River.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Valentyna Hantseva has been working in the library of Soldatske village, Sumy oblast for 32 years. A few months before the full-scale invasion, the library had undergone modern renovation and purchased new equipment. But the building of the library could not withstand the air strike of the russians, who aimed right at the center of the occupied village. Only the roof and walls remained of the library: everything inside the building was damaged by the blast wave. Despite the occupation and the enemy aircraft, Valentyna, together with her husband, began to gather the undamaged books and hide them in grain sacks. The woman managed to take out and save more than 1000 books.
In April 2022, the Ukrainian military de-occupied the village. A philanthropist from Germany helped restore the library premises, and last fall, Valentyna opened the doors of the library to readers again.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
First enrollment at the course “Fundamentals of Rehabilitation of People with Visual Impairments” is starting in Ukraine to train specialists who work with military and civilians who have completely or partially lost their sight as a result of the war.
The courses are free of charge. They will be held in online and offline formats. Шn particular, students will study issues of social and domestic rehabilitation and comprehensive rehabilitation of people with vision impairments.
The training program is aimed at employees of rehabilitation centers, social workers, employees of veteran organizations, etc.
By prior agreement, journalists will be able to cover in-person classes.
For reference: The training is implemented by the “League of the Strong” public union together with Charity Organization 03:00 Foundation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On November 4-5 in Kyiv, “Sirius” shelter for homeless animals is organizing “AdoptMe Days”: a dozen puppies and cats will be waiting for new families. These are animals that were abandoned on the streets, left at the shelter’s doorstep or rescued from the frontline areas. Anyone can get to know the animals, consult with experts and adopt a four-legged companion. Also, people are welcome to visit the shelter in Kyiv region over these days. Today, more than 3,000 dogs and more than 200 cats live there.
Journalists have the opportunity to cover this topic in Kyiv or visit the shelter in Kyiv region.
For reference: “Sirius” is the largest shelter for homeless animals in Ukraine. It has been working since 2000. Since the beginning of the full-scale war, more than 1,500 animals have been sheltered there. These are, in particular, four-legged animals abandoned by their owners, as well as those brought by volunteers and soldiers from the front-line territories: Kharkiv, Donetsk and Kherson regions. The shelter is located in Kyiv region – therefore, at the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion, many animals experienced stress due to enemy shelling.
Currently, the shelter, like many others in Ukraine, is full of abandoned pets.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
EOD specialists of the Municipal Guard of Irpin community can now demine not only land contaminated by explosives, but also local bodies of water. They will do it with an underwater drone. It can descend to a depth of 150 meters and examine the bottom without endangering divers.
A local resident helped to raise funds and purchase a drone. In this way, she wanted to thank the EOD specialists who neutralized the mine in her yard.
In addition, two EOD specialists of the Municipal Guard have already completed a two-month training course for divers at the Kyiv State Maritime School. The priority plans are to clear the local quarry, where russian shells landed during last year’s fighting in Kyiv region.
By prior agreement, journalists are welcome to cover how EOD specialists work with an underwater drone.
For reference: 40 days after the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion, the specialists of the EOD Department of Municipal Guard, public utility service under the Irpin City Council began demining the territory of the community. The land is cleared by local residents who have undergone training and mastered the EOD profession. (Among them are, in particular, war veterans, former special forces, and retired sappers). Over the course of their work, the team discovered 1,000 artillery shells and mortar mines, more than 100 tripwire grenades and about 1,000 anti-tank mines.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Tetiana Smylovenko is 19 years old. Currently, the girl is a two-time champion of “Olympic Hopes” and a multiple world and Europe medalist. But when she was only four, Tetiana and her younger brother ended up in an orphanage, and four more of her sisters and brothers were taken to a boarding school for orphans. Two years later, a foster family took all the children in, but soon gave them up. Later, a local school teacher agreed to take the children in, and Tetiana and her brothers and sisters moved to a family-type children’s home. When the girl was 11 years old, her adoptive mother suggested that she try her hand at sports, namely rowing. Tetiana first chose a kayak, and later – a canoe. The young woman takes prize-winning places, dreams of going to the Olympics and later become a coach to motivate and support others.
Currently, Tetiana lives in Kirovohrad oblast, but often travels to different regions of Ukraine. She is ready to communicate with the media by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
From now on, Ukrainian servicemen can join training sessions from anywhere in the country. All this is part of the online training project from the organizers of the Games of Heroes competition. The online platform of rehabilitation training was launched in September of this year. This is a unique system of exercises developed by coaches Julia Koval and Valerii Kysil, which aims to rehabilitate military personnel with amputations and return them to a full life.
For reference: The “Game of Heroes” competition was first started in 2016. The project was founded by Yevhen Koval, and headed by Roman Lindov, a Kyiv native who was injured on February 18, 2014, during the Revolution of Dignity. The “Games of Heroes” were held annually until February 2022, in particular, among veterans of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard, and the Border Guard Troops.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Born in Odesa, Hennadii immigrated to Israel with his family at the age of 13. There he got an education. As an adult, he worked as a truck driver.
When he learned about the full-scale invasion of Russia, he decided to return to Ukraine and protect his country. He served in the Third Separate Special Forces Battalion of the International Defense Legion of Ukraine. In December 2022, during an assault on an enemy position in the Luhansk region, the soldier stepped on a landmine. He lost an eye and two legs in the explosion.
The man was offered to go abroad for treatment, but he did not want to leave Ukraine.
Soon, journalists are welcome to talk to Hennadii in Lviv.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oleksandr Markov is a board-certified neurosurgeon. In 2015, he took up arms and joined a volunteer battalion. After returning from the front, Oleksandr took on rehabilitating civilians and soldiers at first, as a hired employee, and after 2022, as the founder of a rehabilitation center in Kharkiv. Oleksandr won a grant and received financial support from the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation and started working with military personnel who required his professional help.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the full-fledged invasion, Inna Yakovenko dealt with selling windows and doors. The businesswoman runs two trade pavilions in the village of Novovorontsovka in the Kherson region. At the outbreak of the full-blown, the woman’s village remained the only Ukraine-controlled one in the Novovorontsovka community. However, the settlement has come under Russian strikes hitting nearly every day for 7 months. Inna lived in the basement throughout August 2022, because of the nonstop shell rains. The heavy bombardment damaged the trade pavilions where Inna was selling. So, after the Ukrainian military liberated the community, the entrepreneur chose a new path and set up a granite dust block production facility to help rebuild dwellings for villagers who had begun to return home. Now she plans to scale up production to create as many jobs as possible.
For reference: November 11, 2023, marks the one-year anniversary of retaking Kherson. Also, during last year’s counteroffensive in southern Ukraine, the Armed Forces of Ukraine liberated some districts of the Kherson region and part of the Mykolaiv region on the right bank of the Dnipro River.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On November 9, journalists are invited to take part in a press conference on the introduction of a state-of-the-art service—an electronic stamp. This innovative solution has gained popularity in the US, UK, Germany, and Norway.
The event will highlight all the benefits of e-stamping and demonstrate the way it works out in practice.
Participants:
– Igor Smelyansky, CEO of Ukrposhta JSC
– Customers who have already tried the new e-stamp service
At the press conference, you will have a chance to see the marking machine firsthand and also create an electronic stamp yourself.
Media registration is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Presentation of the report “Business and startups: joint steps towards the reconstruction of Ukraine” to take place in Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform on November 8th. The creators’ goal was to find out how Ukrainian startups can participate in the reconstruction and transformation of Ukraine in various directions (infrastructure, health care, education, trade, etc.) right now. Also, they wanted to investigate the actual needs of local authorities and institutions involved in the development and reconstruction of the regions. The obtained data will help to create innovative products and services that meet Ukraine’s needs and can be used to the benefit of the country in the future.
This is the third time that the Polish-Ukrainian Startup Bridge (PUSB) together with its partners, the Ukrainian Startup Fund and the Warsaw Stock Exchange, are conducting a large-scale analysis of the Ukrainian startup ecosystem.
Participants:
– Lukasz Wawak, Manager of Polish-Ukrainian Startup Bridge
– Pavlo Kartashov, Director of the Ukrainian Startup Fund
– Kateryna Hrechko, CEO of Techosystem
– Roman Nikitov, Co-Head of ICU Ventures.
Event accreditation is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Building shelled, employees pressured, and more than 10,000 of the most valuable exhibits looted by the occupiers are what the Shоvkunenko Kherson Regional Art Museum has experienced since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russia.
It was a few days shy of the de-occupation of Kherson (November 11, 2022) that the museum heist was committed by armed Russian occupiers under the slogans of “preserving cultural property.” The artifacts were taken as plunder to the occupied Crimea. The identification of the missing items is currently underway.
Apart from that, the occupiers hit the museum building twice: in November 2022 (windows were smashed, and the facade was shattered) and in April 2023.
Journalists can send a request to arrange interviews and filming in the museum.
For reference: Before the full-scale invasion, the museum’s collection included nearly 14,000 pieces of art.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Photographer Uliana Sidletska, together with makeup artist and stylist Victoria Sanatos, conducts photoshoots for women. They say that they work on the inner state of women. In particular, they help them break free from insecurity and see themselves differently, during photo sessions.
Two months ago, a woman who had lost her husband in the war came to have some snapshots. After she posted the photos on social media, she faced judgment from people blaming her for inappropriate behavior as a widow doing a photoshoot. Then, to support other wives of fallen Ukrainian heroes, Viktoria and Uliana came up with the idea to create the photo project “I AM A WOMAN” aiming to manifest that women should never forget about themselves. Uliana and Viktoria take photos of fallen heroes’ wives free of charge.
Eight women have already taken part in the photo project. According to the organizers, while posing for photos, women are starting to unfold themselves: they talk about themselves, recall their dreams, and some even say that they have realized something they have been putting off for a long time.
The “I AM A WOMAN” photo project exhibition will open on December 17. The project applications are accepted from other country regions.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ksenia Kostenko quit a successful IT career and started a farm in the Bucha district of Kyiv region. She even patented her own fertilizer production technology.
When Russia landed troops in the Kyiv region in February 2022, there were no workers on her field, which was a great joy to Ksenia. The farmer left for Kyiv and later learned that her house had been destroyed and the fields around her contaminated with mines. Ksenia engaged in volunteering and helping the Ukrainian army. Upon the de-occupation of the Kyiv region and having received permission from the sappers, she returned home. Now, the farmer is working to restore the capacity of her enterprise.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oksana, born in Kherson, has 27 years of teaching experience (pursuing a career in out-of-school learning). At the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Oksana headed to her sister’s house on the left bank of the Kherson region and ended up in an occupied area. She managed to escape on June 1, 2023. Now she lives in a public housing community in the Kyiv region, and since September she has been holding Ukrainian language and literature classes for 9th and 11th graders in-person and online. Oksana gives online lessons in one of the kitchens of the social housing so as not to disturb other IDPs living nearby.
In addition to teaching essential school subjects, she also runs the Dzhura club, an all-Ukrainian game for children and youth, a form of extracurricular work on the patriotic and moral education of children
For reference: November 11, 2023, marks the one-year anniversary of retaking Kherson. Also, during last year’s counteroffensive in southern Ukraine, the Armed Forces of Ukraine liberated some districts of the Kherson region and part of the Mykolaiv region on the right bank of the Dnipro River.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
At the onset of the full-blown war, Nadiia’s husband stood up to defend the country and joined the Territorial Defense. He was killed while holding the defense of Chernihiv region in March 2022. Three children became fatherless. The house that the man was building for his family was destroyed by the occupiers. Nadiia was offered to sell the land, but she refused because she dreamed of rebuilding the house in memory of her loved one.
Currently, Dobrobat volunteers are helping to restore the house. They have already brought building materials to the construction site.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Volunteers of the Save Ukraine charitable foundation evacuate people from areas near the front line. Since early November this year, more than 105 thousand Ukrainians have been provided with help. Most of them are families with children.
By prior arrangement, journalists are welcome to talk to families rescued from frontlines.
As a reminder, volunteers of the Save Ukraine charitable foundation also organize rescue missions to return Ukrainian children illicitly transferred to Russia and Russian-controlled territories. The first mission took place a year ago, on November 8, 2022. In total, as of November 2023, the charity workers have brought 200 children back.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The FACE TO FACE mission of American plastic and reconstructive surgeons is coming to the UNBROKEN National Rehabilitation Center in Lviv.
On November 12-17, a team of American surgeons, together with Lviv-based specialists, will conduct free consultations and reconstructive surgeries for the military and civilian Ukrainians who suffered due to the war and received face and neck injuries.
Specialists will include: plastic, maxillofacial and reconstructive surgeons, ENT physicians, orthopedists and ophthalmologists. The doctors have already selected patients for complex reconstructive face and neck surgeries. All surgical interventions and their time in the clinic will be free of charge. In general, 42 patients are to receive help as part of this mission.
Prior accreditation is required.
For reference: the humanitarian program was created in cooperation with the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS) (The Educational and Research Foundation) as well as Razom for Ukraine and INgenius organizations.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Mariia Volia was born and raised in Mariupol, a city in the south of Ukraine that was destroyed and occupied by the russians last spring. The girl joined the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in 2015. She wanted to defend the country after the first russian attacks on Mariupol. Currently, Mariia Volia is a mortar commander at the front.
Before the occupation of her hometown, the girl had been hiding her orientation. However, after she was wounded in Mariupol, and later escaped from the russian encirclement, Mariia opened up to her brothers in arms. Currently, the commander of the mortar unit hopes that civil partnerships will be legalized in Ukraine, because in the future she wants to get married with her partner.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Yuliia Dudysheva is a refugee from Crimea. Before the full-scale invasion, the girl lived and worked in Chernihiv oblast. She was working in advertising, and sometimes helped friends renovate their homes.
After the liberation of Chernihiv oblast in the spring of 2022, Yuliia quit her job and began looking for a new path for herself. In June of this year, the girl began to renovate, restore and decorate apartments for those who had to flee from the war. The first people Yuliia helped were her friends, who allowed the woman to furnish their home. Later, the Crimean woman met another family that needed help with repairs and design. Yuliia is active on social networks, where she shows the entire process of home renovation. Subscribers support her “Coziness for IDPs” project, in particular, they help purchase materials needed for renovation works.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
“Honored!” charity project was organized to support the 23rd separate infantry battalion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine operating in the combat zone. The project is implemented by Dukat Auction House in the form of auction & exhibition (silent auction) in Kyiv. The opening of the exhibition will take place on November 14, and the final auction will take place on November 23.
The lots include: paintings, graphics art, sculptures by artists of Ukraine and the Ukrainian diaspora, whose work has become a national treasure. In particular, there are works of Jacques Hnizdovsky (1915–1985), Lyudmila Morozova (1907–1997), Mykhailo Chereshniovsky (1911–1994).
Ukrainian antique books will also be put up for auction: old prints of the 18th century, lifetime editions of Ukrainian classics (T. Shevchenko, P. Kulish, etc.), books with autographs by prominent figures of national culture, collector’s editions of the Ukrainian diaspora.
Auction lots will also include items of war (shells, deactivated projectiles, remnants of cluster munitions), transformed into art objects by the best artists of Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Anastasiia Kulish is the founder of VetEvak charitable foundation. For almost a year now, their team of volunteering veterinarians has been traveling as close to the front line as possible to rescue animals that stay with their owners near the front. Volunteers set up operating theaters in houses destroyed by the occupiers, treat animals under shelling. And the owners of cats and dogs line up when they find out that volunteers are coming to them. VetEvak also provides owners with medicine and food for their pets free of charge.
Additionally: It is possible to talk with the founder of VetEvak charitable foundation and the team of veterinarians, both online and offline by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The resident of the Wild Animal Rescue Center, tigress named Tyhriula is now slowly getting up on her hind legs. Doctors continue to take care of the animal that was injured on November 11, as a result of the occupiers’ rocket attack on Kyiv region. Shellshocked from the explosions, Tyhriula hit the cage, fell down and could not get up. The animal received anti-inflammatory and analgesic therapy. Then experts assumed that she could have injured her hind limbs or spine.
On the same day, the lion living in the same Center was also injured. Other residents of the Wild Animal Rescue Center experienced stress caused by shelling as well.
For reference: In general, since the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Wildlife Rescue Center has taken in more than 800 animals (lions, bears, tigers, wolves, leopards, wild birds, raccoons, etc.). In particular, the volunteers evacuated the animals from the frontline zones and other dangerous areas. As of November, more than 200 rescued animals were transported to European rehabilitation centers.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Nataliia Plakhotniuk was born in Luhansk region and dreamed of becoming a teacher from an early age. She graduated from a university in the east, gained her first teaching experience, and later met her future husband. Pavlo is a professional soldier, who has been in the ranks of the Armed Forces since 2004. A few years ago, the couple moved to Bucha, Kyiv region.
On February 24, 2022, Pavlo and Nataliia learned about the beginning of the big war. The husband was immediately called up for duty, and Nataliia and her children left Bucha only on February 25, when russian tanks had already entered nearby Hostomel. After the liberation of Kyiv region and returning home, Nataliia realized that she wanted to teach children and open her own business. She learned about the Smartum training center franchise, got state financial support for military personnel and their families, and opened her training center in Bucha. Currently, 45 children study in Nataliia’s class. They study mental arithmetic, speed reading and English as well as prepare for school.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ihor Romanov is a welder and blacksmith by profession. He is also the founder of the “Volunteer Smithy ” in Odesa. At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the man began to make anti-tank hedgehogs and spikes, which were scattered on the roads. Later, the welder began to produce potbelly stoves, regular stoves and field kitchens. He donated the products of his work to the defenders at the front. Philanthropists and volunteers helped with funds and materials. He also modernized field kitchens to make them mobile and multifunctional.
Currently, the craftsman is working on potbelly stoves for defenders, which he also makes following his own methodology. To make production cheaper, he makes them in the shape of a bent hexagon. Such potbelly stoves are three times cheaper than analogues in stores. He can make up to ten items per day.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On November 18, “JAM FACTORY ART CENTER” in Lviv will officially open its doors to the public. In particular, exhibitions of modern art will take place here. The opening of the art center will feature “Our Years, Our Words, Our Losses, Our Searches, Our We” large-scale exhibition of more than a hundred works by Ukrainian artists, which a curatorial team consisting of Natalia Matsenko, Borys Filonenko, Kateryna Yakovlenko and the institution’s staff worked on for a year. An exhibition about the history of the “Jam Factory” building and the Pidzamche district will open in the old tower. This exhibition will become permanent. In addition, public spaces will become available on the territory of “JAM FACTORY.”
The idea of creating a new cultural center in Lviv was born in 2015, when philanthropist and historian Dr. Harald Binder decided to support the development of “JAM FACTORY” as a center of contemporary art. “JAM FACTORY ART CENTER” is located in a former industrial building, which was first used as a distillery and later as a jam bottling plant.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
American Craig is 76 years old. The man has been volunteering at the Lviv Main Railway Station for eight months. Together with the Center for Medical and Psychological Help Team, he meets evacuation train and bus passengers, helps IDPs get off the train and carry their belongings, and provides them with necessary information.
In addition, together with writers from Poland, Germany, and Ukraine, he is writing a book about the war and volunteers. He plans to use all the proceeds to help Ukraine. Craig is also learning Ukrainian.
For reference: The volunteer initiative of the Center for Medical and Psychological Help at the Lviv Main Railway Station has been operating since the beginning of the full-scale war at the initiative of the Lviv Oblast Military Administration and its partners.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Until the full-blown war, Petro worked as a pastry chef in Odesa, making chocolate and making a variety of desserts. Before the all-out invasion, the man did not even think about serving in the army. But on February 24, 2022, Petro was one of the first to arrive at the military registration and enlistment office. He did not manage to join the Defense Forces, so immediately, but after a few tries he did enter the ranks. He took up combat medic specialist duties.
According to Petro, most of his colleagues adequately responded to his sexual orientation. The soldier dreams of statewide legal recognition so Ukraine will eventually adopt a law on civil union so he can start a family without being afraid of public condemnation.
For reference: Petro is currently in hospital in Odesa. He is ready to talk to journalists, both online and offline, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On November 16, Ukraine Media Center Ukrinform will host a briefing on the signing agreements with the World Food Program in Ukraine by the heads of 11 regions to expand the National School Feeding Program. The briefing will focus on the challenges in providing daily meals to primary school students and children receiving social benefits, as well as the role of WFP in providing cooked school meals.
Participants:
– Andriy Stashkiv, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine;
– Matthew Hollingworth, UN World Food Program (WFP) Representative and Country Director in Ukraine;
– Ruslan Kravchenko, Head of the Kyiv Regional Military Administration;
– Ihor Taburets, Head of Cherkasy Oblast Military Administration.
For reference: Last academic year, the UN World Food Program funded 50% of hot meals for children in 58 primary schools in Kyiv Oblast for four months. This year, WFP is expanding a cooked school meals program to reach 11 regions. WFP will provide 30% of daily meals for more than 60,000 Ukrainian school-age children.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In January 2015, during fierce fighting that flared near the Donetsk airport, Bohdan Pantiushenko, a soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, was taken prisoner by Russia. It took five years to bring Bohdan home. He was freed from captivity in a prisoner exchange on December 29, 2019. Today, together with his wife Victoriia, Bohdan has started his own business, namely a family-friendly cafe in the Kyiv region. A couple, raising a little boy, decided to design a kids’ space in their restaurant, as well as a number of dining options for children.
At first, Bohdan planned to invest only his own assets, but then he learned about the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation support program for veterans. So the serviceman applied for a business grant and got almost three million hryvnias for the project launch. Bohdan and his wife hope the cafe will open its doors to visitors in the spring of 2024.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Volunteering School Class initiative was recently launched in Ukraine aiming to encourage teenagers to engage in volunteer activities. Also, the project’s goal is to develop child leadership, organizational skills, perseverance, and confidence.
The 45-minute lessons are held in educational institutions, where activists, teachers, and celebrities tell students how to achieve significant results by taking small steps and sharing tools to help them join the volunteer movement.
During the Volunteering Class, singer Alyona Alyona met with a Kyiv school students, PROBASS ∆ HARDI visited a school in Horishni Plavni, Poltava Oblast, and singer and performer Mila Nitich gave a lesson in an educational institution in Irpin.
Journalists are welcome to cover the Volunteering School Class featuring celebrities in Kyiv, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Valentyna Korobka is 29 years old. She signed a military enlistment agreement with the Defense Forces in 2019 and drove an infantry fighting vehicle for the first time. Two years later, the servicewoman got married and gave birth to a child. Her son was less than six months old when Russia launched a full-blown war against Ukraine.
In August 2022, Valentyna returned to her comrades, became a pilot of kamikaze drones, and now destroys enemy targets from the air. However, at home, she hears reproaches from her parents, relatives, and even her husband, who stayed to live civilian life to take care of their son, asserting that she is a “bad mother.” Valentyna is having a hard time with the separation from her child, but she hopes that when her son grows up, he will understand her choice and be proud of her.
For reference: Valentyna is currently on the front line. She is ready to talk to journalists online.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A “Miracle Village” set in the Kolonshchyna village, Kyiv region. The project was developed for elderly people who lost their homes due to Russian military aggression.
Accommodation is free of charge. The apartments are modernly renovated and furnished. The “village” will also have a clubhouse where the older adults could spend their leisure time. Among other things, there will be a medical center, hairdresser’s, and dentist’s offices.
Currently, 68 people already reside in the “Miracle Village”.
For reference: The “Miracle Town” was built with the support of the “To Ukraine With Love” Charitable Foundation and American businessman and philanthropist Dell Loy Hansen.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On November 20, the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation will present research “Veteran Portrait” at the Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform.
The event will focus on how do veterans view respect from the public and support from the state, as well as what problems veterans consider most likely to arise in civilian life.
Participants:
– Yulia Laputina, Minister for Veteran Affairs of Ukraine;
– Ruslana Velychko-Trifonyuk, First Deputy Executive Director of the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs;
– Yulya Kirillova, Head of the Department of Educational and Analytical Work of the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation.
Event registration is required.
For reference: In October 2023, the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation of the Ministry of Veterans conducted the fourth web-based survey among male and female veterans and active duty military personnel. A total of 2475 people took part in the research. The survey results examined the current needs and concerns of the participants.
For example, a survey conducted in February 2023 showed that 4% of respondents believed that veterans “do not receive” respect from civilians at all. This figure doubled to 9.8% in October 2023. The overall share of veterans who are convinced of the general public showing a complete lack of proper respect for them has also increased, amounting to 44.1% compared to 25.4% in February 2023.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Hamish is 23 years old and he recently graduated from the University of St Andrews in the UK. After that, he spent one year working in London as a Conference Producer in the Defense sector.
The young man says that, just like many people in the UK, he was shocked when he heard about russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He was even more horrified by the terrible war crimes committed by the occupiers.
As soon as the boy collected enough money, he came to Ukraine. He volunteered in Kyiv and Chernihiv regions (particularly, he worked in the “Dobrobat” and “Brave to Rebuild” teams). He cleared rubble, helped to fix roofs, lay bricks and install windows.
Hamish is currently volunteering in Kharkiv: he helps to cook food for people affected by the war. In addition, he plans to join the local “Dobrobat” branch to help with the reconstruction.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Inna Surai has been working as a seamstress for over 22 years, over the course of which, she got to try her hand at making plushies, clothes and furniture. And after February 2022, she started sewing first-aid kits, body armor and webbing systems for the Ukrainian military.
This year, Inna received financial support from the state, because she managed to win a grant to open her own workshop. The tailor became the first in her district of Dnipropetrovsk region to receive such support. Currently, Inna is working on hiring more employees and increasing the capacity of her workshop. And although the business is not yet profitable, Inna continues to support servicemen and sew items for the needs of the Ukrainian army.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Volodymyr Moisei is a master of sports in powerlifting. His story began with an ordinary trip to the gym. And within a year, with the help of the coach, Volodymyr met his first standard.
In 2019, the athlete got into a traffic accident and lost his arm. After two and a half months, he began his return to professional sports, developed a special strap to help him lift a bar with extreme weights and thought about the world record. When the Great War began, Volodymyr’s hometown, Berdyansk, was occupied. Due to the injury, the man could not join the army and took up volunteering. Later, he was able to evacuate his family from Berdyansk to Switzerland, and he himself returned to Ukraine.
In March 2023, Volodymyr visited the U.S.-based “Arnold Sports Festival” – as an adaptive athlete in the weight class of under 100 kilograms, he lifted the weight of 260 kilograms and set a world record in powerlifting. The athlete dedicated his record to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and his family.
For reference: Volodymyr Moisei is ready to communicate with journalists, both online and offline by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On November 21, the Maidan Museum together with the Ukrainian House and partners invite everyone to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Revolution of Dignity. The exhibition ” Maidan: Birth of a Dream. First battle” will be held in Kyiv. All three floors of the Ukrainian House, an important part of the history of the Revolution of Dignity, will host the event.
Visitors, in particular, will be able to immerse themselves in the atmosphere of the most powerful peaceful protest in the world, remember the events, see original items of Maidan protestors and unique artifacts from the protests.
After the opening, everyone is invited to watch and discuss the film “Euromaidan SOS” together with DocuDays NGO’s DOCU/CLUB network.
Registration is required.
In addition, On the Day of Dignity and Freedom, a joint prayer for Ukraine and its freedom fighters will take place at 10:00 AM. Then, in memory of the fallen defenders of Ukraine, the Bell of Dignity will be rung, flowers will be placed at the portraits of the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred, and lights will be lit in their honor.
For reference: The Day of Dignity and Freedom in Ukraine is celebrated every year on November 21 to mark the beginning of two revolutions: the Orange Revolution (2004) and the Revolution of Dignity (2013).
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The B50 community was formed in the very first days of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Its future founders gathered near one of the Territorial Defense Forces headquarters, which had a secret address, B50, whence the community’s name followed. Since the Ukrainian forces have liberated the Kyiv region, B50 volunteers were among the first to join the cleanup and debris removal in Bucha, Irpin, Vorzel, and Hostomel. As of April 2022, the B50 community has been dispatching visiting missions to the de-occupied towns and villages of the Kyiv region every week to deal with cleanup activities of homes destroyed by the occupiers. In addition to debris removal, since 2023, the community’s volunteers have been restoring the children’s libraries funds in the frontline and de-occupied territories, reconstructing and decorating children’s bomb shelters, and helping animal shelters affected by the hostile invasion.
For reference: The B50 volunteers community is ready to have conversations with journalists, both online and offline. You can join the community missions every weekend.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In Lviv, war veterans who have lost their limbs are being rehabilitated through soccer play and have assembled a team called Pokrova Lviv AMP. The men have training twice a week on one of the football pitches. The team consists of 14 members from different cities of Ukraine.
The players on the pitch are lower-extremity amputees, and the goalkeepers are upper-extremity amputees. The field players use forearm crutches and play without prostheses.
Salesian priests and coach Bohdan Melnyk joined the sports initiative. According to the coach, they are currently working with the Ukrainian Association of Football for People with Disabilities to create a national football championship for players, including veterans, with amputated limbs.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In the “Warm Up” (Zihrii) movement participants knit warm clothes (hats, scarves, balaclavas, mittens, and socks) to be sent to Ukrainian defenders. These pieces of clothing do not compete with tactical equipment but aim to show caregiving to the military. As the founders of the movement explain, apart from military tasks, soldiers have other tasks, such as cooking and going to the post office. This is where warm scarves, socks, or hats from “Warm Up” come in handy.
Over 5 thousand people from all over Ukraine have joined the initiative since its inception. Ukrainians abroad (Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden) also knit for our defenders.
The people of various professions: top managers, editors, nannies, etc have been joining the “Warm Up” movement. There are also men among the knitters.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Olena Rozvadovska, co-founder of the Children’s Voices Foundation is on the BBC 100 Women list. The project recognizes the achievements of women around the world and in all spheres of life – from volunteering to running international organizations.
A 27-year-old Olena took up the position of press secretary at The Office of the Commissioner for Children’s Rights of the President of Ukraine. In this role, she became deeply involved in human rights activities and learned more about the problems children face. This was followed by 5 years of volunteering in Donbas, the founding of the Voices of Children charity foundation, and the growth of the team from 2 employees to 200 people.
The Voices of Children Foundation provides psychological and psychosocial assistance to children and war-affected families.
Read more on Olena’s biography here.
For reference: This year, the BBC 100 Women has included two more Ukrainians, Oksana Zabuzhko and Iryna Stavchuk, in its list. Apart from the Ukrainians, 27 global climate activists made the list. Other inspiring women on this year’s list include Michelle Obama, a lawyer and former first lady of the United States, and Amal Clooney, a human rights barrister.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On November 22, Kyiv will host a press conference and the launch of the social information campaign “Do you hear what this is about?”.
Nearly 1 in 2 children do not talk to his or her parents about experiencing difficult emotions and handling feelings related to the war. That’s evidenced by the U-Report platform and the Voices of Children Foundation survey. Why don’t children feel free to share problems with their parents how this can be prevented will be discussed at a press conference by the Voices of Children Foundation.
In addition, to help parents hear their children out when they talk about the war, the Voices of Children Foundation is launching a public education campaign, “Do you hear what it’s about?”. It will be held across the country’s 13 Oblasts.
The campaign’s uniqueness lies in its stories based on true life events and statements of 7 children who agreed to participate. These brave kiddos will tell Ukrainians how the war has changed them and what kind of support they expect from their parents.
Speakers:
– Olena Rozvadovska, Chairman of the Board and Co-founder of the Voices of Children Charitable Foundation;
– Yaroslava Katolyk, Communications Manager of the UNICEF U-Report Ukraine project
– Victoriia Solomenko, a 17-year-old, “Do you hear what it’s about?” participant.
Event registration is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the full-fledged invasion began, Natalia Dresvyannikova, the founder of the Vilna Nytka (Free Thread) craft and public workshop, was in charge of a shelter for victims of domestic violence. After the Kyiv region was fully retaken, Natalia decided to redefine the purpose of the shelter and began to help address the plight of women victims of war, as well as those who had returned from enemy captivity.
Natalia applied for a government grant funding opportunity, and volunteers from the Ukrainian diaspora in the United States helped provide the workshop with special equipment. The Vilna Nytka workshop teaches needlework to women and provides them with work. Currently, the workshop employs five women, and every day they do textile art with ancient ornaments on Ukrainian shirts. The shirts from the Vyshhorod craft workshop are shopped even in the United States, and part of purchase proceeds go towards supporting women’s shelters.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Saint Nicholas’ Reindeer project volunteers have received as many as 1,000 letters from children from all over Ukraine. Basically, children ask St. Nich to bring toys, sweets, bicycles, or gadgets (as many of them study online) as a gift. This year, the kids also ask for victory for Ukraine and help for the Armed Forces, and some of them dream of going back to their destroyed homes.
According to the charity initiative, any person can pick a child’s letter and fulfill a dream. The volunteers will deliver the gifts, create a festive holiday celebration, and take a photo report. They will visit the de-occupied territories of the Kharkiv region, and work in Kyiv, Donetsk, and many other localities.
Journalists can talk to the campaign organizers, and cover the process of distributing gifts by volunteers, wherever possible.
For reference: The St. Nicholas’ Reindeer project was founded in 2016 in Kharkiv to support children from frontline communities.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On November 24, the Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform will host a “Gender-based violence: real stories of victims of war in Ukraine. Assistance to those affected in wartime violence” press conference. The event will be held to build momentum ahead of the “16 Days Against Violence” annual international campaign.
Speakers:
– Kateryna Levchenko, Government Commissioner for Gender Policy (in person);
– Halyna Skipalska, Executive Director of the ICF Ukrainian Foundation for Public Health, Country Director at HealthRight International Ukraine (in person);
– Maryna Lehenka, a lawyer at “La Strada-Ukraine” NGO (in person);
Anna Dub, chief/family physician of the Polohiv Primary Health Care Clinic in Zaporizhia Oblast, head of the Brave&Safe Integrated Center for Comprehensive Support for GBV and the Consequences of War Survivors (online);
– Tetiana Franchuk, a psychologist at SafeWomenHub, an online platform that deals with cases of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) (in person);
– Psychologist at the Barnahus Child Advocacy Center, a child therapist working with minors who have experienced or witnessed violence (in person);
– A client of the HealthRight Day Services Center/Social Housing who is ready to share her own story of violence (in person);
For reference: According to global research, a staggering 1 in 3 women in the world fall into the category of physical and/or sexual violence victims. 1 in 5 women in the world who are refugees or displaced persons experience sexual violence.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On November 25 the “Center for Innovative Education “Pro.Svit” NGO will hold the second all-Ukrainian forum “Today for the Future” in Kyiv. This year’s event will focus on present and future learning, so the topic is as follows: “Wartime and PostWar Education”.
Journalists can grab an opportunity to talk to top speakers in education, be the first to hear about new educational tools and solutions and learn about current educational challenges (arising in particular, in the de-occupied areas, remote learning, in the occupation of a school psychologists daily dealing with trauma, that the children and teachers exposed to in war settings).
The forum program comprises three main thematic blocks:
- Pro.Safety: safe education ecosystem. A panel discussion will be held to talk about the components of a safe learning environment and specific actions to foster it in wartime.
- Pro.Specialists: safe adults. The Pro.Svit NGO will present research on the work conducted by the psychological service at school and an online course based on the study. Psychologists will also give workshops to develop self-support skills and help children and adults.
- Pro.Restoration: experience of de-occupation. The NGO Pro.Svit will present a study on education in the de-occupied territories and reveal the stories of individual educators who have gotten through the occupation. Educational managers from Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Kherson regions will share their experiences.
Event registration is required. The full program of the forum event will be available after media representatives complete and submit the press registration form.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Mariia Lutsak is a seamstress from Ivano-Frankivsk region, who founded the first co-sewing space in her region. Mariia set up two directions of work: one is volunteers who sew warm clothes for the Ukrainian military, and the other is craftswomen who create fashion collections for sale.
After the full-scale invasion began, Mariia saw the need for warm clothing for the Defense Forces and managed to unite the women of her community to sew clothes for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Women worked even during a blackout, using flashlights as sources of light.
Eventually, Mariia decided that it was worth scaling up production and making underwear for the military as well. The woman received a grant from the Ukrainian Women’s Fund, so now she has special sewing machines for sewing underwear.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Heorhii and Olha Chervienkovs founded a cannery in Posad-Pokrovske, Kherson region, 9 years ago. Before the full-scale invasion began, the plant’s output was more than 100 tons of canned goods per month. When the start of the full-scale invasion started in 2022, the russians occupied Kherson region and destroyed almost all the villages on the front line.
Heorhii and Olha found out that their cannery had been destroyed already after the de-occupation of their town and their return home. Entrepreneurs set to work and six months after the de-occupation, Heorhii and Olha managed to launch the first production line. At first, they had to use power generators to work, and there was a shortage of workers, as some employees had joined the army or left the community. Currently, the couple is working to return the plant to its pre-war capacity.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On November 24, at 11:00 AM, Media Center Ukraine — Ukrinform will host a briefing entitled: “The new calendar of the holidays of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine: how the dates of religious holidays have changed.”
Participants:
– Heorhii Kovalenko, priest of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, (online).
For reference: On September 1, 2023, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church switched to a new type of calendar. They will use the Revised Julian calendar. For example, if Christmas used to be celebrated on January 7 in Ukraine, now it is on December 25.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Russian-Ukrainian war affected Hanna Samotey back in 2014. It was the first time her husband went to the front lines to defend Ukraine, and she became a volunteer. Together with the other soldier’s wives, Hanna founded the “Big Heart” public organization in the Odesa region.
Later, the women rented the premises of a village school, put it in order, and set up a gym, a children’s playroom, and a billiard room. This is how the Center for Recreation and Rehabilitation of ATO (Joint Forces Operation) Participants were born.
With the full-scale war outbreak, Hanna’s husband and her eldest son mobilized to the Defense Forces, and she took up volunteering again. The recreation and rehabilitation center for soldiers has turned into a volunteer hub. Here, they weave camouflage nets, sew “kikimora” masking covers with their own technology, roll cigarettes, and package honey vitamin smoothies for the military. After the victory, Hanna plans to engage in military rehabilitation again and scale up the Center.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The event to honor victims of the Great Famine (Holodomor) of 1932-1933 will be held in Kyiv on November 25. It will take place near the National Museum of the Holodomor-Genocide, also volunteers will collect aid for the Armed Forces of Ukraine on this occasion. Representatives of the Orthodox and Greek Catholic churches will also hold a prayer service there.
At 4:00 pm, a nationwide minute of silence and the “Light a Candle” candlelight vigil campaign will be held across the country.
Journalists can talk to the National Museum of the Holodomor-Genocide and the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory representatives by prior arrangement.
For reference: The Holodomor was a genocide of the Ukrainian nation committed in 1932-1933. A man-made famine was perpetrated by the leadership of the Soviet Union to subjugate Ukrainians, to finally eliminate Ukrainian resistance to the regime and attempts to build an independent Ukrainian state. During the Holodomor of 1932-1933, the communist regime killed millions of Ukrainians.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On November 24, at 6 am, Russian troops struck Kherson, and a children’s library was destroyed as a result of a direct hit. No people were injured during the shelling, but the library building was seriously damaged.
For reference: On November 12 this year, Russians fired at another library in Kherson–the Oleh Honchar Regional Library.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On November 26, the “Acting for Survivors” race will take place in Irpin, Kyiv region, on the occasion of the “16 Days of Activism Against Violence international campaign.
The launch of the “16 Days of Activism Against Violence” international campaign as a running race competition, in particular, is a manifestation of indifference to people who have experienced or are still experiencing violence. It also encourages people to take care of their mental and physical health.
The participants of the race are government officials, MPs, heads of diplomatic missions, public and cultural figures, and many others.
Participation in the event is voluntary. All funds raised will be used to provide charitable assistance to Ukrainian civilian violence survivors.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
As part of the charity campaign “St. Nicholas for Children in Need”, the Malteser Relief Service has received over 1,000 letters from children with disabilities and those war-affected. (Many letters came from children whose parents are in the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. In particular, on the front line. There are letters from children whose parents are considered missing).
Children write that they dream of peace and victory for Ukraine. They ask the Miracle Worker to bring their parents home alive and healthy and to give the Ukrainian Armed Forces superpowers to win as soon as possible. In addition, they asked for the usual gifts from the Saint: toys, scooters, bicycles, etc.
As planned, the letters with the children’s requests are sorted out by the benefactors. They bring prepared gifts to the office of the Maltese Service (which serves as St. Nicholas’ residence for a month). Starting December 6, the presents will be sent to the children.
For reference: This year, Ukraine celebrates St. Nicholas Day for the first time according to the Revised Julian Calendar on December 6.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Viktoriia Samiilenko is a native of Volnovakha, Donetsk Oblast. Before the full-scale invasion, she was in charge of a civic organization in her hometown. After the outbreak of the great war, Viktoriia decided to leave Volnovakha and move to her son’s house in Vinnytsia. Here, she could not sit idly by and took up civic engagement activities again. Viktoriia attended various events for IDPs, met IDPs, created a joint online chat, and later founded her own Chest of Ideas and Actions NGO.
Viktoriia’s husband, a soldier, asked her to knit him socks. This prompted a woman to unite IDPs so that they could help Ukrainian defenders, in particular, knit warm clothes for them. At first, these items were sent to the brigade, Viktoriia’s husband a staff of. Later, the woman teamed up with other volunteers for socks from IDPs to reach different units.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On November 28, an exhibition “100 Paintings by Wives of Real Heroes” will take place in Kyiv as part of the Music and Poetry Festival. The paintings were created by women who lost their husbands in war.
The exhibition was made possible by the charity project “A Thousand Love Stories. Paintings by Wives of Real Heroes”. It was launched 10 months ago by artist Oleg Yurov. During this time, 200 women took part in art workshops to create paintings in memory of their husbands who died defending Ukraine. In particular, women painted dreams, objects, or phenomena that they associate with their husbands.
Journalists will have the opportunity to talk to the participants of the charity project during the exhibition on November 28 and December 2.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On December 1, journalists are invited to attend the medical conference “Health of the Nation and Society”. The physical and sexual rehabilitation for the military is the event’s main topic.
The conference by: the Association of Urologists of Ukraine, the State Institution Academician Vozianov Institute of Urology, and the National Institute of Sexology and Sexual Health. Other themes to be discussed include research and current issues of modern urology and men’s sexual health.
Event accreditation is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Vidadi Israfilov is a Karabakh and Russian-Ukrainian war veteran. He left Azerbaijan for Ukraine in 1999 and started his own business in the construction industry. He became one of the participants in the Revolution of Dignity back in 2013. Later, Vidadi joined the General Kulchytsky Battalion as a volunteer and served for more than five years. The soldier was demobilized due to health reasons, but this did not stop Vidadi from defending the Kyiv region when the full-brown war outbreak.
Today, the man is in charge of the union of Azerbaijani volunteers who have stepped forward to defend Ukraine. Vidadi’s son, Shakhliyar, has taken over his father’s construction business while his father volunteers and helps Ukrainian soldiers. Vidadi and Shakhliyar have won a grant from the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation to purchase a car and special construction equipment: they plan to train veterans with it. After all, they want to be able to employ as many soldiers as possible after Ukraine’s victory.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The NGO Ukrainian Valkyrie conducts self-defense training for women in Kyiv and the Oblast. These classes aim to overcome the fear of weapons, learn the gun culture, and acquire skills in armed self-defense. It also focuses on giving every woman, wife, and mother in Ukraine a chance to protect herself and her family from attacks on their lives and health.
Group classes are held 4 times a week. It combines two components: spiritual balancing and armed security training.
Among other things, women can train on a multimedia shooting simulator; gain basic knowledge of the law on hunting weapons; receive training in practical shooting exercises with rifled and smoothbore weapons; and receive first aid training.
The classes are attended by women of diverse occupations: accountants, educators, and beauty industry workers. Overall, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, about 800 women have completed the training, and about 150 have joined the Ukrainian security forces.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The official opening of the learning ‘mini hub’ in the liberated Rudnytske village in Kyiv Oblast will be held On November 30. The settlement was severely damaged during the occupation of the region in the spring of 2022: private houses were utterly destroyed, and the school and other infrastructure facilities were smashed up. The children, eventually, had no place to study, attend after-school clubs, or just get together.
Thanks to the grant and philanthropists, we managed to create a hub where teachers can give lectures, the youth can organize their leisure time, and children can stay online to do their homework in case the power is out.
Event prior accreditation is required.
For reference: The learning ‘mini hub’ in Rudnytske in the Kyiv region, was created by the MHP-Gromadi Foundation with the support of ISAR Ednannia as part of the Ukraine Civil Society Sectoral Support Activity project.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
December 3 marks the 301st birth anniversary of the philosopher and prominent Ukrainian Hryhorii Skovoroda. In honor of the holiday, the National Literary and Memorial Museum of Hryhorii Skovoroda, damaged by a Russian missile hit, is launching a collection called “301 True Friends of Skovoroda.” Anyone can contribute to the restoration and preservation of the museum by donating funds, setting up a mini fundraising event on their social media pages, or, for example, collecting books and paintings for the museum’s holdings.
On May 6, 2022, the museum’s premises suffered a blow by a Russian artillery strike. The shockwave damaged the nineteenth-century storeroom and the Manager’s House, which are important components of the museum complex. The explosion caused a large-scale fire that scorched 280 square meters of the building. A statue of Hryhorii Skovoroda survived the recoil attack.
For reference: The museum is located on the territory of the Memorial Complex of the philosopher and poet Hryhorii Skovoroda in the Kharkiv region. The space has the status of a historical monument of national importance. There is also a grave of Hryhorii Skovoroda on the territory.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Student Azad Mamedov founded the “FrontPower” project: along with other volunteers they make power banks for the military out of used disposable e-cigarettes.
About 25 batteries from disposable e-cigarettes are needed to make one such power bank. The case for the power bank is printed on a 3D printer. The final product is a 20,000 mAh power bank.
People send single-use e-cigarettes by mail or drop them off at special collection points.
The team has already managed to produce a total of 20 power banks and send them to the front.
For reference: The project is implemented by volunteers in partnership with the Department of Youth Policy and National Patriotic Education, the Dnipro Youth Council, and “Department of Good Affairs” Charitable Foundation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On December 6, savED international charitable foundation together with Finn Church Aid international aid organization and the Zhytomyr City Council will present the results of the year’s work on the concept, strategy and curriculum for the specialized high school in Ukraine, as well as plans for the implementation of the specialized high school reform.
The event will also feature the discussion entitled ” Specialized High School Reform: challenges and priorities”
Participants:
- Oksen Lisovyi, Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine
- Anna Novosad, Co-Founder of savED
- Patricia Maruschak, Ukraine Country Director for Finn Church Aid
- Liliia Hrynevych, Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine in 2016-2019
- Vasyl Hopachenko, Principal of Lyceum No. 12, Chernihiv
- Sofiia Hryhorenko, 10th grade student of Lyceum No. 24, Zhytomyr
The event will be moderated by Yevhenii Yanovych, blogger, host of “20:23” show.
Registration is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Denys Abdulin is a boxer and soldier from Bila Tserkva in the Kyiv region. Back in 2014, when a Russian-launched armed conflict erupted in eastern Ukraine, the man wanted to join the Defense Forces but got rejected four times.
When the full-fledged war broke out, Denys evacuated his wife and children to Lithuania and went to the military enlistment office. The soldier underwent training and within three weeks he headed to defend Sievierodonetsk. The soldier fought with the occupiers for two months, until a mine fragment hit him in the head during one of the artillery attacks. Denys underwent 5 surgeries, however, vision loss couldn’t be corrected. The man gains support from his wife Lesia and volunteers who are teaching Denys how to use the phone and computer again. Today, Denys has returned to boxing and wants to become a professional massage therapist.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Viktoriia Zahreba has been engaged in a youth sports tourism job. When the full-scale war began, the frontline shifted to Viktoriia’s village in Zaporizhia Oblast. The woman acknowledged that there was no reliable shelter in the village and decided to create one. Viktoriia found a school basement where coal used to be stored. The basement needed to be cleaned up, so she turned to the Ukrainian Women’s Fund for support, applied for a grant, and won. The Foundation provided assets and the villagers got down to modern shelter equipment. It was opened in March 2023 and can accommodate 60 people.
The shelter also serves as a safe environment for leisure, where training and events in psychology, mine safety, psycho-emotional support for children, and women’s leadership are held.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Save Ukraine charitable organization and its partners have installed modular houses as part of the Fort Home project for people displaced from their homes by war. The modular housing is available in Kyiv, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Chernivtsi regions. Currently, 117 Ukrainian families have settled in the modular homes.
Despite their small size (20 square meters), these modular homes are of good quality and have all the necessary living conditions for families to feel comfortable and cozy. These are dwellings with water supply, heating systems, a generator/air conditioner, a fully equipped kitchen, and household appliances. Housing is provided free of charge and for a long-term period. The residents receive monthly humanitarian and medical assistance.
Journalists can learn more about the Fort Home project and talk to the residents of the modular homes, whenever possible.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On December 1, Ukrposhta will officially open the New Year’s Postal Residence and announce its December festive events.
This year, the organizers will come up with an innovation: a large-scale initiative “Miracles for Christmas”, which is launched in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Among other things, a poll of the little ones’ most cherished wishes will be taken.
Event prior registration is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Volunteer journalists, professional chess players and the VETERANKA movement decided to organize a charity fundraiser called “Well-Aimed Fundraiser” to help Ukrainian snipers. The purpose of the fundraiser is to buy additional ammunition for the military, as there is a constant shortage of it.
The fund raiser will feature a charity chess tournament, which the organizers dedicate to the memory of chess players-warriors who died in the russo-Ukrainian war. Some of them include: Artem Sachuk, Oleksandr Hoshylyk, Mykhailo Safonov, Roman Khytrych, Serhii Mazurov, Oleksii Druzhynets, Andrii Melnychuk, Roman Buzinskyi, Andrii Chepil, Oleksandr Brivko, Andrii Vovchenko, Heorhii Promskyi, Mykola Hapchyn (MIA).
The tournament will consist of two stages: online (December 3) and offline: super final (December 9, in Kyiv).
Special guests include: soldiers — Lesia Lytvynova and Yevhen Shybalov, journalist Andriy Kulykov, blogger Denys Kazansky, military officer and writer Mykhailo Brynykh.
The winner of the chess tournament will receive a custom-made cyberpunk themed chess set made by veteran artist Vitalii Bernatskyi. Parts of the russian Su-25 shot down in Kherson region in 2022 were used to make the chess set.
Journalists are welcome to learn more about the event and, in particular, cover the super final on December 9.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On December 5, on Volunteering Day, journalists have the opportunity to visit the rapid response headquarters of the VETERANKA Women’s Veteran Movement. In particular, there will be a meeting with influencers, who constantly support the movement, as well as with defenders and famous Ukrainians.
In addition, the program includes: a tour of the headquarters featuring the explanation of the movement’s activities. Visitors can also try their hand weaving camouflage nets and kikimora camouflage suits, as well as sewing women’s military uniforms and putting together a package for the front.
For reference: The headquarters of the Women’s Veteran Movement is special in that it was created on the first day of the full-scale invasion. The movement successfully raised money to pay for 5,000 individual and collective requests from the front and IDP women. Their aid to the army is worth UAH 70 million (drones, cars, uniforms, body armor, etc.)
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On December 5, in Kyiv, the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine and the All-Ukrainian Association for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, together with the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) (Paris, France) will hold a forum on the topic: ” Rebuilding and Restoring the Cultural Heritage of Ukraine after the Big War.” The forum will be held under the auspices of the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) with headquarters in Rome. Rostyslav Karandieiev, acting First Deputy Minister of Culture and Information Policy will participate in the event.
The main goal of the event is to develop a strategy for the restoration of cultural heritage, which will take into account both the positions of the state and the professional community. As part of the event, experts from Croatia and Poland will share their experience in restoring monuments and cultural objects
Journalists are welcome to learn more about the participants of the forum and cover this event.
For reference: According to the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, 835 cultural heritage objects were destroyed or damaged as a result of russia’s full-scale aggression in the period from February 24, 2022 to September 25, 2023. Of them, 118 are monuments of national significance, 653 are of local significance, and 64 are newly discovered.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Starting on December 1, the collaboration song “NO MORE WAR” by the Ukrainian rock band “MAD HEADS” and Slovak reggae band “MEDIAL BANANA” is available on all streaming platforms, as well as on YouTube.
The song was mostly written in English, but the musicians sang one verse in Ukrainian. The collaboration was initiated by Vadym Krasnooky, “MAD HEADS” front man, the musical idea belongs to the Slovak colleagues.
The song was written in the summer of 2023. It premiered live at the big festival “UPRISING” in Bratislava at the end of August during the performance of “MEDIAL BANANA.” Vadym Krasnooky joined his colleagues on stage.
Vadym Krasnooky is currently outside Ukraine. He is ready for an online interview.
For reference: In April 2022, Vadym Krasnooky, “MAD HEADS” front man presented the song “Cruiser Moskva” at Ukraine Media Center in Lviv. This song is about the sunken flagship of the russian Black Sea Fleet. The song went viral on social media.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Bozhena Hrynko pursued a dental specialty such as orthodontics, but she wasn’t committed to dentistry for long. Instead, she started her own business, dealing with recyclables. With the full-scale invasion outbreak, she moved her family to the Zhytomyr region, and after the de-occupation of Bucha and Irpin, she returned to the capital. Bozhena’s husband has been in the military since February 24, 2022, as he is a career soldier.
In the spring of 2022, Bozhena mobilized to the 44th Separate Rifle Battalion as the head of the medical service and medical center. On December 12, 2022, Bozhena got injured in the Donetsk region. She stayed four months in hospitals.
Bozhena and her husband bought a house in the Kharkiv region, where new homeowners settled with their daughter after her injury and rehabilitation. The military woman gives free lectures and practical classes on tactical medicine and handling explosive ordnance at the local lyceum. Next to the Bozhena housing, there is a vacant undeveloped land where she, her husband, and fellow soldiers plan to start a rehabilitation center for the military.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A 54-year-old Yevhen Tkachov has been evacuating people from the frontline cities and towns of Donetsk Oblast for more than 9 years. In particular, after February 24, 2022, Yevhen traveled to Bakhmut, Siversk, and Soledar. The man also delivers humanitarian aid to people in hot spots. He also takes care of animals, as he is a veterinary specialist.
A few years before the full-blown war, he founded a hospice for older adults in Chasiv Yar, Donetsk region. This hospice care was destroyed by the invaders at the beginning of the full-scale invasion. Patients had to be placed in the Khmelnytskyi region. The hospice for the elderly seniors is supported by Yevhen’s family, including his son.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On December 9, the Brave to Rebuild project volunteers will visit the owners of the houses they helped to restore (in particular by clearing the rubble, repairing damaged houses, and laying communications) in the Kyiv region.
The Brave Little Santas initiative will be taken at Irpin, Bucha, Horenka, and Hostomel to pay a visit to about two dozen families.
Volunteers have already bought gifts. These include, for example, power banks, blankets, shoes, and much more.
By prior arrangement, journalists are able to cover the “Brave Little Santas” visits.
For reference: This year, Ukraine celebrates St. Nicholas Day for the first time according to the Revised Julian calendar on December 6.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Center for Civil Liberties is offering journalists to visit the 10th anniversary of the Volunteer Award issued by the Euromaidan SOS initiative on International Volunteer Day, December 5. The event will take place in Kyiv.
The Volunteer Award is a non-governmental annual prize honoring ordinary people who do extraordinary things. This year, the organizers are abandoning the volunteer nomination procedure, as they are convinced that the importance of individuals and a large charitable foundation contributing in wartime are both equally important and necessary for Ukraine’s victory.
More than 200 volunteers from all over Ukraine will attend the event, it will feature a human rights activist Oleksandra Matviichuk giving a speech.
Prior accreditation is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Kateryna Hidzula is a mother of three and an entrepreneur from Khmelnytskyi. Three years ago, Kateryna started a hub for women. The main mission of the hub is to provide women with the opportunity for self-realization. Kateryna and her team deliver training sessions for the hub’s visitors. In particular, she gives the essential knowledge to run your own business.
When the full-scale war broke out, Kateryna started supporting displaced women with children. In April 2022, the Free Mom children’s space, launched with funding from the Ukrainian Women’s Fund, opened its doors in Khmelnytskyi. In the kid’s space, children can play and engage in development activities while their displaced mothers are busy with their work.
Currently, there are five free spaces for kiddos in Khmelnytskyi. Kateryna plans to scale up the project and increase the number of areas. And besides, she wants to continue conducting training for women.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The news media representatives are welcome to attend the all-Ukrainian prosthetics training, which will take place at the Nezlamni Center in Lviv on December 6. The attendees will have an opportunity to film the process behind fabricating prostheses made by foreign specialists and interview them about their willingness to help Ukraine and the challenges our country faces in the field of prosthetics.
In order to train new specialists in prosthetics education and raise the overall level of those already working, the UNBROKEN National Rehabilitation Center has launched a country-wide training program. Foreign specialists will visit Lviv to share their knowledge with prosthetists from all over Ukraine.
On December 4-7, the training will be conducted by specialists from Fillauer LLC, one of the world’s leading orthopedics and prosthetics companies. Participants from Kyiv, Dnipro, Ivano-Frankivsk, Odesa, Poltava, Zhytomyr, and Zaporizhia came to Lviv for the training. These are prosthetists ranging from 3 months to 23 years of experience.
During the workshop, special attention is paid to the manufacturing process of upper-limb prosthetics. After all, one of the main tasks for prosthetists is to determine the optimal functional purpose of artificial hands in cooperation with doctors.
Three patients of the Center have already been measured, and got their artificial limbs being made for them, within the training framework. At the end of the four-day workshop, these patients will be fitted with prostheses.
For reference: This year, 15 thousand prostheses have been fitted in Ukraine at the expense of the state alone, and experts assume that at least as many have been fitted at charity. However, while the number of fitted lower limb prostheses is measured in thousands, the number of upper limb prostheses is in the hundreds. At the same time, 30% of amputations today are of the hands. There are very few specialists who know how to “install hands”, so patients have to wait six months or more for a new limb.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On December 6, St. Nicholas Day, Ukrposhta invites journalists to a special redemption of the “St. Nicholas Gifts” postage stamp.
The event will involve:
– Ihor Smilyanskyi, Director General of Ukrposhta.
– Kost Lavro, an artist, Ukrainian book graphic artist, known for the design of books for A-Ba-Ba-Ga-La-Ma-Ga Publishing House.
St. Nicholas and his helpers will also visit the event and wish children a happy holiday.
Prior accreditation is required.
For reference: This year, Ukraine celebrates St. Nicholas Day for the first time according to the Revised Julian calendar on December 6.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Women of Steel NGO, together with the families of Ukrainian prisoners of war, invites the media to a peaceful action called Lost Connection to take place on December 10, in Kyiv. The event is aimed at supporting Ukrainian prisoners of war and their families.
“We want the Ukrainian government and society to hear us and demonstrate their intention to continue the decisive struggle for their liberation together with the families of Ukrainian captured defenders,” the organizers of the campaign state.
According to them, the exchange process has been completely paused for the past six months. Ukrainian soldiers held hostage in Russian custody are deprived of any chance to send word about themselves being in captivity.
Women of Steel is convinced that only the unity and integrity of society and increasing pressure on the aggressor state can influence the situation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oleh Bykov is a volunteer and activist from Kremenchuk, Poltava region. With the beginning of the full-scale war, Oleh started looking into how to make it easier for medics to work with projectile fragments that remain in the bodies of wounded soldiers after being injured. Oleh’s team managed to create magnetic devices, which they named “Edelweiss” and “White Angel.” These are special devices that help doctors detect metal fragments in the wounded and safely remove them.
Oleg and his team can produce up to 50 magnetic devices in a week. More than 800 devices have already been delivered to hospitals and front lines by volunteers. “Edelweiss” and “White Angel” are used in many medical institutions of Ukraine, in particular, in Kyiv Hear Institute and O. O. Shalimov National Institute of Surgery and Transplantology in Kyiv.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Since the beginning russia’s full-scale invasion, the World Central Kitchen team has been working in various cities of Ukraine. Currently, they cook food for people in Kharkiv oblast (in particular, Vovchansk and Kupyansk districts), Chernihiv oblast, Sumy oblast, Kramatorsk, Kherson, Kyiv oblast (Irpin, Bucha, Hostomel, Horenka), Lviv shelters, etc. Despite the danger, the team works in front-line towns: they provide hot meals (the menu is developed by chefs) and food kits.
By prior agreement, journalists are welcome to cover how the team works.
For reference: World Central Kitchen is a non-profit non-governmental organization that provides food to victims of natural disasters and other types of disasters. WCK was founded in 2010 by celebrity chef Jose Andres, who along with his team cooked after the devastating earthquake in Haiti.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
“Community-Ridni” House was opened in Lviv. It is a unique space for orphans and children deprived of parental care. 20 students aged 16 to 23 will live there (including refugees). Teenagers will receive free, comfortable housing, they will receive help to get themselves ready for an independent life and fulfill their potential.
This place was created by the Children’s Service Department of the Lviv City Council together with “Ridni” Charity Fund. This is a municipal institution working in the format of a small group home with a special program that has no analogues in Ukraine.
“Community-Ridni” House will feature lessons on financial literacy and sessions with psychologists and coaches. There is a library, a study space and a gym. At this time, 5 students already live there. 13 specialists work with them, including social workers, psychologists, a doctor, a cook, an accountant, and a lawyer.
Journalists are welcome to learn more about the space and cover its operation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On December 8, the audiovisual exhibition “Voices of De-Occupation” will be opened in Kyiv. In addition, the results of the project “Brave to Document-2” will be presented there. The event is organized by the charitable organization “Brave Foundation” with the support of the Prague Civil Society Centre.
The audiovisual exhibition will tell the stories of people from Chernihiv and Kharkiv regions whose homes were destroyed or damaged due to the russian occupation and russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The exhibition will present the stories of 23 owners of damaged houses both in audio recording and text forms featuring photographs.
The participants of the event will include:
– Vitaliy Selyk, Director of the “Brave” foundation,
– a representative of the Prague Civil Society Centre (TBC),
– Yevheniia Papatsenko, representative of the Brave to Restore branch in Kharkiv region,
– Alina Krupianyk, “Brave to Document-2” Project Manager,
– Liudmyla Petrukhan-Shcherbakova, “Dare to Document-2” Project Manager.
The event requires registration.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the full-scale invasion, Yaryna Chuchman-Myno was planning to open her own tattoo studio. And Yaryna’s beloved, a licensed in dentistry, was going to head off on a trip to the Czech Republic. Instead, at the outbreak of the full-blown war, he voluntarily went to the local military enlistment office to perform military service. He died at the front in the first days of the Russian invasion.
After that, Yaryna studied at the National Defense University of Ukraine named after “Ivan Chernyakhovsky”. Her father, who supported her decision to join the army, was killed in action on the front line in March 2023. The father had been engaged in the Russian-Ukrainian war since the Revolution of Dignity in 2014 and mobilized again in 2022.
Now Yaryna is a platoon leader, serving in the Zaporizhia sector, with 14 soldiers under her command.
For reference: The soldier is ready to talk to journalists, both online and offline, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Andrii Maksymchuk mobilized on the second day of the full-scale Russian invasion. A military unit, where the soldier served as a member, was the first to begin a push to regain territory of the Chornobyl zone during the liberation of the Kyiv region. Later, he took part in the operations at the country’s embattled east in the Izium and Bakhmut directions, and now he fights in the Zaporizha direction.
Andrii wrote a children’s poem in his spare time. He dedicated the lines written in the trenches to his young sons. The youngest of them, Myroslav, is fond of dragons and magical creatures and asked his father to create a book about them. The work on the poem lasted 7 months, in between battles. Andrii completed the work in the Izium region and titled it “Traveling in Ukraine and the Magic Dragon”. Andrii’s comrades-in-arms were the first to read the children’s book, and his friends helped with illustrations and raising funds for the first thousand copies.
Today, they have managed to sell 3000 copies of the book, all the proceeds will be directed to support the 132nd separate reconnaissance battalion of the airborne assault troops, where Andrii Maksymchuk serves. The money has already been used to buy drones, and armor and cover military medical care needs.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Mykhailo Oliinyk is a composer, pianist, and music producer. He was mobilized into the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the 59th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade named after Yakiv Handziuk in April 2023. Mykhailo is a member of the Cultural Forces Public Organization, which provides emotional and psychological support to defenders on the front line. He got a call sign “Pianist”.
Recently, the man put out a record of “A Moment” piano pieces composed at the front line. This music has already been performed hundreds of times in forestation areas, destroyed buildings, fields, hospitals, and impromptu concert venues for the defenders. The album includes seven compositions: “Donbas”, “Huliaipole”, “Prayer for Brothers-in-Arms”, “Water Dance”, “Music Box”, “Peach Sky”, and “Ukrainian Sky”.
As a member of the Cultural Forces Public Organization Mykhailo plays several concerts every day at the front line.
By prior arrangement, journalists are welcome to talk to Mykhailo online or offline.
For reference: Mykhailo Oliinyk is a graduate of the Kyiv Municipal Academy of Music named after R. Glier and the Mykola Lysenko Lviv National Music Academy. In the civilian world, he creates music for artists and businesses. He is a coach for young musicians and a lecturer on copyright issues.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Valentyna Makarenko is a military servicewoman, a machine gunner and a musician. The woman joined the ranks of the Defense Forces after her father, Vitalii Filipov, callsign “Paton,” was killed in the fall of 2022 in Kharkiv region.
The woman decided that his death should not be in vain. Valentyna joined the army in the same military registration and enlistment office, where the documents confirming her father’s death were processed. Valentyna got the position of a machine gunner, and now she wants to retrain to be a combat medic, because she wants to save the lives of Ukrainian defenders. As of now, the military woman completed training in Chernihiv oblast and joined the fourth separate tank brigade. After the war ends, Valentyna dreams of returning to music.
For reference: Valentyna Makarenko is on the front line. The soldier is ready to communicate with journalists online.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On December 10, in Kyiv, Plast will hold the first official event in Ukraine to transfer the Light of Bethlehem to the military, civil and volunteer organizations. In particular, representatives of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, “Come back Alive” Foundation, the Serhiy Prytula Foundation, BUR, ULA and many others will receive a lamp with the Light from the Holy Land.
Plast scouts will receive a lamp with the Light of Bethlehem at a traditional scouting ceremony in Vienna on the morning of December 10 and will immediately take it to Kyiv. The event in the capital will begin with a marathon of good deeds for the military. Plast scouts and guests will make trench candles, helmets, bracelets and letters. Then this winter’s first official transfer of the Peace Light of Bethlehem in Ukraine will begin: Plast will share the Light with everyone present.
Later, through Ukrzaliznytsia, it will be distributed to all corners of the country. Lamps will also be delivered for defenders at the front lines.
Background: Plast has been participating in the “scout relay” of the Bethlehem Light for more than 30 years.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On December 14, the first UKRAINIAN CONSTRUCTION CONGRESS will be held in Kyiv, during which participants will discuss the Formula for the Reconstruction of Ukraine.
The event will become a platform for a constructive exchange of views between the authorities, developers, architects, builders, manufacturers of building materials, the civil society and other players in the industry. An important issue to be considered at the congress will deal with the problem of the return of Ukrainians from abroad, without whom the renewal of Ukraine is impossible.
The program of the event will consist of discussion panels, speeches and presentations by experts from various fields.
Mykhailo Podolyak, Adviser to the Head of the President’s Office, and Rostyslav Karandieiev, acting Minister of Culture and Information Policy, will give a welcome speech at the event.
Other topics to be discussed at the event include:
- Architecture Education. Destruction or misunderstanding of the reconstruction needs?
- Innovations and their impact on business development;
- Promising investments in the future reconstruction of Ukraine;
- Technology for future recovery as a tool for Ukraine’s modernization;
- Money for housing. Sources of income 2024: investments, sales, mortgage;
- City without borders: relevant examples and actions towards a barrier-free environment;
- Sustainable City: transforming Ukraine by transforming cities.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The company’s representative office invites journalists to take part in a press tour of the Zaporizhia Ferroalloy Plant to find out what the business conditions in the frontline regions are really like.
As part of the press tour, there will be an opportunity:
- to see how the work processes at the enterprise take place,
- to see the destruction and learn about other consequences of enemy shelling,
- to learn about the working conditions at the factory amidst the war,
- to ask questions to the plant management and staff.
Journalists need to undergo pre-registration to join the press tour and choose December dates of their visit.
For reference: The organizers note that the plant is located in the territory of possible hostilities, which poses security risks. There are shelters set up on the territory of the plant, which, in the event of an air alarm, must be used by everyone present at the enterprise.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On February 26, 2022, Vasyl Vyrozub, the abbot of the Odesa Holy Trinity Church of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, was captured by the enemy. He was among those who went to Snake Island to collect the bodies of the border guards, who were still considered dead at that time.
The Ukrainian ship that Vasyl was traveling on was captured by the russian cruiser “Moskva.” The man, along with two other military chaplains and a doctor, was captured by the russians. Vasyl’s captivity lasted 70 days, during which he was tortured. The russians interrogated the Ukrainians constantly: they could not understand why the crew had set out to collect the bodies of the border guards. The captives were forced to sing the national anthem of the aggressor country, stand on their knees, and were kept in solitary confinement.
After being captured, Vasyl received the Memory of Nations award from the Czech non-profit organization Post Bellum, the main purpose of which is to honor living witnesses of historical events: war veterans, political prisoners.
For reference: The fighting for Snake Island began on February 24, 2022, when russian invaders captured the island. At first all 13 Ukrainian border guards who had been protecting the island were considered to have been killed. Subsequently, the Border Service of Ukraine reported that the Snake island defenders may be in captivity.
On July 4, 2022, Snake Island returned under Ukraine’s control.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On December 15, a charity table tennis tournament called Drone Pong will be held in Kyiv. The tournament is intended for amateurs. The competition will be held in the form of an elimination tournament, and each participant will be able play against at least 2 opponents.
The purpose of the charity event is to collect UAH 380,000 for 2 Mavic 3T drones for the 411th battalion of unmanned aircraft serving along the Tavria axis.
The entrance ticket to Drone Pong costs UAH 660, since December 15 will mark exactly 660 days since the start of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Journalists are welcome to learn more about the event and cover the tournament.
For reference: Drone Pong is organized by Hurkit charity fund. This is a team of volunteers who have been helping military personnel, medics, and civilians since the beginning of the full-scale war.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Volunteers of “Brave to Rebuild” project created a wall calendar for the year 2024 with the participation of men who actively volunteered in community work in Kyiv region. (In particular, they cleared the rubble, laid communication lines, repaired houses damaged as a result of russia’s full-scale invasion). The calendar will also include photos of foreign volunteers.
According to the organizers’ design, this calendar is a reminder that it is still important to work hard to volunteer and help each other in 2024.
Pre-orders for “Brave Calendar” are already open (at the cost of a donation of UAH 300). Proceeds will go towards the purchase of tools and materials that volunteers will use for community work in 2024.
Journalists can talk to people involved in making the calendar and to volunteers who took part in the photo shoot. Currently, the calendar is in the production stage.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Mykhailo Puryshev is an entrepreneur from Mariupol. At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Mykhailo brought humanitarian aid to besieged Mariupol and evacuated Mariupol residents from the russian-blocked city. After the de-occupation of Kharkiv region, Mykhailo was one of the first volunteers to bring humanitarian aid to Izyum, Kupyansk, and Kivsharivka.
After months of providing aid in hot spots, Mykhailo and his team decided that the support should be comprehensive: people living under constant shelling, in dark basements, without communication, without healthcare and shops, without electricity and water, need a place where they can get everything they need. Therefore, Invincibility Centers were set up in seven settlements near the front line. The first three centers were built in Bakhmut until the city was razed to the ground and occupied by the russians. Then such centers were built in Orikhiv, Huliaipole, Kherson, Avdiivka and Vuhledar. In the Invincibility Centers, people can use electricity for the first time in many months, eat hot food, receive humanitarian and medical aid, wash clothes and take a shower. In addition, they can watch Ukrainian television, instead of listening to russian radio in the basements. And thanks to Starlink, they have an Internet connection to call their relatives. In some places, a team of volunteers even drilled wells, so that local residents could have access to water.
In addition, the volunteers noticed that the defenders coming from advanced frontline positions have nowhere to wash their dirty clothes and repair them for free. Hence, the idea of setting up laundry facilities for the military emerged. The first such facility has already started working in Kostyantynivka, the second one opened in Kurakhove in Donetsk region. Ukrainian defenders can bring clothes to the center, and they will be washed, dried and even repaired free of charge.
The team plans to equip such laundry centers along the entire front line. So that defenders don’t have to look for a place to wash clothes and can rest while the volunteers do it.
Mykhailo recently experienced a second heart attack and artery stenting, but despite this he returned to volunteering.
Journalists are welcome to communicate with Mykhailo and his Unbroken team both offline and online, as well as cover the work of volunteers.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Serhii Sidorov was 22 years old when he got into a terrible car wreck. Due to injuries, the man was paralyzed, and he also lost his sight: he could only tell the difference between night and day. Professional massage helped Serhii to recover: the man began to move again and learn to walk again. Later, he himself became interested in massage, which brought him back to life. Serhii graduated and started helping patients in the capital 8 years ago.
With the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Serhii looked for an opportunity to help the military, because due to the injury he had suffered, he could not join the army himself. The man posted on social media calling on the military to contact him for free massage and rehabilitation. Since then, Serhii has helped more than 30 defenders.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On December 14, a ceremonial handover of chaplain backpacks to military chaplains of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will take place in Kyiv. For the first time, volunteers will give each military chaplain a special backpack for the needs of chaplains serving at the frontlines.
The organizers of the event are convinced that volunteer support for chaplaincy service is extremely important, because chaplains take care of the spirit of Ukrainian soldiers.
The participants of the event will include:
- Nadiia Vovk – a Ukrainian volunteer, the initiator of the campaign to support and provide for chaplains in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
- Colonel Oleksii Tereshchuk – Head of the Military Chaplaincy Service of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
- Military chaplains of the Armed Forces of Ukraine of various denominations.
The event requires accreditation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The ShchukaRyba band, DJ Chocollab, and children will host a charity concert featuring Ukrainian traditional songs and Christmas Carols in Kyiv on December 14.
All funds raised will be used to provide psychological assistance to children affected by the war. The concert will showcase compositions created by teenagers in collaboration with the musicians.
This charitable event will serve as the culmination of the “Sound Lab” course conducted by the “Voices of Children” Foundation for teenagers. For several months, 15 teenagers from different regions, each with different war experiences, participated in a course covering traditional singing and electronic music, led by the folk group “ShchukaRyba” and DJ Chocollab. Together with the foundation’s psychologist, the children used music to live through their war experiences, traumatic memories, emotions, and feelings. Music can have a powerful therapeutic effect during times of war.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Journalists are welcome to visit shelters for the unhoused elderly people (including those with disabilities) in Prybirsk and Hornostaipil in Kyiv Oblast together with the Yulyni Babusi (Yulia’s Grandmothers) charity foundation. To get seniors into the New Year’s Eve spirit, they will be given gifts: candy, cookies, tea, coffee, warm socks, blankets, knitting and embroidery kits. They will also receive greeting cards and letters written by caring Ukrainians.
Anyone willing could join the charity event and make a gift pack for the elderly in the shelters run by the foundation.
For reference: Yulia Karpova, a morning show radio host, founded the Yulyni Babusi charity foundation, which benefits senior citizens. The foundation’s slogan is: “There are no cooler grandchildren for older people than you and me.” Currently, they run 7 shelters in the Kyiv region (including in settlements affected by the occupation), Zhytomyr, and Dnipro regions. In total, the benefactors have more than five hundred children in need of care.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On December 16-17, the Superhumans Center team, an ultra-modern rehabilitation and prosthetics center for war victims) will attend the Christmas Courage charity fair. The Center’s patients will show them making great strides in adapting to life with a prosthetic limb. For example, Vadym with a prosthetic arm, and Serhii with two prosthetic legs used to be bartenders before the war. At the Courage charity fair, the guys will treat visitors with Christmas tea and cocoa. And Serhii, who has bilateral upper-limb loss resulting in double amputation, will treat the fair guests with homemade waffle cakes.
The “supers” are also preparing self-made Christmas decorations for all comers. Also, the Group for Active Rehabilitation, headed by Uliana Pcholkina, will hold wheelchair relay races for all visitors and, together with the Superhumans team, will organize a Christmas caroling party.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On October 10, 2022, fragments of a russian rocket hit the body of the waiter Valerii when he was on his way to work in Kyiv. The victim remembers how people were running and shouting nearby, pieces of iron were flying, cars were honking.
Medics removed fragments of the rocket from Valerii’s eye and leg. As a result, parts of his two ulna bones were torn out. At first, the doctors talked about amputating the limb, but still managed to save it. The leading expert of the national project “Save the Limb” took on the task of saving the crippled hand. So far, Valerii has undergone several surgeries and joint replacement.
For reference: The national project “Save the Limb” initiated by the International Charitable Foundation “Health of the Ukrainian People” started at the end of last year. Its mission is to stop the Ukrainian people from becoming disabled by holding 15,000 surgeries to save the limbs of both military and civilians.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Olha Pometun, a resident of Kamianka, Dnipropetrovsk oblast, is 37 years old. She was born with brittle bone disease. This is a congenital disease, when the bones are very fragile and break easily. In addition, in childhood, the woman suffered an injury that stopped her growth. Despite all the difficulties, Olha did not lose her passion for living. She took driving courses, bought a car and converted it to her own needs. In addition, she learned to swim and even wrote a motivational book.
With the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Olha took up volunteering. In her native Kamianka, the woman founded the United by Good Charitable Foundation. Currently, Olha’s team consists of seven people, all of whom are IDPs. They help the military, as well as civilians who need support. Since it was founded, the team has managed to help more than 10,000 Ukrainian families.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Odesa National Fine Art Museum resumes its work after being hit by a russian missile. On December 15, an Open Day will be held there. Journalists are welcome to cover the press conference.
For reference, on November 6, 2023, the museum planned to celebrate its 124th anniversary. A day before the festivities, the russian rocket hit the area close to the museum. The shock wave damaged the administration building, and the exhibition halls were also damaged. Experts set about fixing the consequences of the damage, and the museum was closed to visitors.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Chujo Hideto is a 42-year-old businessman from Japan. He came to Ukraine in the spring of 2022 and has been volunteering ever since. In particular, in Dnipro, Chudjo contributed financially to the creation of a shelter for forcibly displaced persons. The Japanese man lives in this facility, and helps adults and children staying there.
The volunteer also took part in rescue operations in Kherson region after the occupiers blew up the Kakhovka HPP dam. And recently he bought power generators, power banks and boats for the local rescuers.
Chujo is the founder of the “Smile” charitable foundation, which supports children traumatized by the war. Wearing a Pikachu outfit, the Japanese man gives positive emotions to children and brings them gifts.
Journalists have the opportunity to talk to the volunteer (online or in person). Chujo Hideto does not speak English, he communicates with the help of translation software.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Kharkiv is the first city where Dobrobat opened a construction trade school for volunteers. Such training is absolutely necessary, because people from various professions, often those very distant from construction trade, come to the volunteer building division.
The first 10 students have already begun studying in school with professional builders acting as instructors. The training will last 3 weeks. The courses are focused on 9 specialties: window and door installation, drywallers, masons, facade workers, roofers, tilers, etc.
Mine safety will also be taught at “Dobrobat” construction trade school, because volunteers also have to work in de-occupied territories, so such knowledge can save their lives.
Dobrobat plans to create similar schools in six more cities: Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Mykolaiv, Kherson, and Zaporizhia.
For reference: “Dobrobat” is a volunteer building division that helps to urgently rebuild housing and social infrastructure facilities in the de-occupied territories.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On December 18, Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform will host the press conference entitled Persecution and humiliation: the reality of being a lawyer in occupied Crimea”
Participants:
- Daria Svyrydova, Ukraine 5AM Coalition expert, Law Firm AZONES partner;
- Roman Martynovskyy, lawyer, who left Sevastopol after the start of occupation, Lead Expert at Regional Center for Human Rights NGO;
- Vitaliy Sekretar, First Deputy Head of the Prosecutor’s Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol;
- Illya Kostin, lawyer, Head of the Department of Military Justice Development and Interaction with Law Enforcement Agencies of the Main Military Justice Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, Member of the Ukrainian Bar Association Board;
Topics of focus:
- What are the risks, the Crimean lawyers who continued working, acting in good faith as the occupation dragged on, handle?
- What are the strategies of the occupation authorities to put pressure on independent lawyers?
- What are the stigma-associated risk factors of indiscriminately labeling all lawyers who pursue a career under occupation as “collaborators”?
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Red Brunch Donor Day is organized by Yanina Sokolova’s Fund. The Fund’s team encourages Lviv residents and guests of the city to make a conscious decision to donate blood, in particular, during the full-scale war. After all, donating blood is one of the opportunities to save the lives of Ukrainian defenders.
For reference: Since 2019, Yanina Sokolova’s Fund has been changing people’s stereotypes about blood donation by holding Red Brunch events. Since the initiative started, 1,743 people have donated blood, which made it possible to save 5,229 lives.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Olha Yehorova joined the Defense Forces in the summer of 2022. The woman says that she could not understand how it was possible to return to civilian life with a large part of Ukraine under occupation. So Olha turned to one of the centers of the Special Operations Forces and became a clerk. The woman wanted to prepare herself for further transition to a combat group, so she attended various specialized classes.
In the end, the military woman and her comrades managed to get into the sniper platoon, where the commander did not care about the soldiers’ gender and required everyone to work hard and learn to wield weapons skillfully. Currently, Olha is responsible for communications in her platoon. It is her job to ensure communication between the command and the soldiers.
For reference: Olha Yehorova is on the front line. The military servicewoman is ready to communicate with journalists, both online and offline, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Yuliana is a resident of Bakhmut, Donetsk region. On the day when she decided to leave the city with her family, the enemy began to attack her residential area.
The woman managed to cover her head with her hands during a powerful explosion. Having regained consciousness, she realized that she was under rubble. Yuliana remembers that when she was getting helped with getting out, she noticed that the fingers on her hand had been ripped apart. It felt as if the limb had been completely torn off.
The wound did not heal well, part of the muscles had to be cut out. The doctors did not know what to do with the hand next. Due to the improper growth of bones and muscles, no one wanted to undertake treatment. However, Yuliana later found out about the national program “Save the Limb,” the specialists of which are currently fighting to save her hand.
For reference: The “Save the Limb” national program was launched last year upon the initiative of the International Charitable Foundation “Health of the Ukrainian People.” Its mission is to prevent Ukrainians from becoming disabled via 15,000 surgeries to save the limbs of both the military and the civilians.
Battles for Bakhmut began in August 2022, although the russians had been shelling the city since the spring. By May 2023, russian troops occupied most of Bakhmut. Due to constant russian shelling, the city was razed to the ground. Yuliana’s apartment was also destroyed.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Olena Vovk started volunteering for the military back in 2014, when russia first attacked Ukraine in the East. The woman participated in many projects aimed at the rehabilitation of servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. And in 2023, she independently took up the efforts to help the veterans to return to civilian life. Olena is a tattoo artist by profession, so she started teaching soldiers her craft. This idea came to Olena from one of her military clients who wanted to master a new profession.
Together with “Kharkiv with you” Charity Foundation and “RAZOM FOR UKRAINE” Charity Foundation, the woman started a tattoo training course for servicemen and veterans in Kharkiv. Charity foundations helped with funding, purchased equipment and consumables for training, as well as tattoo machines for the military.
Olena plans to expand the course next year and conduct training in different cities of Ukraine. In particular, she will train military personnel with leg amputations. There are also plans to help former fighters get employed in tattoo parlors.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ivan Fedorchenko, from Kryvyi Rih, has cerebral palsy, but in spite of his disability, he has been involved in sports since childhood. A few months ago, the man decided to try his hand at professional bodybuilding. His coach, Denys Orletskyi, supported Ivan and began preparing him for the competition.
Fedorchenko trained in the gym six days a week for an hour and a half. Suffering from cerebral palsy, Ivan has impaired coordination of movements, which prevents him from performing some exercises. However, the difficulties haven’t stopped the man but rather motivated him. In October, the athlete took part in the all-Ukrainian bodybuilding championship and won first place in the physically challenged category. In December, Ivan traveled to Portugal, where he won a gold medal at the Hercules Olympia international competition (Physically challenged category), a category was created specifically for him.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Dobrodiy Club Charitable Foundation invites news publishers to the opening ceremony of the ‘Place of Power’ free space that supports war-affected children and teenagers. The event will take place in Kyiv on December 21.
The space is a 240 m², three-story facility with a shelter. There are separate creativity zones, lectures and training, counseling, and interaction with a psychologist (for a child to learn to work through stress and transitions, communicate in a community, and develop resilience mechanisms). Place of Power space is committed to open its doors to 75,000 teenagers annually.
The event will feature “(Already) adult discussion: What keeps your mentality alive?” – a dialogue with Ukrainian teenagers, and “My Identity” art collage workshop.
The first visitors to the space will share their own stories of finding support and encouragement, as well as advice and life hacks for their peers.
Prior event accreditation is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Kyiv will honor the memory of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes and defenders of Ukraine during the traditional pre-Christmas event “Tree for Heroes” on December 22.
Families and friends of the fallen Ukraine defenders, along with school students and common citizens, will decorate the Christmas tree with patriotic angel ornaments and handmade toys.
The event has taken place for eight years in a row. During the “Christmas Tree for Heroes”, citizens pay tribute to those who gave their lives in the fight for freedom, and schoolchildren learn more about the Ukrainian heroes in today’s world. The Bell of Dignity will be rung in memory of the fallen.
During the event, members of the Plast National Scout Organization of Ukraine will hand over the Peace Light of Bethlehem to the ministers of the church on the alley of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes.
Event prior accreditation is required.
For reference: The Revolution of Dignity of 2013-2014 protesters, who died in the Kyiv city center at the hands of security forces and their mercenaries, became known as the Heavenly Hundred and officially included 107 people.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In May, the Veteran Hub team presented the Resex project. It involves a study and a platform that helps wounded warriors return to sex life and relationships. The project was inspired by a guide for wounded veterans by Catharine Ellis, an American writer, rehabilitation specialist, and a therapist. Veteran Hub conducted a study to understand the positive experiences and potential barriers to returning to sex and intimacy after injury and trauma for both men and women. The team collected information about how combat experience and physical injuries affect intimate life, what changes in sex can happen to soldiers and how to accept a new self. After that, together with specialists – urologists, psychologists and rehabilitation specialists, the team developed practical recommendations for various injuries and collected them in Liubys (Make Love) manual.
The main goal of the Resex project is to show that the return to sex after injury is different for everyone and each situation is unique. But the main thing to understand is that everyone needs to experience, feel and enjoy sex regardless of the injury.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Kyiv Regional Center for Mental Health was captured by the occupiers at the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The russian military settled in the facility. They stole valuable equipment from there. The center itself was badly damaged.
After the de-occupation, the restoration works began in the medical facility: in particular, the medical and psychological rehabilitation department was recently opened. It was created on the basis of one of the Center’s branches, which suffered the most during the full-scale invasion. Here the specialists will help military personnel, their relatives and civilians who suffered from the russian federation’s aggression. In total, more than 20 types of rehabilitation services will be provided to patients. Among other things, VR glasses will be used for recovery.
Journalists can learn more about the center’s operation and restoration efforts, interview the management of the facility, talk to doctors and, if possible, patients.
For reference: the Kyiv Regional Center for Mental Health is a specialized medical facility providing qualified inpatient medical examination, care and both social and vocational rehabilitation of patients with mental disorders.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oleh Horbachov, the lawyer of Stanislav Asieiev, a former prisoner of the “Insulation” concentration camp, said that during the court session on December 22, the defendant is to present the closing statement. Then the judges will go to the conference room to agree on the sentence. Stanislav Avsieiev’s defense attorney said that he would ask the court to let the journalists be present in the court when the verdict is announced.
For reference: Denys “Palych” Kulykovskyi is charged with five counts, including human trafficking and violation of the laws and customs of war. The prosecutor’s office demands 15 years behind bars for the accused man.
“Insulation” is the term referring to the territory of the former insulation material factory in Donetsk. In June 2014, it was captured by the occupiers and turned into a military base and a prison for the captives. “Insulation” prison was repeatedly called “Europe’s last concentration camp” in the media.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On December 23, the exhibition “Fragility” will open in Kyiv. This exhibition is dedicated to prisoners of war and those who are waiting for their relatives and friends from captivity.
In the first days of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, defenders and workers of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant were under the russian occupation.
On March 31, 2022, the russians captured 169 Ukrainian National Guardsmen on the territory of the Chernobyl NPP and took them to Bryansk region of the russian federation. 108 of them still remain in captivity.
In order to draw attention to these prisoners of war and support the families who are waiting for the return of their loved ones, a gallery in the capital will display paintings, sculptures and digital works by more than 20 contemporary foreign and Ukrainian artists.
At the opening, everyone will be able to talk with relatives and friends of the Guardsmen — the defenders of the Chernobyl NPP — and watch a short documentary made by Babylon’13 film collective about the work of combat medics from Hospitallers battalion.
50 of the presented works will be available for purchase at an online auction. Funds will be directed to the Hospitallers battalion to support “Avstriika” hospital on wheels.
The event requires accreditation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On December 21, in Kyiv, Ukrposhta and UNICEF will present behind-the-scenes footage of “Wonder Action” amazing workshop and officially open it to everyone. Visitors will be able to “take a peek” at elves tirelessly packing children’s letters; listen to what the little “Wonder Actors” wished in their letters to other children; put bags with children’s letters into Ukrposhta’s Christmas car.
As reported on December 1, the “Wonder Action” initiative was launched. As a part of the project each child had the opportunity to write an uplifting letter to another child – to create a miracle. Starting tomorrow, the first of 40,000 envelopes will be distributed throughout the country.
The event requires accreditation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
42-year-old Lars has come from Amsterdam (the Netherlands) to help Ukrainians for the third time. For example, a year ago he volunteered in Bakhmut. Now he will spend the next two months in the Donetsk region. In particular, he and the Unbreakable volunteer team are currently drilling a water well near the front line for local residents.
Journalists can find out more about where the Dutchman is working now and talk to him online and offline.
For reference: The Unbreakable (Nezlamni) volunteer team has set up seven front-line invincibility points. There, people can see the power on for the first time in many months, eat hot food, receive humanitarian and medical aid, do laundry, and take a shower. In addition, volunteers have opened two public laundry rooms in Donetsk Oblast. Ukrainian defenders can bring their clothes there, which will be washed, dried, and even repaired for free. The team plans to open such centers along the entire front-line zone.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the full-blown invasion outbreak, Andrii Kopytsia was in no way connected with medicine aside from having first aid care certification. The man ran a cafe he started in Zatoka, Odesa Oblast, and never thought first aid course knowledge would ever come in handy. However, on February 26, 2022, Andrii mobilized and went off to war. The soldier joined a unit that needed an army medic.
Later, the soldier was given the “Lifesaving Award” from the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. After he became a third-time father, Andrii resigned from the service. Andrii’s cafe in Zatoka had to be closed as a result of a Russian munition landing near it. So the man decided to open a new place, this time in Odesa. Andrii put up the money he had earned while he was at war. Later, he applied for a state microgrant program for combatants and won it, but has not yet used the state funds. His “Unbreakable Coffee Shop” has already opened its doors to visitors, and anyone can buy a drink for the military so that they can also support those who are defending the country at the front.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On December 25, the largest didukh in Ukraine, measuring 7.5 meters high will be installed in Kyiv. The trident-shaped didukh will be made of wheat. It was created by paratrooper Yaroslav Kuchma, who was temporarily unable to walk due to an injury, and 95-year-old Pelageya Zhyvko from the Lviv region.
News media to cover participants giving comments on the event:
– the National Register of Records of Ukraine experts;
– Tetiana Volochai, Director at MHP-Hromadi Charitable Foundation (that provided financial support to the initiative);
– Pavlo Moroz, Director of the Corporate Social Responsibility Department of MHP;
– Oksana Poviakel, Director General of the National Museum of Folk Architecture and Life of Ukraine;
– Yaroslav Kuchma, paratrooper, commander of the 80th Separate Air Assault Brigade of the Airborne Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Event accreditation is required.
For reference: Didukh is a Ukrainian Christmas decoration made of ears of grain (originally a pagan idol, a symbol of a patron ancestor, and a symbol of harvest, prosperity, and wealth).
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oleksandra Chernomashyntseva was born and raised in Donetsk. The girl moved to Kyiv when russia first attacked Ukraine in 2014. And in 2018, Oleksandra went to the Czech Republic, where she entered the theater academy to study scenography.
When the full-scale invasion began, Oleksandra, who was still abroad, became a volunteer. The girl helped her compatriots evacuated by “Baza UA” NGO to settle in a new place.
Last December, Oleksandra returned to her native Donetsk region. She helped with the evacuation of Bakhmut residents and worked with local children in the bomb shelter. Since March 2023, Oleksandra has joined the team of the “Baza UA” NGO in full. And in August, she and her team set up a cultural space for teenagers called Terykon in Kramatorsk. Terykon provides a platform for artistic expression, including drawing, sculpting, and photography. Future plans include introducing programming, animation, and English lessons. Additionally, Terykon aims to offer psychological support to those in need.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On December 23, Kyiv will host an offline screening of the full-length documentary “Christmas Together” by Ukraїner. The film will simultaneously premiere in 4 other cities of Ukraine.
“Christmas Together” is an evocative full-length film illustrating how young people from all over Ukraine united under a common idea – to bring the holiday spirit to the de-occupied territories. In January 2023, three separate initiatives embarked on journeys to Sloboda area and Donetsk region to support people who had survived the occupation and the horrors of the russian invasion.
The idea of bringing young people together and taking the vertep theater to the East of Ukraine belongs to Ukraїner volunteer Viktor Perfetskyi, who comes from the village of Volytsia in Podillia area. A similar campaign “Christmas together” existed in the 2000s. At that time, families in the west of Ukraine hosted children from the east and the south for Christmas in order to introduce them to the traditions preserved in Halychyna, Volyn and Podillia areas. Now the Ukraїner team has resumed the campaign, but in a slightly different way.
During the trips, the vertep theaters visited Kharkiv, Slobozhanske, Balakliia, Izyum, Khrestyshche, Derhachi, Mali and Velyki Prokhody, Mala Rohan, Trostianka, and Okhtyrka.
Pre-registration is required. The team that contributed to the film’s creation will be present in Kyiv.
For reference: Ukraїner is a community and organization that has been researching Ukraine and the Ukrainian context since 2016, telling stories to Ukrainians themselves, and sharing them with the world, having translated them into dozens of languages. On February 24, 2022, russia launched a full-scale war against Ukraine. On the same day, Ukraїner relaunched all its communication channels and began talking about the war and overcoming the disasters caused by the occupying forces.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Volodymyr Sahaidak is the director of the Children’s Center for Social and Psychological Rehabilitation in Kherson Oblast. With the outbreak of a full-blown war and the occupation of the area, he and staff moved to the Center in their care for 52 orphans. According to Volodymyr, the occupiers tried to take the children from Ukraine to Russia under various pretexts, including allegedly being abducted to undergo “rehabilitation”. However, the staff of the institution hindered their plan’s progress. Volodymyr hid the orphans, leaving them in the care of different people: his relatives and the Center’s staff. Later, the children were secretly transferred to the territory controlled by Ukraine: a unique story was devised and even documents were forged to pass the enemy-controlled checkpoints.
Now the Children’s Center for Social and Psychological Rehabilitation building has been empty, all the children have been successfully evacuated. Most of them are either with extended families or in foster care willing to provide support for them.
Volodymyr Sahaidak lives in the Kherson region and is ready to talk to the news media representatives, both offline and online.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Peli Can Live charitable organization has constructed new modular houses for 10 families in Chernihiv Oblast to move into new homes through Project Home Again. The project plan aims to build new housing in place of the destroyed households, more than just to give people a roof over their heads. These efforts are designed to ensure families gain access to housing and employment opportunities in native villages or cities, as well as such an approach having a positive impact on people’s mental health.
The founders of the project did not choose specific families but turned to the Chernihiv Military Administration to provide information about the affected communities that are in need of support. Seniors, young families, and three generations families living together are getting new homes. The Tera M construction company has been part of the CF’s team since April 2022, creating modular houses for those who lost their homes due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Benjamin is a lawyer from Dusseldorf, Germany. Since the early stages of Russia’s full-scale invasion, he has been assisting the Ukrainian people. A few days ago, when the Russians struck the center of Kharkiv, at that very moment Ben was 50 meters away from the hit. But despite all he’s been through, the man still continues to engage in volunteering in Ukraine.
At one time, the German man sheltered a family from Kyiv in his own home. He also brought about 50 tons of aid to Ukrainian cities and villages. Benjamin collects and brings clothes, medicines, equipment, and water purification systems, while the Voices of Children Charitable Foundation coordinates humanitarian assistance efforts where there is particularly acute shortage.
In addition, Benjamin repaired and equipped a room for children’s education and leisure in a dormitory for IDPs in Kharkiv.
Benjamin is currently in Kyiv and is planning to visit Lviv and Kharkiv. There is an opportunity for journalists to interview a volunteer.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Olha Makovenko had worked as a teacher in Vasylkiv, Kyiv region, until she gave birth to her son Sviatoslav and went on maternity leave. Two years later, the boy was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). None of the kindergartens in her native Vasylkiv wanted to let Sviatoslav enroll, so Olha set about creating her own Center for Early Development. To do this, she underwent training with the support of “SOS Children’s Villages Ukraine” charitable foundation and received a state grant. The Center opened during the lockdown period.
The institution did not stop working even after the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion. Currently, many kids attending the Center are children of military personnel.
Olha also calls her Center a “studio of kindness” or a “studio of communication.” After all, the Center is the place for children to communicate with each other, learn that it is all right to make mistakes and correct them. Younger children are introduced to letters and numbers, and the older ones are introduced to writing and counting skills. There are also choreography, art, and football clubs for children.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On January 5, Media Center Ukraine Ukrinform will host a briefing on the investigation of the terrorist attack in Olenivka “Crime without punishment.”
Participants:
- Anna Lobova, a wife of a soldier heavily wounded in the terrorist attack, “Olenivka Families Community” NGO;
- Mariia Alieksieievych, a wife of a soldier heavily wounded in the terrorist attack, “Olenivka Families Community” NGO;
- Tetiana Katrychenko, Media Initiative for Human Rights (MIHR) NGO;
- Andrii Yakovlev, Regional Center for Human Rights NGO;
- A representative of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War;
- A representative of the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union
For reference: On the night of July 29, 2022, the russian federation committed a terrorist attack, setting off an explosion in the barracks of the penal colony in Olenivka with Ukrainian POWs kept inside. As a result, at least 50 Azovstal defenders were killed.
On January 5, 2023, Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the United Nations Secretary-General, stated that the Secretary-General had decided to disband the fact-finding mission regarding the 29 July 2022 incident at Olenivka.
Both the UN and the ICRC were denied access to the scene of the crime. Moreover, these organizations refrained from explicitly attributing responsibility to the russian federation for the lack of access.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the full-blown war came about, Mykola Melnyk and his spouse were developing their own business to run in Kharkiv: they bought a car wash and opened a cafe nearby.
With the onset of the full-scale invasion, Mykola brought his wife to safety, taking her to his relatives in the Poltava region, while he himself went to the military enlistment office. In the Kupiansk direction, during the storming of a village, Mykola hit an anti-personnel mine. His injury was serious. After receiving serious injuries that kept him from joining the military, despite trying to get back to fighting, the man had to readjust to living as a civilian. A grant from the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation helped him in this matter. Mykola started his own car wash again, including purchasing new equipment for it, and also bought a tire changing machine and tools. His business provides free services for veterans.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Yulia Torbenko is a rescue paramedic with a special-purpose emergency rescue unit in Bila Tserkva, Kyiv Oblast (part of the State Emergency Service). She has been doing this for about 14 years. Earlier, in civilian life, Yulia was a paramedic in the EMC team.
With the all-out invasion outbreak, she and her colleagues stayed at work. There were many casualties due to enemy missile attacks and air strikes, as the war grinds on.
Yulia provided first aid to everyone who needed it: under fire, clearing rubble, and responding to road accidents. She also accompanied demining teams while clearing mines in the de-occupied Kyiv region.
Despite all the risks, Yulia also continues to save people who have suffered from enemy attacks.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The campaign under the slogan “Don’t be silent. Captivity Kills!” action will take place in Krolevets, Sumy Oblast, Pavlohrad, Dnipro Oblast, and Odesa on January 6.
The gatherings to be staged in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Kremenchuk (Poltava region), Kryvyi Rih (Dnipropetrovsk region), Chernivtsi, Ivano-Frankivsk and Ovruch (Zhytomyr region) are scheduled for January 7.
The peaceful rally is held by families of prisoners of war from the Mariupol garrison.
For reference: On January 3 this year, Ukraine brought 230 military and civilians back from Russian captivity. That’s the largest prisoner exchange to be carried out since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. Among those who returned home, there were no representatives of the 12th Azov Special Forces Brigade, who defended Mariupol and surrendered in May 2022 on the orders of their command.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On January 13-14, Kyiv will host a new masterclass session as part of the project “Thousands of Love Stories. Paintings of Wives of Real Heroes.” At the event, women who lost their husbands during the war will paint pictures.
The charity project was started by the artist Oleg Yurov in January of last year. Since then, over 200 women took part in art workshops, during which they created paintings in memory of the men who had died defending Ukraine. In particular, women made pictures of their dreams, objects or sensations associated with their deceased loved ones. An exhibition of paintings by those who took part in the charity project has recently been held in Kyiv.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Eleos-Ukraine NGO has taken up the task to equip shelters for internally displaced persons. In 2023, Eleos-Ukraine team decided to create a Day Support Center in Chernihiv, so that everyone could receive both physical and psychological support. The day center “St. Olga’s Women’s Hub” will open its doors on January 15. Psychological training and physical rehabilitation, in particular yoga, will be organized here for local residents and IDPs. In addition, the Center will offer employment consultations. An educator will also work in the hub, so that mothers attending classes at the Center could leave their children with them.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Olena Zinova is an entrepreneur from Kherson. For more than 20 years, the woman has run her own shop and sold embroidered Ukrainian shirts, towels, jewelry and souvenirs with Petrykivka painting. When the enemy occupied Olena’s hometown in 2022, she had to carefully hide all things with Ukrainian symbols and close the store, because the russians were looking for and destroying everything that was even remotely connected to Ukraine. Olena had lived under the occupation for three months, when she finally decided to leave and take a collection of embroidered shirts and the Ukrainian flag with her. Together with her family, the woman managed to pass through 33 russian roadblocks, even though each one could be the last, Olena says.
The entrepreneur’s family settled in Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk region, where she immediately began to rebuild her business. Olena made another shop from scratch, had renovations done there and bought equipment to replace what she had had to leave in Kherson. Nowadays, clothes from Olena’s shop aren’t worn only in Kryvyi Rih, as she also receives orders from abroad. The woman dreams that soon she will be able to return to her hometown and once again please customers with Ukrainian embroidered shirts.
For reference: on November 11, 2022, the Defense Forces of Ukraine liberated Kherson from the occupiers. Since then russia has been constantly shelling the city and killing Kherson civilians.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Liudmyla Chepizhko, owner of a beauty salon in Solomianskyi district of Kyiv. The woman opened the establishment during the all-out Russian invasion.
On the morning of January 2, 2024, Russians attacked Kyiv with missiles. The explosion shattered windows and damaged walls in Liudmyla’s salon. Luckily, there were no people at the moment when the strike hit, so there were no those injured. The very next day, Liudmyla boarded up the broken windows with plywood and reopened the salon for business.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Family Art Retreat Project will be held in Lviv from January 6 to 12. Its development process was influenced by the input of experienced professionals from Ukraine and the UK in order to allow children and adults to try their hand at different types of creativity and generate healing through art.
The project involved 20 IDP children aged 9 to 16 and their families. Participation is free of charge.
The project includes using improv techniques for children, such as acting, music therapy, and dance and movement therapy. Training sessions, self-help lectures, and the use of art practices to support children are available for adults. The program will also include open lectures on psychotherapy and music therapy.
Among the project’s presenters is Nigel Osborne, a British composer, art therapist, and specialist in music and art therapies that positively benefit children traumatized by military conflicts.
For reference: The project is delivered by the “ART DOT” NGO (Kharkiv, Ukraine) in partnership with the Street Culture NGO with the financial support of the Razom Foundation and the “Culture Helps” program, which is implemented by Insha Osvita in cooperation with zusa with the EU support.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The announcement of the upcoming United States Air Force Trials 2024 team will be held at the Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform on January 10. The USAF Trials is an adaptive sports competition for wounded members of the United States Air Force and Marine Corps. The competition will take place in March 2024 in Las Vegas (Nevada). Ukraine will be represented by 30 participants in the competition. They were selected by a special commission based on the results of the All-Ukrainian adaptive sports competitions held in mid-December in Kyiv.
Participants:
– Svitlana Kashenets, Deputy Minister for Veteran Affairs;
– Ihor Krytsak, Coordinating Manager at the United States Air Force Trials competition;
– Olena Yanovska, Head Coach of the team that will compete in the United States Air Force Trials;
– Ivan Naumenko, Director of Strategic Initiatives Department of “Come Back Alive”;
– Anna Bielorusova, Chief Operating Officer at the Centre for Strategic Communications StratCom Ukraine;
– Oleksandra Lokhvytska, Head of the Program Department at the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The “I Want to Find” state project intended to work with citizens of the aggressor country, primarily with the families of Russian service members who went missing, died, or were taken prisoner in Ukraine. “I Want to Find” project services allow Russians with missing soldier relatives in Ukraine to check if they are being held as POWs or have been confirmed killed.
Russian Ministry of Defense officials often refuse to recognize their own soldiers who were lucky enough to survive in Ukraine as prisoners of war. Their relatives and friends fail to get Russia authorities to include those POWs on the exchange list for prisoner swaps.
By providing reliable information to the Russian servicemen’s families, the “I Want to Find” project will help to put more public pressure on their government. In particular, in the issues of prisoner-of-war exchanges, search, identification, and transfer of bodies from the war zone. This will allow Ukraine to repatriate more defenders.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Kyiv set up the “Free inclusive transportation for defenders” pilot project delivered by the Doves of Peace charitable foundation. An inclusive minibus as a transportation system supplement is available for soldiers unable to move around easily due to injuries and wounds. In particular, transportation services operate for people wearing prostheses and wheelchairs or crutches users. The vehicle is equipped with an installed lift, comfortable seats, and climate control. The foundation’s employees and volunteers provide the necessary assistance to passengers.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A press conference of Suspilne Public Broadcasting Company and the finalists of the National Selection representatives for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 will be held at the Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform on January 11.
During the event, eleven songs of the finalists will be presented, as well as the draw for performances running order for the final of the National Selection. The event will be moderated by the permanent commentator and host of the National Selection for Eurovision Timur Miroshnychenko.
For reference: The final of the National Selection aired as a live concert on TV will take place on February 3. As in previous years, the winner of the selection and the Ukraine representative for Eurovision 2024 will be determined in a split by jury and viewers. The jury of the final will be selected by Ukrainians via online voting.
The 68th Eurovision Song Contest, featuring 37 countries’ representatives will be hosted by the Swedish city of Malmö in May 2024. The semifinals, one of which will include a representative from Ukraine, will take place on May 7 and 9. The Grand Final of Eurovision 2024 will be held at the Malmö Arena on Saturday, May 11.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The first days of russia’s full-scale enemy invasion caught 25-year-old Viktor Lakhno in Berdyansk, Zaporizhia region. The man joined the territorial defense forces, and together with his brothers in arms he patrolled nearby settlements. Once the territorial defense soldiers even managed to capture some of the occupiers. After Berdyansk was occupied by the russians, Viktor became a resistance fighter. And later he left for the Ukraine-controlled territory.
Viktor was one of the people who volunteered to take a helicopter ride to Mariupol surrounded by the russians. The Ukrainian military man managed to take several rides. He helped to deliver the cargo and pick up seriously wounded soldiers.
Starting on April 4, 2022, Viktor fought in Mariupol. Later, together with other defenders of the city, he ended up at the Azovstal plant. By order of the command, the soldier left Azovstal on May 17. He spent 4 months in the infamous colony in occupied Olenivka, Donetsk region. Later he was transferred to occupied Horlivka. In general, Victor spent 13 months in enemy captivity. The military returned home in June 2023.
For reference: the defense of Mariupol lasted 86 days. Following the order of the command, the Ukrainian defenders stopped the defense, left Azovstal and surrendered to the enemy. On May 20, 2022, russia occupied Mariupol.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Anna Chepynoha is a third-year student at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. In July 2023, 20-year-old Anna joined the separate UAV service in the Ukrainian Volunteer Army. Already in August, the military woman started going on combat missions in the Zaporizhia direction. Anna continues to study: combines her service with online lectures and university seminars. The woman says that sometimes she must get in touch with her university right while being at the positions, in the break between performing combat tasks. Anna does not plan to take an academic leave from the university. Currently, she serves as a navigator and plans to become a drone operator.
For reference: Anna Chepynoha is at the front lines. She is ready to communicate with journalists, both online and offline, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On January 16, journalists are welcome to come to the opening of the exhibition “Earthly Paths of the Heavenly Hundred” in Kyiv. It is organized by the Kyiv History Museum and the National Memorial Complex of the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred — the Museum of the Revolution of Dignity to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Revolution of Dignity.
The exhibition “Earthly Paths of the Heavenly Hundred” is about people who became Heroes, about who they were and what brought them to the Maidan.
For the first time in one place, visitors will be able to see so many personal belongings of the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred as well as some unique artifacts. (Particularly, items donated by the families of fallen Heroes).
The event requires accreditation.
For reference: The participants of the Revolution of Dignity in 2013-2014, who died in the center of Kyiv at the hands of security forces and their mercenaries, were called the Heavenly Hundred. The official number of those included into the Heavenly Hundred is 107 people. The first Heroes died on January 22, 2014. In the morning, 21-year-old Serhiy Nigoyan from Dnipropetrovsk region received a fatal gunshot in the head. Subsequently, 25-year-old Belarusian Mykhailo Zhyznevskyi received a fatal gunshot wound to the heart.
On the same day, in a forest near Kyiv, the body of Yurii Verbytskyi from Lviv was found in a forest near Kyiv. There were signs of torture. He was a Maidan activist who had been kidnapped from the hospital the day before.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ivan Teremko has been a priest for 30 years, and for 22 years he has been conducting church services on prostheses. In 1999, he became the abbot of the Archangel Michael Church in the village of Hlushkiv, Ivano-Frankivsk region. (Recently, he was awarded a high church award – the “Cross of Freedom” medal).
A few days ago, a photo went viral, in which the priest is sitting with a Ukrainian defender who lost both his legs in the war with both their prostheses nearby. The priest shared his experience of holding church services for more than 20 years despite living with the amputations of his two legs, and also supported the military man.
Ivan Teremko lost his legs as a result of extreme weather that raged in 2002. He was trapped in the snow, and he even had to crawl on his hands through the snow to survive.
Journalists are welcome to learn more about this tragic case and how the priest takes care of his parish during the war by talking to him offline or online.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In 2023, pizzaiolo Vitalii Koloshytsia launched the Military Chef project. The chef made a mobile oven on wheels that could be attached to a car so it would be possible to cook pizza in the field. Vitalii first tested his oven in Kyiv region, and later went to soldiers at the front lines.
Since the beginning of the project, Vitalii has also founded his own charitable foundation, which he also named “Military Chef.” And he also prepared more than 3,000 pizzas for the Ukrainian military. All expenses for such things as ingredients and car repairs are paid by the man himself out of his own pocket. He visits the front line 1-2 times a month.
With the help of the charitable fund, Vitalii plans to enlist the support of concerned citizens and expand the project: build several more mobile ovens and buy another car that can withstand longer distances.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Women who have fallen into difficult life circumstances due to the war have almost completed driving courses in Kyiv. These are the first courses like this in Ukraine. They started in September last year. 15 women joined the pilot project. Among the participants are those who were forced to leave their homes due to russia’s full-scale invasion.
The women have already passed the theoretical part of the exam and are completing the practical part. After successful training, they will be able to obtain a category B license and have the opportunity to become mobile and independent.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Artur Bukevych has spent almost all his life at a hair salon, at first, as his mother used to bring her kid to a place she’d been doing her job as a hairdresser and then as he started his first barbershop in Khmelnytskyi.
In 2023, an acquaintance invited Artur to give a cut and a face shave to the military personnel at the front. Since then, the barber has been visiting the military at the front every month for frequent services. It takes him about 20 hours to cater, so he stays with the military for several days to refresh the haircut for as many soldiers as possible. In addition to haircuts, Arthur says he creates relaxing grooming sessions for the soldiers: the place where he works smells of lavender and plays music.
The barber shop Arthur opened in Khmelnytskyi is running. The business donates its income to the military. In particular, before the New Year, the barber bought and brought a Starlink satellite system to the front line for military use.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
70-year-old Olha is a teacher who takes care of 5 adopted children. Her husband is severely ill.
The village in the Kherson region where the family lived was occupied by Russia since the beginning of its full-scale invasion. The woman was living in fear of enemy military might separate her from her children, as her daughter and sons were adoptees. They managed to flee life under occupation only on the third attempt.
Now the family lives in a rented apartment. However, Olha’s brother helped them buy a plot of land in the Kyiv region. Dobrobat volunteers assisted in constructing new housing for the family. It will be a one-story eco-house made of wood. They will start building it with the onset of warm weather.
For reference: “Dobrobat” is a volunteer building division helping those affected to restore housing and social infrastructure in the de-occupied territories.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On January 17, a press conference on the situation in Ukraine’s temporarily occupied areas in 2023 and the challenges ahead in 2024 will be held at the Media Center – Ukrinform.
The press conference discussion will involve experts examining the socio-political issues, humanitarian crises, and abuses of international humanitarian law in the temporarily occupied territories. The event will also feature a discussion on challenges to face in 2024, including the upcoming Russian presidential election.
In addition, a study by the OSINT agency Molfar “Kremlin Agents in Robes: How the Clergy of the UOC (MP) Lobby for Russia’s Interests” will be released.
Participants:
– Andriy Yusov, Representative of the Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine;
– Anatolii Stelmakh, Deputy Minister for the Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine;
– Ihor Solovey, Head of the Centre for Strategic Communication and Information Security;
– Pavlo Fiialkovskyi, an analyst at an OSINT Agency;
– Representative of the Special Operations Forces’ National Resistance Center of Ukraine.
Event media registration is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
As a civilian, Olha Rukavishnikova is a violinist. She started music education at the age of four and in the eighth grade, she took up conducting and performed in particular at the Mykolaiv Regional Philharmonic and the Kyiv Conservatory Great Hall. On February 24, 2022, at 8 a.m., Olha was standing ready at the local military registration and enlistment offices. She was issued a firearm by the evening of that day and used it for the first time against the enemy the next day. Now Olha is fighting in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, her main weapon is a hand-held RPG-7 anti-tank grenade launcher, but she also works with a sniper rifle, an automatic easel grenade launcher, a machine gun, and a mortar.
During one of her combat missions, Olha sustained a blast injury to her cervical vertebrae. This exposure to an explosion also resulted in eye loss. Despite this, she refused to be discharged from military service. Now she is performing active military duty at the front line area again.
The servicewoman is ready to talk to the media online by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Originally from Donetsk, Tetiana Tipakova lived in Berdiansk, Zaporizhia region (currently Russian-occupied), for about 30 years. Before Russia’s all-out invasion, she worked in a travel agency.
Since the full-blown war’s early days, Tetiana assembled peaceful protests in support of Ukraine in Berdiansk. Eventually, she was abducted by the Russian military for leading the actions. They put a bag over her head and took her to a colony, where she was interrogated for two days and beaten. Tetiana was subjected to electric shocks through her fingers and Russian captors mocked her execution. She was also forced to record an apology video. The prisoner was released, but the next day she was captured again. This time, she was held for 4 days and again had to endure torture.
After that, Tatiana decided to flee the city. She traveled through more than 20 checkpoints to get to the city of Zaporizhia. There she later founded the Ridna Stezhka NGO to support her fellow countrymen who were also forced out of the occupied city. They help people with food and medicine insecurity and organize leisure activities. They also help the military from the Berdiansk community. “Our heart is forever yellow and blue” is a tagline linked with the organization.
There is an opportunity for journalists to hold offline and online interviews with Tetiana.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
“The Superhumans Center” (a state-of-the-art center specializing in advanced rehabilitation and prosthetic services for war victims and amputees) assists patients with job opportunities. They have developed a program to help people with prosthetic devices find jobs (currently, they offer about 230 positions).
For example, agricultural companies, restaurants, and IT careers are those businesses hiring veterans most of all.
Recently, one of the Center’s patients (a civilian with an upper limb prosthetic) got employment in catering.
Journalists can learn more about this program and talk to the participants who have been helped to find a job, wherever possible.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Daria is a native of Pavlohrad in the Dnipro region (today the city often suffers from Russian shelling). Before the full-scale war, she lived in Kotsiubynske, Kyiv region. In the first days of Russia’s war on Ukraine, to the sound of explosions heard as the enemy state unleashed attacks, she left the town with her boyfriend. For some time they lived in a village in the Vinnytsia region. They returned home when the Ukrainian army retook the Kyiv region.
Before the full-scale war outbreak, she worked as a cook, administrator, and cashier in restaurants, but after returning, she thought about starting her own business from the ground up. Daria also wanted it to help people find work.
She decided to open a sushi bar and applied for a government grant program. She managed to win it on the fourth attempt. With these funds (160 thousand hryvnias), she covered 90% of the launching costs. Today, her sushi bar restaurant is a very popular place in Kotsiubynske. And Daria plans to run another one.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Yuriy Zhytnikov is a volunteer from Poltava region, who single-handedly assembles kamikaze drones for the front-line military from his home. When the man became interested in the production of these weapons, he had neither specialized training nor the necessary skills to do it. In the summer of 2023, Yuriy began studying drone design and watching videos on social networks to understand how they work, but he was not ready to assemble them himself. Later, the volunteer saw an advertisement for “People’s Drone” training program by Victory Drones. This is a free engineering course that offers to teach anyone to assemble a 7-inch FPV drone at home. The man bought the necessary tools and started a three-week course in November.
Yuriy resoldered his first kamikaze drone as many as 4 times, because at that point the volunteer had never held a soldering iron in his hands. The man assembled the second drone in a day. Yuriy admits that the best motivation for his work is positive feedback from the military.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Sviatoslav Nikolaichuk became the founder of “Genesis & System Solutions” center for the rehabilitation of veterans in Vinnytsia. In 2015, the man voluntarily joined the Defense Forces and served as a signalman in the 59th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade. Sviatoslav served for one and a half years, participated in the battles near Popasna, Luhansk region (now the city has been completely destroyed by the russians and is under occupation). He was discharged after the birth of his third child.
With the beginning of the big war, the veteran volunteered, and later began to create a rehabilitation center to help soldiers, who have lost their limbs, manage phantom pains.
One of the servicemen who have already walked this path is the veteran of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Mykyta Makazan, who had lost his leg near Bakhmut, Donetsk region. Virtual reality helped the man to get rid of phantom pain – the same technology will be used in “Genesis & System Solutions.” The assistance to veterans will be provided using modern equipment. For this purpose, they purchased virtual reality glasses, two laptops, suspension systems and special exercise bikes for the rehabilitation of the upper and lower limbs. The center received financial support worth UAH 2.5 million from the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation. In addition to virtual reality, the center will also feature traditional rehabilitation. Currently, the facility is already accepting veterans, and will officially open on January 29.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ivano-Frankivsk-based “Warrior’s House” communal institution has launched the “Defender’s Family’s Helper” service. The goal is to help families whose relatives are taking part in the defense of the country or died defending it.
The service was created because a single mother, wife or sister of a defender usually cannot repair a tap or a door lock on their own, and such services are expensive in professional companies. So, now relatives of the military can call in the assistance from a “helper”: “Warrior’s House” communal institution will select a specialist to perform a specific task, and they will also monitor the quality of their work.
There are more than 20 items in the list of services that “helpers” can provide. For instance, these include fixing a light switch, sharpening knives, hanging a picture, a curtain rod and a mirror, transporting things when moving, installing household appliances, fixing a tap and many other services that the handymen are qualified to do.
Journalists can cover the realization of the project in both offline and online formats.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On January 22, the exhibition “Dali: I Will Take My Life Back” will open in Kyin. It is dedicated to the memory of the poet and soldier Maksym “Dali” Kryvtsov.
The exhibition will feature 24 photographs by Maksym Kryvtsov with his poems. The official opening will be timed to the poet’s birthday (January 22). During the event, everyone will be able to listen to poetry from Kryvtsov’s collection “Poems from the Gun Slits,” which will be read by Maksym’s friends and relatives.
All works, as well as postcards with illustrations by Ukrainian artists, will be available for purchase. The proceeds from the sales will be donated to preserve the memory of Maksym Kryvtsov.
For reference: A machine gunner, poet and photographer, Maksym “Dali” Kryvtsov died on the front line on January 7 at the age of 33. On January 11, Ukrainians paid tribute to Maksym in Kyiv, and the soldier was buried in his native Rivne on January 12.
Maksym Kryvtsov participated in the Revolution of Dignity in 2013–2014, and joined the ranks of the Armed Forces as a volunteer in 2014. When the kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Kryvtsov volunteered to fight again.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On January 20, Lviv will host a presentation of the Pokrova Lviv AMP club soccer. Its players are Ukrainian war amputees.
A team of 14 members has an athletic field training twice a week. The players on the pitch are lower-extremity amputees, and the goalkeepers are upper-extremity amputees. The field players use forearm crutches and play without prostheses.
During the event, the team will tell more about the team’s participation in this year’s international championship. The journalists can also talk to the players and coach Bohdan Melnyk.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Zakhar Chernykov had not yet turned two years old when Russia first attacked Ukraine East. His family moved from Donetsk to Nikopol in the Dnipro region, and when Russia launched its full-blown invasion, Zakhar’s mother, Tetiana Chernykova, and her husband moved to Ivano-Frankivsk, where they still reside.
When in the new city, the parents found out that Zakhar had vision problems. Doctors advised the boy to avoid eye strain. Tetiana found some children’s audiobooks for her son, but Zakhar disliked them as they were narrated by adult voice actors. So the mother suggested the boy try himself as a child narrator.
Later, they started a telegram channel where the schoolboy publishes his recordings and invites people to donate to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He reads several chapters every night, Zakhar has already read voiceovers for 12 books. In addition, he recently created a blog on social media to challenge stereotypes that children and adults from the East of Ukraine can’t speak Ukrainian. On the blog, he also helps those who want to switch to Ukrainian.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On January 23, a virtual reality room will be opened in Lviv region. Its purpose is to assist with the rehabilitation of defenders with the help of the latest technologies. The room was created with the assistance of the charity fund “With an Angel on a Shoulder.”
The facility will conduct rehabilitation sessions utilizing VR helmets, with a particular focus on addressing phantom pains and enhancing the psycho-emotional well-being of individuals.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The main goal of the project focused on driving schools for people with disabilities is to enable people with musculoskeletal disorders to get a driver’s license. Driving schools employ instructors who have received additional education to work with people with disabilities, and students learn on specially equipped cars and trucks with manual controls.
The driving school’s program is based on the curriculum of Dnipropetrovsk State University of Internal Affairs, and it was the first in Ukraine to start teaching students to drive so they could obtain a C1 driver’s license. One of the students of the institution has already completed the theoretical part of the course to obtain the C1 license and is preparing for the practical exam.
For reference: Journalists need to send an information request to receive permission to film the students of the driving school in Dnipro, as well as the learning process.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
KoLeSo (Wheel) is a network of educational and training centers for tactical medicine (Kyiv, Kryvyi Rih, Zaporizhia, Mykolaiv and Vinnytsia). The network’s founder, Olha Omelchuk, has been a medical instructor in the Armed Forces of Ukraine since 2014.
Since March 2022, about 38,000 people, both military and civilians, have received free pre-medical care training at the centers. The courses are based on the tactical protocol — Tactical Combat Casualty Care.
The training (tactical first aid in combat) spans a 6-hour course, which includes both theoretical and practical components. After that, participants have the opportunity to engage in online workshops facilitated by the instructors, which will help revise the material. Additionally, participants can opt to participate in “Module 2” and successfully pass the exam and obtain a certificate.
Journalists can cover the training and talk to the students. If they wish, journalists can also undergo training.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Pavlo Sakhno has been doing pottery for more than 13 years. He opened his own workshop and participated in various festivals both abroad and in Ukraine. With the beginning of the full-scale war, the man volunteered for the army. At first he joined the territorial defense forces and defended Kyiv region. Then he went to Kharkiv region, where Pavlo fought as part of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. In order to distract himself from the constant shelling on the front line, Pavlo decided to try carving spoons. The military man ordered special tools and also read up on this craft.
The man gave his first spoons to his brothers in arms, and then orders started coming in from other soldiers and civilians. Pavlo makes five to eight spoons per month, sells most of them, and donates the money to the unit in which he serves. The serviceman calls it “dugout art” and says the process helps him stay in touch with civilian life.
For reference: Pavlo Sakhno is on the front line. The soldier is ready to communicate with journalists, both online and offline, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
“Behind Blue Eyes” is a charity project encouraging children from de-occupied and front-line villages of Ukraine to film their lives on disposable film cameras, and in return, ordinary people can fulfill the wishes of young creators. The project’s team travels the country to support children’s ability to dream, despite the traumatic experience of war, and to show that creativity can be a powerful tool to make those dreams come true.
Project participants receive film cameras for a week to take pictures of whatever they want. Then the children return the film with photos to the team along with their wishlists. “Behind Blue Eyes” publishes children’s photos along with their stories on the project’s platforms, and everyone can reward the authors of the photos by choosing something from their wishlists.
For reference: “Behind Blue Eyes” project was created almost two years ago. It was created by a team of volunteers who initially took care of de-occupied villages in Chernihiv oblast. Since the project was founded, 96 children have participated in it. They have taken more than 2,500 unique photos.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The first mobile pharmacy from one of Ukraine’s largest pharmacy chains has opened in Kharkiv region. Medicine will be delivered to villages and towns of the region without pharmacies.
Patients will receive information about the arrival of the mobile pharmacy from their family doctor or local authorities. The mobile pharmacy’s route will be plotted based on the needs of communities specified by family doctors and the security situation in the region.
For reference: The Ministry of Health notes that the mobile pharmacy project should solve the issue of availability of medicines in villages. Amidst the war, mobile pharmacies will be able to work in front-line territories and emergency zones.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
When the full-scale war began, Anna Dovzhenko was in Lviv. The woman planned to return to her native Kharkiv as soon as it got safe there. However, the apartment of Anna’s family was partially destroyed by enemy shelling, so she had to rebuild her life in Lviv region. Anna became interested in quail breeding because she read that quail eggs supposedly help to cope with radiation poisoning. This information led her to starting her own business.
First, Anna and her family bought 200 quail eggs, from which her first birds hatched. Anna’s husband built quail cages with his own hands, set up water supply and ventilation systems. The woman says that when she’s near the quails her mood improves. Work helps Anna deal with anxiety as well as support the family financially. The entrepreneur has already managed to acquire regular customers. She donates some of the eggs to other refugees, as well as to a family-type orphanage.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On January 24, Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform will host a press conference entitled: “Nothing sacred: war crimes by the russian occupiers against religious communities and the clergy.”
During the event, the participants will speak of numerous facts of religious persecution in the occupied territories and violations of international humanitarian law by the aggressor against religious buildings during hostilities.
Participants:
- Viktor Yelenskyi, Head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience;
- Yevgeniy Zakharov, Director of the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group;
- Vyacheslav Likhachev, Expert Council Member at the Center for Civil Liberties;
- Ruslan Khalikov, religious studies expert, Head of “Religion on Fire” project, Workshop for the Academic Study of Religion.
The event requires registration.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Since 2020, Vladyslav “Samurai” Yeshchenko has been engaged in humanitarian demining. The man dealt with defusing mines in eastern Ukraine. In the wake of Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine, Vladyslav mobilized and took up the position of sapper. In August 2022, the soldier was blown up when performing a combat mission, Vladyslav survived 84 mine explosions. The man fell into a coma and lost his eyesight and partially his hearing. However, despite his severe injury, Vladyslav did not give up: he underwent a rehabilitation program, got married, and founded the “Let’s See the Victory” charity organization. Vladyslav supports other soldiers who have suffered eye injuries. In addition, the charity launched an educational project for school students called Phoenix Visual Rehabilitation out of the Darkness. Together with his wife, the soldier visits educational institutions to give practical classes on accompanying the blind and visually impaired. Vladyslav has already visited three schools in Kyiv and taught classes for 170 students.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The InNikos Canine Assisted Therapy Center has recently opened in Kyiv. A team of therapy dogs, dog handlers, psychologists, and a rehabilitation therapist help people improve their emotional well-being and physical health. The military personnel, families of defenders, IDPs, children who survived the occupation, and in general people affected by the war, are center clients. The Center provides free-of-charge sessions, and group and individual therapy is available.
The center employs 9 therapy dogs: six have been trained and tested, and three more are in training. The oldest mixed-breed therapy dog (Labrador Retriever + German Shepherd) is 10-year-old Nika. The youngest dog in the center is a 5-month-old Belgian Malinois named Barcelona. She is still undergoing a training program, but she is already involved in classes, mostly with the military and children.
The organizers plan to launch a similar canine therapy project in 4 more cities.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On January 27, an exhibition titled “UKRAINE WAITS FOR ITS HEROES” dedicated to sharing the stories of Mariupol defenders will open in Dnipro. This first-ever exhibition recounts the heroic deeds of the soldiers of the ‘Mariupol’ garrison, aiming to draw attention to the abhorrent detention conditions of Ukrainian prisoners of war who have been held in enemy dungeons for over 1.5 years, will open its doors in Dnipro.
At the exhibition opening, journalists will have the opportunity to talk to family members and friends of the prisoners of war.
For reference: Every week, families of POWs, those dead or missing and veterans who have survived the hell of captivity themselves gather at peaceful rallies all across Ukraine cities to remind and raise awareness of Ukrainian service members who are in Russian prisons.
The defense of Mariupol lasted for 86 days. A military command order has been given to Ukrainian defenders to “stop defending” the city, leave the Azovstal steel plant, and surrender to the enemy. On May 20, 2022, Mariupol came under Russian occupation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A press conference on “Future School for Ukraine” – a Lithuanian-Ukrainian project to boost donor acquisition and support school building will be held at the Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform on January 24.
“Future School for Ukraine” is a Lithuanian Government initiative to recover educational infrastructure, which aims to save time and money on school project design. In partnership with the Restoration Agency, the ready-for-localization and implementation adaptive design for building schools will be provided to Ukrainian communities and donors free of charge. With close coordination with the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the project aims to build back modern, inclusive, and resilient educational institutions.
Participants:
– Oksen Lisovyi, Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine;
– Mustafa Nayem, Head of the Recovery Agency, Ukraine;
– Arturas Žarnovskis, Program Manager of “Co-create Future of Ukraine”, Central ProjectManagement Agency (CPVA) Lithuania;
– Anna Novosad, educational activist, SavED, Ukraine.
Event registration is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Researchers at the Tarnovskyi Chernihiv Regional Historical Museum discover historical artifacts that remain in the basement of a school in the village of Yahidne in Chernihiv Oblast. A place where the occupiers kept over 300 local residents in inhumane conditions for almost a month in the spring of 2022.
Experts have been visiting a local school in Yahidne since September last year. During this time, they have examined and documented more than 600 findings. Among material evidence, there were pieces of clothes, shoes, personal belongings, knives, books, boxes of enemy military rations, hand sanitizer bottles, Russian newspapers, wooden pallets on which the prisoners had to sit and sleep, and even plastic water bottles that served as a toilet. The specialists are now done with describing the items of evidence in 5 rooms and are now searching the gym (the largest space in the basement). The work is scheduled to be completed in February.
All examined items will remain in place. The authorities plan to convert the school basement into a museum.
Journalists are welcome to join the museum’s researchers and cover their work.
For reference: The village of Yahidne is located near Chernihiv. At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the Russians set up their headquarters in a local school. They forced 299 adult local residents and 67 children into the school basement and held villagers captive for almost a month (almost an entire village). The basement area is 197 square meters. For lack of space, people had to sleep sitting up, and there was also a lack of oxygen. 10 people died.
In February, the famous American TIME magazine released a cover with the Yahidne village basement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On January 23, the Lokomotyv stadium, a sports complex of Ukrzaliznytsia in Kyiv, was damaged by Russian missile fire.
Ukrzaliznytsia reported that more than five hundred children of railroad workers and IDPs, including those from Mariupol, Melitopol, and Kherson, as they train at Lokomotyv stadium every single day. Fortunately, there were no children on the territory of the sports facility at the time of the shelling.
For now, training sessions at the stadium have been canceled. Soon, FC Lokomotyv aspiring players will return to training at the partners sports facilities.
Journalists can get to the stadium to cover the footage revealing the extent of the destruction.
For reference: Lokomotyv Stadium was opened to the public on August 2, 1925.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On January 26, a three-day basic tactical medicine course (ASM NAEMT), designed for military personnel and those who are preparing themselves for combat starts in Kyiv. Among other things, the course participants will learn how to assess the tactical situation, safely move the injured victims, recognize and stop severe bleeding, and provide assistance in case of head injuries, burns, fractures, etc.
The volunteers from the Hospitallers medical battalion regularly hold training sessions. All proceeds paid by the course participants directed to support the battalion’s work.
Journalists have the opportunity to cover the training sessions.
For reference: The Hospitallers medical battalion has been working at the front since 2014. Its crews carry out dozens of evacuations day by day along almost the entire front line. It has also been teaching tactical medicine since 2015 and first aid basics since 2018. The instructors are certified by NAEMT (American National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians), UVMA (Ukrainian Military Medical Academy), and other organizations.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Andrii Tkachuk comes from Zakarpattia region. The man devoted his life to sports, in particular, to running and trail running (cross-country and off-road running). Andrii holds Ukraine’s 24- and 48-hour running record. He also participated in European and world championships. Andrii holds the title of master of sports in athletics.
He joined the Defense Forces in 2014 when russia attacked Ukraine for the first time. Later, he got discharged and returned to sports. However, when the full-scale invasion began, Andrii joined the army again. As part of the 128th Mountain Assault Brigade, he fought in the South and received shrapnel wounds in the shoulder and forearm. After treatment, he was transferred to the Carpathian Sich battalion.
Andrii was diagnosed with a heart defect, so he had to undergo a surgery. Afterwards, the veteran returned to training. In December 2023, he became the bronze medalist of the IAU 24 Hour World Running Championship, which took place in the Taiwanese city of Taipei. The athlete ran more than 284 kilometers in one day.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Lerane Khaibulaieva is a Crimean Tatar who was born in Uzbekistan, where the soviet authorities deported her family from Crimea. Lerane returned to the peninsula as a child. And in 2016, after russia’s occupation of Crimea, she was forced to leave her home. She settled in Kyiv region. In 2022, she fled Irpin, which the russians were trying to assault at the time.
In Crimea, Lerane worked as a journalist covering economic topics. However, the woman always dreamed of creating a family cafe. She opened a small café serving chebureki in Kyiv region, and later a cafe in the suburbs of the capital. In Lviv, which became Lerane’s fourth home, she again returned to doing her favorite thing and founded Crimean Yard cafe.
Her own business helps the woman support her son, who is still in school, as well as her husband, a veteran who fought the anti-terrorist operation and defended Ukraine during the full-scale invasion. He is now back from the front line due to a disability. Lerane says that she dreams to move one more time – to Crimea, liberated from the russians.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oleksii Prytula is a veterinarian from Odesa. During the full-scale invasion, he decided to join the defense of the country. In September 2022, he was seriously injured and lost both legs. Despite this adversity, he returned to work.
The man received prostheses and underwent rehabilitation at the Superhumans Center in Lviv. The veteran’s employer arranged a special workplace for him. So Oleksii can resume his work treating his four-legged patients.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Dog handlers from Denmark, who came to Ukraine to join the Antares search and rescue team, are currently training at the Pavlohrad dog training center in the Dnipro region. The foreign specialists plan to join dog-and-handler teams in its mission. For Antares, it’s the first experience working with foreign dog handlers planning to join the canine search team. Soon, specialists from Poland will also arrive at the dog training and fielding center.
For reference: The Antares Search and Rescue Dog Team was founded in 2008. Until 2014, the team was getting the dogs training in a search profile for missing civilians, who were still alive, and the dogs weren’t trained specifically to find dead bodies, so finding human remains rather than a live person wasn’t their forte. But in 2017, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine began to involve Antares unit SAR dogs and canine handlers sprung into action assisting the search for the dead. Now highly trained search resources are also used by the National Police, the State Emergency Service, and the Security Service of Ukraine. In March 2023, Larysa Borysenko, the head of the professional canine SAR team, was injured due to an explosion triggered by a trip wire during a search in the Kharkiv region. She has already undergone treatment and returned to work.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oksana Vinnik, 56, an agronomist by profession, was born in the Lviv region but moved to Volyn almost 40 years ago. She has 4 adult children and 8 grandchildren. With the full-blown war outbreak, Oksana turned to volunteering: cooking borscht and dumplings for the military in her kitchen and sending the food to the front line.
Later, she saw an advertisement by Volyn Territorial Defense Brigade looking for people to fill various positions, including a cook. It hit Oksana that this offer was right for her. Nobody but Oksana’s husband knew about her decision to mobilize, but she told her children and grandchildren after she received her military ID.
Oksana is currently stationed in the Lyman area, where she and a team of cooks prepare home-cooked meals for soldiers, including those who have been wounded at the front.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oleksandr Matiash is a veteran and entrepreneur. The man was mobilized in 2015, when russia attacked Ukraine in the East. During his service, Oleksandr discovered that the military did not have comfortable underwear. So, he decided to create it himself. During one of the rotations, Oleksandr and a friend developed a model of men’s underpants and started production. Later, the Regata Club brand began to produce t-shirts, hoodies and even tracksuits. Oleksandr approves all models personally, and checks if they are convenient for himself and his brothers in arms.
With the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Oleksandr returned to the army, and production had to be suspended. In May 2022, Oleksandr’s wife, Tetiana, together with a friend, began to take care of the business. It was not easy to resume production, because the lion’s share of earnings went to the needs of Oleksandr’s division. So Tetiana came across a grant from the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation, applied, and the couple’s project won the grant. Fabric and sewing equipment were purchased with UAH 2.5 million received for business development. The Regata Club brand continues to support Oleksandr’s unit and other military units, both financially and with clothing. In addition, the business donates some of the clothing to military hospitals.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The MiNiMISTO project, which combines LEGO modeling with the history of the native area, was founded by Alexander Yermolayev, a designer from Mykolaiv, in early 2020. At first it was an ordinary hobby, which gradually evolved into a full-fledged Internet project.
At the very beginning of the full-scale war (March 2022), Alexander decided to use LEGO models to talk about the buildings destroyed or damaged by the russians throughout Ukraine. At that time, Mykolaiv (a city in the South of Ukraine) was suffering from a chaotic enemy shelling, and it building LEGO live took too long in such conditions. Therefore, Alexander started working with a special digital designer software (the same LEGO blocks, only virtually). According to Alexander, this made it possible to promptly reproduce destroyed buildings, as well as involve other creators in the project. Currently, there are three creators in the MiNiMISTO team. The project website, among other things, features the Mariupol Drama Theater as well as Bakhmut and Kramatorsk railway stations.
Journalists are welcome to learn more about the Internet project, as well as talk to the founder.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In 2015, Ksenia Kleinos opened a creative space in Berdiansk (the city is occupied now), Zaporizhia region — the anti-cafe “CHAS YE” (there is time). When russia’s full-scale invasion started, the woman was at home: at 4 AM she heard explosions. She decided to go to a village near Berdiansk, because she thought it was safer there. She lived in the village for 40 days and saw helicopters circling over the house. The woman decided to leave: she had to go through 16 russian checkpoints to get to Zaporizhia.
In April 2022, Ksenia moved to Lviv. She decided to open a coffee shop (in the summer she applied for a grant from the state). At the beginning of autumn, she launched the public project “We Are Berdiansk” to support other refugees from Berdiansk. Meanwhile, the answer came: Ksenia received the grant of UAH 240,000. Nowadays, Ksenia gathers people from Berdiansk in her cafe, where she holds, in particular, art master classes, and they also play board games there. The community even has its own reading club.
In addition, two landsmen of Ksenia work in her coffee shop, which the woman named in honor of an island in Berdiansk creek “Dzendzik.”
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On January 30, the press conference “Dialogue in Russian: “Black Register of Executions, Tortures and Cases of Inhumane Treatment of the Civilian Population” will be held at Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform. Freerights Human Rights Association, a part of the Ukraine 5 AM Coalition, will present the “Black Register of Executions, Tortures and Cases of Inhumane Treatment of the Civilian Population in the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine,” and the World Organization Against Torture (OMCT) will showcase the Roadmap for Investigating Torture and Enforced Disappearances, in order to incorporate recorded cases to criminal investigation and ensure further inevitability of punishment of those responsible for war crimes.
Participants:
- Anastasiia Malynka, Freerights Human Rights Association information manager (in person);
- Maryia Kvitsinskaya, Expert on Europe and Central Asia at the World Organization Against Torture (OMCT) (online);
- A representative of the Division for Interaction with State, Non-Governmental, and International Organizations of the Office of the Prosecutor General’s Department for Combating Crimes Committed During Armed Conflict (speaker to be announced).
The event will be held within the framework of the cooperation between Ukraine 5 AM Coalition with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands.
For reference: Ukraine 5 AM Coalition started working on February 25, 2022, the day after russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Today, there are 38 NGOs and four individual experts in the Coalition. They combined their efforts to systematically document war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the russian armed aggression against Ukraine. The Coalition also protects victims of the russo-Ukrainian war through state and international mechanisms of justice.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Daria-Olha, a resident of Mariupol, was 15 when she tried boxing for the first time. The girl showed a lot of promise, as 3 months after she started training, the athlete went to the all-Ukrainian competitions. In 2022, 18-year-old Daria-Olha was supposed to go to the European Championship, but russia launched the full-scale invasion and the enemy troops surrounded Mariupol. At first, the athlete’s family was going to wait out the russian shelling in an apartment together with their friends. Later they had to relocate to the basement. At this time, there was no network coverage, gas and electricity in the city. Even in such conditions, Daria continued training to keep in shape.
The family managed to leave besieged Mariupol in a truck with strangers, the trip to Zaporizhia took them over a day, because they had to go through russian checkpoints. After getting to Ukraine-controlled territory, Daria-Olha found out that her coach had left for Ivano-Frankivsk, so she went to him. There, the girl enrolled at Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University’s Faculty of Physical Education and Sports, because she dreams of becoming a trainer. In May 2022, Daria-Olha won bronze at the International Boxing Tournament in Sweden in the category of under 52 kilograms. Currently, the Ukrainian boxer is training to win the gold at the Olympics.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Over UAH 2 trillion is the amount of damage caused to the environment as a result of russia’s armed aggression (from February 24, 2022 to January 26, 2024). The damages were calculated by the State Environmental Inspectorate of Ukraine taking into account air, water and land pollution.
By prior agreement, journalists have the opportunity to talk with specialists of the State Environmental Inspectorate and cover their efforts to fix environmental damage.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the full-scale invasion, Anastasiia Ovcharenko worked with her husband in the IT industry in Kharkiv. The couple were raising a daughter.
When the big war started the family found themselves in their hometown. On the night of February 24, Anastasiia heard the explosions of russian rockets. The woman has been volunteering since March. Together with her husband, Anastasiia has set up fundraisers for the army and taken care of military vehicles.
On January 23, 2024, an enemy missile hit Anastasiia’s apartment. That morning, the couple had to go to Kyiv to take a military car to a workshop. The first explosions happened at 4 AM, so they asked their daughter to also go out to the car with them. Anastasiia and her family were around the corner from their house when a russian missile hit the building. Even after they lost their home, the Ovcharenkos did not abandon the military vehicle, but brought it to Kyiv as planned. And in a few days, they delivered the vehicle to the military in the East.
Anastasiia says that even despite the loss of a roof over their heads, the family will continue to volunteer and work for the Armed Forces, because only the Defense Forces will be able to stop the occupiers.
For reference: February 24, 2024 marks 2 years since the beginning of russia’s illegal full-scale invasion. The attack marked the culmination of the war of aggression, which the russian federation had been waging against Ukraine for 10 years at that point. This war began on February 20, 2014 when the russians invaded the territory of the Ukrainian Crimea without identification marks and occupied the peninsula. After that, russia started a war in the East of Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In 2014, the russians occupied Artem Kariakin’s hometown of Kadiivka (formerly Stakhanov), Luhansk region. At the time, 17-year-old Artem published posts about how the city lived under occupation on an anonymous Twitter account. He also published a map of Kadiivka with markings indicating places of concentration of the russians. He also wrote about the movement of occupation troops.
Later, Artem began to do covert work for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. All this time, Artem lived a very private life: he forbade himself to trust people and even to fall in love. After all, anyone could report on his activities to the occupiers, Artem believed.
In 2020, his mother died, and a year later, Artem’s grandmother and father died as well, so the young man left for Kyiv. He had lived in the capital for only a few months when the full-scale war began. In March 2022, Artem joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and in June he fought near Bakhmut.
As a soldier, Artem continues to collect information about the occupiers from the temporarily occupied territories — this is now his official duty. Now it is he, to whom spotters and adjusters provide intel that can help the Armed Forces. In addition, in February 2023, after 9 years of fighting covertly, Artem revealed his identity in social media.
Artem Karyakin is at the front line. The serviceman is ready to communicate with journalists, both online and offline, by prior arrangement.
For reference: February 24, 2024 marks 2 years since the beginning of russia’s illegal full-scale invasion. The attack marked the culmination of the war of aggression, which the russian federation had been waging against Ukraine for 10 years at that point. This war began on February 20, 2014 when the russians invaded the territory of the Ukrainian Crimea without identification marks and occupied the peninsula. After that, russia started a war in the East of Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Olha had been working as a military psychologist from 2014 to 2018 when she resigned from service and together with her team started the Veteran Hub (a space that provides support to war veterans and their loved ones).
At the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Olha joined the ranks of the patrol police (just when the enemy was breaking through to the capital). Later, together with the police, she went to the territories of the Kyiv region liberated by the Ukrainian military, and helped local residents. And already in the summer of 2022, she joined the ranks of the Armed Forces, where she continues to work as a military psychologist. Olha was in Bakhmut and in the Zaporizhia sector. For now, she is in the capital.
Olha provides a full cycle of psychological support: selection, training, support during combat missions, crisis assistance, etc.
For reference: February 24, 2024 marks 2 years since the beginning of russia’s illegal full-scale invasion. The attack marked the culmination of the war of aggression, which the russian federation had been waging against Ukraine for 10 years at that point. This war began on February 20, 2014 when the russians invaded the territory of the Ukrainian Crimea without identification marks and occupied the peninsula. After that, russia started a war in the East of Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
29-year-old Yevhen Koptiaiev volunteered for mobilization in the Defense Forces since the early days of Russia’s full-scale invasion. The soldier fought in the Donetsk sector, where he got seriously injured during an assault. Yevhen was shot through his helmet by an enemy bullet causing an entry wound in his ear and exit in his eye. The bullet also hit the front bones shattering his skull and tearing out his under-eye muscles. With those injuries, Yevhen crawled more than two kilometers to reach Ukrainian counterparts’ positions. The military veteran says he realized how badly he was injured being already halfway to his comrades: trying to touch his nose, his three fingers passed right through the mutilated bones of his skull and jaw.
Yevhen was first treated in Vinnytsia, having reconstructive surgery to his skull: five titanium implants were used for his face reconstruction. After the treatment, Yevhen had to get another one, because one of the plates didn’t adapt to the body defect ultimately leading to the body rejecting the implant and provoking inflammation. So a team of foreign doctors from Face the future Ukraine took over Yevhen’s treatment. The surgeons removed the failed implant, restored the lacrimal glands, and transplanted the man’s skin under the eye. Three months have passed since Yevhen’s last surgery. The wounds on his face have almost healed. Now the veteran has returned to Kryvyi Rih, where his wife and two children live.
For reference: “Face the future Ukraine” is a mission of reconstructive surgeons from Canada and the US, a joint effort of world experts and their Ukrainian colleagues, to restore physical health and aesthetic beauty to those who were disfigured by enemy fire. They also work with soldiers who have suffered injuries to their face and neck at the front line.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Safe Sky Charitable Foundation was founded after a Ukraine International Airlines passenger flight was shot down near Tehran, Iran, on January 8, 2020. Since then, the organization has been taking care of the families of those killed in the plane crash.
On February 24, 2022, the volunteers made a pivot to help Kharkiv, which suffers from constant shelling by the occupiers. In particular, in December 2023, they assembled a “Rapid Response Team”—a team of those who cared, who proceeded immediately to the utility services workers’ assistance. “The Rapid Response Team” operates in places of the enemy missile hit and, together with the emergency services, eliminates the consequences of the shelling. In particular, they dismantle rubble, board up windows and doors with special plates, and repair roofs. In addition, the volunteers provide humanitarian assistance and mental health and psychological support to the affected Kharkiv residents. Currently, the team consists of about 20 people, and in total, there are more than 150 volunteers from various humanitarian organizations working on cleanup at a damaged facility site.
For reference: February 24, 2024, Ukraine marks 2 years since Russia commenced its unprovoked criminal full-scale invasion. This attack was the culmination of the initial war of aggression that Russia has been waging against Ukraine for 10 years. This armed conflict was ignited on February 20, 2014. Back then, Russians invaded the territory of Ukrainian Crimea giving no obvious sign of its covert military operation in the now-occupied peninsula. After that, Russia started a war in Ukraine’s east.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On February 6, a pilot project to train women who want to attain an electrician career to be started in Kyiv. The course attendees will learn the basics of electrical installation (laying electrical wiring, installing and repairing sockets, switches); learn principles and practices of electrical equipment maintenance, etc.
The online and offline classes for practical electrical training programs are available to gain work experience using the appropriate equipment. The women in difficult life circumstances (IDPs, women who have lost their jobs, women whose husbands are mobilized, single mothers) were selected for the apprenticeship program. In total, there are 18 apprentices in the project.
As a reminder, Ukraine’s first driving courses for women facing difficulties due to the war was launched in Kyiv in September 2023.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
With the onset of the full-blown war, Ihor Kazio, a dentist with 15 years of experience, decided to stay in the capital and help the citizens. Ihor, his father, and brother, who belong to the same profession, provided free-of-charge services when the Russian military convoy closed in on the capital and most medical facilities in Kyiv were closed.
After the invaders were driven out of the Kyiv region, Ihor started looking for ways to help the military who could not leave the front line to see a dentist. This is how the Kazo Mobile Dental project—mobile dentistry in a mobile setting that helps soldiers near the front line, was born. A team of doctors ready to work in the frontline regions was assembled quite quickly: specialists from different cities responded to the call. Each of their trips lasts at least two weeks. Kazo Mobile Dental has already made three visits to the frontline regions and performed dental treatment for more than a thousand soldiers. Now the team is preparing for their next trip, which will take place on February 8.
For reference: Kazo Mobile Dental is ready to communicate with journalists, both online and offline, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Iryna Kulbach has been the chair of the University Hospital Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in Dnipro for 23 years. At the beginning of the all-out invasion, the doctors there had to deliver babies in a shelter.
On December 29, 2023, a Russian missile struck the maternity ward. A fire broke out there, and the blast wave smashed about 900 windows in the hospital. That day, Iryna and other doctors were on duty. The team responded quickly to the situation: women in labor with newborns, pregnant women, and the patients’ families were moved to shelters in advance. As a result of the attack, the maternity hospital building caught fire producing smoke, so Iryna and other specialists evacuated all the people to save their lives.
Recently, the President of Ukraine awarded Iryna Kulbach with the Honored Doctor of Ukraine award. In addition, she received the medal “For Merit to the City”.
For reference: The damage caused by the enemy shelling is still being assessed. 30 employees of the maternity ward were transferred to other departments of the hospital, and 20 are currently unemployed.
For reference: February 24, 2024, Ukraine marks 2 years since Russia commenced its unprovoked criminal full-scale invasion. This attack was the culmination of the initial war of aggression that Russia has been waging against Ukraine for 10 years. This armed conflict was ignited on February 20, 2014. Back then, Russians invaded the territory of Ukrainian Crimea giving no obvious sign of its covert military operation in the now-occupied peninsula. After that, Russia started a war in Ukraine’s east.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Yevhen Kompanets ended up in a wheelchair as a result of an industrial injury in 2011. At that time, in the hospital, he met his future wife, who worked as a nurse. And now, together with their daughter, they cook goodies in their kitchen for Ukraine’s defenders.
The family started volunteering in April 2022. They work every day and have already prepared 150 thousand dishes for the defenders. These include dumplings, pancakes, donuts, pies, and chebureks. (The dumplings are oven-ready meals, so service members only need to defrost them). In addition, the family prepares borscht dressings and cutlets and even manages to send more than 7 tons of pork fat to the defenders. The family invests their own money in the work, and caring people also help with donations.
Journalists can talk to Yevhen by phone, online, or site visit after February 15.
For reference: February 24, 2024, Ukraine marks 2 years since Russia commenced its unprovoked criminal full-scale invasion. This attack was the culmination of the initial war of aggression that Russia has been waging against Ukraine for 10 years. This armed conflict was ignited on February 20, 2014. Back then, Russians invaded the territory of Ukrainian Crimea giving no obvious sign of its covert military operation in the now-occupied peninsula. After that, Russia started a war in Ukraine’s east.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The peaceful rallies under the “Don’t be silent. Captivity Kills!” slogan will take place across 14 cities of Ukraine to support Ukrainian prisoners of war.
The gatherings are to be staged in Zaporizhia, Vinnytsia, and Krolevets (Sumy region) on February 3 and in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Ternopil, Poltava, Kremenchuk, Ovruch, Ivano-Frankivsk, Cherkasy, and Kovel on February 4.
The events are held by the POWs from the ‘Mariupol’ garrison families.
For reference: On February 1 this year, during yet another prisoner swap, Ukraine brought 207 Ukrainians back from Russian captivity. The defenders of Mariupol, Kherson, fighters from Snake Island, marines, and combat medics are among the released soldiers. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, 2681 Ukrainian service members and 147 civilians have been returned home through exchanges. More than 8,000 Ukrainians, civilians, and military, are still being held captive by Russia.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before Russia’s full-scale invasion, 56-year-old Volodymyr Hudim worked as a paramilitary guard at the railroad. When the AFU retook his hometown of Kherson from occupying the Russian force in November 2022, Volodymyr and his comrades mobilized and joined the Defense Forces. In the summer of 2023, the soldier was defending positions near Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast, where he suffered his first injury as shrapnel hit his shoulder. The man underwent treatment and soon returned to duty.
In late October 2023, Volodymyr and his fellow soldiers took up combat positions a few kilometers from Klishchiivka near Bakhmut. They were to be replaced in a few days. However, the Russians launched an onslaught, and Volodymyr’s position turned out to be behind enemy lines. One of his comrades had been killed in action the day before, and the rest went in search of water and never returned. And Hudim was left alone without any communication with his comrades because at that time all the radios had already died. The man was hiding in enemy trenches, looking for supplies, collecting rainwater, and melting snow. The fighter also eliminated several Russians he encountered in their own rear.
Volodymyr kept a diary where he wrote down what was happening to him. During 46 days behind enemy lines, he lost a finger due to a wound, and later, in a hospital, his left foot was amputated due to frostbite. Volodymyr was found by Ukrainian soldiers who noticed a trident on his helmet. The man is currently in hospital undergoing rehabilitation.
Additionally: Volodymyr Hudim is ready to have both online and offline interviews, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Prior to the full-blown enemy invasion, Violetta Oliinyk used to make custom jewelry. The girl’s life changed on February 24, 2022, when her father and brother volunteered for mobilization to the Defense Forces. Violetta recalled her experience as a volunteer in 2014, when Russia first attacked Ukraine and her brother stood up to defend the country. So she started setting up fundraising, buying everything the service members needed, including drones, thermal imagers, tile carriers, sights, and cars.
Later, she decided to try to build a drone herself, as purchasing them does not come cheap. For that, Violetta took two free online courses that taught her how to assemble FPV drones, passed a theory exam, ordered the first parts, and equipped a small workshop in Chernivtsi. Nine of Violetta’s FPV drones are already eliminating the occupiers at the front. She recently assembled four more, which she sent to her brother, and soon six more will be ready for her father. The craftswoman says she get inspired by the military’s feedback and videos of her “birds” in use.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
ARTHELPS is a non-profit organization based in Germany. As part of its RESTRUMENTS campaign, musical instruments were made out of used Russian weapons during a kid’s workshop held in Kyiv (September 2023). These include turning repurposed weaponry scrap into a violin and a cello, as well as a guitar with a body fashioned from a fuel canister used to refuel Russian tanks. In December 2023, a music video was released for a composition by violinist Yurii Revych, staging children playing the built instruments.
ARTHELPS has also launched a fundraising campaign for a new Creative Hub in Ukraine. Anyone can buy posters featuring musical instruments.
Journalists can have an opportunity to talk to the founders of the organization (in German or English) and the project’s communication manager, as well as see the instruments made within the project (offline in Germany or online).
For reference: ARTHELPS is a non-profit organization of creative people dedicated to helping those in need through art. The team has worked in Germany and Afghanistan, India, Iraq, South Africa, Syria, and Brazil, among others. In 2016, they worked on a project with children in eastern Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On February 10, the International Charitable Foundation savED will showcase the “War and Education. Two years of full-scale invasion” research results conducted together with the Vox Populi research agency supported by the U-LEAD with Europe Program.
This study points out the opinions of students, their parents, teachers, representatives of school administrations, and local authorities regarding the problems and challenges that communities face in planning and executing the learning process during a full-scale war.
The program features:
- Presentation of the study. The main survey results will be presented by Olenka Severenchuk, Director of savED.
- Panel discussion “How Communities are Surmounting the Challenges of War?”
Panelists:
- Oksen Lisovyi, Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine
- Viacheslav Zadorenko, Head of Derhachi City Military Administration (Kharkiv Region)
- Serhii Peresunko, Head of Shyroke City Territorial Community (Mykolaiv Oblast)
- Lidiia Koliesnik, Head of Department for Education, Culture, Youth, and Sports, Apostolove City Council (Dnipropetrovsk Oblast)
- Vitalii Selyk, Director and Co-Founder of Smilyvi Foundation
- Volodymyr Kliutsevskyi, Deputy Head of the Kherson Oblast Military Administration
Moderator – Anna Novosad, Co-founder of the savED Charitable Foundation, Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine (2019-2020).
Event registration is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Katrin Zabotkina began learning sign language at the age of 16. As a teenager, Katrin was struck by how a boy with hearing impairments adapted a participant’s song during one of the talent contests. This prompted Katrin to study sign language. She looked for various video lessons, constantly learned new gestures and revised them thousands of times in front of the mirror to improve her skills.
Katrin learned to adapt songs for people with hearing impairment. And in the end, she became the first to provide sign language interpretation for the Ukrainian National Selection for the Eurovision Song Contest. Katrin spent two days on adapting each of the songs, because she wanted to preserve the meaning of the song, emphasize main musical instruments, work out facial expressions, rhythm, mood and emotions of the piece. The sign language singer plans to continue adapting songs for people with hearing impairment.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Colonel Monte and Colonel Chuck from the U.S. call themselves the “Traveling Colonels.” They are retired US Marine Corps officers, both are Iraq War veterans. The men help Ukraine: they bring medical and other supplies purchased, in particular, with funds donated by U.S. citizens. All this is transferred to the Ukrainian military at the front. For example, in October 2023, in just one week, Monte and Chuck, together with volunteers from Ukraine, Canada and the U.S., prepared and packed 1,167 IFAKS (NATO standard Individual First Aid Kit) and 16 medical bags in Kyiv. In addition, colonels help civilians with medicines.
Colonel Monte is currently volunteering in Ukraine with ex-servicemen Dave (Navy Captain), Steve and David. They are assembling first aid kits for Ukrainian soldiers and medical boxes of supplies.
Colonel Chuck will arrive a little later to coordinate the unloading of a shipping container with medical supplies for the hospital.
Journalists have the opportunity to talk with the “Traveling Colonels” in the capital.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
With the beginning of the full-scale war, Mykola Volyka, a resident of Lebedyn village in Cherkasy oblast, was approached by a fellow soldier and asked to make 300 staples for his unit. Mykola, who had never dealt with metal before, set up a forge right in his yard. He studied blacksmithing together with his friends, whom he also invited to join in. Later, he involved his fellow villagers to the forge to produce not only staples, but also potbelly stoves, axes, pickaxes, anti-tank hedgehogs and spades.
Tetiana Chepur, now a craftswoman in the forge, says that women actively took up the new activity. And now they are the main workers as a total of five female blacksmiths volunteer at the forge. They often work in the evenings after finishing their day jobs.
Since the forge was created, volunteers managed to make 156,000 staples, 13,000 pickaxes and 10,000 spades.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Agnieszka has worked as a guide in the Biebrza National Park in Poland for 15 years. The woman has 4 children (the youngest is 5 years old, and the oldest is 26). When russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, Agnieszka sheltered more than 20 refugees from Ukraine in her apartment in Poland. Particularly, she gave shelter to families with children. People had lived there for several months before they managed to rebuild their lives a little by finding a job or starting to study.
Later, Agnieszka started visiting Ukraine herself: first as a driver for another volunteer, and later she began taking aid to the front. She was in the hottest spots: the Kupiansk, Zaporizhia, Bakhmut and Chasiv Yar sectors. The soldiers she helps have already become her friends. Agnieszka knows who likes coffee and who will be happy to receive candy. The woman brings a wide variety of aid to the frontline — food, medicine, as well as clothes, sleeping bags, charging stations, etc.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
22-year-old Pavlo Lehoida was going through mandatory military service when the full-scale invasion started. But after russia attacked Ukraine on February 24, 2022, he joined the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and served in many directions, in particular, in the South and East of the country.
Pavlo’s brothers in arms found out about his orientation by accident when they saw his conversation on the phone. The soldier says that at first the attitude towards him was quite negative, and he had to listen to a lot of insults. However, he says, now his brothers in arms don’t care about the fact that he is gay.
Pavlo has many plans for the future, which he dreams to fulfill after the victory. The serviceman hopes that a law on civil partnerships will be adopted in Ukraine. After all, a loved one is waiting for him at home. In addition, Pavlo wants to adopt a child.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In the summer of 2022, Kyiv-based engineer Vladyslav founded the Friends of Borysthenes association, which brought together people willing to work from home to bring Ukraine’s victory closer. (Borysfen is the name of Vladyslav’s dog, whose picture the activist used in the logo for the volunteer initiative). At that time, Vladyslav was working from home: he designed factories for European customers in 3D and put in a lot of overtime. He assumed that there are many similar people who work from home and have a few hours a day to spare and the necessary skills to help the military. He found most of those willing to join the volunteer initiative through Twitter (now X). Over time, the Friends of Borysthenes developed into a network of engineers throughout Ukraine who manufacture power banks out of batteries from disposable e-cigarettes. They also make charging stations.
In addition, engineers repair and donate old laptops, tablets and phones to the military.
Power banks cases are 3D printed. By the way, one of these 3D printers was once given to Vladyslav by a woman from a village in Kyiv region that had been under occupation. Power banks made by volunteers are 5-10 times cheaper than their factory counterparts.
For reference: During the entire period of work, as of January 2024, volunteers have already handed over 1,050 power banks, about 15 charging stations that they produced themselves, as well as over 150 mobile phones and dozens of laptops to the army.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Olesia Korzhenevska is a producer and volunteer who has been taking care of the Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers since 2014 when Russia unleashed its first attack on Ukraine.
With the full-blown war outbreak, Olesia’s beloved bound for the frontline, and she took up supporting military units this time again. Now she travels to the frontline position every month to deliver another batch of aid and see her significant other.
The whole thing started with Olesia’s friend’s interest in joining the military, but having no clue what to expect, he found himself quite puzzled. His lack of understanding with the army issue inspired her to start the school. The woman wondered how many other potential enlistees in Ukraine were both willing and afraid to join the army. So Olesia decided to set up a school that would make people absolutely love the Armed Forces affairs. The idea was supported by Olesia’s military friends. And within a few days, the results beat expectations, bringing so many people willing to study leaving the business owner unsure about whether it’ll be possible to accept everyone. The “school of gentle military mobilization,” as Olesia calls her initiative, covers several disciplines: the theory and practice of drone control, tactical medicine, and close combat techniques. The school offers online and offline training sessions delivered by the military personnel of various service branches, including intelligence officers, assault troops, and infantry. Olesia explains that “Zesykas 9 ¾” (the diminutive word for Armed Forces of Ukraine service members) is not about joining army ranks, but an opportunity to learn about military jobs and various military occupational specialties, recruits are more interested in qualifying for when enlisting in the military in the future.
For reference: February 24, 2024, Ukraine marks 2 years since Russia commenced its unprovoked criminal full-scale invasion. This attack was the culmination of the initial war of aggression that Russia has been waging against Ukraine for 10 years. This armed conflict was ignited on February 20, 2014. Back then, Russians invaded the territory of Ukrainian Crimea giving no obvious sign of its covert military operation in the now-occupied peninsula. After that, Russia started a war in Ukraine’s east.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On February 10, Lviv will host a charity sports event for lower limb amputees. The event aiming to test patients’ running specific prostheses feet is organized by the Superhumans Prosthetics and Rehabilitation Center. The prosthetic feet functional testing will be run as a comparative evaluation involving not only patients but also specialists from various rehabilitation centers and media representatives. The competitors will play soccer, basketball, and volleyball together having their running prostheses on.
In addition, Superhumans will attract several prosthetists (physical therapists) from other rehabilitation centers to engage in teaching patients using prosthetics how to fit and operate running prostheses.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Since February 24, 2022, the White Angels police team has managed to rescue and bring more than 9,000 people from the frontline areas to safety. Law enforcement crews go to the most remote corners that are out of reach for volunteer missions, evacuating those who are ready to leave for a safe zone, and delivering humanitarian aid to those who won’t flee the areas. White Angels employs 81 policemen, particularly in the Kherson, Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Luhansk regions. The officers are truly selfless when it comes to saving people despite risking their own lives. Getting out civilians from Avdiivka in Donetsk region, a site of fierce fighting, is among the most recent operations of the White Angels.
For reference: the White Angels crew in the Donetsk region is willing to give both online and offline interviews, by prior arrangement with the press service of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Donetsk Oblast.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On February 12, the Ukrainian Military League will hold a press conference featuring the UML representatives talking about scaling up the project of psychological and sports rehabilitation of the service members for 2024.
In particular, it is planned to initiate the start of 100 mental health, physical therapy, and sports rehabilitation services centers for the Armed Forces servicemen throughout the country. It is also expected to leverage sporting events, competitions, and championships to enhance military personnel seeking psychological support participation. In particular, these include military veterans, soldiers wounded in action, and those whose transition to civilian life is underway.
For reference: According to the UML, 1.8 million active duty members and veterans will be looking for mental health assistance after the war ends.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Bucha Lyceum No. 3 roof outfitted with hybrid solar panels, to be officially opened on February 15. A roof converted into a solar powerhouse of 47 solar panels with a total generation capacity of 20 kW will allow the school to operate autonomously from grids for 3 hours in case when power fails as well as deliver benefits valued at about 2100 euros per year, meeting up to 30% of the total electricity needs.
The solar array was installed on the rooftop of educational institutions as part of the “100 Solar Schools” campaign by the Energy Act For Ukraine Foundation.
Event registration is required.
Energy Act for Ukraine Foundation is a Ukrainian charity organization established in 2022 in response to the emerging energy poverty crisis in Ukraine, a consequence of the full-scale Russian invasion. The foundation primarily focuses on providing schools and hospitals with solar solutions.
For reference: the Kyiv suburb of Bucha was under Russian occupation for more than a month. The Bucha Lyceum No. 3 served as the enemy headquarters station. The educational institution was damaged as a result of hostilities. The Russian forces were ousted by AFU from the city on March 31, 2022.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On February 13, the Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform will hold a press conference presenting this year’s program of events and social campaign dedicated to the Day of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes, marked on February 20.
Participants:
– Rostyslav Karandieiev, acting First Deputy Minister of Culture and Information Policy;
– Ihor Hordiichuk, Major General of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Hero of Ukraine, Deputy Head of the National Defense University of Ukraine;
– Volodymyr Tylishchak, Deputy Head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance;
– Ihor Poshyvailo, General Director at the National Memorial Complex of Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred — Museum of the Revolution of Dignity.
The event is held offline. Journalists will be able to ask questions.
For reference: On February 20 this year, Ukraine will commemorate the Day of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes for the tenth time. The Maidan massacre that took place on February 20, 2014, claimed the lives of the largest number of protesters — 48 casualties in the center of Kyiv. They, along with 54 others gunned down and fatally wounded participants of peaceful protests during the winter of 2013-2014 and five Maidan uprising activists who died in the spring of 2014 defending democratic values and the territorial integrity of Ukraine, became known as the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The “Bagira” kids and youth sports school, once a prominent Ukrainian women’s futsal and soccer club, faced glory in pre-war times, clinching championships and accolades in nationwide tournaments while competing in the Ukrainian Futsal Premier League. Now, those who stayed in the team now find themselves grappling with the aftermath of infrastructure destruction, compelling its members to train outdoors amidst the absence of basic amenities such as heating and electricity.
Despite these adversities, with the youngest member being just 13 years old, the youth’s passion for soccer remains unwavering. Oleksandr Reznikov, a seasoned head coach in women’s soccer and futsal in Donetsk Oblast manages the team.
Nevertheless, financial constraints pose a significant obstacle, hindering their ability to partake in competitions as they did before.
For reference: the town of Lyman in Donetsk Oblast, situated perilously close to the front line, endured occupation from late May to early October 2022, leaving 85% of its housing stock either destroyed or damaged. Once home to over 20 thousand residents, the town’s population now stands at approximately 5 thousand inhabitants remaining.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Once a globetrotting business coach who traversed 42 countries, Kostiantyn Malomuzh’s life took a creative turn following a harrowing car accident in 2019. Inspired to delve into the world of children’s comic book scripts, he embarked on his artistic journey.
He brought his idea to fruition following the onset of the full-scale Russian invasion and his voluntary mobilization to the Defense Forces. Kostiantyn, now tasked with ammunition delivery in the South, dedicates his spare moments to comic creation. Teaming up with a fellow artist, they birthed “Superhero in Each of Us,” tailored for youngsters aged 10-12. Shouldering the financial burden, Kostiantyn printed and distributed over 40,000 copies to eager young readers. Additionally, he endeavors on a Ukrainian-language cartoon promoting unity.
For reference: as February 24, 2024, marks the grim two-year anniversary of Russia’s criminal incursion into Ukraine, it stands as the apex of a decade-long war of aggression that began with the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and escalated into war in eastern Ukraine
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ukrzaliznytsia is set to roll out the “Train to You” for the second time on February 14, 16, and 18, aligning with Valentine’s Day and Unity Day celebrations. This year, the romantic trains will not only grace the tracks of Kyiv but will also make their way through Lviv.
Passengers aboard these special journeys will be treated to an enchanting experience in cozy compartments designed for two, serenaded by romantic melodies, all while being pulled by an authentic steam locomotive. To enhance the ambiance, passengers will have the option to indulge in a special menu crafted by renowned Ukrainian chef Yevhen Klopotenko.
Half of the seats have been reserved free of charge for wounded soldiers undergoing rehabilitation, providing them an opportunity to share precious moments with their loved ones.
Adding to the charm, defenders of Ukraine will receive an additional poetic surprise courtesy of writer Serhiy Zhadan.
With a travel time of just over 2 hours, these journeys promise to be a delightful escape for passengers bound for Kyiv and Lviv.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Spearheaded by the Yanina Sokolova Foundation, volunteers are rallying individuals to contribute blood, emphasizing its critical role in supporting the military amidst ongoing war. With donation serving as a vital lifeline for Ukrainian defenders, the foundation aims to dispel misconceptions surrounding blood donation.
Since 2019, the Yanina Sokolova Foundation has been reshaping public perceptions of blood donation through its Red Brunch events. Since its inception, 1,993 donors have contributed, resulting in 5,979 lives saved.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oleksandr Darmoros’ life took a drastic turn in March 2016. Serving as an intelligence officer in the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) zone, during a combat mission, Darmoros hit an anti-personnel mine, leaving his entire body severely injured. Evacuated by his fellow soldiers in time, however, the blast took his eyesight and leg. Darmoros underwent numerous surgeries and years of rehabilitation, both in Ukraine and abroad. Despite the challenges, he persevered, learning to navigate life with prosthetics and take care of himself while living in darkness. In the US, Darmoros received running prosthetics and even participated in the Marine Corps Marathon. Alongside his physical recovery, he embarked on a new career path as a military psychologist. Now based in the Khmelnytskyi region, he provides crucial support to soldiers in need. Looking ahead, Darmoros aims to relaunch his YouTube channel, intending to share his experience and insights with a broader audience.
For reference: as February 24, 2024, marks the grim two-year anniversary of Russia’s criminal incursion into Ukraine. It stands as the apex of a decade-long war of aggression, which actually dates back to February 20, 2014, beginning with the annexation of Crimea. Russian forces invaded Ukrainian Crimea without any identifying markings and, after that, seized control of the peninsula back then. Subsequently, these events escalated into war in eastern Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A new hub for the military freed from captivity has been inaugurated in Kyiv. The brainchild of Mariupol’s defenders, the “YOUkraine hub” serves as a haven for safe communication, mutual assistance, and rehabilitation, made possible by the YOUkraine charitable foundation.
Operating under the ethos of “our own for our own,” the hub recognizes the unique challenges faced by former prisoners of war upon their return. From physical rehabilitation to social reintegration amidst wartime conditions, along with legal and domestic matters, the hub aims to provide comprehensive support to these returning defenders.
Key services offered include legal and psychological aid, as well as social support tailored to the needs of the soldiers.
Valeriia “Nava” Subotina, an Azovstal defender, journalist, and poet has been appointed as the director of the YOUkraine hub.
For reference: A recent prisoner exchange on February 8th, brought back to Ukraine 100 defenders being kept in Russian custody. Among those exchanged the majority were defenders of Azovstal. Since the full-scale invasion outbreak, a total of 3,135 Ukrainian defenders have been liberated from Russian captivity.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oleksandr Budko enlisted in the military at the outset of the full-blown war. After enduring the loss of both his legs during a combat mission, the soldier, Oleksandr, persevered and didn’t let the injury stop him from embracing civilian life. He mastered prosthetics, penned an autobiography, took up stand-up comedy, and recently became a central figure in a documentary highlighting the resilience of dancers who fled Ukraine post-Russian invasion to establish the United Ukrainian Ballet. Actress Sarah Jessica Parker is set to produce the film. Now, on February 13, Oleksandr Budko presented the inaugural episode of “Leg Flew or All Inclusive,” an inclusive travel show he spearheaded. In this series, he traverses Ukraine alongside companions from the media realm, exploring cities for accessibility. Show participants, including the host and guests, maneuver wheelchairs as they visit renowned tourist spots, landmarks, and museums. Even as an entertaining show, yet it also sheds light on the challenges regarding the accessibility of public places.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
During his younger years, Dmytro Martynenko delved into entrepreneurship, leasing a cafe, and running his own business. However, in 2014, following his stint in the army, he initially deployed in the infantry and later transitioned to artillery duties. By 2015, Martynenko resumed civilian life, channeling his dedication into the “Kyiv City Union of ATO Veterans of Podil District,” eventually rising to its leadership.
As the full-scale invasion by Russia commenced, he once more answered the call to defend his homeland. He valiantly defended the Kyiv region before engaging in battles in the Zaporizhia and Kherson sectors.
In 2022, Dmytro and an NGO team established a coffee shop in Kyiv named “A Quiet Place.” Their brainchild initially a single coffee shop in Kyiv, has since burgeoned into a chain with three locations in the capital and plans for a fourth in the Kyiv region. Martynenko’s mission is clear: to provide places of serenity where customers can find solace amidst the chaos of everyday life.
But this venture isn’t just about coffee. Profits from the cafes are funneled into supporting the Kyiv City Union of ATO Veterans of Podil District, aiding both military personnel and civilians. Moreover, Martynenko and his team have implemented a unique system of QR codes in the cafes, which volunteers and defenders can utilize to access complimentary items or services, ranging from camouflage nets and trench candles to English lessons.
Journalists have the opportunity to interview Dmytro, who is presently located in the capital.
For reference: as February 24, 2024, marks the grim two-year anniversary of Russia’s criminal incursion into Ukraine. It stands as the apex of a decade-long war of aggression, which actually dates back to February 20, 2014, beginning with the annexation of Crimea. Russian forces invaded Ukrainian Crimea without any identifying markings and, after that, seized control of the peninsula back then. Subsequently, these events escalated into war in eastern Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oleksii Yukov leads the search squad for the “Platsdarm” Association of Military and Historical Heritage Researchers. Since 2014, Yukov and his team have been dedicated to locating and recovering the remains of fallen Ukrainians, whether they be military personnel or civilians. Yukov’s commitment to this mission is unwavering, as evidenced by his near-death encounter with occupiers in 2014 while carrying out his duties.
Operating amidst gunfire and facing the danger of the enemy frequently booby-traping the corpses of fallen, Yukov and his team encounter grim scenes, often discovering bodies that have been subjected to torture or mangled by passing vehicles and enemy tanks.
Notably, the team undertook a search for bodies underneath rubble at the Kramatorsk tragedy site, where a Russian Tochka-U missile struck the city’s railway station on April 8, 2022. This devastating attack claimed the lives of 61 individuals and left 121 others injured.
Currently, the search team remains active in the eastern region of the country.
For reference: As February 24, 2024, marks the grim two-year anniversary of Russia’s criminal incursion into Ukraine. It stands as the apex of a decade-long war of aggression, which actually dates back to February 20, 2014, beginning with the annexation of Crimea. Russian forces invaded Ukrainian Crimea without any identifying markings and, after that, seized control of the peninsula back then. Subsequently, these events escalated into war in eastern Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Svitlana Oleksandrenko, a senior inspector on duty at Police Station No. 1 in Korop village within the Novhorod-Siverskyi district police department in Chernihiv region, has taken on the responsibility of caring for five orphaned children amidst the ongoing conflict. Balancing her duty in daily patrols with the care of her own seven children, Oleksandrenko and her husband Serhii became foster parents to three orphans—two brothers and a sister—a year before the outbreak of full-scale war.
As the Ukrainian Defense Forces pushed back the Russian invasion from the northern regions of the country, two more girls, Katrusia and Sofiika from the Liubech community bordering Belarus, were welcomed into the Oleksandrenko family. Tragically, these girls lost their mother, who had been raising them alone, in June 2022. Upon learning of their situation from social workers, Svitlana and Serhiy wasted no time in extending their care to the sisters.
For reference: Ukraine’s troops retook the Kyiv and Chernihiv regions from Russian occupation on April 2, 2022, though the Russians had previously held approximately two-thirds of the Chernihiv region.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In a significant initiative, philanthropists have established drinking water points in twelve schools across Mykolaiv. This endeavor, spearheaded by the savED charitable foundation in collaboration with Plan International, received crucial funding from The Grundfos Foundation (Poul Due Jensen Foundation) from Denmark and the Radiohjälpen Swedish Broadcasting Foundation.
These wells, equipped with reverse osmosis systems, ensure the safety and suitability of the water for consumption. Beyond serving the schoolchildren, nearby residents also benefit from this initiative as modern pump rooms featuring four taps have been installed outside the schools, offering free access to water. For added convenience, the pump rooms are equipped with separate lighting for nighttime use, and special heaters are in place to withstand sub-zero temperatures, ensuring continued functionality during cold weather.
Inside the schools, children and staff will have access to coolers for their convenience. This initiative comes as a crucial response to the water crisis in Mykolaiv, which stemmed from a Russian attack on the Dnipro-Mykolaiv water supply system in the Kherson region on April 12, 2022. As of January 2024, Mykolaiv’s water supply system remains in a technical state.
SavED, an international charitable foundation focused on restoring access to education in communities affected by the war Russia unleashed in Ukraine, was established in the summer of 2022 by Anna Novosad, former Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine (2019-2020), in collaboration with the GoGlobal Education Foundation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Teaming up with partners, the Maidan Museum has put together a series of events to honor the Day of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes.
On February 18, Kyiv will host a solemn gathering at Mariinsky Park to remember those who lost their lives on February 18, 2014. Additionally, a poignant Memory Walk will traverse the Kyiv city center, paying tribute to the Heavenly Hundred with the laying of flowers and lighting of candles.
February 20 will see the Ecumenical Church of the Archangel Michael and the Ukrainian New Martyrs in the capital hosting a ceremony to commemorate the Heavenly Hundred Heroes and participants of the Revolution of Dignity. Concurrently, the annual silent tribute “Angels of Memory” will unfold nearby, honoring those who fell during the Revolution of Dignity.
February 22 will feature a themed evening titled “Plyve Kacha (A Duckling Swims): A Song that Became a Requiem” at the Maidan Museum’s Information and Exhibition Center.
Furthermore, the Maidan Museum will organize exhibitions, documentary screenings, and guided tours throughout the week in Kyiv.
Journalists seeking further information about the events in Kyiv and insights from representatives of the Maidan Museum can access the full schedule of events.
For reference: On February 20, 2014, the Revolution of Dignity saw its highest toll with 48 participants losing their lives in the heart of the Ukrainian capital. These individuals, along with 54 others killed or fatally wounded during the peaceful protests of the winter of 2013-2014, and five Maidan activists who perished in the spring of 2014 defending democratic values and Ukraine’s territorial integrity, collectively became known as the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
When Mykola Iliichuk found himself face to face with the harsh reality of a full-scale enemy invasion during his fifth year at Bukovinian State Medical University, he didn’t hesitate to answer the call to arms. Offered a chance to join the Donbas battalion, he dove headfirst into the fray, defending Ukraine’s eastern frontier. Despite being thrust into the role of a mortar operator, Mykola remained true to his roots in medicine. Armed with essential supplies, he stood ready to provide critical first aid to his fellow soldiers at a moment’s notice.
Today, Mykola serves as a combat medic within the prominent Ukrainian army unit Da Vinci Wolves Battalion, all while continuing his studies remotely. Despite the challenges of war, he remains determined to expand his medical expertise. While primarily focused on intensive care skills on the frontline, his ultimate aspiration is to perform surgery. Whenever possible, he eagerly assists in operating rooms, where he works tirelessly to save the lives of his comrades.
For reference: Mykola Iliichuk is currently stationed in Lviv and welcomes interviews with journalists, both in-person and online, with prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Viacheslav Levytskyi, a 40-year-old native of the Odesa region, led a quiet life as a delivery driver before he joined the country’s defense at the outbreak of a full-blown war.
In the Donetsk region near Avdiivka, Levytskyi sustained severe injuries as bullets tore through his legs and torso. Despite his wounds, he spent seven days navigating the treacherous gray zone. But his ordeal was far from over. Captured by Russian forces and their collaborators, Levytskyi endured three days without any medical assistance in the occupied areas of Donetsk. From there, he was whisked away by Chechen captors to Grozny, where the extent of his injuries became tragically apparent. Gangrene had ravaged his legs, while his hands bore the cruel scars of frostbite, necessitating their amputation.
For three and a half months, Levytskyi languished in captivity, his whereabouts unknown to his worried mother. But against all odds, he was eventually exchanged. He is now at the Superhumans center in Lviv, Levytskyi is undergoing intensive rehabilitation. With prosthetic legs affixed, he’s learning to walk anew, while preparations are underway for prosthetic arms.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Center for Civil Liberties cordially welcomes everybody to join an event in Kyiv on February 20, commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The action will feature a gripping theatrical performance infused with elements of grotesque storytelling. Actors will vividly portray the atrocities of most heinous international crimes perpetrated by Russia, past and present.
Following the performance, a press conference will be held with Oleksandra Matviichuk, the head of the Center for Civil Liberties.
This event serves as a cornerstone of a global campaign spanning from February 20 to 24, with similar events taking place in cities worldwide.
Event accreditation is required.
For reference: Oleksandra Matviichuk is a distinguished Ukrainian human rights activist, head of the Center for Civil Liberties, and 2022 Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
For reference: As February 24, 2024, marks the grim two-year anniversary of Russia’s criminal incursion into Ukraine. It stands as the apex of a decade-long war of aggression, which actually dates back to February 20, 2014, beginning with the annexation of Crimea. Russian forces invaded Ukrainian Crimea without any identifying markings and, after that, seized control of the peninsula back then. Subsequently, these events escalated into war in eastern Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Starting from February 19 to May 19, 2024, the Letters to a Free Crimea initiative will kick off in Ukraine and abroad, rallying Ukrainians and global citizens to pen letters of solidarity to Crimean political prisoners unlawfully held by Russia.
On February 19, the campaign will be officially unveiled at a press conference hosted at the Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform.
The Letters to a Free Crimea initiative aims to be a reminder of the plight of Ukrainian prisoners in Kremlin custody and to provide them with much-needed words of encouragement during their confinement. Additionally, these letters serve as a poignant message to prison authorities that each Ukrainian citizen is valued, and society is closely monitoring their treatment.
During the event, organizers will delve into the initiative’s specifics, detailing how both Ukrainians and individuals from abroad can actively participate. They will also reveal the staggering number of Crimean hostages detained by Russia, outlining their present circumstances and emphasizing the critical assistance they desperately need.
Speakers:
- Larysa Denysenko, Ukrainian writer, lawyer, human rights activist, ambassador of political prisoner Remzi Bekirov, member of the Executive Board of PEN Ukraine;
- Anna Sytnikova, Chief Consultant of Crimean Platform Support Service at the Mission of the President of Ukraine in the AR of Crimea;
- Viktoria Nesterenko, Project Manager at ZMINA Human Rights Center.
For reference: As February 24, 2024, marks the grim two-year anniversary of Russia’s criminal incursion into Ukraine. It stands as the apex of a decade-long war of aggression, which actually dates back to February 20, 2014, beginning with the annexation of Crimea. Russian forces invaded Ukrainian Crimea without any identifying markings and, after that, seized control of the peninsula back then. Subsequently, these events escalated into war in eastern Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In 2014, Pavlo Dolynskyi became one of the active participants of the Revolution of Dignity, and when the russians annexed Crimea, he joined the Ukrainian Volunteer Corps “Right Sector.” Pavlo took part in the battles near Krasnohorivka, Avdiivka, Savur-Mohyla and Pisky. Later he defended the Donetsk airport, where Pavlo, together with his brothers in arms, was ambushed by the enemy. The fighter left the vicinity of the airport by himself. At the time Pavlo received 12 wounds – four gunshot and 8 shrapnel injuries, in addition, the soldier had a concussion.
After returning to civilian life, Pavlo decided to start his own business and build a comfort-class residential complex in the capital. Pavlo worked on the plan for two years, looked for funds, made sketches, and in 2019, his team finally laid the foundation and began construction.
After russia started the full-scale war in Ukraine, Pavlo joined the territorial defense forces in Kyiv region, and now he is fighting in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Despite actively participating in hostilities, the man decided to continue construction and applied for a grant from the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation. Pavlo’s application won the contest, the military man received funding and directed the funds to finish the residential complex. The target audience of the project is veterans, their family members and forced refugees who need housing in Kyiv.
For reference: Pavlo Dolynskyi is on the front lines. The serviceman is ready to communicate with journalists, both online and offline, by prior arrangement.
February 24, 2024 marks 2 years since the beginning of russia’s illegal full-scale invasion. This attack became the culmination of the war of aggression, which the russian federation has been waging against Ukraine for 10 years. This war began on February 20, 2014, when the russians invaded the territory of the Ukrainian Crimea without identification marks and occupied the peninsula. After that, russia started a war in the east of Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the start of the full-scale invasion, Yevhenii Omelchuk was studying to be a long-distance sailor and practiced CrossFit. He was going to become a master of sports in the future. However, when the big war began, Yevhenii immediately went to the Military Recruitment Office. At first, they did not want to mobilize him, but the man insisted and got into the 1st separate tank brigade. In the summer of 2022, the fighter received a mine blast injury, but immediately after treatment he returned to the front line. Later, Yevhenii had several more concussions and shrapnel wounds. In the end, after undergoing another military medical examination, the man received a disability status.
Civilian life was not easy for the veteran, but thanks to doing sports in the rehabilitation center, he felt relief. At first, the man played tennis, then he took part in competitions in two disciplines – incline bench press and riding an aero bike. Victories in competitions gave Yevhenii confidence and improved his well-being, so when the veteran learned about the selection of participants for the United States Air Force Trials 2024, he decided to try his hand at it. Currently, Yevhenii is one of 30 soldiers and veterans who have formed the National Team. Yevhenii will compete in shot put and archery. The veteran is preparing for the U.S. competition in Kyiv region together with two coaches.
For reference: the United States Air Force Trials is a Paralympic-style competitive event for wounded servicemen of the U.S. Air Force and Marine Corps, which will be held in March 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Bakhmut resident Kateryna Arisoi is Head of Pluriton NGO: since the beginning of the full-scale war, the organization’s volunteers provided assistance in hot spots near the front. In particular, they were involved in the evacuation of people and animals.
While doing their work, part of the team was captured by the enemy in Lysychansk, Luhansk region. It was possible to return the volunteers home only after seven months. Kateryna met with the freed team members in Sumy oblast — at the only checkpoint on the border with russia. That’s when she saw that people after crossing the border have nowhere to rest or get help. A week later, the woman, together with other activists of the organization, returned to Sumy oblast with the necessary things and created an Assistance Center that could receive up to 20 people a day (March 2023). In addition, the NGO paid for a carrier who took refugees to Sumy or Kharkiv free of charge. The number of people grew, so the Center was repeatedly relocated to larger buildings. And recently, due to russian shelling near the border, the center was moved to Sumy.
In total, since the beginning of its work, the Atmosphere Assistance Center has received almost 19,000 people. Here the displaced people can eat and take a shower. There is a “mother and child” room. The center also helps people with limited mobility. In addition, all visitors can receive free psychological and legal assistance. People continue receiving support even after leaving the Center.
Journalists need to obtain a permit from the Sumy operational-tactical group in order to cover the activity of the Center.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On February 21, Civil Network OPORA will hold a reflective discussion entitled “russians’ cultural policy in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine” in Kyiv. Everyone is invited to discuss the consequences of the deliberate policies aimed at destruction of Ukrainian culture and the forced imposition of russian culture.
During the event, Civil Network OPORA will present a report, which is the first to attempt the best possible assessment of the cultural policy of the occupation authorities in the territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions occupied since 2014. The report also describes the “Crimean scenario” of cultural occupation, which is currently being implemented in the occupied parts of Kherson and Zaporizhia regions.
Participants of the discussion:
- Anasatasia Romaniuk, digital platforms analyst at Civil Network OPORA;
- Olga Snopok, digital platforms analyst at Civil Network OPORA;
- Mariam Naiem, cultural studies expert and postcolonialism researcher (online);
- Anton Liagusha, Candidate of Historical Sciences, Dean of the Graduate Department of Social Sciences and Humanities of the Kyiv School of Economics;
- Oksana Sarzhevska-Kravchenko, Director at IZOLYATSIA Platform for Cultural Initiatives.
The event requires accreditation.
For reference: the russian federation pursues a deliberate policy of changing the identity of Ukrainians in the occupied territories. In parallel with the active hostilities, the russians have been destroying Ukrainian culture under occupation since 2014.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In Mezhyhirya, Kyiv region, Anteus canine center has been training guide dogs as well as preparing dogs to work in combat zones for more than 10 years. Until 2014, the center had been an elite kennel club located on the grounds of the mansion belonging to fugitive president Viktor Yanukovych.
After the Revolution of Dignity, the Ukrainian military began to turn to the center’s canine experts, as the servicemen needed dogs who could work at the front. In particular, to help clear mines, as well as participate in search and rescue operations. Such requests kept on coming during the full-scale invasion as well. In addition to training four-legged friends to work in combat zones, specialists train guide dogs to care for civilians and soldiers who have lost their sight. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the canine center has raised 5 guide dogs, all of whom received the necessary certification abroad and went on to take care of their owners.
“Let’s See the Victory” charity foundation, which was founded by the veteran of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Vladyslav Yeshchenko, pledged to support the canine center to enable training of more guide dogs. Employees of the center say that it is not easy to maintain such an organization, in particular, without state funding. After all, it takes more than UAH 200,000 to raise and train one dog that can work with the wounded.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
14-year-old Matvii Hlazunov fled the war twice. When russia first attacked Ukraine in 2014 his family had to flee from Avdiivka, Donetsk region to Izium, Kharkiv region. And with the start of the full-scale invasion his family moved again, this time to Odesa.
The boy reflects on his experiences in his animated films. He makes each character and designs each stage himself. Then he captures all the movements on camera and edits the animated footage. In 2021, his film “Melissa” won the Grand Prix at the Children Kinofest International Festival. The following year, Matvii won the festival’s “Best animated film” prize for his film “Black February.” The teenager already has an idea for his next movie and is preparing to start writing the script soon. In the future, the teenager dreams of becoming a director.
For reference: Ukrainian troops withdrew from Avdiivka on February 17, 2024. The defense of the city lasted for 10 years. Now it is completely destroyed as a result of russian shelling.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On February 21, an interactive presentation of the photo project entitled “Stronger than the Elements” will take place in Kyiv. The event will include a presentation of an art calendar featuring servicewomen (including those released from captivity), veterans, doctors, volunteers and more.
Twelve Ukrainian women who took part in “Stronger than the Elements” photo project are depicted as various natural phenomena. In addition to the four main elements — water, fire, earth, and air — the women personify lava, downpour, avalanche, thunder, lightning, wind, and other formidable natural phenomena.
For example, some of the participants of the photo project include: “Lava” — Valeria “Nava” Subotina, defender of Mariupol, writer; “Lightning” — Dzvenyslava Sira, medical curator of the “Azov” Patronage Service, soldier of the 12th Special Forces Brigade “Azov” of the National Guard of Ukraine; “Hurricane” — Natalia Nahorna, military correspondent of TSN, 1+1 TV channel and others.
The initiative to bring these women together for a joint project belongs to Anna Murashenko, Founder of the YOUkraine Charitable Foundation.
The women who took part in the photo project, volunteers, soldiers and representatives of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War will take part in the event.
Funds from the sale of the charity calendar will be spent to purchase drones for the 72nd Mechanized Brigade named after the Black Zaporozhians.
The event requires accreditation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On February 21, Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform will host a presentation of the analytical report entitled: “Rescue mission: what is happening in russian captivity and how to prevent captured Ukrainian soldiers from dying.”
During the presentation, the Media Initiative for Human Rights will present the analytical report on the testimonies of prisoners released in prisoner exchanges, who claim that Ukrainian soldiers died in russian captivity as a result of beatings or torture. They also claim that some prisoners committed suicides due to psychological, sexual or other types of violence in captivity. In response to the MIHR’s inquiry about the number of Ukrainians who died in russian captivity from February 24, 2022 to November 16, 2023, the Ministry of Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine stated 49 people.
Participants:
– Tetiana Katrychenko, Executive Director of the Media Initiative for Human Rights (MIHR);
– Maria Klymyk, MIHR journalist;
– Anastasiia Hondiul, wife of an Azov regiment soldier who was heavily injured in the Olenivka barrack, Olenivka Families Community NGO;
– Bohdan Slobodian, witness to a Ukrainian serviceman’s death in russian captivity;
– Andrii Yakovlev, lawyer, MIHR international law expert;
The event requires registration.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Antonina Demydenko lived with her son in Vuhledar, Donetsk region. (Her son was disabled, so Antonina took care of him).
On May 13, 2022, the enemy shell hit her apartment resulting in Antonina’s son’s death. The woman lost a leg and an arm.
Antonina is currently undergoing rehabilitation in the ergonomic therapeutic kitchen in the Superhumans Center in Lviv. She makes cookies and buns with one hand, then she treats the team with them.
Superhumans plans to publish a book of Antonina’s recipes in the near future (the initiative is implemented in cooperation with famous chef Olga Martynovska). Royalties from sales of this book will go to Antonina.
Meanwhile, the woman dreams of returning to Vuhledar to rebury her son, whose body was buried near the entrance to their building.
For reference: Vuhledar is a small mining town in Donetsk region that had about 15,000 residents before russia’s full-scale invasion. For a year and a half, the russian army continuously tried to capture the city. There is not a single building left standing in Vuhledar anymore.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The founder of Repower charitable foundation, Maryna Sadykova, was an event organizer before the full-scale invasion. After February 24, 2022, her team began to help the military. Due to active volunteer work, the woman began to feel psychological exhaustion and constant anxiety. So, she went to the Carpathians to recover. This experience prompted Maryna to start a program of psychological support: at first, she wanted to help military volunteers like her, but the financial resources of the foundation were limited. That’s why the team decided to focus on medics who save the lives of soldiers at the front, and the Repower project was founded in Kyiv to restore the mental health of Ukrainian combat medics. Maryna’s team created a sustainable program of psychological support – a 10-day retreat in Sweden. Together with medics, Ukrainian psychologists go abroad as well. The 10-day program consists of psychological exercises, individual sessions, group meetings, art therapy, music therapy, etc. As of now, the charitable foundation has managed to organize 3 trips for 300 participants.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Lana Teslenko lived in Kharkiv for over 20 years. There, the woman founded her own decoration agency and a recycled clothing brand. When the full-scale invasion began, Lana and her husband were in the city. At first, they spent the night in the subway, then a few days at a country house on the outskirts of Kharkiv, and finally they left to live with their parents in Khmelnytskyi. In the new place, the couple decided to reach a new level of recycling and build a house from materials found in a landfill. Windows, doors, the frame of the house – Lana found all this in the garbage. Only 20 percent of the building will be made of new materials, in particular, insulation for the roof and the roof itself.
The woman explains that one of the goals of such a construction method is to show people that not everything that ends up in a landfill is waste. Lana’s husband is an architect, so he is making the house plan himself. The home of the couple will be round and shaped like an egg, which for Lana is a symbol of a new life.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The peaceful rallies are scheduled to coincide with the second anniversary of the all-out Russian invasion and the tenth anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine war. Organizers anticipate gatherings in at least 10 Ukrainian cities.
On February 23, rallies are expected in Khmelnytskyi.
February 24 will see events in Kyiv, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Pavlohrad, Vinnytsia, Cherkasy, and Krolevets (Sumy region).
On February 25, demonstrations are planned in Dnipro, Ternopil, and Ovruch (Zhytomyr region).
These events are coordinated by families of prisoners of war from the Mariupol garrison.
For reference: According to the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, over 8,000 Ukrainians, both civilians and military personnel, are believed to remain in Russian custody.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Israel Trauma Coalition bolsters the resilience of those who uphold Ukraine’s strength and fortitude.
The ITC strengthens the resilience of Ukrainian forces by equipping those professionals who hold the line of contact – including doctors, rescuers, police, and military personnel, with essential skills taught in free training.
Recent sessions have included specialized training for emergency medical doctors, who have been actively serving in the ongoing conflict for nearly two years. Given the demanding nature of their work, it’s critical for them to understand psychological self-care techniques and provide initial assistance to their colleagues and patients.
Over 10,000 specialists have already benefited from ITC’s training programs. Since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the organization has established resilience centers in key cities such as Kyiv, Odesa, Ternopil, Khmelnytskyi, and Kharkiv.
Journalists can arrange to cover these training sessions in advance.
For context: The Israel Trauma Coalition (ITC), established in 2002, is a non-profit organization that brings together top experts in stress resilience and trauma management.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In 2014, the ensemble of the Luhansk Regional Philharmonic confronted the initial onslaught of Russian aggression. As Luhansk, a city in eastern Ukraine where the musicians resided and operated, fell under Russian occupation, they were forced to abandon their belongings and relocate to Sievierodonetsk, situated in the government-controlled sector of the Luhansk region. Compounded by the director’s collaboration with the occupiers, they left behind not only musical instruments but also a crucial accumulation of musical notations and documents. Nevertheless, the Philharmonic persisted in its endeavors at the new locale, embarking on extensive tours across Ukraine and abroad.
Fast forward to February 2022, the specter of evacuation loomed once more as the Russian military encroached upon Sievierodonetsk. This time, the musicians sought refuge in Lviv, where they commenced a series of charitable performances in solidarity with the Armed Forces, subsequently resuming their musical engagements. Presently, the 50-member ensemble delivers 6-7 concerts per month, anticipating future tours. Yet, their ultimate aspiration remains to stage a performance in the liberated confines of Ukrainian Luhansk.
For reference: Following months of clashes, Russian forces seized Sievierodonetsk in June 2022. The city, ravaged by Russian shelling, sustained extensive damage, compelling the majority of its inhabitants to flee.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
With backing from the Ukrainian President and spearheaded by the Ukrainian State Film Agency, the Ukrainian National Film Festival “Cinema for Victory”, showcasing films created during the Russia-Ukraine war, commemorates the tenth anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the second anniversary of full-blown warfare.
The primary objective of the 2024 Cinema for Victory Film Festival is to promote documentary works created during the Russia-Ukraine war. This year’s lineup will spotlight films exposing Russian war crimes and presenting firsthand accounts of Ukrainian experiences.
Positioned as a platform for informational resistance countering Russian aggression and facilitating the development of wartime content, the Cinema for Victory Film Festival aims to foster collaboration and knowledge-sharing within the film community.
Attendance requires pre-accreditation.
Further information to be disclosed post-accreditation for security purposes.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On the morning of February 24, just as two years ago, the Irpin city council will hold a session. Just as then, the session will be short. The only issue on the agenda is the allocation of additional aid for the military.
A moment of silence will be observed in the city. Later, everyone will gather on the “Road of Life” – Romanivka Bridge to express gratitude to those who helped save thousands of citizens, defended the hero city of Irpin, and to commemorate those who gave their lives for Ukraine.
Journalists can find out more about the start time of the events.
For reference: in February-March 2022, the city of Irpin, Kyiv region, became a battlefield in the russian offensive on Kyiv. One third of Irpin was occupied, and it was here that the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Territorial Defense Forces managed to stop the russians.
In the first days of the full-scale invasion, the civilians of Irpin were being evacuated through the Romanivka bridge. Then the russian army attacked the bridge, which made evacuation even more difficult. The Romanivka bridge was restored in November 2023, and opened for all types of transport.
The reconstruction of Irpin is still ongoing.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Recruitment centers are waiting for everyone who wants to join the army, in particular, the Da Vinci Wolves Battalion. In the centers, potential recruits can talk to active servicemen, find out more about the service, take a career orientation test and choose the desired position. There are positions both in the rear and in assault groups. The battalion needs clerks, lawyers, drivers, infantry and gunners. Recruitment centers explain that they do not accept everyone: volunteers must first go through a thorough selection process. They also note that the most important thing for potential military personnel is the desire and motivation to defend the Motherland.
For reference: Da Vinci Wolves is a military formation created by the Hero of Ukraine Dmytro “Da Vinci” Kotsiubailo in 2014. With the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the Da Vinci Wolves company grew into a battalion, which in the fall of 2022 became a part of Ukrainian Armed Forces’ 67th separate mechanized brigade. Since 2022, Da Vinci Wolves has participated in the Kharkiv counteroffensive, battles for Bakhmut, Severodonetsk, and Lysychansk. On March 7, 2023, Dmytro Kotsiubailo was fatally wounded near the city of Bakhmut. On March 10, thousands of Ukrainians came to say goodbye to him in Kyiv. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the then commander-in-chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi, and Head of Intelligence Kyrylo Budanov also came to pay their respects.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
When the Revolution of Dignity began, Leonid Fedevich became an active participant. And after the escape of the traitorous president Viktor Yanukovych and the beginning of the russian aggression in Crimea and the East of Ukraine, the Fedevich couple turned their own small clothing store into a volunteer warehouse: they brought in all the necessary supplies for the army and later handed them over to the soldiers at the front lines. In the summer of 2014, Leonid joined the volunteer battalion named after General Serhii Kulchytskyi. He took part in the battles near Horlivka (Donetsk region) and Stanytsia Luhanska (Luhansk region).
He returned to his usual life after two years of service and worked as a lawyer. However, the war changed the man’s worldview and a civilian profession was not easy for him. In 2020, Leonid’s younger son offered him to try his hand at blacksmithing. Together with his two sons, the man started their own business, working only with an angle grinder and a welding machine in the garage. They did not have time to scale their business, as in February 2022, Leonid once again joined the army. At 7 AM on February 24, the man was already at the Military Recruitment Office, and a few days later he went to the frontlines.
In September 2022, Leonid was discharged from service due to injuries and the veteran returned to blacksmithing. With the support of the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation, the man bought new equipment for the workshop in Lviv. In addition to custom-made forged products, Leonid manufactures potbelly stoves for the Armed Forces. Last year, the veteran sent 60 stoves to the Ukrainian military, more than 30 of them this year. Together with his sons, Leonid also makes monuments and crosses, and now the family is working on the Alley of Memory in Drohobych.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
“Generation U” NGO in partnership with the Kharkiv Puppet Theater named after V. Afanasieva and Bray Area Partnership (Ireland) started a large-scale project titled “My Doll Stories” for children and teenagers whose families were forced to escape the war zone.
In Kyiv, Kharkiv and Bray (Ireland), the project team conducts classes in puppetry and music therapy. Through these practices, organizers aim to help children, particularly teenagers, to overcome trauma and stress caused by a change in environment. And later, the organizers want to use the achievements of their project to create a full-fledged puppet therapy course that can be scaled and developed further.
The project is initiated by Kristina Liulchenko, Creative Director at Generation U NGO, and Olha Pinaieva, teacher of puppet therapy, Founder of the “Bag of Dolls” project.
The project will work until March 24.
For reference: Generation U is an NGO established by a group of cultural representatives to solve various pressing social issues. The NGO’s activities include setting up an art residency, running social projects and holding master classes.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In Ozera village, Hostomel community, Gurtum Charity Foundation created a unique “space shelter.” Children from the local kindergarten and two neighboring schools can hide there during rocket alerts. In general, the bomb shelter can accommodate 160 people. What makes it special is that its walls are painted in a space theme.
The benefactors involved a professional artist in the creative process, and the work lasted almost 2 weeks. Paintings cover about 70 square meters of walls. In addition, a special paint that is safe for babies was used for the paintings.
Today, some of the things you can see on the walls of the shelter include planets, an astronaut and even a raccoon in a spaceship. There are also RGB lights in the shelter to enhance the feeling of immersion into space.
The Ukrainian diaspora in Japan (NPO “Krayany”) helped to create the shelter.
As reported, Gurtum Charity Foundation earlier built a shelter in the form of a Hobbit house for schoolchildren in Hostomel. The photos are available here.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Maryna and Mykola are both military, they met in 2019 in the army. The woman had two daughters from a previous marriage — Olena and Oleksandra. Mykola also has a daughter named Milana. At first, the family lived in Mariupol, Donetsk region (now the city is occupied), then they moved to Berdiansk, Zaporizhia region (now the city is occupied).
The couple served in the Azov brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine. In 2020, Mykola resigned from the Azov and joined the marines. Maryna’s contract ended in November 2021, but she did not want to leave her brothers in arms.
When the full-scale invasion began, Maryna, along with other Azov defenders of Mariupol ended up at the Azovstal plant (i.e. Iron and Steel Works where fierce battles with the enemy took place in the spring of 2022). Mykola wanted to switch with Marina and go to Azovstal instead of her. The woman persuaded him not to do this, because at the checkpoint the russians shot three guys who were on the way to meet their girlfriends, and many others who broke through to the plant went missing. Even then Maryna understood that she and other military personnel were unlikely to get out of the Azovstal alive. And she asked her husband to take care of her daughters. On May 8, 2022, the woman died in a fire at the Azovstal.
Now Mykola is fighting for the right to adopt his deceased wife’s daughters and give them a happy future. He is purchasing a three-room apartment for the girls in Kyiv region so they could live together as a family.
With the help of the Children of Heroes Fund, Maryna’s daughters received gifts and visited a rehabilitation camp, which helped them to distract themselves from terrible memories and disturbing thoughts.
For reference: the defense of Mariupol lasted 86 days. Following the order of the command, the Ukrainian defenders stopped putting up the defense, left Azovstal and surrendered to the enemy. On May 20, 2022, Mariupol was occupied by russia.
The Children of Heroes Charity Fund supports children who have lost one or both parents due to russia’s full-scale invasion. The fund offers financial aid as well as psychological and legal support. The organization helps these children with education and development until they reach adulthood.
As of the beginning of February, 7,889 wards are under the care of the Fund. Of them, 1,062 are IDPs, 151 children have lost their mother and father, 177 are children with disabilities, 970 are children from large families. Every week about 80 children are included into the list of the recipients of the fund’s help. Among the fund’s children, 88% are kids of military personnel, while the remaining 12% are civilians.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Vladyslav Molodykh is a serviceman of the 71st Jaeger Brigade. The occupiers stormed the dugout, where Vladyslav and his brother in arms had been staying for 3 days. During the assault, Vladyslav Molodykh eliminated at least 6 russian invaders. Then the russians blocked the exit from the dugout with the Ukrainians. Also, the debris from a nearby house collapsed into their dugout.
The soldiers, who found themselves under the rubble, ate dry rations until they ran out. The fighters had to survive at sub-zero temperatures without food and water. They melted the snow to quench their thirst at least a little.
Later, the Ukrainians managed to make a small hole in the pile of the debris, through which Vladyslav’s brother in arms climbed out. Other defenders found him with the help of a drone. Vladyslav remained in the dugout for another two weeks. In total, he stayed underground for 41 days. In the end, the man was saved by soldiers who were looking for Vladyslav. Currently, the military man is undergoing rehabilitation in Vinnytsia region.
Additionally: Vladyslav Molodykh is ready to communicate with journalists, both online and offline, by prior agreement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
With the help of donations from regular people, as well as artists and musicians, Bamberg:UA charity organization managed to purchase six ambulances, an evacuation vehicle and a medical bus. On February 29, the non-profit will arrive in Lviv to present vehicles and the necessary humanitarian aid to the Defense Forces. Together with Bamberg:UA, German rock stars, artists and journalists will come to Ukraine as part of the “Hand in Hand” Culture Convoy project. At least 20 bands will attend the event. The Culture Convoy is headed by the German rock band “Sportfreunde Stiller.” The band’s bassist Rüdiger Linhof has already come to Lviv twice to hand over ambulances. In addition, at the beginning of the war, the musician provided shelter for refugees from Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The founders of the T4P (Tribunal for putin) initiative — the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, the Center for Civil Liberties, the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union— and Ukrainian Crisis Media Center invite journalists to discuss the issue of mass abduction and detention of Ukrainian civilians by the russian military on February 27 in Kyiv. The scale of the problem indicates that it is a target policy of the russian authorities to destroy the Ukrainian people.
Topics for discussion:
▪ Large-scale detention of Ukrainian civilians by the russian occupation authorities is a war crime committed by the russian federation
▪ What happens to civilian hostages after detention?
▪ What to do if your loved one is taken hostage? Instructions for relatives of civilian hostages
▪ What to do to facilitate the release of civilian hostages?
▪ Where should the family turn for psychological support?
Speakers:
- Yevgeniy Zakharov, Director at the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group
- Oleksandr Pavlichenko, Executive Director of the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union
- Nataliia Yashchuk, Project Management Coordinator at the Center for Civil Liberties
- Tetiana Marina, a representative of Civilians in Captivity NGO
- Olena Tsyhipa, the wife of illegally convicted activist Serhii Tsyhipa
- Anna Mushtukova, “Our Closest People” initiative group
The event requires accreditation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Veronika Sheldahaieva, Chair of the Children’s Creative Council of the “Voices of Children” Charitable Foundation, recently spoke in the Churchill Hall of the British Parliament as part of the event “Echoes of Tragedy: Testimonies on russia’s War in Ukraine.” The young woman told members of parliament, diplomats and human rights defenders of Great Britain about the horrors of life under the russian occupation.
The girl, who lived in occupied Kherson for 7 months, said that the russian military came to her school and threatened the school management to make them side with the occupiers. Parents were blackmailed with deprivation of parental rights if their children did not go to occupier-controlled schools and study under the russian curriculum. Veronika did not go to school while living under the occupation. Therefore, she was very afraid that she would be taken away from her family. She even hid when someone knocked on the door. Full story is available here.
Oleh Afanasiev, whose story was featured in the documentary film “The Distant Barking of Dogs” also gave a speech in the British Parliament. The boy talked about 40 days of life in Mariupol under russian shelling in the spring of 2022.
In particular, he mentioned that he and his brothers, aunt and grandmother lived in the basement for two months. They had almost no food and water. In the middle of the night, the boy would wake up from hunger. He saw dead bodies. In order to escape, he had to go through the russian infiltration camps. Full story is available here.
Journalists have the opportunity to talk with Oleh in Kyiv region, and Veronika – in Odesa.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
For the second year in a row, FRIDA Ukraine, the largest medical volunteer mission in Ukraine, continues to travel to the frontline and de-occupied regions to deploy field clinics and provide specialized medical assistance on the ground.
Thus, a team of 30 doctors will work in Donetsk region. The team will consist of a surgeon, a physiotherapist, a cardiologist, a therapist, an ENT specialist, a neurologist and other specialists. The mission doctors plan to provide more than 1,500 services (ultrasound, ECG, consultations, field surgeries, etc.).
Also, medical volunteers go to orphanages in different parts of the country. For example, a team of specialists will work in the Zhytomyr regional specialized children’s home, where about 50 children need medical examination. The team consists of 18 doctors, including: a pediatrician, an ultrasound specialist, an ENT specialist, a neurologist, a psychiatrist, a surgeon and an ophthalmologist.
Journalists have the opportunity to join field missions.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
From March 1 to June 1, Modern Ukraine charity foundation will organize and conduct art therapy master classes in Poltava, Odesa, Vinnytsia, Fastiv, Dnipro, Mykolaiv, Yuzhne, and Kyiv. There will be more than 20 master classes in total. Women who lost their loved ones in the war will take part in the events. The paintings created at the master classes will be shown at exhibitions in Dnipro, Odesa, Ivano-Frankivsk, Novovolynsk and Volodymyr.
“Zhyva. True Love Stories” project is a volunteer initiative that helps Ukrainian women who are experiencing the loss of husbands and fiancés to rediscover the meaning of life and channel their pain into creativity.
More than 100 women have already participated in “Zhyva. TRUE LOVE STORIES” project – they created paintings in memory of their husbands and wrote their own stories for these canvases. Many paintings were on display in the regional exhibitions “PAINTING WITH HEART,” which took place during 2023-2024 in Kyiv, Lviv and Lutsk.
In December 2024, Modern Ukraine foundation will organize a nationwide exhibition featuring works by the participants of the “Zhyva” project in Kyiv.
Journalists are invited to learn more about the project and cover it.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The 2402 Foundation will launch a unique safety training program for everyone who lives and works in war conditions. Immersion in a lifelike stress inducing situation will allow participants to experience a similar situation in the future without exposing themselves to danger.
This hands-on training will focus on threats, risks and security situations typical for those operating in war zones and frontline areas: journalists, representatives of humanitarian organizations, war crimes documentarians, human rights defenders and volunteers. VR-scenarios were developed by the partners of the 2402 Foundation – the British company Headset Immersive and certified specialists on security, emergency medical and psychological first aid, who used their experience of working at the frontline.
VR training is designed to minimize the risk of getting confused, unable to control oneself and being completely helpless and defenseless in a critical situation in real life.
Participants:
- Katerina Sergatskova, Co-Founder, and Executive Director of the 2402 Foundation;
- Anton Skiba, 2402 Foundation expert, risk assessment trainer;
- Kate Parkinson, Co-Founder and CEO of Head Set, winner of the Women in Innovation Award.
The press conference will be held on February 29 at Media Center Ukraine — Ukrinform. Pre-registration is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Serhii Shpanko is 46 years old. The man joined the ranks of the Defense Forces back in 2014, when russia first attacked Ukraine. Since then, Serhii served in many positions in the army, until he was discharged and became a teacher at the Military Institute of Telecommunications and Information Technology. On February 24, 2022, Serhii was in the capital, and together with the cadets he organized the evacuation of the population from Kyiv region, in particular, Bucha and Irpin. At the end of March of the same year, Serhii returned to the Armed Forces, less than a month later, he found himself in the Avdiivka sector. During one of the missions, his car came under enemy fire. Serhii’s next memory after being wounded is the hospital. The soldier received numerous facial injuries, his facial nerve was severed, his ear was torn off and his eye was damaged. Serhii has undergone many surgeries. A team of reconstructive surgeons from Canada, the U.S. and Ukraine decided to restore the functions and symmetry of his face as part of the “Face the Future” international mission. Nowadays Serhii can smile and close his eyelid. The man returned to the Institute, and now teaches cadets to use small arms.
For reference: “Face the future Ukraine” is a mission of Canadian and American reconstructive surgeons, which brings together world experts and their Ukrainian counterparts to restore physical health and aesthetic beauty of people injured in enemy shelling. They also work with servicemen who have suffered face and neck injuries on the front line.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Fedorchenko family from Kherson region stayed in the occupation for over a year and a half.
While still at home, Tetiana and her husband Raj (he is of Romani origin) did everything possible to avoid russian citizenship and not to send their daughter and grandchildren to a russian school. The family managed to survive hunger, rocket attacks, from which they hid in the basement, and the tyranny of the russian regime. Every day, the military went to the streets with surprise raids.
Once, a unit of russian soldiers broke into a neighbor’s place. Then a policeman approached Tetiana, who was on the street, and told her to be a “witness in the case.” And when Raj wanted to take his wife back to their yard, a machine gun was pointed at him. They shot in the air twice and again pointed the gun at him. The woman persuaded the man to go into the house and let her go to testify.
The family left the occupation in September 2023. For 4 months, they lived and received comprehensive support in the “Hope and Recovery” center of the “Save Ukraine” charitable organization. Among other things, specialists provided psychological assistance to adults and children.
Now the family lives in Poltava region. They are open to communication both in person and online.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Lutsk resident Tetiana Pototska had been originally running a travel agency that specialized in organizing pilgrimage trips abroad until February 2022, Tetiana shifted her focus when the full-scale invasion began. Moved by a friend’s inability to transport her father’s body from Kharkiv to Lutsk, Tetiana stepped in to assist and has since been tirelessly evacuating fallen soldiers’ remains and transporting them to morgues.
Beyond her duties in retrieving the fallen, Tetiana extends her aid to Ukrainians trapped in occupied regions, particularly those with limited mobility, helping them return to government-controlled territory. Additionally, she devotes herself to caring for the children of fallen defenders, arranging celebratory events and outings to the seaside for them.
Those wishing to interview Tetiana can reach her both offline in Lutsk or through online channels. She is gearing up for another journey to Eastern Ukraine soon.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before facing the brunt of Russia’s invasion, The Jin Roh Circus Studio & Entertainment has been running in Kherson for 15 years. The war caught its members in their hometown. In the chaos, they sought basic necessities like food and medicine, often taking refuge in makeshift shelters. Remarkably, one of the studio’s halls transformed into a bomb shelter, providing safety to around 40 individuals during the tumultuous early weeks. As Russian forces tightened their grip on Kherson, civilians faced escalating repression, prompting many, including Jin Roh’s students, to flee. Even the studio’s founder and director, Roman Vashchenko, was compelled to leave to evade capture.
Since the city’s liberation in November 2022, Vashchenko has returned, dedicating himself to rebuilding the studio’s activities. However, the journey back to normalcy is fraught with challenges. Once bustling with 300 students, Jin Roh now sees a fraction of that number attending classes to 2-8, with safety concerns looming large amidst continued shelling by occupying forces.
For reference: Kherson fell under Russian occupation at the onset of the full-scale invasion on March 1, 2022. It wasn’t until November 11, 2022, that the Ukrainian Armed Forces liberated the city from Russian control. Despite this liberation, the occupiers persist in regularly shelling the city.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Yuliia Koval boasts over two decades of experience as a certified trainer and holds the prestigious title of Master of Sports of Ukraine in sports and fitness aerobics. Currently, she is pursuing studies at the International Sports Science Association (USA). In 2018, Yuliia was enlisted as a sports commentator for the Games of Heroes project, and by 2022, she had ascended to the position of head coach.
According to Yuliia, training military personnel presents unique challenges compared to civilians due to the soldiers’ heightened motivation, as their physical well-being directly impacts their performance in competitions. Leveraging her training in the United States, Yuliia has devised wellness programs tailored for amputees. Furthermore, in autumn 2023, she initiated a complimentary rehabilitation program catering specifically to military personnel.
For reference: Residing in the Volyn region, Yuliia Koval welcomes online or offline inquiries from journalists.
“Games of Heroes” stands out as Ukraine’s sole sports and training initiative dedicated to the rehabilitation of Ukrainian army veterans following severe injuries. Its primary objective is to facilitate both psychological recovery and physical rehabilitation among soldiers.
The inaugural Games of Heroes competition unfolded on May 21, 2016, and continued annually until February 2022 across various Ukrainian cities. Following a hiatus lasting nearly a year, the project resumed activities in January 2023.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Prior to the all-out invasion, Viktoriia Bobrynok used to be a school principal in Tokmak, Zaporizhia. When her hometown fell under Russian occupation during the onset of the war, she relocated to Ukraine-controlled territory. Initially employed as a secretary at a school in Lviv, Viktoriia later shifted her focus to aiding fellow displaced individuals.
She reached out to the Alliance for Public Health, an international charitable foundation, and together they established a shelter for internally displaced persons (IDPs). Initially hosting teachers from Zaporizhia, the shelter soon welcomed IDPs from various regions. However, as the influx dwindled, Viktoriia transformed the shelter into a “Safe Camp” catering to children from frontline areas. She devised a specialized program to keep them engaged, offering instruction in essential skills across various professions, including programming, alongside organized excursions. Each camp session spans several weeks, with the upcoming one slated to commence on March 11.
In between working camp shifts, Viktoriia continues to support the IDPs by coordinating diverse activities for both children and adults, including photo sessions, workshops, and city tours, aiming to facilitate their integration into urban life and hasten their adjustment to their new circumstances.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On March 3, the national team of Ukraine will journey to Las Vegas to participate in the United States Air Force and Marine Corps Trials 2024. On that occasion, a briefing will be convened in Kyiv with team members and trip organizers.
Media representatives will have the opportunity to delve into the Ukrainian team’s preparation for the competition, their aspirations, and the goals of the veterans and military personnel representing Ukraine in the United States.
Speakers at the briefing include members of the national team:
- Yevhenii OMELCHUK, an AFU serviceman,
- Tymur LEON, an AFU serviceman,
- Yurii HAPONCHUK, a National Guard of Ukraine serviceman,
And also:
- Olena YANOVSKA, head coach of the national team of Ukraine,
- Oleksandr PORKHUN, Acting Minister of Veterans Affairs,
- Matvii BIDNYI, Acting Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine.
Accreditation is required to attend the event.
For reference: The United States Air Force and Marine Corps Trials is an annual domestic competition for veterans and U.S. military personnel who have sustained injuries, wounds, or illnesses during their service. This year, the organizers extended an invitation to the Ukrainian team, comprising both veterans and active military personnel, to join the event.
From March 4 to 16, 2024, in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, the Ukrainian team will vie in sports such as archery, athletics, cycling, powerlifting, rowing, sitting volleyball, swimming, and wheelchair basketball.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Roman enlisted with the Right Sector Ukrainian Volunteer Corps while he was still pursuing his studies in rehabilitation therapy and volunteered for training camps, preparing himself for the rigors of combat. A former student turned soldier and faced his first deployment to the frontlines in 2016. Serving in a reconnaissance battalion in some of the most perilous regions, he experienced the harsh realities of war firsthand. Tragically, in 2019, while near Olenivka in the Donetsk region, Kashpur stepped on a petal mine, resulting in the loss of his leg.
Undeterred by his injury, Kashpur embraced the challenge of prosthetic rehabilitation and soon found himself excelling in the Games of Heroes project, where he emerged victorious twice. Determined to inspire fellow wounded soldiers, he pushed his limits further. In December 2021, Kashpur achieved a remarkable feat by pulling a 16-ton An-26 airplane, moving the giant aircraft 6 meters and 40 centimeters, earning him a place in the National Register of Records of Ukraine.
Despite facing setbacks, including a mismatched prosthesis and the onset of full-scale war, Kashpur continued to persevere. He not only trained newcomers but also actively participated in assaults. His resilience knew no bounds as he set his sights on conquering marathons. In April 2023, Kashpur made his debut in the prestigious 43rd London Marathon. He followed up with appearances in the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C., and the New York City Marathon in October and November, respectively. Most recently, Kashpur achieved a personal milestone by completing a marathon in Tokyo, Japan, setting a new personal record.
For reference: As Kashpur prepares to return to Ukraine to the Vinnytsia region on March 9, he stands ready to share his remarkable story with journalists, both online and offline, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Mikael Colville-Andersen, a renowned Danish urbanist, designer, writer, and TV presenter, is making waves in Ukraine with his philanthropic efforts. Founding the non-profit organization Bikes4Ukraine, Colville-Andersen has facilitated the delivery of used bicycles from Europe to Ukrainians in need. Bikes4Ukraine inception was the very reason for Dane’s first coming to Ukraine in June 2022. His initiative already delivered 1000 bicycles for now.
Currently stationed in Kyiv, Mikael’s tirelessly working on the development of a Nordic Therapy Garden-inspired environment, set to grace the district of Podil. This unique project aims to provide solace and healing to those affected by the stresses of war. More than just a green space, a therapy garden is meticulously crafted to offer comfort and security, providing a sanctuary for individuals grappling with the trauma of war.
Journalists eager to delve deeper into Colville-Andersen’s endeavors, including the creation of the therapeutic garden and other initiatives, can arrange interviews with the urbanist.
Adding to his contributions, from March 1 to 9, an exhibition titled “SNAFU” is on display in Kyiv, showcasing collaborative works of Colville-Andersen and Ukrainian artist Kalyna Seriakovska. The exhibit explores the pursuit of normalcy amidst the chaos of conflict, drawing inspiration from the military abbreviation “SNAFU,” a WW2 military acronym meaning “Situation normal: all fucked up.”
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Coinciding with the 210th anniversary of Taras Shevchenko’s birth, the Kyiv Institute of the National Guard of Ukraine will debut “Unknown Shevchenko,” a production that promises to infuse fresh relevance into Shevchenko’s timeless texts. The performance, featuring the voices of combatants hailing from locales like Soledar and Bakhmut, alongside cadets of the National Guard Institute, is poised to deliver poignant reflections on contemporary issues.
It’s worth noting that since the outbreak of Russia’s full-blown war in Ukraine, cadets from the Kyiv Institute of the National Guard have been at the forefront, bravely defending the capital and directly safeguarding the Bucha district. Among their ranks are individuals who have valiantly defended the Donetsk region, including areas like Soledar, Bakhmut, and Kalynivka.
On March 9, Ukrainians will commemorate the birth of Taras Shevchenko, a towering figure in Ukrainian history known for his contributions as a poet, prose writer, thinker, painter, ethnographer, and public figure. Shevchenko’s literary opus, particularly his iconic collection “Kobzar,” remains the cornerstone of modern Ukrainian literature.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
“Darling, I Live on!” is a psychological support project for women who lost their husbands in the war. It operates in Zaporizhia.
In March 2023, activist Yaryna Herashchenko was approached by a family friend who had lost her military husband who asked her for support. Then the women came up with the idea to create the project “Darling, I Live on!” Yaryna’s mother, who is a psychologist, got involved as well.
Over the course of a year, 22 participants joined the project. As part of the initiative, women receive psychological aid and support on their way to recovery. In particular, they take part in various activities: archery, yoga and Thai boxing. Women also participate in field sessions. For example, on the island of Khortytsia, the participants wrote letters to their loved ones, made small paper boats from their messages and sent them down the Dnipro. They also treated each other to their loved ones’ favorite dishes.
The participants are also taking part in two photo projects: “Memory of you” (photos with memorabilia that help the participants tell the stories of their husbands) and “Darling, I Live on!” (“awakening photo shoot”). Group 4 meetings will start in March.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Nazar Skakodub is a 14-year-old teenager from Vinnytsia. The young man started sculpting from plasticine five years ago, and recently learned how to make stop motion videos. Nazar dedicates them to the Ukrainian military, who are fighting on the front lines. The boy called one of his works “Battle for Kherson.” Nazar turned his room into a studio where he works on characters, shoots and edits videos himself. Nazar mostly finds ideas and ways to implement them in social networks: he watches video lessons and reads the news. The boy presents his work on TikTok, where the first fans and critics of Nazar’s art have already gathered up. In the future, the schoolboy plans to participate in competitions and create a stop motion film.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
“HAB | Lviv Habilitation Center” will open in Lviv on March 7. This is an initiative of the Alliance for Public Health in cooperation with the UNBROKEN National Rehabilitation Center.
“HAB | Lviv Habilitation Center” is a transitional barrier-free space that provides an opportunity to safely relive the experience of war in order to move on. Veterans and civilians who have already undergone physical rehabilitation at the UNBROKEN Center and need to adapt to new living conditions will acquire new skills here.
The area of the habilitation center is 660 square meters. It has 9 rooms and 27 beds. 300 patients are to undergo habilitation there per year.
The first patients of the center were:
- Yana Kovaliova, a librarian from Avdiivka, received an injury in the hostilities, which led to the amputation of her right leg. She underwent treatment and rehabilitation at the UNBROKEN center. She is adapting to everyday life in the Lviv Habilitation Center.
- Illia Dmytryshyn, a soldier of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, was wounded while defending Ukraine. He underwent treatment and rehabilitation at the UNBROKEN center. He is focusing on adapting to the status of a veteran and a person with a disability. At Lviv Habilitation Center, Illia is working on his psycho-emotional state and on planning for the future.
During the opening, there will be an opportunity to chat with patients and specialists, as well as join a kintsugi master class to learn the art of imperfection. Patients and guests will glue broken dishes, which is a symbol that after setbacks and trials, one can become even stronger with the right support.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Svitlana Humeniuk is now the director of the Kolonshchyna Lyceum, a village in Bucha district that went through the occupation. At the time of the full-scale russian invasion, she worked as a Design and Technology teacher and a leisure-time activities teacher.
At the end of February 2022, the occupiers encircled the village of Kolonshchyna. People were prohibited from leaving. Many civilians who tried to escape the occupation spent the night in the school.
Svitlana and three other teachers risked their own lives to help their fellow villagers: they joined the distribution of humanitarian aid and even delivery efforts. All this was despite the shelling and enemy missiles. To somehow protect themselves from the occupiers, they wore white ribbons on their sleeves. In addition, some families with children, including students of the lyceum she now heads, took refuge in Svitlana’s house.
Ukraine’s Armed Forces liberated Kolonshchyna village in late March 2022.
For reference: on April 2, 2022, Kyiv region was completely liberated from russian occupation. By April 6, 2022, the Defense Forces completely liberated Chernihiv region. On April 11, 2022, the then Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi announced that the control over the state border in Sumy region had been fully restored.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
At the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion Alina Kozytska, an activist from Mariupol, was in her hometown. A few days after the big war started, the girl moved from her apartment to her parents’, and when she returned to collect her things, the occupiers had already settled in her home. For three months, Alina lived in a cellar with her parents and heard how the city shuddered from enemy shelling. On May 2, 2022, the girl and her grandmother managed to leave for the Ukraine-controlled territory, Alina’s parents evacuated later.
In the capital, Alina opened a branch of the “YaMariupol” Center – “YaMariupol. Youth,” which works with young Mariupol residents and conducts various activities ranging from tactical medicine training to sports competitions. During the first year of work, the team managed to open centers in 11 cities of Ukraine and two more abroad – in Poland and Germany. All the branches of the organizations are currently united in their work on joint projects.
In the summer of 2022, Alina directed the film “Youth Front of Ukraine,” where she also acted as an interviewer, who talked with 22 young people about their social activities. The people featured in the documentary are refugees, soldiers and volunteers. Currently, Alina is working on the second part of her movie.
For reference: “YaMariupol” is a network of support centers for Mariupol refugees throughout Ukraine. The goal of the organization is to support people who survived the horrors of the blockade and occupation of Mariupol.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The proximity to the front line does not matter for FRIDA medical volunteer mission, especially when the residents of the communities themselves are asking for doctors to come.
In the near future, a team of 9 doctors will consult patients in Donetsk region (journalists can learn more details about the settlements in question).
The team of doctors was formed in response to the requests of local residents: people need consultations by a cardiologist, a surgeon, an ultrasound technician, a gastroenterologist, a neurologist, an otolaryngologist and an ophthalmologist.
Journalists are invited to join the mission to see and film the work of doctors in difficult conditions, talk to local residents and cover the life in frontline communities
It is also possible to receive photo and video materials after the mission’s return as well as to interview doctors.
For reference: For the second year in a row, FRIDA Ukraine, the largest medical volunteer mission in Ukraine, continues with its trips to the frontline and de-occupied regions to deploy field clinics and provide specialized medical assistance on sites.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Olena Yuzvak found herself under the occupation immediately after the beginning of the big war. Hostomel, a town in Kyiv region, where a doctor was staying, was captured by the russians. Olena stayed there to continue working and helping people who could not leave. Olena distributed medicine and cared for the wounded until the occupiers captured her. The doctor was released a day later, and 10 days later, the Ukrainian military liberated Hostomel. Olena immediately returned to work and began working to restore the medical institutions she managed. One of these facilities is located in Moshchun village, Kyiv region, which was destroyed by a direct hit in the shelling. With the support of international funds, Olena managed to build a new Health Center and turn it into an energy-independent Invincibility Center. The Health Center in Moshchun has been successfully operating since its opening. Currently, the doctor continues to work on the restoration and opening of modern medical facilities.
For reference: on April 2, 2022, Kyiv region was completely liberated from russian occupation. By April 6, 2022, the Defense Forces fully liberated Chernihiv region. On April 11, 2022, the then Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi announced that full control over the state border in Sumy region was restored.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Tetiana, a 64-year-old kindergarten teacher and the head of two apartment buildings co-owners association from Hostomel. As the all-out invasion escalated, she did some prepping. She swiftly opened the basements of two condominiums she oversees, furnishing them with wooden pallets to provide refuge for over a hundred individuals, including a two-month-old infant. Tetiana and her neighbors rallied together, cooking meals in her apartment and even on the streets when communication lines went dead. Tragically, her husband fell victim to a blast wave, sustaining injuries.
On March 5, the invaders seized control of residential properties, compelling residents to seek shelter in the basements. Despite attempts to evacuate to a neighboring area, their efforts were thwarted as occupiers insisted on relocating them to Belarus, a proposal vehemently rejected by the locals. Tetiana herself could only escape the besieged town on March 11, 2022.
For reference: Fast forward to April 2, 2022, when Ukraine regained full control over the Kyiv region from Russian occupation, followed by the Chernihiv region liberation by April 6, 2022. By April 11, 2022, then Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, proudly announced retaking the state border in the Sumy region.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On March 10 Dnipro gears up to host the poignant performance, “The Third Spring in Captivity.” This nationwide initiative, titled “Don’t be silent! Captivity kills!”, aims to highlight the dire predicament faced by Ukrainian prisoners of war, particularly those hailing from the embattled city of Mariupol and the Azovstal region, who have languished in enemy captivity for nearly two years.
For context: The defense of Mariupol endured for 86 grueling days, with soldiers enduring complete encirclement for 82 of those days. In May 2022, following orders from the command, Ukrainian defenders ceased resistance, vacated Azovstal, and surrendered to enemy forces.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Brave to Rebuild project volunteers will be on the ground in the Kyiv region on March 9-10 to deliver their mission to dismantle the wreckage of homes and structures devastated by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in villages such as Horenka and Moshchun, as well as in the city of Irpin.
Journalists are encouraged to cover these volunteer-led clean-up efforts.
For reference: Fast forward to April 2, 2022, when Ukraine regained full control over the Kyiv region from Russian occupation, followed by the Chernihiv region liberation by April 6, 2022. By April 11, 2022, then Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, proudly announced retaking the state border in the Sumy region.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the start of russia’s full-scale invasion, Maksym Shevchenko worked in car repairs. On February 24, 2022, he was in Irpin. Despite the shelling, he evacuated residents from Bucha, Vorzel, the outskirts of Hostomel and Irpin. Later, the situation got more complicated and hostilities intensified, so he could only evacuate Irpin residents. (He took them to the Romanivka Bridge, which sustained so much damage to the structure that people could only cross it on foot).
Maksym evacuated people with reduced mobility, the elderly and the wounded. Sometimes he had to carry people on his shoulders. During the evacuations, the volunteer saw corpses of the residents who died due to russian shelling. And the volunteer himself came under enemy fire several times.
Maksym filmed what was happening around him on his phone. On March 21, 2022, his own house was destroyed by an enemy strike. Before that, one of his cars had been damaged by an enemy shell. In order to take people out, he had to use the cars of his relatives, friends and ordinary residents.
Maksym continues to volunteer even now. He delivers humanitarian aid to the frontline regions.
Journalists have the opportunity to learn more and communicate with the volunteer in Kyiv region (either in person or online).
For reference: on April 2, 2022, Kyiv region was completely liberated from russian occupation. By April 6, 2022, the Defense Forces fully liberated Chernihiv region. On April 11, 2022, the then Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi announced that full control over the state border in Sumy region was restored.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In March 2024, the Seeds of Victory project by World Central Kitchen will resume its work. The organization provides seed kits to those who have land to grow vegetables but cannot purchase seeds. This program aims to help communities reach food self-sufficiency, especially in the regions most affected by the war.
This year, the project operates in Donetsk, Zaporizhia, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Chernihiv and Sumy regions. Seed kits include peas, corn, cucumbers, beets, cabbage, radishes, parsley, sorrel, squash and carrots.
For reference: In 2023, more than 165,000 seed kits were distributed throughout Ukraine as part of the Seeds of Victory project. World Central Kitchen (WCK) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that provides food to victims of natural disasters. WCK was founded in 2010 by celebrity chef José Andres, who along with his team cooked food in Haiti after the devastating earthquake. World Central Kitchen works by responding and collaborating with local chefs to address the food crisis caused by disasters.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the full-scale invasion, Ruslan Mokrytskyi was a successful businessman: he had a chain of coffee shops in Khmelnytskyi. However, shortly after the start of the big war, the man sold the business and joined the Defense Forces. As a member of the 95th Separate Airborne Assault Brigade, the soldier fought on the front lines, and between combat missions, he began to cook various dishes, film the process and share it on social networks. Ruslan’s content soon became popular. The man says that thanks to cooking, he manages to distract himself and recover after missions at the frontline.
In July 2023, during one of the tasks, Ruslan provided first aid to his brother in arms, and he himself received a shrapnel wound in the hand. The fighter returned to his hometown, where he underwent rehabilitation. But even at that point he did not abandon his blog. After the core functionality of his hand were restored, the man returned to the front line
For reference: Ruslan Mokrytskyi is in the Kupiansk sector. The military man is ready to communicate with journalists both online and in person, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Scientists of the V. V. Tarnovskyi Chernihiv Regional Historical Museum continue to make records of historical artifacts in the village of Yahidne in Chernihiv oblast. (In the spring of 2022, the occupiers kept more than 300 local residents in inhumane conditions for almost a month in the basement of the school).
Specialists have been making trips to the school in Yahidne since September of last year. During this time, they examined and described more than 1,000 artifacts, which include: clothes, shoes, personal belongings, backpacks, books, boxes from enemy dry rations, tubes of antiseptics, russian newspapers, wooden pallets that the prisoners had to sit and sleep on and even plastic water bottles, which people had to use as a toilet. Experts have already finished describing all the rooms in the basement. And now they are still documenting (photographing and making records) artifacts on the territory of the settlement, including: remnants of enemy equipment, uniforms and ammunition boxes. They are also in communication with local residents.
All items studied by the scientists will remain in place. The authorities plan to create a memorial complex in Yahidne, and the school basement, where the prisoners were kept, will be a part of it.
Journalists have the opportunity to learn more and join the trip of the museum’s scientific staff to cover their work.
For reference: The village of Yahidne is located near Chernihiv. At the start of the full-scale invasion, the russians set up a command point in a local school. In its basement, they kept local residents — 299 adults and 67 children — for almost a month. (Almost the entire population of the village). The area of the basement is 197 square meters. Due to the lack of space, people had to sleep sitting up, and they also had trouble breathing. Ten people died then.
In February, the famous American TIME magazine released a cover with the Yahidne village basement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the full-scale invasion, Tetiana Khomenko was a fourth-year university student majoring in tourism. On February 24, 2022, Tetiana was in the capital. With the first explosions, the girl moved to her native village of Nebelytsia in Kyiv region. On February 28, the girl came out of the basement of her house when she heard an explosion. Fragments of an enemy shell flew straight into her face.
Ukrainian defenders arrived at the site and evacuated Tetiana to the hospital. There, the woman was given first aid, and later transferred to a plastic surgery department. For the first time after the injury, Tetiana saw her face in a photo that she took by herself, because doctors and relatives wouldn’t let Tetiana look in the mirror.
Even though the surgeons managed to almost completely remove the consequences of the explosion, Tetiana took a long time to recover psychologically. Later, she decided to change her profession and began to study psychology instead of tourism. In the future, Tetiana plans to work with those who have also received mine and explosive injuries, in particular, with military personnel.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Volodymyr Mamalyha is a psychologist by profession. In 2014, when russia attacked Ukraine for the first time, he volunteered to join the army. Volodymyr served as a sniper in the East. After returning to civilian life, the veteran began to help the military by providing psychological support to the defenders and creating veteran communities in Cherkasy.
The day after the big war started, the man was already in the ranks of the Armed Forces. Volodymyr fought near Popasna and Lysychansk in Luhansk region, later he was hospitalized and discharged from active duty by the decision of the military medical commission.
The veteran says that it was not easy to return to normal life, so he decided to create a hub of psychological support for servicemen and veterans of the Armed Forces. Volodymyr applied for a grant from the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation, won and received funding. And then he started a hub in Cherkasy. Besides psychologists, lawyers work there too. In addition, various training events for veterans are held in the hub. Currently, Volodymyr has applied for another grant to purchase a special car to transport servicemen with disabilities to the hub.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Larysa Zahryva devoted 25 years of her life to education. The woman worked as a teacher, and in 2022 she headed the Social Services Center in Chernihiv oblast. With the beginning of the full-scale war, Mykhailo-Kotsiubynske village, where Larysa lived and worked, was occupied. For 37 days, the woman continued going to work and taking care of elderly people who remained in the village. Larysa hid documents from the russians and was at gunpoint five times. The invaders came to her house in the middle of the night and interrogated Larysa’s husband.
After Mykhailo-Kotsiubynske was released, Larysa managed to found the University of the Third Age with the support of the UN Development Program. Currently, several areas of study are available there: the Faculty of Healthy Lifestyle, the Faculty of Philosophy, and the Faculty of Applied Arts. In addition, Larysa created a project to ensure mobile social assistance – a car with volunteers helping residents with house chores that travels around Chernihiv oblast.
For reference: on April 2, 2022, Kyiv region was completely liberated from the russian occupation. By April 6, 2022, the Defense Forces fully liberated Chernihiv region. On April 11, 2022, the then Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi announced that full control over the state border in Sumy region was also restored.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Hailing from Mukachevo, Zakarpattia, Maksym Adamenko, once a recreational organizer for local tourists, shifted gears when the invasion loomed. On February 24, 2022, responding to a friend’s mobilization call, he halted his tourism efforts and embarked on a mission to procure periscopes for the military. Faced with scarcity, Adamenko pivoted to innovation, crafting a bespoke periscope from a standard water pipe in collaboration with his comrade.
Subsequently, rallying a cadre of kindred spirits, Adamenko’s team churned out over 5,000 periscopes for the army during the ensuing two-year full-blown war. To further support the troops, he devised a novel fundraising strategy—conducting theatrical tours of Mukachevo Castle, with proceeds earmarked for military essentials. Over four months, these tours amassed over 190,000 hryvnias, which Adamenko promptly invested in FPV drones, radios, and medical supplies for the soldiers.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Valentyna Hantseva, a stalwart of the Soldatske village library in Sumy oblast for over three decades, faced the ultimate test of resilience as the invasion broke out. Months before the onslaught, the library had undergone a modern facelift and invested in state-of-the-art equipment. However, the structure crumbled under Russian airstrikes, leaving nothing but the skeletal remains of walls and roofs.
Undeterred by occupation and aerial threats, Valentyna, alongside her husband, embarked on a daring mission to salvage the literary treasures. Amidst the chaos, they meticulously stowed away over 1,000 undamaged books in grain sacks, shielding them from destruction.
The tide turned in April 2022, as Ukrainian forces liberated the village. Generosity from a German philanthropist breathed new life into the ravaged library premises. Last autumn, Valentyna proudly swung open the doors, welcoming readers back to the cherished institution.
For reference: on April 2, 2022, Kyiv region was completely liberated from russian occupation. By April 6, 2022, the Defense Forces fully liberated Chernihiv region. On April 11, 2022, the then Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi announced that full control over the state border in Sumy region was restored.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Under the banner of the “City Healing” initiative, Ukrainian servicemembers undergoing treatment or rehabilitation in Lviv’s medical facilities are being offered complimentary tours of the historic city. These tours, available both individually and in groups, serve as a rejuvenating respite for those in need.
Covering a diverse array of topics, the tours showcase the city’s myriad attractions, from its iconic landmarks and bustling downtown to its serene parks. Knowledgeable guides provide insights into Lviv’s rich history spanning princely and medieval eras, its architectural marvels, artistic heritage, and cherished traditions.
Since its inception, the “City Healing” program has extended its healing touch to 552 military personnel and their families.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On March 16, Kyiv will play host to a poignant demonstration of support for the missing and imprisoned warriors with the event “Two Hearts in Captivity.” The rally aims to thrust the dire plight of Ukrainian prisoners of war, languishing in enemy confines, into the spotlight of public consciousness, governmental attention, and the global arena. Furthermore, organizers seek to underscore the critical necessity of boosting support networks for the families left behind, grappling with the absence of their loved ones.
The agenda for this solemn occasion encompasses moving performances titled “Two Hearts in Captivity” and “Human Chain.”
The event is helmed by the families of POWs and missing defenders, in tandem with the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Center for Civil Liberties cordially extends an invitation to the forthcoming presentation entitled “Strategy for the Release of Illegally Detained Civilians and Find Missing Persons as a Result of Russian Aggression.” Scheduled for March 14, this event will take place at the Media Center Ukraine — Ukrinform in Kyiv.
Speakers of the event:
– Mykhailo Savva, member of the expert council Center for Civil Liberties;
– Oleksandra Matviichuk, head of the Center for Civil Liberties;
– Viktoriya Petruk, representative of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War (KSHPPV).
Event accreditation is required.
For context: Russia is currently holding more than 7,000 civilians in the occupied territories and within the Russian Federation without legal basis. Many individuals have been detained under vague charges of “resistance to a special military operation” without formal accusations, and the majority lack access to legal representation. Reports indicate widespread instances of mistreatment and torture against these detainees.
Since the commencement of Russia’s comprehensive aggression against Ukraine, only 160 civilians have been released in prisoner exchanges, as reported on January 4, 2024.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Taras Stolyar was a bandura player in the National Academic Orchestra of Folk Instruments for 20 years. Taras put his musical career on hold on February 24, 2022. Taras joined the territorial defense forces of the capital. In March he defended Kyiv region from the russian invaders and received his call sign “Bandura.” Later, Taras’s unit was transferred to the east, he fought near Kreminna and Bakhmut, first he was a marksman but then he took up drones.
In November 2023, Taras joined the “Culture Forces of Ukraine” – an association of Ukrainian artists who perform for the military on the front lines, as well as in hospitals and de-occupied cities. Currently, he tries to motivate and raise the morale of the military with his bandura playing. In particular, his performance of the Metallica song even got a reaction from the then Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Valerii Zaluzhnyi.
For reference: Taras Stolyar is currently in the capital. The serviceman is ready to communicate with journalists, both online and in person, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Tetiana Kuzmuk has been growing lemons, grapefruits, oranges and limes in Zaporizhia for 14 years. At first, the citrus garden was just a hobby for the woman, but then she turned gardening into her life’s work. Currently, Tetiana grows more than 30 varieties of different citrus fruits in her garden.
After the start of the full-scale invasion, gardening also became an opportunity for Tetiana to distract herself from the war, because Zaporizhia is affected by enemy shelling almost every day. Plants also bring material benefits, namely, donations for the Defense Forces. The woman started exchanging tree sprouts for donations to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Tetiana has already managed to raise UAH 200,000. The gardener transferred the collected funds to one of the military units.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oleksii Surovtsev is a Ukrainian actor. At the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion, he responded to a request to save a cat in Irpin, Kyiv region, which is where hostilities with the russian occupiers were taking place. After that people began actively asking Oleksii to save their pets (cats, dogs, parrots, chinchillas, guinea pigs). Despite all the risks, Oleksii evacuated the animals. In total, he was able to bring more than 300 pets out of Irpin.
After the Ukrainian Armed Forces liberated Kyiv oblast from the occupiers, he created a shelter for cats called “Bearded Cat Mom.” Later, he also opened a vet clinic for homeless animals.
Now fifty cats live in the shelter, 20 are undergoing treatment.
For reference: on April 2, 2022, Kyiv region was completely liberated from russian occupation. By April 6, 2022, the Defense Forces fully liberated Chernihiv region. On April 11, 2022, the then Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi announced that full control over the state border in Sumy region had been restored.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On March 18, Kyiv will host the “Women Leaders Forum” – a forum of women leaders uniting for the sake of the future. The event is devoted to the discussion of key topics related to the role of women in the society, business, politics and science. The program includes 3 panel discussions:
- “National unity” – preservation of national identity, development of civil society and expansion of partnership between Ukraine and democratic countries, reintegration of temporarily occupied territories.
- “Regions and reconstruction” – development of regional policy and post-war reconstruction.
- “Synergy of education, business and society” – the development of education and values of equality among young people through the cooperation between universities, business and NGOs.
Invited guests of the forum include:
- Olha Budnik – President’s Commissioner for the Foundation of the President of Ukraine for the Support of Education, Science and Sports;
- Lesia Zaburonna – People’s Deputy of Ukraine;
- Tamila Tasheva – a Ukrainian Crimean Tatar human rights activist, public figure, volunteer. Co-founder of CrimeaSOS NGO;
- Tetiana Kahanovska – Rector of V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University;
- Lilia Pashynna – Deputy of the Kyiv City Council, adviser to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine
- Nataliia Kryvda – Head of the Supervisory Board of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation;
- Yevheniia Kuleba – Deputy of the Kyiv City Council, Founder and Chair of Misto-Sad NGO;
- Anna Gres – owner of Shovkova brand, actress.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The history of a front-line canteen near Pavlohrad, Dnipropetrovsk region, began with one pot of borscht. Before the full-scale invasion, entrepreneur couple Nataliia and Anatolii Bilovol had a restaurant. On February 24, 2022, they closed their establishment, and two days later reopened it as a free canteen for military personnel. The first dish served for the Ukrainian defenders on their way to the front line was borscht. Nataliia says: there was not much borscht, only one pan, but it was enough to feed several soldiers. Later, fellow villagers of Nataliia and Anatolii started to help them cook for the military, and volunteers began delivering the necessary food. In addition to borscht, potatoes, salads and compote appeared on the menu. Volunteers gave meals-to-go to those who did not have time to stop and eat.
The canteen can serve up to two thousand soldiers per day. Volunteers work in shifts, some of the locals are on duty even at night. People from different parts of Ukraine come to cook for the military, bringing food and homemade goodies. Over the two years of operation of the canteen, Nataliia and Anatolii made so many liters of borscht and kilograms of food for the Ukrainian defenders that the exact amount is impossible to count.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On March 15, Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform will hold a press conference: entitled “Captured mercenaries from Global South countries. What should governments do to prevent their citizens from dying in someone else’s war?”
After suffering significant losses, russia’s forced mobilization campaign and contracting prisoners is running out of steam. russia needs soldiers, whose time in service at the front is measured not in days, but in hours. Therefore, the aggressor country has actively encouraged the influx of citizens coming from countries with a difficult economic situation.
Participants:
– Petro Yatsenko, representative of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War;
– Vitalii Matviienko, Spokesman for the state-run project “I Want to Live” for servicemen willing to surrender to Ukraine;
Pre-registration is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Hennadii Stukalo is an anesthesiologist, Head of the Anesthesiology Department of the Chernihiv Regional Hospital. When russia started its full-scale invasion, he was in the hospital around the clock.
In the most difficult days of the russian advancement, over 50 wounded people in need of surgery were once brought to the hospital within an hour. Hennadii, together with other doctors and medical personnel, saved patients and even performed extremely complex operations in the conditions of power, heat and water supply outages and under artillery fire as well as during shelling.
When performing surgery, they had to use improvised means to illuminate the operating room (head torches, ordinary flashlights and mobile phones), because there were constant power cuts. In order to warm the wounded, they even had to cover them with plastic bottles with heated water.
Journalists have the opportunity to communicate with the doctor both online and in person.
For reference: on April 2, 2022, Kyiv region was completely liberated from russian occupation. By April 6, 2022, the Defense Forces completely liberated Chernihiv region. On April 11, 2022, the then Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi announced that full control over the state border had been restored in Sumy region.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Kyiv Regional Mental Health Center was captured by the occupiers at the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The russian military lived in the facility and stole valuable equipment from the center, which was badly damaged.
After the de-occupation, the restoration of the medical facility began: in particular, a medical and psychological rehabilitation department was opened at the end of last year. It was created on the basis of one of the branches of the center, which suffered the most during the full-scale invasion. Here, the experts will help military personnel, their relatives and civilians who suffered from the aggression of the russian federation. In total, more than 20 types of rehabilitation services will be provided to patients, including those making use of VR glasses.
Recently, Dobrobat volunteers worked in one of the center’s departments: they removed all the flooring, dismantled old doors and door frames. Thus, they prepared the place for further high-quality restoration works.
Journalists can learn more about the operation and restoration of the center, hold interviews with the management of the institution, talk with doctors and, if possible, patients.
For reference: Kyiv Regional Mental Health Center is a specialized medical institution that provides qualified inpatient medical examination, treatment and both social and labor rehabilitation for patients with mental disorders.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Enemy Grad MLRS rockets struck Vadym Zherdetskyi’s home in Moshchun, Kyiv region, not once, but twice during the onset of the full-scale invasion. Despite the peril, he bravely rescued his granddaughter from the engulfing flames. Vadym also extended aid to fellow villagers, supplying essential provisions, and fuel, and coordinating the evacuation of hundreds.
Today, Vadym has applied for assistance through a housing reconstruction program to address the devastation wrought upon his home. He has since transitioned to a role in public service. Access to an interview with Vadym requires clearance from the Kyiv Oblast Military Administration.
For reference: Fast forward to April 2, 2022, when Ukraine regained full control over the Kyiv region from Russian occupation, followed by the Chernihiv region liberation by April 6, 2022. By April 11, 2022, then Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, proudly announced retaking the state border in the Sumy region.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
These events are set to unfold across at least 16 cities in Ukraine.
On March 15, demonstrations are planned in Khmelnytskyi and Krolevets (Sumy region).
The following day, March 16, actions will unfold in Dnipro, Pavlohrad, Vinnytsia, and Zaporizhia.
March 17 will see gatherings in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Kremenchuk, Kovel, Ovruch (Zhytomyr region), Kryvyi Rih, Ternopil, Rivne, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Drohobych.
These events are spearheaded by families of prisoners of war from the besieged Mariupol garrison.
For reference: On March 16, 2022, Russian forces dropped an air bomb on the Mariupol Drama Theater, where civilians, including children, sought refuge since the onset of the full-blown war. The devastating air strike resulted in the loss of several hundred lives.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Prior to the onset of the invasion, Petro Konoplia pursued a career in directing and acting. Transitioning from the creative realm to the battlefield, Petro, equipped with his civilian first aid training, opted to serve as a combat medic upon mobilization. Remarkably, he proudly attests that none of the wounded individuals he tended to succumbed to their injuries.
Petro attempts to capture compelling footage of his experiences on the front lines. One such video, depicting his heroic evacuation of two comrades under fire, caught the attention of NATO officials. Petro authorized the use of his video by the NATO instructors for training purposes.
Despite sustaining multiple injuries during combat missions, including retaining five fragments in his body from one incident, Petro remains undeterred. Currently undergoing rehabilitation in Odesa, he eagerly awaits reassignment to another unit and anticipates his imminent return to active duty.
For reference: Petro Konoplia is available for interviews in Odesa, welcoming inquiries from both online and offline journalists with prior arrangements.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Hailing from Mariupol, 21-year-old Illia, attended a maritime lyceum before enlisting in the 23rd Sea Guard Detachment of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine. As the all-out invasion loomed, Illia and his fellow servicemen valiantly defended against the enemy’s incursion from the sea. During a pivotal moment when his vessel docked in Mariupol, Illia eagerly volunteered to reinforce the frontline positions. Transitioning from a marine machine to a machine gunner on land, Illia showcased his adaptability and commitment to his duty. Subsequently, he received orders to deploy to Azovstal, where he found himself ensnared in a harrowing special operation, trapped within encircling enemy forces. In May 2022, Illia, alongside other defenders of Azovstal, was captured by the enemy following a strategic decision to surrender per the directives of Ukrainian military leadership. Initially detained in the infamous Olenivka facility in Donetsk, Illia was subsequently transferred to Taganrog in Russia, where he “celebrated” his birthday under captivity. Enduring 10 grueling months in enemy hands, Illia’s hope flickered to life upon hearing Ukrainian spoken among fellow prisoners during a bus transport on February 16, 2023, signaling his imminent release as part of a prisoner exchange. Following his liberation, Illia embarked on a journey of rehabilitation while concurrently penning a memoir chronicling the defense of Mariupol.
For reference: Illia Iliashenko is currently available for interviews in Kyiv, extending his willingness to engage with journalists both online and offline with prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The 15th iteration of this event, spearheaded by the Yanina Sokolova Foundation, aims to inspire residents and visitors alike to contribute to conscious blood donation, which is especially crucial during times of war raging, with every donation becoming a lifeline for Ukrainian defenders.
For reference: Since 2019, the Yanina Sokolova Foundation has been challenging stereotypes around blood donation through Red Brunch events. To date, 2107 donors have participated, collectively saving 6321 lives.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The 16th Annual Kyiv Security Forum is set to convene on March 21-22, rallying transatlantic support for Ukraine. This year’s theme, “Ukraine says to the world: Together, We Prevail,” underscores the forum’s mission.
Commemorating the tenth anniversary of the political segment of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union, a pivotal achievement of the Revolution of Dignity, the forum will delve into pressing topics over the two-day event. Discussions will cover the frontline situation, urgent military aid to Ukraine, its aspirations for EU and NATO membership, preparations for the European Parliament elections, the NATO Summit in Washington, D.C., the U.S. presidential election, and the Western strategy for Ukraine.
Over eighty foreign and Ukrainian speakers, invited by the Chairman of the KSF, former Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, will participate in the Forum’s discussions both online and in person.
Among them, are such prominent international figures as President of the European Council in 2009-14 Herman Van Rompuy; President of the European Commission in 2004-14 Jose Manuel Barroso; First Vice-President of the European Commission in 2010-14 Baroness Catherine Ashton; Members of the KSF Security Council, Prime Minister of Estonia in 2014-16 Taavi Rõivas; and Prime Minister of Lithuania in 1999-2000 and 2008-12 Andrius Kubilius; Commander of the United States Forces in Europe in 2014-17 Lieutenant General Ben Hodges; U.S. General Gordon B “Skip” Davis Jr.; Commander of U.S. Central Command in 2008-10 and Director of the CIA in 2011-12, General David Petraeus.
Pre-accreditation is mandatory, with the venue announced upon confirmation of accreditation. The deadline for accreditation is Wednesday, March 20, at 2:00 pm.
For reference: Established by the Arseniy Yatsenyuk Open Ukraine Foundation, the Kyiv Security Forum serves as Ukraine’s premier platform for deliberating issues of war, peace, and national and global security.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On March 28-29, Irpin, Kyiv region, will host events to mark the second anniversary of the liberation of the city from the russian occupiers. In particular, there will be a memorial service for the fallen Heroes, the presentation of the Book of Memory of the Irpin City Territorial Community, and an awards ceremony to express gratitude to the benefactors for their help in rebuilding the hero city of Irpin “Every Brick Matters.”
In addition, there will be an unveiling ceremony for the “VOLIA” monument.
Journalists can learn more about the time and place of events. Accreditation is required.
For reference: on April 2, 2022, Kyiv region was completely liberated from the russian occupation. By April 6, 2022, the Defense Forces completely liberated Chernihiv region. On April 11, 2022, the then Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi announced that full control over the state border in Sumy region had been restored.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Prior to the full-scale invasion, Andriy Galyuga worked as an electrical engineer in Chernihiv. When the big war began, the man started restoring damaged power lines and volunteering. At first, he brought food and medicine to those who could not get them on their own, and later he gathered a team of like-minded people around him.
After the region was de-occupied, Andriy’s team began to restore the damaged houses of local residents, and even build houses from scratch in certain places. Later, a team of volunteers began weaving camouflage nets, and when they found out about the need for FPV drones on the front lines, they learned how to assemble these devices. Andriy started “Because we can” NGO, and his team works on a volunteer basis. Spare parts for drones are bought with donations from Ukrainians.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before russia’s full-scale invasion, Andriy Zholob worked as a traumatologist in Lviv. The man is also the front man of Beton punk rock band. At the beginning of the war, his band made a splash around the world with their cover of “London Calling” by the legendary band “The Clash.” Their cover “Kyiv Calling” draws the world’s attention to the struggle of the Ukrainian people. (At that time, The Guardian and Rolling Stone wrote about this cover song).
In May 2022, Andriy became the commander of the medical company of the 46th Separate Airmobile Brigade. Andriy rescued the wounded in the hottest spots: Donetsk (in particular, Bakhmut and Soledar), Zaporizhia and Kherson regions. Andriy recalls how russian planes hit the medical hub with missiles while working in Kherson area. Back then the medics managed to quickly leave the location and save themselves, because there was a second hit.
The man posted his observations and experiences on Facebook with the hashtag “#запискидокторажолоба” (notes by doctor Zholob). Recently, at the request of the headquarters of the 46th Separate Airmobile Brigade, he created a requiem song for the fallen brothers in arms called “Voices.”
Two weeks ago, Andriy returned to civilian life (military doctor in reserve). Journalists can talk to him either in person in Lviv or online.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On March 21, the test run event for the military with sports prosthetics will be held in Kyiv. The event is organized by the U+ System rehabilitation center together with the Danish company Levitate.
Two types of sports prostheses will be available — Running Blade and Forever Foot. Running Blade — sports prostheses for running. Forever Foot is a prosthetic foot for military personnel to use in their everyday life.
The sports event will also feature men who have already received prostheses from U+ System and Levitate to help the military adapt to their new feet.
The event will take place with the participation of the FC Dynamo Kyiv. The servicemen will be able to test the functionality of the new prostheses and play with football players.
The event requires accreditation.
For reference: U+ System and Levitate will hold a large-scale test run event for the fourth time in the past six months. The main goal is to install sports prostheses for people who lost their limbs due to the war in Ukraine. In total, U+ System and Levitate have successfully provided prosthesis to more than 60 people.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On March 21, Kyiv will host the official handover of two mobile gynecological clinics of the UNFPA Ukraine, which will operate in the de-occupied territories of Donetsk and Kherson regions. (The purchase of vehicles was made possible with the support of the governments of Sweden and Norway).
In the mobile gynecological clinic, women can have a free and full gynecological examination, get an ultrasound scan, receive free contraceptives and anti-infection, HIV and AIDS medicine. Mobile gynecological clinics are also equipped with everything necessary for childbirth.
During the event, journalists will be able to cover the work of mobile gynecological clinics, as well as talk with representatives of UNFPA Ukraine, First Deputy Minister of Health of Ukraine Serhii Dubrov, Head of the Health Care Department in Kherson region Tetiana Karchevych and Deputy Head of the Health Care Department in Donetsk region Nataliia Filipova.
The event requires accreditation. The address of the event will be provided after accreditation is confirmed.
For reference: 28 mobile gynecological teams are already working in 23 regions of Ukraine as part of the UNFPA Ukraine project.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On March 21, Kyiv is set to host a press briefing regarding what one termed the “limited military operation” in Russia’s Kursk and Belgorod regions areas. The event is organized by three armed groups: the Russian Volunteer Corps, the Siberian Battalion, and the Freedom of Russia Legion.
Pre-registration is mandatory, and details regarding the conference location and schedule will follow registration confirmation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Olena Chertkova, an economist by training, started her journey with volunteering efforts by taking matters into her own hands like making trench candles and fire starters during the invasion. By 2023, she shifted focus to dry showers due to high demand as a portable dry shower kit is a solution for military hygienic procedures in the field.
Using online resources and modifying recipes from Ukrainian women on Facebook, Olena perfected her formula, opting for dermatological gel over baby gel and fine-tuning proportions through a month-long trial on herself. Over 5,000 showers later, she now oversees a team of assistants.
Despite initial monthly costs of 2-3 thousand hryvnias, expenses have risen to 7 thousand hryvnias due to increased production. Olena’s showers, priced at 7 hryvnias, offer cost-effective relief compared to store-bought alternatives.
Olena’s available for interviews in person in Zaporizhia or online.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Yevhen Andrukhov, once a bakery owner in his hometown of Sievierodonetsk (now under occupation), relocated his family to Lviv when full-blown war erupted.
In May 2022, they settled in Bucha, Kyiv region, where the idea to revive their business took shape. Facing financial constraints, Andrukhov applied for a state grant, securing UAH 250,000 to kickstart the venture.
In October 2022, Yevhen Andrukhov and his family, including parents and brother, inaugurated House of Boulangerie, a confectionery and bakery establishment in Bucha. Presently, their offerings include croissants, puffs, cakes, pastries, craft bread, and baguettes. Additionally, Andrukhov has contributed to job creation by hiring two IDPs originating from Sievierodonetsk, his hometown. Reflecting on past challenges, Andrukhov reveals that his bakery in Sievierodonetsk fell victim to theft of expensive Italian equipment during the occupation, with the premises subsequently left in disrepair.
For reference: The Russian military’s occupation of Sievierodonetsk in Luhansk Oblast on June 25, 2022 left the city, according to then-head of the Luhansk Oblast Military Administration, Serhiy Haidai, devastated, with an estimated 90% destruction rate.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In a span of one year and three months, the Mykolaiv region has witnessed the complete reconstruction of 22 bridges destroyed by Russian military forces during their aggression. Among these bridges are vital crossings like the one by the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant and the Inhulets River bridge, a crucial link between the Mykolaiv and Kherson regions. The restoration efforts have been a collaborative endeavor involving the Oblast Military Administration, military personnel, the State Special Transport Service, United24 donors, district military administrations, Snihuriv City Military Administration, Mykolaiv Oblast Road Service, Inhulets River Canal Authority, and the State Enterprise “Agency of Local Roads of Mykolaiv Region”.
Journalists are invited to access visual documentation of the bridge reconstruction process and conduct necessary interviews.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
64-year-old pastor Anatolii Voloshyn joined the Mariupol Territorial Defense Forces on February 25, 2022. Anatolii became the commander of the counter-subversive unit. On March 14, 2022, he received a shrapnel wound in a mine blast – a fragment damaged his arm, hit his ribs and broke his bones. The pastor was first taken to a local hospital for a surgery, and later – to Azovstal Steelworks.
In May 2022, following the order of the top military leadership Anatolii and his comrades left Azovstal and surrendered. At that time, the man was emaciated (he had lost 22 kilograms), one of his arms did not function, and his ribs were broken. The occupiers brought the pastor together with the rest of the military to the camp in Olenivka, and later took him to Luhansk region. The pastor spent 295 days in russian captivity. On March 6, 2023, Anatolii Voloshyn returned home in a prisoner exchange.
After rehabilitation, the pastor moved to the capital with his family, learned to roller skate, something he had dreamed of for over 20 years, and now he plans to see the ocean.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Yuriy Fedynsky was born in the U.S. However, 25 years ago he moved to the homeland of his ancestors – Ukraine (Kyiv). And 13 years ago, he settled in the village of Kriachkivka, Poltava region, where he is trying to revive Kobzar traditions. He even founded a Kobzar workshop in the village, where he teaches crafting and how to play the Veresai’s kobza, different versions of bandura, the Mamai’s kobza, and the torban. He also founded the Kobzar Family Tree festival.
After the start of the full-scale war, Yuriy founded Kobzar Armada club: together with his students, he toured the entire country with concerts. In particular, they performed in Kyiv and Chernihiv regions, as well as for the Ukrainian defenders at the frontlines. Yuriy says that they have visited almost the entire Eastern Front. They also recently completed a tour of Europe (Germany, Italy, Switzerland, the Netherlands), during which they introduced Kobzar traditions to people from other countries.
In April, Yuriy will go on a large UK tour “The Kobzar’s Prayer for Ukraine,” and then he will once again take his students to perform at the frontlines.
Journalists can learn more about Yuriy and chat with him either in person in Poltava region, or online.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the full-scale invasion, Tymur Leon was actively involved in sports and thought about making a career out of it. However, after the events of February 24, Timur started volunteering. He helped the military, worked in one of the charitable foundations and often visited the soldiers at the front lines.
In 2023, the Tymur himself joined the 3rd Assault Brigade. During one of the combat missions in the Bakhmut sector, the soldier was wounded and got temporarily discharged from service.
While undergoing rehabilitation, Tymur took up sports once again, as well as participated in the United States Air Force Trials. In the United States of America, Tymur managed to win the 4th place in powerlifting and two silver medals in two rowing events.
Tymur Leon is in the capital and will soon go to the front. The serviceman is ready to communicate with journalists, both online and offline, by prior arrangement.
For reference: United States Air Force Trials is an adaptive sports competition for wounded members of the United States Air Force and Marine Corps. Members of the Ukrainian national team competed in 11 adaptive sports this year
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Nariman Bilialov, a.k.a. “Isa Akaiev,” was born in Uzbekistan during a period of deportation, but his family returned to their Crimean homeland in 1989. At 24, Bilialov found himself embroiled in a dramatic escape from persecution in 2014, reminiscent of a Hollywood spy thriller. Evading pursuers, he made his way to Ukrainian-controlled territory, where he joined the Dnipro-1 regiment as a volunteer, establishing and leading the Crimea battalion. Alongside his comrades, “Isa Akaiev” fought in key battles like the Battle of Savur-Mohyla and the defense of Mariupol. After demobilization, he immersed himself in civilian life, actively promoting Crimean Tatar culture. But when the war escalated, Bilialov didn’t hesitate to return to the front lines, defending the Kyiv region, Bakhmut, and other hotspots with his unit, comprising Crimeans, Ukrainians, and Kabardians. The ultimate dream for “Isa Akaiev” is to reclaim his home Crimea, armed and determined, from its occupiers.
For reference: Nariman Bilialov remains accessible for interviews, online or offline, by appointment, as he continues his frontline service.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A press briefing titled “Stolen Childhood: russia’s Preparation of Ukrainian Children for War Amid Occupation and Deportation” is set to take place on March 26 at the Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform.
Participants:
– Iryna Suslova, Representative of the Ombudsperson for Children’s Rights in the Office of the Ombudsperson of Ukraine;
– Representative of the Prosecutor General’s Office;
– Olha Skrypnyk, Head of the Board of the Crimean Human Rights Group;
– Mariia Sulialina, Head of the Center for Civil Education “Almenda”;
– Khrystyna Shkudor, “Where Are Our People?” campaign advocacy manager, PR Army NGO.
– Vladyslav Havrylov, research historian at the ‘Where Are Our People?’ PR Army NGO project;
For context: russia is accused of systematically perpetrating war crimes in Ukraine’s temporarily occupied regions. Notably, occupiers are allegedly intentionally militarizing children residing in these areas or forcibly relocating them to russia and belarus territories. Such actions are purportedly part of a calculated strategy by the aggressor nation. Critics argue that russian occupiers are eroding Ukrainian identity among children and assimilating them to address russia’s demographic challenges. This purportedly serves to groom a future “mobilization reserve” for the russian military’s potential involvement in the war against Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In Mykolaiv, the “DREAM Recovery Management Ecosystem for Regional and Local Authorities Presentation” recently took place, backed by the Ministry of Community Development, Territorial and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine, and the DREAM Project Office. The event aimed to rally regional authority figures and local community representatives around leveraging the DREAM ecosystem. Its objectives included showcasing its utility in executing regional recovery and modernization initiatives, as well as reshaping perceptions regarding collaboration with international donors and securing investments for community initiatives.
For reference: The Digital Restoration Ecosystem for Accountable Management (DREAM) serves as a comprehensive state reconstruction management system, streamlining the digital pathway for reconstruction projects and ensuring their transparent and effective execution at national, regional, and local tiers. Positioned as a “one-stop shop” for managing recovery endeavors, DREAM aims to facilitate smoother project execution.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Artem Pohorilyi, a former professional judo practitioner, defied the odds and clinched two silver medals at the United States Air Force Trials 2024, despite losing a limb. His journey began in 2014, amid Russia’s initial attacks on Ukraine. Back then as a Maidan in Poltava participant, he got registered with military service, and afterward, he joined the fight for Ukraine’s east with the outbreak of the full-blown war. In October 2022, during a mission in the Bakhmut sector, Artem was injured by a mortar fire, resulting in the loss of his leg. After extensive surgeries and rehabilitation, he adapted to a prosthetic limb and resumed his passion for sports. Following Artem’s recent return from the United States, where at the United States Air Force Trials 2024, he secured two silver medals in freestyle and breaststroke events, he dove into various sports competitions across Ukraine. Presently, Artem Pohorilyi serves as a methodology instructor at a youth sports school in Poltava while also venturing into entrepreneurship with his own construction business.
For reference: The United States Air Force Trials, an adaptive sports competition catering to wounded members of the U.S. Air Force and Marines, saw the participation of the Ukrainian national team in 11 adaptive sports this year.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
At Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, a group of student innovators is busy producing ground drones designed for frontline evacuation missions, once they’re off the clock. Led by Dmytro Mamonov, a displaced person from Sloviansk, the team’s creation can support up to 120 kilograms and travel over 5 kilometers without needing a recharge. What’s more, it’s built to withstand harsh conditions like snow and mud, crucial for frontline operations. These pioneering evacuation drones, crafted by Kyiv students, have already been deployed to assist the military.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
From March 29 to 30, doctors from Okhmatdyt will be visiting Ladyzhyn, Vinnytsia Oblast, as part of the Health Moneybox project. Over 20 specialized doctors from the Kyiv medical institution will be examining children of military personnel.
Since the early days of the all-out invasion, with over 800 thousand Ukrainians rallying to defend the country, military families have faced the unique challenge of ensuring high-quality and timely medical care for their children while their loved ones serve on the front lines. In response, philanthropists have joined forces with medical professionals to offer comprehensive health examinations for children, as well as assistance with treatment or prevention as needed.
During the press tour, interviews will be available with:
- Olena Dovhal, the spouse of serviceman Volodymyr and mother to four children (two sons and 13-year-old twin daughters Marta and Varvara), is facing a crucial moment. Her eldest son, Illia, is currently on the front lines defending the nation in the AFU, while the youngest, Zakhar, is pursuing military affairs. A large family needs thorough medical evaluation;
- Olha Medvedieva, head of the pediatric department of the Okhmatdyt National Children’s Hospital;
- Okhmatdyt’s specialized doctors;
- Petro Andriyets, Head of Social Projects at the MHP-Gromadi Charitable Foundation;
- Oleksandr Kolomiets, acting mayor of Ladyzhyn.
The event requires accreditation for journalist coverage. The accreditation period extends until 9:00 a.m. on March 28.
For reference: This initiative is a collaboration with the National Children’s Specialized Hospital of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine “Okhmatdyt,” supported by the MHP-Gromadi Charitable Foundation, with assistance from the Ladyzhyn City Council and support from the Children of Heroes Charity Fund.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Olha Kurtmallaieva, 24 years old, majored in finance. The russian federation’s full-scale invasion caught her in her native Berdiansk, Zaporizhia region (now the city is occupied). In the summer of 2022, she left the occupation.
Olha’s husband, Ruslan, has been defending the country since 2014 (he served in the Anti-Terrorist Operation and Joint Forces Operation zone). April 4, 2024 will mark two years since he got captured by the russians during the defense of Mariupol.
Olha is actively fighting for the release of her husband – she is trying to attend every demonstration calling on the release of the prisoners of war. She also co-founded an NGO that helps soldiers of the 501st Separate Naval Infantry Battalion to return home. (Together with other women, they organize rallies, arrange meetings and communicate with representatives of the Ukrainian authorities). And she does all this despite suffering from a serious illness: back in 2021, Olha was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma (cancer of the lymph tissue).
Already during the full-scale war, Olga found out that the disease had progressed from the second stage to the fourth. Doctors link it to great stress. Olha has now undergone 12 courses of chemotherapy. The treatment was very difficult (in particular, she was in the intensive care unit) and the woman had to go through it alone, without her beloved by her side.
Journalists can talk to Olha in Kyiv (in person) or online.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
During the very first days of russian full-scale invasion, Vitalii, a resident of Hostomel, Kyiv region, together with acquaintances organized a remote system for transmitting the coordinates of the russians occupying Hostomel, even though he was outside the city. He collected information on the location and movement of enemy troops online and helped to direct artillery at them. During the occupation of the city, Vitalii recognized the location of the Chechen unit in a video posted on Ramzan Kadyrov’s social media. He sent this information to the Armed Forces of Ukraine so they could destroy it. As a result, Vitalii received a state award.
Journalists can communicate with Vitalii only online.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On March 28, the Every Brick Matters event will be held in Irpin, Kyiv region.
To mark the second anniversary of the city’s de-occupation and the start of community reconstruction, the Irpin City Council is gathering all its Ukrainian and international friends and partners for a solemn event to thank them for their contribution to the revival of the hero city.
The invited guests include: officials of the Office of the President, the Cabinet of Ministers, Kyiv Oblast Military Administration, Bucha District State Administration, ambassadors of Irpin’s partner countries, representatives of international and non-governmental organizations, charitable foundations, volunteers, residents of Irpin.
Rostyslav Smirnov, Co-Founder of Dobrobat and a resident of the destroyed residential complex Irpinski Lypky will address the guests with an opening speech (photos of this building went viral in the whole world, and the complex itself became one of the main locations visited by foreign delegations, and is actively undergoing renovation).
In addition, Irpin Mayor Oleksandr Markushyn will present a detailed report on the reconstruction of the Irpin community within 2 years.
The guests of the event will receive gratitude from the Irpin City Council and special awards – pieces of original bricks from the destroyed residential complex Irpinski Lypky.
The event requires accreditation.
For reference: on March 28, 2022, Irpin was liberated from the russian invaders by joint actions of the Territorial Defense, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Army, and volunteers. The russian army was stopped while it was trying to approach the capital.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A manicurist, an IT expert, a doctor, a finance major, a private entrepreneur, a confectioner or a dancer — this is just a part of the list of professions of Ukrainians working with The Halo Trust international organization. People with a background in various industries take specialized courses and become deminers, that is, they detect and mark explosive objects. Deminers are paid for their work.
As of now, a total of 1,200 Ukrainians are involved in demining efforts in 6 regions: Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, Sumy, Kyiv, Chernihiv and Kherson. Since the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion, 19,000 mines and explosive objects have been discovered with the efforts of The Halo Trust. Three million square meters of territory was cleared of mines (an equivalent of 300 football fields).
Journalists can learn more about the work of The Halo Trust in Ukraine and cover its activities.
For reference: According to the State Emergency Service, 30% of the territory of Ukraine is contaminated by mines.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Myshko Adamchak became a soldier in the russo-Ukrainian war back in 2015 when he joined the Hospitallers volunteer medical as a paramedic. He took a musical instrument — a sopilka (Ukrainian folk woodwind instrument) — with him to the front. After all, music has always been a part of Myshko’s life. Back in 2006, together with his friends, he founded “KoraLLi” band, which he also leads.
After active fighting in the East, Myshko returned to civilian life and concerts with his band. However, with the beginning of the big war, Myshko returned to the battalion again. First, he was in Kyiv region, then in Kharkiv and Kherson regions. In between rescuing the wounded and combat missions, Myshko played the flute for his brothers in arms. The soldier made a video of himself playing a tune – the Hutsul “Arkan” – right in the trenches, and the video went viral. His melody was covered by artists from the U.S., Slovakia and even China.
For reference: Myshko Adamchak is on the front line. The paramedic is ready to communicate with journalists, both online and in person, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Boychuk Academy of Decorative and Applied Arts and Design was damaged in russian shelling on March 25, 2024. The organizers of the cleanup invite everyone to join the first step in the revival of the cultural center. “Boychuk Cleanup” will be supported by Dobrobat NGO, which since the beginning of the full-scale invasion has been involved in clearing the rubble after enemy shelling, as well as the reconstruction in the regions that suffered from the occupation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The UAnimals team (the animal and environment protection movement) came across the story of Hanna Ivanivna on the Internet. Due to the war, the woman was forced to move from her native Mykolaiv to Kyiv. In the new city, she did not surrender to despair and started her own business selling hand-made mice plushies.
Representatives of UAnimals met the craftswoman near the exit from one of the Kyiv metro stations, where she was selling her products for a small price. They agreed on the collaboration “Animalism by UAnimals & Hanna Ivanivna.” Anyone can buy a handmade mouse for UAH 400. With every toy sold, UAH 200 will be used to save animals from war, and another UAH 200 will be paid to Hanna Ivanivna. UAnimals want to inspire and support women with this initiative.
All of Hanna Ivanivna’s mice are already sold out, but you can pre-order them on the website.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The All-Ukrainian Forum entitled “Cultural and Informational Reintegration of the De-Occupied Territories” is a platform enabling development of joint systemic actions for the state, civil society, business and international partners in order to complete the cultural and informational restoration in de-occupied territories.
Panel discussions scheduled for the Forum include:
- State policy for restoring and developing the culture industry in the de-occupied territories;
- Preservation of cultural heritage and historical memory as a tool for restoring Ukrainian identity;
- Forming Ukrainian narratives: information policy in the de-occupied territories;
- Art amidst the war. Countering russian disinformation.
The event requires accreditation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Prior to the invasion, Moisei Bondarenko showcased his musical talents as a professional violinist, even gracing the stage of the Eurovision Song Contest. However, when duty called on February 25, 2022, he answered, transitioning into a combat medic for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Despite the challenges of frontline duty, Moisei continued to share his gift of music with his fellow soldiers, often serenading them with his violin in the evening. His dedication didn’t go unnoticed, as his colleagues willingly covered his shifts to allow him this opportunity. After serving a year in the medical corps, Moisei made a remarkable shift to the infantry, joining the Cultural Forces unit. Now, his mission extends beyond the battlefield as he provides crucial moral and psychological support to his comrades, using music as his tool. Moisei’s performances have taken him to the very edge of danger, with one notable instance seeing him play just 900 meters from baseline. Yet, for him, music remains a source of strength in the midst of war raging.
For reference: Moisei Bondarenko is available for interviews with journalists, both online and offline, with prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
April 4th, showcasing the experiences of teenagers living through war. Produced by the savED Charitable Foundation in collaboration with the kinotonly filmmaking team, the documentary delves into the stories of teens from Kharkiv, Zaporizhia, Mykolaiv, Kakhovka, and Lviv, along with their mentors. In the film, these resilient teenagers share firsthand accounts of surviving a full-scale war and offer insights into their efforts toward Ukraine’s development and reconstruction. (Watch the trailer here).
The documentary has already premiered in venues like London, Oxford, and Cambridge, with Kyiv being the next stop on April 4th.
Ukrainian artist and illustrator Nikita Titov has been enlisted by the savED Foundation to craft posters for the film, adding a visually captivating element to its promotion.
Attendees of the screening will have the unique opportunity to engage with the film’s protagonists and mentors, with Ukrainian actor, screenwriter, and host of the YouTube show ’20:23′ Yevhen Yanovych moderating a discussion after the screening.
Beyond its educational aims, ‘We. The Future’ also serves a charitable purpose. As it travels the globe, the film’s creators and subjects raise funds to support the revival of the Mariupol Lyceum, which was forced to relocate from the occupied city to Kyiv. Today, the Lyceum provides education to hundreds of children from the occupied territories.
Event registration is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In a bid to prevent amputations among Ukrainians injured in Russia’s aggression, the “Save the Limb” national initiative is teaming up with artists. On March 31, Kyiv will host the “Sorrow and Love” charity dinners, with entry granted upon donation.
The evening’s lineup boasts performances by renowned Ukrainian musicians, stand-up comedy by Ramil Yangulov, a DJ set by Bodrov, and a charity auction featuring a photo draw by war documentary filmmakers Konstiantyn and Vladyslava Liberov, aka Libkos.
Attendees will groove to tunes by artists like Dima Libra, GEED (Hidayat Seyidov), and INSHAYA, whose spouse serves in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Headlining the event is HARNA, a talented multi-instrumentalist artist, Ukrainian musician, and former participant of “The Voice of Ukraine 11” and Eurovision 2020’s national selection.
All funds raised at the event will go towards surgeries for the wounded under the “Save the Limb” program of the Health of the Ukrainian People Foundation.
For context: “Save the Limb” stands as one of Ukraine’s premier programs, offering aid to war victims and funding costly limb-saving surgeries not covered by the state. Since its 2022 inception, the program has aided over a thousand Ukrainians.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Leading the charge at the St. Nicholas Clinic is Kostiantyn Mylytsia, a surgeon and co-founder of the Brave Step prosthetic center in Zaporizhia. Established in September 2023, this vital facility was made possible through funding from the Slovak Embassy and a local charity foundation. Prior to its inception, individuals in need of prosthetics within the region had to journey to western Ukraine or seek assistance abroad. Now, they have a lifeline closer to home – the nearest prosthetic center to the front line. Mylytsia stresses the urgency of prompt surgical intervention for wounded soldiers.
At Brave Step, assistance is rendered free of charge to all who seek it. The center’s medical professionals have undergone rigorous training in the United States, Germany, and Austria.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
35-year-old Yuliia Hryhorieva, hailing from Chornobaivka village in the Kherson region, has endured a harrowing ordeal. Prior to the onset of all-out invasion, she diligently served as a junior nurse at a nearby hospital, while also tending to her garden during moments of respite. Miraculously, she emerged alive from the Russian occupation of her homeland.
Following the liberation of a portion of the Kherson Oblast from invaders, on November 23, 2023, Russian forces unleashed a barrage of artillery fire upon residential structures in Chornobaivka. The indiscriminate attack claimed the lives of three innocent civilians and left five others wounded, including Yuliia.
Yuliia got shrapnel raining upon her legs as she traversed her yard when a nearby cluster bomb detonated. She mustered the strength to summon an ambulance, though her prospects seemed bleak as she awaited medical aid. Fortunately, passing Ukrainian soldiers intervened, swiftly evacuating her to Kherson hospital.
Tragically, Yuliia endured the loss of her left leg above the knee due to the severity of her injuries. Additionally, she sustained an open fracture of the fibula in her right leg, necessitating further surgical intervention.
Yuliia accessed the Superhumans Center in Lviv by submitting an online application. Her primary goal is to regain mobility, master her prosthetic limb, and stride with confidence. Recently, she achieved a significant milestone by taking her first steps on the prosthetic device.
For reference: On November 11, 2022, the Armed Forces of Ukraine liberated Chornobaivka village in the Kherson region from occupation forces.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In Kharkiv’s Industrial District, a state-of-the-art underground school catering to 900 students is nearing completion. With the capacity to accommodate 450 pupils per shift, taking time to study in two sessions. Installation of desks and blackboards is already underway, heralding the imminent start of classes.
This innovative educational initiative will afford students the opportunity to engage in offline learning, marking a significant advancement in academic accessibility.
Media outlets are granted access to document the final stages of construction and conduct interviews as necessary.
For reference: Since September 2023, the Kharkiv subway has hosted classrooms for schoolchildren, with over a thousand students currently enrolled.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Valerii Dzeh, a Kharkiv native, initially made his mark as an educator in local kindergartens and development centers. However, his journey took a creative turn when he delved into the world of puppet theater, ultimately co-founding a troupe in his hometown. Their breakthrough came in 2021 with the staging of a Ukrainian-themed play rooted in mythology, sparking the theater to start turning a profit and compensating its actors.
But it was on February 24, 2022, that Valerii’s fate called him to a new stage. Amid the intense Russian bombardment of Kharkiv’s northern neighborhood Saltivka, his mission shifted to humanitarian aid, evacuating vulnerable residents, particularly those with disabilities. Alongside his wife, he traversed the perilous streets, delivering sustenance and medicines to those in need.
With the city liberated in late 2022, Valerii’s resolve intensified. He enlisted in the 59th OMPB as a combat medic and became a part of the Cultural Forces unit. Alongside fellow service members with artistic backgrounds, Dzeh embarked on a mission to bring morale-boosting puppet shows to the recently liberated Kharkiv and Kherson regions. Performing both behind the lines and on the front, Dzeh believes his work plays a crucial role in uplifting the emotional well-being of military personnel.
For reference: Valerii Dzeh stands firm on the front lines, ready to share his story with journalists, online or offline, upon arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The ‘Doctors for Heroes’ charity project is dedicated to assisting both military personnel and civilians who have suffered facial and head injuries, offering vital reconstruction services. To date, the project has aided 107 military individuals and one civilian.
Under this initiative, skilled surgeons and bioengineers generously provide their expertise pro bono, ensuring patients receive essential medical care. However, for the reconstruction of skull bones, specialized implants are required. Recognizing this need, the Eastern Star Charitable Foundation, the driving force behind the project, has committed to covering the costs of producing these implants for each participant. To fund this crucial aspect, the foundation relies on donations, carefully managing the allocation of resources to ensure targeted assistance. Moreover, it offers ongoing support to patients throughout their treatment journey.
Journalists seeking insights into this impactful endeavor can arrange interviews with project organizers, medical professionals, and beneficiaries in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In a pioneering move, Ukraine has launched its first-ever mobile pharmacy, now serving the Kharkiv Oblast. Offering over 1,000 essential medications, this initiative addresses the healthcare needs of rural communities lacking access to brick-and-mortar pharmacies.
Under the state-sponsored “Affordable Medicines” program, residents can obtain select medications either free of charge or at a nominal fee.
The mobile pharmacy’s scheduled arrival is coordinated with local authorities and primary care physicians, ensuring that patients are informed of its planned visits.
Operating with a community-centric approach, the pharmacy’s itinerary is strategically tailored to meet the specific requirements of the communities and the security conditions prevailing in the region.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
12-year-old Yana Stepanenko, who lost both legs in a rocket attack on the railway station in Kramatorsk, will take part in the Boston Marathon. On April 13, the girl will run a 5-kilometer distance on prosthetics to show the whole world the indomitability of the Ukrainian people. Another of Yana’s goals in Boston is charity. She will be raising funds for a sports prosthesis for Andrii Kropyvnytskyi, seriously wounded defender and a patient of the Unbroken Center, who lost a limb in the war.
For the past two months, the girl has been training hard to participate in the Boston Marathon. Yana was invited to participate in it by the American foundation One World Strong, which helps veterans and civilians who suffered as a result of terrorist attacks and hostilities.
On April 4, Yana Stepanenko will hold an open training session for the media in Lviv.
The event in Lviv requires registration.
For reference: on April 8, 2022, as a result of a russian terrorist attack on the railway station in Kramatorsk, Yana Stepanenko lost both legs. The photo of her being carried by the surgeon of the St. Nicholas Children’s Hospital of Lviv’s First Medical Association went viral around the world. Yana received her first prostheses for walking and running in the USA. Last summer, after a year of recovery abroad, she returned to Ukraine. Yana continued her rehabilitation here and already managed to get new artificial limbs for walking from the Unbroken Center’s prosthetic workshops.
The Boston Marathon is one of the largest and most prestigious events in the world. About 30,000 people from all over the world take part in it every year.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On April 4, media representatives and bloggers are invited to the pre-opening of Kostiantyn and Vlada Liberovs’ “Contact Line” exhibition in Kyiv. In particular, there will be an opportunity to ask photographers some questions and receive comments from the first guests of the exhibition: media persons, military personnel and volunteers.
“Contact Line” will open on April 5. The exhibition includes more than 150 documentary photos and videos taken over the past two years in front-line areas and the front lines themselves.
Since the start of the full-scale war, the couple has traveled to the hottest areas of the front, documenting the consequences of russian shelling and the work of the Ukrainian military. So, Kostiantyn spent many hours with the infantry at “the ground zero” and accompanied assault groups on their missions. Some of the photos presented at “Contact Line” exhibition include: “Shell Cemetery in Kharkiv,” “Battle for Bakhmut,” “Winter at the Front. Silver Forest,” “30 Hours at Ground Zero,” “Da Vinci’s Last Assault” and other war series photos. The second part of the exhibition will depict the reality of the civilian population with footage from Marinka, Bakhmut, Soledar, Kherson, Lysychansk, Bucha, Mykolaiv and other Ukrainian cities that suffered as a result of the russian invasion.
Entry to the exhibition requires a donation of UAH 100 or more, and visitors can purchase any work if they wish. Funds collected during the exhibition will be used to purchase 1,000 FPV drones for the military.
The event requires registration.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The rehabilitation center for soldiers fighting for Ukraine along the Zaporizhia axis has started working in the city of Zaporizhia. Specialists of the center provide rehabilitation assistance, psychological counseling and physical therapy services. Ukrainian and foreign partners helped equip the center. In particular, they cooperated with international organizations on the supply of modern robotic equipment. And the Charitable Foundation “Faith in Ukraine” helped with furniture for the wards.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On April 4, Kyiv will host a press conference for the charity event entitled “Spartan KYIV 2024 to support the Defense Intelligence,” The participants will talk about the Spartan KYIV charity race with obstacles, which will take place on April 20, 2024 in the capital. The purpose of the race is to raise funds in support of the Defense Intelligence, as well as for the prosthetics for an injured soldier.
The charity event will feature a special part entitled PARA RACE — a race for athletes with musculoskeletal disorders and amputations. Participants will overcome obstacles and show their strength, fortitude as well as indomitable will and body.
Participants:
– Yevhen Yerin, representative of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry;
– Vitalii Matviienko, representative of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry;
– Oleksii Vovk, representative of Spartan Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Anastasiia Buhera faced the brutal reality of the full-scale Russian invasion alongside her parents in Izium, Kharkiv region. Originally there on vacation from her studies at a Kharkiv university, Anastasiia witnessed firsthand the devastation wrought by the enemy upon the captured city. She meticulously tracked the relentless bombardment, tallying the number of bombs dropped by Russian forces hourly. Every trip for bread was a perilous gamble, as each outing carried the risk of becoming her last. After a harrowing five months under occupation, Anastasiia managed to escape back to government-controlled territory. Upon her return, she received devastating news: her beloved Kostiantyn, who had been defending Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol since February 2022, had been captured by the enemy. Their last conversation took place on April 24, 2022, when Kostiantyn sent her photos and videos, promising his imminent return. Now, Anastasiia waits anxiously for Kostiantyn’s safe return, tirelessly working to keep the plight of those still held captive by Russian forces in the public eye.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In a collaborative effort, plastic surgeons from Canada, the United States, and Ukraine are gearing up for the third installment of the “Face the Future Ukraine” medical mission. It aims to provide reconstructive facial surgery to wounded military personnel and civilians. A total of 30 surgeries are slated to be performed on individuals who have sustained severe mine-blast injuries to their faces and necks. The patients come from various regions of Ukraine and include both military personnel and civilians affected by the war. Led by a team of 15 international specialists, the medical mission follows on the heels of two previous successful endeavors, during which “Face the Future Ukraine” surgeons assisted 60 Ukrainians in need. Notably, all surgeries are provided free of charge.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
From April 6-7, volunteers from the “Brave to Rebuild” project will embark on a mission to clean up debris in Moshchun village and Irpin city, both located in the Kyiv region. Their task? Dismantling the wreckage left behind by buildings ravaged in the wake of Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine.
Media personnel are invited to cover these volunteer-led efforts.
For reference: Fast forward to April 2, 2022, when Ukraine regained full control over the Kyiv region from Russian occupation, followed by the Chernihiv region liberation by April 6, 2022. By April 11, 2022, then Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, proudly announced retaking the state border in the Sumy region.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
After the beginning of the full-scale invasion, about 8,500 Ukrainian children were left without parental care, more than 1,500 became orphans, tens of thousands lost their homes or were forced to relocate. Children’s homes and orphanages in Ukraine are under great pressure today, their resources are exhausted, and access to quality medical care is limited.
As part of the “Little Hearts” project, FRIDA takes care of Children’s homes and orphanages in different parts of Ukraine. Teams consisting of volunteer doctors of different specializations travel to these institutions to examine children and determine if they need medicines, vaccinations, rehabilitation and surgical interventions.
Pediatricians will visit a children’s home in Kyiv region in April.
Media representatives are invited to cover the missions under this project.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Hearing Restoration Department has started working at the Superhumans Center in Lviv. According to the Center, every third military or civilian patient in the institutions has experienced hearing loss and needs specialized help encompassing medical treatment, hearing aids and surgical intervention. That is why, together with the specialists of Vidchuy (Feel) NGO, from now on the Center will help to restore another opportunity lost due to the war.
Within just a few days of the department’s operation, Superhumans specialists examined 32 patients, of whom 7 people needed surgical interventions (tympanoplasty), 2 needed hearing aids, another 2 needed cochlear implants, and 12 were diagnosed with sensorineural hearing loss, which requires constant monitoring.
All the Superhumans Center’s patients with acoustic trauma undergo examinations and remain under the supervision of the Center’s otolaryngologists as well as work with the specialists of Vidchuy NGO, mainly deaf educators and speech therapists.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Anastasiia Shylo was 18 years old when in September 2022 she went to the military recruitment center in secret from her parents and joined the Defense Forces. Anastasiia’s father – a military man – accidentally learned about his daughter’s intentions and tried to change her mind, but Anastasiia insisted. Then the father drove 800 kilometers across the country to give his daughter a convenient uniform, a backpack, hygiene products and food. Anastasiia got into the 14th Mechanized Brigade “Prince Roman the Great”: at first she worked in the rear, later she was transferred closer to the front, where she helped the wounded. And then she joined the medics who evacuate soldiers.
Before the full-scale invasion, Anastasiia Shylo had been practicing karate and had won awards. Currently, she also studies remotely to become a coach.
For reference: Anastasiia Shylo is on the front line. The military woman is ready to communicate with journalists online.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Hlib Stryzhko was persuaded not to sign the contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2021 by his brother, a military officer. However, Hlib still joined the army. When the full-scale invasion began, the soldier was in Mariupol with his brothers in arms. He led the amphibious assault division of the first separate battalion of marines. On April 10, 2022, Hlib was seriously injured when enemy shelling caused the concrete structures above him to collapse. His hip joints, jaw and eyes were damaged. Two days later, Hlib was captured by the russians, who held him captive for 17 days. After a long physical and psychological rehabilitation, Hlib received the group 2 disability status. Currently, Hlib is Head of the Kyiv branch of Veteran Hub.
Hlib Stryzhko is ready to communicate with journalists in Kyiv by prior agreement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Haiane Avakian from Bakhmut found out about her destroyed home from photos of the city in the russian social media. Yuliia Mashuta watched a livestream of her house in Severodonetsk burning down after a rocket hit. Currently, these women are a part of the team of the “Sviy Dim” platform, which collects testimonies by people whose property and homes were destroyed by russia.
“Sviy Dim” is a platform for people who are building the foundation of a new life in Ukraine. Over 600 testimonies have already been published. Most of them are from the people who come from the regions of active hostilities (Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv and Kherson regions as well as others). The platform records russian war crimes related to the destruction of the civilian infrastructure of Ukraine: apartment buildings and detached houses, schools and kindergartens, cultural and sports facilities. Every story is human-centered. Those who lived or worked there share stories of their house, factory or cultural center.
The platform is also creating a database of objects that need restoration. A separate section – reconstruction – tells stories of those who are rebuilding the affected regions right now.
By prior agreement, journalists can talk with Haiane Avakian, Product Development Director of the Abo Agency, who founded the “Sviy Dim” platform, as well as with other people who have shared their testimonies on the platform.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Peaceful demonstrations are planned in at least 15 cities to remind the public of the Ukrainian defenders of Mariupol’s “Azovstal” and other military personnel who are still held captive by the enemy.
On April 6, events will be held in Dnipro, Okhtyrka, Bila Tserkva, Pavlohrad, Vinnytsia, Krolevets and Lviv.
On April 7, rallies are planned in Kyiv, Cherkasy, Kremenchuk, Ovruch, Chernivtsi, Kryvyi Rih, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Odesa.
The events are organized by the families of the POWs from the Mariupol garrison.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
“Hunter” does not disclose his first and last name. Until 2014, he ran his own business. After russia attacked Ukraine for the first time, the man joined the army and served in the East. In the same year, “Hunter” and his brothers in arms were ambushed near Sloviansk. He was wounded, and ended up in the hospital. He returned to civilian life, started his own business, and in 2019 signed a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
When the full-scale invasion started, the serviceman was in Berdiansk, where he received an order to arrive in Mariupol. On February 26, “Hunter” went to Kamianske, and managed to stay there for 12 days. After that, he and his brothers in arms held positions at the dairy plant in Mariupol for 32 days. The defenders did not manage to get out of the enemy encirclement, so they ended up in russian captivity. “Hunter ” admits that in captivity he tried not to forget two things: his identification code and the phone number of his beloved.
For reference: “Hunter” is on the front line. The serviceman is ready to communicate with journalists, both online and offline, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ihor Salii linked his life with military service and sports. He studied at a military university and before the full-scale invasion he signed a contract with the army. In February 2022, Ihor was preparing for the big war, so when it began, he took his family to a safe place, and he himself returned to Kyiv and went to the military enlistment office. Ihor had to take up many positions in his unit: from a rifleman to a platoon commander. His unit worked in the Donetsk and Luhansk sectors, and later he took part in the Kharkiv counteroffensive. In one of the combat missions, Ihor was concussed and found out that he had two tumors that required surgery. Later, the soldier returned to the front line and was wounded. The doctor advised him to take up sports in order to rehabilitate. Ihor has always done sports, but this time, instead of practicing his favorite boxing, he had to learn archery.
In March 2024, the soldier went to the United States to take part in the United States Air Force and Marine Corps Trials, an adaptive sports competition. The athlete brought home two gold medals: in archery and volleyball.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Olha Tymchenko, Head of Communications of Voices of Children Charitable Foundation and children’s writer took a 17-year-old orphan girl, Lera under her care. She was deported by the russians from occupied Nova Kakhovka, Kherson region.
Lera’s town was occupied on the first day of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. A year and a half later, the russians announced an evacuation and took 500 children from Nova Kakhovka to occupied Crimea. The girl stayed there for 2 months, until her grandmother managed to take her from there.
Later, Lera returned to Ukraine-controlled territory herself. She went through occupied Melitopol, Berdiansk, Mariupol, and then through russia. She had to go through all that to arrive at the only open checkpoint on the Ukrainian-russian border in Sumy region.
After her return, the girl received consultations from a psychologist at the Voices of Children, where she met Olha Tymchenko.
Journalists have the opportunity to talk with Olha and Lera in Kyiv by prior agreement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ivan Shostak, who initially served in the 79th Air Assault Brigade during the Russian-Ukrainian war of 2015, returned to civilian life after his contract ended.
However, when the all-out invasion escalated in 2022, he reenlisted and was injured, resulting in blindness during a mission in the Bakhmut sector. Following rehabilitation, Shostak immersed himself in pottery, mastering the craft within four months. He now produces clay items adorned with his personal logo and slogan, “Nobody but us,” which he markets through exhibitions and social media. Shostak aims to gather funds for specialized education and hopes to launch a massage parlor in his hometown of Vinnytsia.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Andrii Badarak, a veteran who served on the front lines from 2015 through volatile areas like Zaitseve, Zolote, and Shyrokyne, endured a life-altering injury in 2016 when he was struck by a mine near Shyrokyne, sustaining severe injuries to his lungs and spine.
Despite the setback, Badarak’s resilience shone through as he joined Ukraine’s national team for the Invictus Games in 2019, competing in swimming and archery at Invictus Game The Hague 2020 event. His dedication paid off as he clinched the top spot in the 50-meter backstroke, surpassing his previous performance.
In 2021, Badarak achieved the prestigious title of Master of Sports in Swimming at the Ukrainian Swimming Championships for individuals with musculoskeletal disorders. Demonstrating his commitment to giving back, he transitioned to a coaching role in 2023, serving as an assistant swimming coach for the Invictus Games national team, and mentoring young boys facing similar challenges.
Journalists seeking to interview Badarak can reach him either in person in the Rivne region or via online platforms.
In Ukraine, preparations are underway for the 2025 Invictus Games as the selection process for the Ukrainian national team kicks off. Starting April 8, eligible candidates can register to vie for a spot on the team set to represent Ukraine at the prestigious event in Vancouver-Whistler, Canada. Journalists interested in learning more about this initial phase of the selection process can obtain additional details.
For reference: The Invictus Games stand as the premier international gathering for veterans and military personnel who have endured injuries, trauma, or illnesses during their service, underscoring the resilience and spirit of these individuals.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The initiative, spearheaded by the philanthropic organization Cultural Forces of Ukraine, serves as a nexus for cultural and educational endeavors, catering to residents who endured the tumultuous Russian occupation. Within the House of Imagination, patrons can engage in a spectrum of activities fostering creativity and focus, including workshops and meditation sessions, with a primary focus on enriching the youth. “Our mission is twofold: to provide psychological support to those affected by the occupation and to promote Ukrainian culture. Today, we reaffirm our commitment to revitalizing Ukrainian arts, music, and culture,” stated Serhii Martyniuk, co-coordinator of the Cultural Forces of Ukraine Charity Foundation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oleksandr Popyk was a biker before the war, as he loves speed and motorcycles. Back in 2014, he volunteered to the front. In October 2022, he was injured during an assault operation: he suffered a spinal cord injury. He lost the ability to walk and ended up in a wheelchair.
Oleksandr became one of the people to take advantage of free interior design consultations. He received help from representatives of the “Active Rehabilitation Group” whose work is supported by the “League of the Strong” union (the “We Unite and Help amidst the War” project).
Among other things, Oleksandr received help with the new bathroom design, particularly specific drawings. Then Oleksandr made renovations on his own. They also discussed issues related to the design of the adjacent territory.
In total, 52 people with disabilities received free consultations on interior design as a part of the project “We Unite and Help amidst the War.”
Journalists have an opportunity to learn more about the implementation of the project and receive comments from specialists in Kyiv, as well as to talk to Oleksandr in Kyiv region.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Yevhen Sosnovsky is a photographer who lived in occupied Mariupol for over two months. The photographer took the first series of photos depicting russia’s full-scale invasion at the beginning of March: he filmed the shelled area in which he lived, the destruction and people leaving their homes. Among other things, Yevhen filmed how people melted snow to get water. He also had to treat his relatives’ injuries. To get out from under occupation, he and his wife had to go through over 25 roadblocks.
Journalists have the opportunity to talk to Yevhen in Kyiv.
For reference: the defense of Mariupol lasted 86 days. On May 20, 2022, Mariupol was occupied by the russians.
The human rights organization Human Rights Watch estimated the number of people killed during russian shelling of civilians in Mariupol to be at least 8,000. Thousands of people were injured: they lost limbs, sight, hearing or memory due to craniocerebral injuries caused by explosions. According to Human Rights Watch estimates, about 400,000 residents out of the pre-war population of 540,000 people had fled Mariupol by mid-May 2022.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The community cleanup will be held on April 13 and 14. The event is organized by the Danish urbanist, designer and the creator of the garden Mikael Colville-Andersen. Volunteers are invited to join the cleanup of the area, where a therapeutic garden is to be created in the future. During the event, the territory will be cleaned of garbage and prepared for the future garden.
A therapeutic garden is a specially designed environment that can provide healing, comfort and a sense of security for those who have experienced the stress of war.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
FRIDA Ukraine’s largest medical volunteer mission is once again preparing to go to Kherson, Donetsk, Zaporizhia and Chernihiv regions as well as other oblasts, whose residents have been cut off from access to high quality medical care. In particular, 4 such missions are planned for April, and five for May.
The closest consultations will be held in Kherson and Donetsk regions: April 12-14 and April 20-21, respectively.
The team members themselves set up field clinics on site, where they conduct physical examinations and consultations as well as diagnose illnesses. If necessary medical volunteers do surgeries and provide free medicine to vulnerable categories of the civilian population, in particular, children who suffered from the full-scale invasion and occupation.
The media representatives are invited to join these missions.
For reference: During the 2 years of its existence, the FRIDA Ukraine medical volunteer mission made about 100 trips to the frontline and de-occupied areas.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Maryna and Mykola are both military; they met in 2019 in the army. The woman had two daughters from a previous marriage — Olena and Oleksandra. Mykola also has a daughter named Milana. At first, the family lived in Mariupol, Donetsk region (now the city is occupied), then they moved to Berdiansk, Zaporizhia region (now the city is occupied).
The couple served in the Azov brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine. In 2020, Mykola resigned from the Azov and joined the Marines. Maryna’s contract ended in November 2021, but she did not want to leave her brothers in arms.
When the full-scale invasion began, Maryna, along with other Azov defenders of Mariupol ended up at the Azovstal plant (i.e. Iron and Steel Works where fierce battles with the enemy took place in the spring of 2022). Mykola wanted to switch with Marina and go to Azovstal instead of her. The woman persuaded him not to do this because at the checkpoint, the russians shot three guys who were on their way to meet their girlfriends, and many others who broke through to the plant went missing. Even then, Maryna understood that she and other military personnel were unlikely to get out of the Azovstal alive. And she asked her husband to take care of her daughters. On May 8, 2022, the woman died in a fire at the Azovstal.
Now Mykola is fighting for the right to adopt his deceased wife’s daughters and give them a happy future. He is purchasing a three-room apartment for the girls in the Kyiv region so they can live together as a family.
With the help of the Children of Heroes Fund, Maryna’s daughters received gifts and visited a rehabilitation camp, which helped them to distract themselves from terrible memories and disturbing thoughts.
For reference: the defense of Mariupol lasted 86 days. Following the order of the command, the Ukrainian defenders stopped putting up the defense, left Azovstal, and surrendered to the enemy. On May 20, 2022, Mariupol was occupied by russia.
The Children of Heroes Charity Fund supports children who have lost one or both parents due to russia’s full-scale invasion. The fund offers financial aid as well as psychological and legal support. The organization helps these children with education and development until they reach adulthood.
As of the beginning of February, 7,889 wards are under the care of the Fund. Of them, 1,062 are IDPs, 151 children have lost their mother and father, 177 are children with disabilities, and 970 are children from large families. Every week, about 80 children are included in the list of recipients of the fund’s help. Among the fund’s children, 88% are kids of military personnel, while the remaining 12% are civilians.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In 2022, the Koval family’s farm, Pani Jupiter, boasted over three hundred cows and a staff of twelve. However, when the full-scale invasion struck, their farm in the village of Khotimlia, Kharkiv region, fell under occupation.
Andrii Koval swiftly organized a refuge in the farm’s basement to shield fellow villagers from rocket assaults. Even now, families with children in Khotimlia owe their survival to the farm’s generosity, offering free milk and freshly baked bread from its staff. The farm, powered by a separate family-owned generator, maintained electricity, and occasionally, even cell phone reception was possible.
Andrii was seized by the occupiers, who were going to take him to a torture basement. The man narrowly evaded capture by running for his life. The Ukrainian Armed Forces liberated Khotimlia in September 2022. Presently, the farm is grappling with the aftermath of its harrowing ordeal, yet it remains distant from its pre-war production capacity. Pani Jupiter’s priorities entail reviving the confectionery and cheese-making school, alongside forging partnerships with local villagers, whom the Koval family intends to procure fruits and berries from.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
During the press briefing, officials from the Ukrainian Ministry of Veterans Affairs and the National Military Memorial Cemetery will address inquiries regarding the ongoing construction of the National Military Memorial Cemetery. They will also showcase all relevant permits.
Participants:
– Farhad Farhadov, Deputy Minister for Veterans Affairs of Ukraine;
– Yaroslav Starushchenko, Deputy Director of the National Military Memorial Cemetery;
– Oleksandr Krasnolutskyi, Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine.
All in person.
For reference: The designated sites for the National Military Memorial Cemetery, as determined by the state, are situated within the Hatne territorial community of the Fastiv district, Kyiv region. These sites are in proximity to the village of Markhalivka and the Southern Cemetery (Vita Poshtova). The combined area spans over 265 hectares, with more than 120 hectares earmarked for burial grounds and essential infrastructure to facilitate dignified interments.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Five child-friendly spaces recently sprouted in Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, bringing the total count to 27 scattered across Zaporizhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, and Donetsk regions. It’s a tag-team effort between the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Ukraine and the NGO Responsible Citizens.
These sanctuaries offer a snug and secure setting where families with kids can team up with psychologists, art therapists, and speech therapists. Social workers and legal eagles also swoop in to aid families in tackling sticky situations. And for those kiddos hungry for knowledge, select spaces dish out classes designed to jazz up their understanding of core subjects, all while having a blast.
Covering every corner, mobile psychosocial support units are on the move throughout all four regions. Psychologists, social workers, art therapists, and a backup crew of lawyers and speech therapists trek to far-flung communities, extending a hand to those lacking local resources.
IDP families and locals alike are cordially welcome to swing by these spaces.
Journalists have the opportunity to delve deeper into the spaces and cover their functionality, with prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Olha was an operating room nurse at the Department of Surgery in Hospital No. 555 in Mariupol. Russia’s full-scale invasion caught her while in Mariupol: she was helping to rescue wounded soldiers and civilians (including children). At that time, the medics did not even have time to sleep.
The enemy bomb hit the hospital on March 16, 2022. (The woman was in the operating room at the moment of the attack. The blast wave blew away her and her colleagues). The next day, the nurse was sent to the Ilich Iron and Steel Works together with other doctors. Under extremely tough conditions, in a bunker, they had to do, among other things, bandages and amputations, and doctors even performed open brain neurosurgery.
On April 12, 2022, the nurse and other doctors were taken prisoner. Olha was held in occupied Olenivka, Russian Taganrog, Valuiky, and Kursk, among other places. She was held in captivity for six months. The woman faced humiliation, interrogations, physical and psychological pressure.
Journalists seeking to interview Olha can reach her either in person in Kyiv.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Stanislav Onyshchuk, hailing from Ivano-Frankivsk, initially launched his business with a solo cosmetology center. Later, in collaboration with German investors, he established a plastic surgery clinic. However, with the onset of the full-blown invasion, Onyshchuk made a pivotal decision: transforming the facility into a volunteer surgical hospital, where wounded soldiers receive treatment at no cost.
According to Onyshchuk, the German investors swiftly agreed to reconfigure the hospital, leaving only the task of assembling a team of volunteer doctors. Fortunately, medical professionals from across Ukraine stepped up to offer their services pro bono. Today, the hospital in Prykarpattia not only provides essential treatment to injured soldiers but also facilitates their rehabilitation process.
The entrepreneur has additionally established a polyclinic offering free medical care to internally displaced persons.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Peaceful demonstrations are slated across at least 15 cities to advocate for the Azovstal defenders in Mariupol and other military personnel still held captive by the enemy.
On April 13, gatherings will occur in Dnipro, Okhtyrka, Pavlohrad, Vinnytsia, and Krolevets.
On April 14, rallies are scheduled in Kyiv, Kremenchuk, Ovruch, Chernivtsi, Kryvyi Rih, Ternopil, Odesa, Rivne, and Truskavets.
These events are spearheaded by the families of POWs from the Mariupol garrison.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Since the fall of 2019, Nataliia Haietska has been the head of the “Mariupol Zero Waste” initiative group, which includes “Eco Gurt” (eco team) environmental NGO. She has also been an activist in Mariupol. Her activity began with large waste sorting centers in Mariupol. Her team also introduced waste sorting in about 100 housing co-ops of the city. In 2020, the team engaged in environmental education for adults, children and students. They held the first eco-festival in Mariupol and launched a project to implement waste sorting and composting in Mariupol hospitality establishments and parts of Pryazovia area. Their plans were to cover the entire hospitality industry of the region.
Nataliia was caught by russia’s full-scale invasion in Mariupol. She could not leave in the first days because of sick parents. The woman had to survive under the siege for three weeks – under shelling and bombing. Upon receiving help, together with her parents, she was evacuated to Zaporizhia. Then they got to Lviv by evacuation train.
Despite the war, Nataliia together with her colleagues from Kherson in 2022 implemented an international project on making the hospitality sector of Ukraine greener. In 2023 it was scaled up to the current project “Restoration and Modernization of Hospitality Establishments Based on Zero Waste & Climate Friendly Principles for the Sustainable Development of Ukrainian Communities.”
Nataliia is available for interviews in Lviv offline or online by appointment.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Hailing from Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast in western Ukraine, the 11th grader delved into directing at the tender age of 10. His journey began when his grandmother sent him an old camera from overseas, and his older brother imparted basic shooting skills. Establishing his presence on YouTube, Oleksandr launched his own channel to showcase his creations, including his debut short film, “The Adventures of St. Nicholas,” a collaborative effort with fellow villagers
Driven by a desire to spotlight Ukrainian defenders, Oleksandr, and his team sought financial backing from city officials to produce their latest venture, “Decision Day.” The film chronicles the story of a volunteer confronting a foreign invasion, only to return home to defend his homeland. With funding secured, the teenage filmmaker and his crew embarked on an intensive month-long shooting schedule.
Following relentless dedication, Oleksandr orchestrated a successful screening of “Decision Day.” Despite the demands of school, the young filmmaker persists in balancing his academic pursuits with his cinematic endeavors.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
At Sumy National Agrarian University, seven ambitious young women are breaking stereotypes as they pursue degrees in agricultural engineering at the Faculty of Engineering and Technology. Alongside their male counterparts, these students are mastering the operation of tractors and combines.
Upon completing both theoretical instruction and practical training in agricultural machinery operation, these pioneering women will be awarded A1 category licenses, permitting them to operate tractors with engines up to 73.5 kW. With an eye toward further honing their skills, they plan to continue refining their expertise.
Journalists interested in covering these groundbreaking classes and interviewing the students can arrange access in advance.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the full-scale war, Olha Leus worked at an administrative service center in Mariupol. She was raising two sons: They are 10-year-old Hera and 16-year-old Mykhailo. Olha’s husband Volodymyr worked at the Azov Shipyard, and shortly before February 24, 2022, at the port.
Despite the escalating concerns about wider war, the family initially chose to remain in Mariupol, hoping for a swift expulsion of the invaders. However, as the situation worsened and the city became blockaded, evacuation became impossible.
Olha experienced relentless russian shelling and bombing for 11 consecutive days, culminating in tragedy on March 20, 2022, when her younger son sustained injuries from an enemy shell hitting their home, leaving him with leg wounds. A week later, her husband tragically passed away after leaving the house and never returning. His body was discovered by his mother-in-law and laid to rest in a local green space that once served as a sports ground.
It wasn’t until April 15, 2022, that Olha and her family were able to escape Mariupol. Following their displacement, the Children of Heroes Charitable Foundation stepped in to provide support, with Olha eventually joining as a specialist in aiding affected families. Meanwhile, her eldest son aspires to become a psychotherapist, aiming to assist those scarred by the horrors of war.
Journalists seeking to speak with Olha can arrange interviews in the Kyiv region.
For reference: After enduring 86 days of fierce defense, Mariupol fell under russian occupation on May 20, 2022. Human Rights Watch reports a staggering civilian death toll of at least 8,000 due to russian shelling, with thousands more suffering life-altering injuries, including amputations, blindness, deafness, and memory loss, often stemming from traumatic brain injuries caused by explosions. By mid-May 2022, approximately 400,000 residents had fled Mariupol, significantly reducing the pre-war population of 540,000.
In the wake of this devastation, the Children of Heroes organization steps in to aid children who have lost one or both parents in the war. The foundation offers financial assistance, psychological and legal support, and advocates for the education and development of these children as they transition into adulthood.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Kyiv has recently kicked off an equine therapy program catered to both female and male veterans, including those in wheelchairs.
This holistic approach, known as hippotherapy, utilizes interactions with horses to enhance both physical and psychological well-being.
The initiative, titled “Equine Assisted Therapy for Veterans and Wounded,” aims to accommodate 30 participants over a three-month period from April to June 2024. Notably, participation in the program is free of charge.
For reference: This project is spearheaded by the NGO “Union of Wounded Military of Ukraine ‘Strong 300’,” in collaboration with the Veterans Reintegration Program supported by IREX and the US Department of State.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On April 18, the Irpin Lyceum No. 1 in the Kyiv region will mark a significant milestone as it unveils its new solar power plant. A roof converted into a solar powerhouse, a testament to resilience following war-induced damages, is a result of collaborative efforts between the German Solar Association (BSW), a charitable foundation, and the Energy Act for Ukraine campaign. Comprising 64 solar panels boasting a 25.6 kW capacity, alongside a 40 kWh energy storage system, this initiative places the educational institution among the ranks of energy-independent schools as part of the 100SolarSchools campaign.
Following devastating rocket and artillery fire in the spring of 2022, which left the lyceum’s facade, walls, roof, windows, and infrastructure in disrepair, this solar undertaking signifies a step towards recovery and sustainability. Not only will the system provide up to four hours of autonomous operation based on consumption needs, but it will also contribute to covering 25% of the school’s annual energy consumption. Moreover, it promises annual savings in electricity costs and a reduction in CO2 emissions, underscoring its dual environmental and economic benefits.
For reference: Irpin Lyceum No. 1 roof outfitted with hybrid solar panels is a pivotal component of the broader 100SolarSchools campaign, aimed at outfitting 100 schools across Ukraine with renewable energy solutions, as spearheaded by the Energy Act for Ukraine Foundation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Soldier Karma, withholding her identity for safety, fled Luhansk in 2014 with her young daughter amidst militant occupation. A routine visit to her parents in 2016 turned into over three years of enemy detainment after she was accused of associating with detained football ultras. Despite her captivity, Karma’s daughter remained with her parents.
Finally, on December 29, 2019, Karma, alongside 75 others, was freed and returned home. Following rehabilitation, she resumed her studies, earning her diploma. A year later, she resolved to enlist in the Ukrainian Defense Forces.
While Karma maintains contact with her family, who still reside in the occupied territory with her daughter, she remains committed to her military service.
Furthermore, she is stationed on the front lines and open to engaging with journalists online.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
This top-tier protection level 4 bomb shelter will provide refuge for up to 400 people in the event of a missile threat. Equipped with a generator to ensure power continuity, the shelter boasts a main room along with 10 additional rooms. Notably, it features a lift for individuals with restricted mobility. Furthermore, provisions including water, food, and fuel are stocked to sustain occupants for a month of continuous habitation.
Construction progress stands at an impressive 90%, signaling the imminent readiness of this crucial facility.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
During russia’s initial aggression against Ukraine in 2014, Halyna Klempouz was still a student but quickly immersed herself in volunteer work. In 2016, she decided to enlist in the military, undertaking various roles before specializing in aerial reconnaissance. However, her military service was cut short a year later due to personal tragedy—the loss of her father, and the need to care for her mother. Despite her eagerness to join the fight when full-scale invasion loomed, Halyna made a promise to her boyfriend, a defender of Mariupol, to remain in the rear until his safe return. Unfortunately, he was captured by russian forces alongside fellow Azovstal defenders, redirecting Halyna’s efforts toward advocating for Ukrainian prisoners. Today, she serves as a communication officer for the Association of Azovstal Defender’s Families.
For reference: The defense of Mariupol lasted 86 grueling days, with Ukrainian forces eventually ceasing resistance and surrendering to the enemy on May 20, 2022, resulting in russian occupation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the full-scale invasion, Andrii Pentsak worked as a physical therapist. He headed the rehabilitation department in the network of medical centers in Kyiv and helped Ukrainian defenders recover. With the beginning of the big war, Andrii joined the Hospitallers Medical Battalion (a volunteer organization of paramedics), but later he was mobilized to the 38th separate marine infantry brigade as a combat medic.
In October 2023, Andrii and his brothers in arms came under mortar fire in Kherson region. In the enemy shelling the soldier’s leg got crushed, and his Achilles tendon was damaged. In total, the man underwent 10 operations, was treated in 3 cities of Ukraine, and is currently in Lviv’s Unbroken center. Doctors predict that Andrii will be able to fully restore his walking ability. The veteran himself dreams of returning to work as a physical therapist to help people.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Svitlana Trubachova is from Luhansk region. She is the mother of two children: 11-year-old Ihor and 5-year-old Polina. Svitlana’s husband, Volodymyr, served in Ukraine’s Border Guard Service for 18 years. The last time the woman saw her beloved was on February 24, 2022, when he left for work. And at the beginning of March, Troitske village, where the family lived, was occupied by russian troops. The russian soldiers started coming to Svitlana’s house, took the woman away for questioning, and even searched her. They also burned down all the clothes of her husband.
On April 13, 2022, Volodymyr died near Lysychansk. He was buried in Dnipro, and Svitlana could not even go to the funeral, because she was in the occupied territory. She managed to leave Luhansk region only in the summer, and the first thing she did was visit her husband’s grave. And then she went to Kyiv with her children.
Currently, Svitlana works at a center that helps children with autism spectrum disorders. She entered the university and is studying to become a psychologist. Svitlana also runs fundraisers for the Border Guard Service, because she wants other parents to return to their children.
By prior agreement, journalists have the opportunity to talk with Svitlana in Kyiv.
For reference: The Children of Heroes Charity Fund takes care of this family. The fund helps children who lost one or both parents as a result of russia’s full-scale invasion. The fund also provides financial assistance, psychological and legal support, facilitates education and development of children until they reach adulthood.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before russia’s full-scale invasion, Viktor Litovchenko served in the special forces. At the beginning of the big war, Viktor was drafted into the military. His unit operated in Kharkiv region, and together with his brothers in arms, the man searched for enemy positions. On May 7, 2022, Viktor was seriously injured. Then he was evacuated, and later Viktor underwent his first surgery in Kharkiv. At that moment, the doctors told Viktor that it was unlikely that he would restore his walking ability. Relatives helped the veteran to come to terms with the new reality: within two months of rehabilitation, he managed to master a wheelchair and began to take care of himself without help. Later, Viktor joined the “Group of Active Rehabilitation” NGO in Volyn region and became an instructor for those who are just learning to use a wheelchair – both civilians and military personnel.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ismail Kurt-Umer is a singer and member of the Song and Dance Ensemble of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In 2013 and 2014, Ismail studied at the capital conservatory. During the Revolution of Dignity, Ismail went to Crimea on vacation and saw with his own eyes how russia occupied the peninsula. After returning to Kyiv, Ismail decided to join the Armed Forces. Together with the Ensemble, the man often visited the military in the East of Ukraine, but after the start of the full-scale invasion, the concerts stopped, as it became dangerous for a large crowd of people to gather in one place.
Since then, the Ensemble has begun working on music videos congratulating the soldiers with various holidays to support the spirits and morale of the military. The Ensemble dedicated one of the videos to the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr: the musicians congratulated Muslims both in Ukraine and abroad. The clip was very positively received in Muslim countries, and Saudi Arabia even allocated USD 100 million for humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
Ismail believes that after Ukraine’s victory, the Ukrainian flag will fly over Crimea again, and there will be Crimean Tatar autonomy on the peninsula.
Journalists have the opportunity to talk with the serviceman in Kyiv.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oleh, Yaroslav, Hlib, and their grandmother Oleksandra left their native village of Hnutove, which was one of the first settlements to experience the horror of a full-scale Russian offensive. Seeking salvation, the family went to Mariupol, but later it was besieged by Russians. Later, there was no electricity, gas, water, or service. The children and their grandmother had to survive literally. They stayed in the basement for two months. They managed to escape the occupation in their native village by being subjected to filtration in the notorious camp system. Thanks to donors, the Voices of Children Charity Foundation bought a house for a family in the Kyiv region.
In 2017, Oleh became the protagonist of the Danish director’s documentary The Distant Barking of Dogs, which told the story of Ukrainians on the front line that was shortlisted among 15 candidates for the 2019 Oscars in the Best Documentary Feature.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
American playwright Richard Nelson came to the capital’s Theater on Podil to support the Ukrainian theater and its fans. The director and screenwriter will work in Kyiv for over two months. During this time, he plans to create a play based on his own script with the actors of the Theater on Podil, hold master classes for Ukrainian artists, and learn more about Ukraine. His Ukrainian diary will be published in The Guardian.
Also, during his stay in Ukraine, the playwright will present his own play “Conversations in Tusculum”.
At the press conference on April 22, Richard Nelson will announce his master classes at the Theater on Podil and share his impressions of working in Ukraine during the war.
Participants:
- Richard Nelson, American playwright and director;
- Bohdan Beniuk, Artistic Director of the Kyiv Academic Drama Theater in Podil;
- Roman Halaimov, an actor of the Kyiv Academic Drama Theater in Podil, who plays the main role in Richard Nelson’s play;
All in person.
For reference: Richard Nelson is an American playwright, writer, screenwriter, director and teacher, winner of the Tony Awards and a number of other theater awards. His works include about 50 productions, 10 film scripts and radio plays. He staged some of the most famous plays in London (Royal Shakespeare Company), Paris (Theater du Soleil), New York (Playwrights Horizons, Old Globe, The Public Theater), Chicago (Goodman Theater).
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On April 22, courses in computer diagnostics for women who have found themselves in difficult life circumstances will start in Kyiv. In particular, these are women who experienced domestic violence or suffered from war (those who had to leave their homes, lost their jobs, survived the occupation).
A total of 10 participants will be enrolled. During the selection process those with driving experience, basic knowledge of the structure and operation of the car and women planning to connect their work with computer diagnostics were given preferences.
The course is basic and will include one theoretical lesson and two in-depth practical ones.
By prior agreement, on Wednesday (April 24), journalists have the opportunity to cover a practical session at one of the capital’s service stations.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Strongman Federation of Ukraine invites media representatives to “Kyiv Unbreakable” sports and wellness event for war veterans, which will be held in Kyiv on April 28. For security reasons, the venue for the event will be announced later.
The event is to feature the following events: bench press for 3 reps max, strongman/invastrong competition, rowing on the “Concept-2” exercise machine, archery.
The primary objective of the event is to enhance patriotic spirit within society by engaging military personnel, security force representatives, veterans with injuries, and their family members in sports activities.
Journalists are required to register for the event.
For reference: The event is organized by the Strongman Federation of Ukraine and the Department of Youth and Sports of the Kyiv City State Administration.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the full-scale invasion, Mariupol resident Mykhailo Konyk had set up his own apiary in the city. He took care of 40 hives. On February 24, 2022, when russia began destroying the city, Mykhailo and his family hid in the basement where they stayed for several days to protect themselves from heavy shelling. Mykhailo received a concussion. In the end, the family managed to move to Ternopil oblast, and later to Mykhailo’s native region – Khmelnytskyi oblast. He knew that one of the forest farms in the region had an apiary. So, he turned to its director and offered his help. The apiary was in a bad condition, but Mykhailo managed to improve its operation, he even got about two tons of honey. After that, Mykhailo went to Kamianets-Podilskyi and now he is taking care of another abandoned apiary. Mykhailo works as a consultant and helps to restore the production of honey.
Mykhailo’s 40 hives remained in Mariupol; he could not take them out. The man dreams of returning to Ukrainian Mariupol to start rebuilding the apiary in the city destroyed by the russians.
For reference: the defense of Mariupol lasted 86 days. On May 20, 2022, Mariupol was occupied by the russians. The human rights organization Human Rights Watch estimated civilian casualties caused by the russian shelling of Mariupol to amount to at least 8,000. Thousands of people were injured: they lost limbs, sight, hearing or memory, particularly, as a result of craniocerebral injuries caused by the explosions. Also, according to Human Rights Watch estimates, out of the pre-war population of 540,000 people, about 400,000 residents had fled Mariupol by mid-May 2022.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In the early days of the all-out war, russian forces seized control of Krasiatychi village in the Kyiv region, where Nadiia Smyrnova resided. Nadiia, alongside her mother and 9-year-old son Sashko, remained in the village. The invaders ransacked their home, even attempting to detonate a grenade, putting the family’s lives at risk. Sashko’s grandmother bravely intervened, shielding her loved ones from harm, despite facing the barrel of russian machine guns. Surviving nearly a month under occupation, the ordeal left a lasting impact on Sashko, who vividly recalls the harrowing experiences shared with his mother and grandmother.
At the onset of the full-blown war, Sashko’s father voluntarily served in defense of Ukraine. Tragically, on August 29, 2022, he fell victim to a russian mine in the Donetsk region. Now, the family receives support from the Children of Heroes charity foundation.
Journalists seeking to interview Nadiia in the Kyiv region must arrange it in advance.
For reference: As of April 2, 2022, the Kyiv region has been completely liberated from russian occupation.
Children of Heroes Charity Fund aids youngsters who’ve lost one or both parents due to russia’s large-scale invasion, offering financial aid, psychological and legal assistance, and fostering their educational and personal growth until adulthood.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oleksandr Tkachuk, a former counterintelligence officer with the Security Service of Ukraine, has a compelling tale. Since 2014, amidst russia’s initial assault on Ukraine, Tkachuk dedicated himself to service in the war-torn regions. However, after four years, he made the decision to depart from his government role, going into the civilian sector. Tkachuk found himself immersed in the realm of IT, while his wife, Yana, pursued a career as a 3D designer.
As the full-blown invasion unfolded, the couple relocated their son to the western part of the country before returning to the capital to join the city’s defense efforts as volunteers. Following the expulsion of russian forces from the Kyiv region, Oleksandr and Yana embarked on a new venture: crafting ethnic clothing. With minimal savings, the pair resettled in Ivano-Frankivsk and launched their business from the ground up. Securing essential equipment required Oleksandr to seek assistance from the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation, where he successfully obtained a grant to kickstart their undertaking. Simultaneously, Yana also pursued a government grant to support their entrepreneurial aspirations.
Embroidered shirt production hit full stride in 2023. Since then, the couple has upgraded from their modest space to a larger facility and expanded with two stores in Kyiv and another in Lviv. Presently, the company boasts a staff of ten, which includes demobilized soldiers.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On March 22, 2022, near Izyum in the Kharkiv region, russian forces shot down an SU-24M plane piloted by Oleksii Kovalenko and navigator Serhii Verbytskyi. While Verbytskyi managed to survive and reach an evacuation point, he remained unaware of his partner’s fate. Major Kovalenko was initially considered missing due to the russian occupation of the area. It wasn’t until the liberation of the Kharkiv region that it was confirmed Kovalenko had been killed, allowing his family closure. In 2023, both Serhii Verbytskyi and Oleksii Kovalenko were posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine.
In October 2022, the Museum of War spearheaded an expedition into the reclaimed territories of the Kharkiv region, aiming to gather artifacts and immortalize russia’s atrocities in Ukraine. Among the items collected were fuel tanks, flight instruments, and a parachute from the downed plane, along with personal effects donated by Oleksii Kovalenko’s family. Retrieving the wreckage initially seemed improbable.
However, this year, Viacheslav Skoriak, an officer of the 10th Army Corps, in collaboration with the Come Back Alive Foundation, orchestrated the transfer of the legendary Su-24M bomber to the Museum. The aircraft is now prominently showcased at the Memorial Complex.
Journalists are invited to witness the plane wreckage and other recovered war relics, access expedition photos, and engage in discussions with its participants.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The “Rehabilitation in the Carpathians” project was created as a part of the “Psychological support for women defenders” project of the Zemliachky NGO. Its purpose is to restore the mental and emotional health of military women. The initiative is open to all female defenders.
According to the organizers, the project gives women the opportunity to reboot, rest and spend time in a safe place surrounded by their people (“tribe” effect). It is also an opportunity to spend time alone with nature.
Preference in the formation of the group is given to military women who were held in captivity, as well as defenders who have worked in the combat zone for a long time, because they are the ones who need support and the opportunity to recover the most.
As part of the project, 5 groups have already undergone rehabilitation in the Carpathians, and the sixth group is set to start in the near future as well.
Journalists are welcome to learn more about the peculiarities of covering the initiative.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The future Mykolaiv School No. 48 will become one of the most modern educational institutions in the south of Ukraine. Before the war, 690 children had studied here, and after the reconstruction, its capacity will double to 1,326 students. According to the architects, the top priorities of the team working on the project were energy efficiency, a human-centered approach and the ergonomic design.
The territory of the new school is to be 17,500 square meters, and its building is designed for 49 classrooms. The premises will also have 3 open classrooms in gazebos with solar panels for conducting master classes in the open air, a greenhouse for growing plants and recreation areas for junior and senior schoolchildren. The architects also plan to add solar thermal collectors and heat pumps. The school will have a well functioning as its water source. Laboratories, conference halls and workshops, as well as several gyms, a museum of local history and a museum of military and patriotic education are all part of the school building design. The school will have a shelter with control and engineering rooms, bathrooms and inclusive infrastructure.
All this will become possible if the city manages to collect the necessary funds. Therefore, the National Union of Architects of Ukraine brokered the signing of a memorandum between the Mykolaiv City Council and the American Sweetanok Foundation. Sweetanok raises funds for the Ukrainian front, but the management and employees of the foundation have always dreamed of the opportunity to help children.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Mariia Volia was born and raised in Mariupol, a city in the south of Ukraine that was destroyed and occupied by the russians in spring 2022. She joined the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in 2015. She wanted to defend the country after the first russian attacks on Mariupol. Mariia Volia used to be a mortar commander at the front, and now she is a communications unit commander.
Before the occupation of her hometown, she had been hiding her orientation. However, after she was wounded in Mariupol, and later escaped from the russian encirclement, Mariia opened up to her brothers in arms. Currently, the commander of the communications unit hopes that civil partnerships will be legalized in Ukraine, because in the future she wants to get married with her partner.
Currently, Mariia Volia is along the Donetsk axis. The military woman is ready to communicate with journalists, both online and offline.
For reference: the defense of Mariupol lasted 86 days. On May 20, 2022, Mariupol was occupied by the russians.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On April 27, the “Strong 300” fun run obstacle course will be held in Kyiv to support war veterans, wounded soldiers and facilitate patriotic education of youth.
The purpose of the event is to popularize the benefits of sports and give children the opportunity to communicate directly with those who went through combat at the front via the unique “veteran + child” race format. It is also supposed to have a therapeutic effect on veterans and wounded soldiers.
Categories and distances:
- Individual race for adults/children, 1 km;
- Individual race for adults/children, 5 km;
- Pair race for adult + child, 3 km.
Each of the registered participants will receive a “STRONG 300” commemorative medal. To participate in the race, it is necessary to pay a charity contribution, the collected funds will be used to purchase sports equipment for the rehabilitation of wounded soldiers and veterans.
Various activities are also planned during the event (artifacts of war exhibition, disassembly/assembly of various types of (dummy) weapons, master classes on tactical medicine basics, etc.).
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In the face of relentless Russian shelling that plunged Kharkiv into darkness, the Korniienko family’s bakery just months after launching their venture in January. Forced to flee to Valky in Kharkiv region, a town 50 kilometers away, now, every day, they make the arduous commute back to Kharkiv, braving the risks of war either by bus or hitchhiking.
Initially specializing in sourdough bread, baguettes, and kid-friendly marshmallows, the Korniienkos quickly adapted to meet surging demand amid the chaos of war. Within three months, their customer base doubled, prompting them to expand their menu with over 10 new bread varieties, constantly innovating to keep up with demand.
Yet, operating in a city under siege comes with its challenges. With power outages a daily occurrence, the family relies on an electric generator to keep their ovens running. Initially funded by grants, they now seek additional support to purchase a smaller oven that can run off the generator.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Growing up in Chernivtsi, Pavlo Honcharuk never imagined himself leading yoga marathons and raising millions for the Defense Forces. However, a life-altering illness at 18 propelled him into the world of yoga, where he found solace and purpose. In 2020 upon mastering the art of yoga, Pavlo relocated to the capital, where he quickly amassed a following, filling yoga studios with eager enthusiasts.
But when full-blown war broke out, he didn’t hesitate to pivot his passion toward a greater cause. Offering free classes to all, Pavlo initiated a yoga support marathon, rallying people from all walks of life to join in, even amidst alarms and explosions. A prerequisite for participation was a donation to the army. In just a matter of weeks, this remarkable individual spearheaded a fundraising effort that yielded the first million hryvnias to support our Armed Forces. A captivating video showcasing Pavlo’s dedication to yoga, set against the backdrop of air defense systems, quickly gained traction on Instagram, going viral. Meanwhile, 700 additional participants joined him online, many of them kept on exercising as they sought refuge in shelters taking their mats with them.
Pavlo also dedicates himself to rehabilitating soldiers, offering free yoga sessions to aid in their recovery. And now, he’s set his sights on joining the army himself.
Journalists are welcome to interview Pavlo in Kyiv.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On April 28, the Octave of My Life dance and theater performance by Kseniia Huz from Mariupol will take place in Kyiv. In it, the woman will talk about what she was forced to go through during the full-scale war: occupation, forced relocation, her husband’s death at the front, the struggle with oncology and depression.
Before the full-scale war, Kseniia Huz together with her husband Maksym had opened “Art House” creative space and “Urban Buddha” space for spiritual communication in Mariupol, where visitors had actively participated in self-development and creative activities. Maksym had conducted yoga, meditation, and spiritual practices classes. And Kseniia (Head of an event agency) organized various events, performances, cocoa ceremonies, poetry battles and master classes for children.
The woman and her 18-year-old daughter were at home when the full-scale invasion started. They had to survive in encircled Mariupol for 20 days. Despite running out of food, they shared it with others. In the end, they managed to leave the city.
When the big war started, Maksym was in Kyiv region, where he had come on a business trip. The man immediately joined the territorial defense. In November 2022, he joined the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (airborne assault troops). On February 13, 2023, he died near Bakhmut.
Maksym wanted his ashes to be scattered over the Sea of Azov, but since this is impossible now, Kseniia scattered her husband’s ashes over the Dnipro in Kyiv. Three months later, the woman was diagnosed with cancer. She underwent a successful operation in Belgium.
Journalists have the opportunity to talk with Kseniia in Kyiv.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Yakiv Tkachenko is a professional theater and film actor. He acted in the most expensive film in Ukraine’s history Dovbush, as well as in a number of films, such as Escape From Stalin’s Death Camp, Once Upon a Time in Ukraine and the Strayed.
On March 1, 2022, Yakiv signed up for the army. At first, he joined the Dnipro Territorial Defense Forces, and later he served in Vuhledar as a member of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In August 2022, an enemy sniper shot Yakiv, the bullet hit the soldier in the neck and mouth. At that time, doctors assumed that Yakiv could completely lose his voice, however, within a month of treatment, the soldier returned to the front line. Yakiv received his next wound when he came under the fire of an enemy tank. The soldier was taken to Dnipro for treatment and rehabilitation. Already after the injury, Yakiv acted in the Ukrainian TV series In Her Car, but he plans to return to the service again.
For reference: Yakiv Tkachenko is in Dnipro. The serviceman is ready to communicate with journalists, both online and offline, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The family of Maryna Shvets from Chernihiv region appealed to the volunteers of Dobrobat. After their house was destroyed in a russian shelling, the family was forced to live in a shed. After her house burned down, Maryna did not give up: she helped the Ukrainian military and her fellow villagers, baked bread and shared homemade products.
Currently, Dobrobat volunteers have started building a new two-story building with two entrances for Maryna’s family. Volunteers have already laid the foundation and the first AAC blocks. Dobrobat volunteers actively involve the local population in the construction process. According to their calculations, Maryna’s family will be able to move into a new home as soon as this summer.
For reference: “Dobrobat” is a volunteer building division that helps those in need to urgently restore housing and social infrastructure facilities in the de-occupied territories.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Center for Civil Liberties invites journalists and concerned citizens to the presentation of “How to Make Shelters Accessible?” report by the second National Shelter Monitoring Campaign, which will be held in Kyiv on April 30.
The OZON public monitoring group of the Center for Civil Liberties held a second campaign to monitor the availability and basic quality of civil protection structures from September to December 2023. More than a hundred volunteers worked on the campaign in the following cities: Kyiv, Lutsk, Lviv, Cherkasy, Mykolaiv and Odesa. During the presentation, they will specify which city has the best shelters and which one has the worst. For example, volunteers managed to access only half (53%) of the capital’s shelters.
The presentation will be followed by a discussion on how to make shelters accessible, what central and local authorities can do, and what changes are required at the legislative level. The participants of the discussion will include:
- Oleksandr Kamyshin, Minister for Strategic Industries of Ukraine
- Roman Tkachuk, Director of the Municipal Security Department of the Kyiv City State Administration
- Uliana Pcholkina, public figure and consultant on barrier-free environment
- Ivanna Malchevska, Project Manager at the OZON public monitoring group of the Center for Civil Liberties.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Anatolii Levchenko, a prominent figure in Mariupol’s theater scene, who in 2015 spearheaded a new era of contemporary Ukrainian theater at the city’s renowned theater, previously labeled as a “russian” theater. Levchenko, along with his wife Hanna, cared for their non-verbal autistic son and his wife’s 90-year-old mother. When russian forces launched an offensive on Mariupol, the Levchenko family found themselves unable to evacuate promptly. While they successfully arranged their release in May 2022, Anatolii’s freedom was short-lived. He was apprehended by russian authorities the day prior, following betrayal by former colleagues turned collaborators.
Initially left in the dark about her husband’s whereabouts, Hanna later discovered he had been charged with extremism and transferred to occupied Donetsk. Over more than 10 grueling months, she tirelessly sent clothing, medications, and messages to the detention center. Occasionally, Anatolii would manage to call her, often in the dead of night. Throughout this ordeal, Hanna single-handedly cared for their autistic son, scrounging for food and water, and cooking meals over an open fire with the help of neighbors.
On March 9, 2023, Hanna’s phone finally rang with news of Anatolii’s impending release. However, his nearly year-long confinement had taken a toll on his health. In the summer of 2023, the family seized the opportunity to flee to Ukrainian-controlled territory, finding refuge in Kropyvnytskyi, Kirovohrad region. Despite the hardships, Anatolii resumed his theater work.
For reference: The battle for Mariupol raged on for 86 harrowing days until May 20, 2022, when russian forces seized control of the city. Human Rights Watch’s grim assessment puts the civilian death toll from russian shelling at a staggering 8,000, with thousands more left maimed and traumatized. Many suffered life-altering injuries, including loss of limbs, sight, hearing, or memory, often due to traumatic brain injuries inflicted by relentless explosions. By mid-May 2022, an estimated 400,000 residents, out of a pre-war population of 540,000, had fled Mariupol in search of safety.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The press team of the Azov Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine extends an invitation to collaborate with foreign journalists to cover the noteworthy events slated for May. With russian propaganda ramping up efforts to smear Ukrainian defense forces, providing impartial coverage of frontline combat operations and accurate information about Ukrainian units becomes crucial in thwarting russian aggression. The Azov Brigade has long been a prime target of russian disinformation campaigns.
The Azov Brigade’s press office is eager to facilitate both online and in-person interviews, including the possibility of arranging journalist embeds at the frontlines.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Alona Kyryliuk is from Kharkiv region, and she currently lives in Poltava region. She is the mother of two children: 11-year-old Anastasiia and Timur, who is only one year old. The woman is a military officer.
Alona’s husband, Denys, is a lieutenant colonel, a fighter pilot (Deputy Squadron Commander, Squadron Flight Navigator). The man was called to duty on the night of February 23-24, 2022. He asked his wife to stay at home with the daughter. Later, Alona heard the first explosions.
Denis flew over 80 sorties. He was awarded the Order “For Courage” of the third class, as well as the “Firearms” award of the Ministry of Defense. The man died on March 27, 2023 while performing a combat mission. The enemy shot down his plane over Chernihiv region. The pilot was taking the plane away from a settlement and did not have time to eject.
By prior agreement, journalists can talk to Alona Kyryliuk in Poltava region or in Kyiv.
For reference: Currently, the family is being cared for by the Children of Heroes Charity Fund. It helps children who lost one or both parents as a result of russia’s full-scale invasion. The fund provides financial assistance, psychological and legal support, and helps with the education and development of children until they reach adulthood.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Camp Maximum NGO together with an American team created the Opportunities Camp Program for Amputee Women. This year, about 20 women will take part in the camp (including veterans and civilians who lost their limbs during the full-scale war). The camp starts on May 5 in Cherkasy.
While women are staying in the camp, international-level rehabilitation coaches will conduct soccer training. Participants will have the opportunity to represent Ukraine at international levels and achieve recognition in sports.
For example, women will be able to participate in the World Championship 2024. (Ukraine’s women’s national team consisting of players with limb amputations will play at the World Championship, which will be held in Barranquilla, Colombia, from November 2 to 11, 2024).
In addition to football lessons, camp participants will have the opportunity to take part in other activities.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
From now on, employees of the kitchen train are making food for the Kharkiv Psychiatric Hospital. The facility was damaged by russian missiles on the night of April 27 this year. At the time of the attack, there were 60 patients and 5 doctors in it. While the hospital’s canteen and other utility premises are under restoration, the kitchen train of Ukrzaliznytsia will take care of food for the patients.
For reference: In September 2023, Ukrzaliznytsia created the world’s first autonomous kitchen train called Food Train. Such a train is capable of providing more than 10,000 meals per day anywhere and anytime. Food Train can work autonomously for 5-7 days, and the equipment allows cooking such meals as soups, porridges, salads and meat.
Since its launch, the kitchen train team has already made 350,000 meals, of which 265,000 were made for the residents of Kharkiv oblast affected over the past month. Food purchases and the operation of the train are funded by the Howard G. Buffett Foundation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Anna Ziablikova is from Kharkiv. Even before the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Anna had attained a higher education in molecular biology. As a graduate, her studies delved into vertebrate zoology, with a particular focus on bats. After completing her studies in 2020, Anna applied for a scholarship under the Erasmus Mundus international program. She won and went abroad to study tropical ecology and biodiversity. The master’s program was divided between several European universities, so the girl moved every semester. The news that russia had launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine reached Anna in Belgium.
Anna returned to the Motherland a few months after the big war started and volunteered at the Lviv train station by helping doctors and packing supplies for the military. Anna’s beloved joined the army in March 2022, and he sent her a message that the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade “Magura” was recruiting volunteers, which is where Anna eventually joined. At first, she was a clerk, but for the past six months, Anna has been serving in the brigade’s medical company. She is a nurse-gunner with the evacuation crew and at the stabilization post. In addition, Anna takes care of wounded servicemen who can’t perform their duties, in particular, she helps them deal with the necessary documents.
For reference: Anna Ziablikova is on the front line. The military woman is ready to communicate with journalists, both online and offline, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Next week, a press event will be organized for media representatives to raise awareness of the operation of the temporary waste sorting site in Bucha, Kyiv region. This project is focused on the disposal of waste from destroyed objects that had piled up after the occupation of the Bucha community. (The volume of construction waste is 75,000 m3).
Almost all the equipment for the operation of the temporary waste sorting station was provided by UNDP Ukraine. Currently, there is a construction waste sorting machine, a crusher, a screener and a front-end loader. Later, the site will be equipped with additional equipment. The unique project will make it possible to grind and sort waste by type, and later use it for the needs of the community.
Journalists have the opportunity to learn more about the upcoming press event.
For reference: Bucha, Kyiv region, was under enemy occupation for more than a month. On March 31, 2022, the city was liberated from the russian military.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
For Vyshyvanka Day, one of the capital’s shopping malls together with SVARGA, Ukrainian embroidered clothing brand, and Zemliachky NGO initiated a charity photo exhibition “Embroidered Ukraine.” The official opening of the exhibition will take place on May 2. The event will include introductory speech from the organizers and participants of the photo project.
Defenders, paramedics, veterans, and military volunteers took part in the project. The women dressed in embroidered shirts from the “Embroidered Ukraine” collection, which includes ornaments from all regions of Ukraine and the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.
The goal of the project is to once again remind that there is no eastern and western Ukraine, there is only one whole and unified country, as well as to emphasize that regardless of whether we are at the front lines or in the rear, this is our joint struggle for freedom.
Each photo has a QR code with the account of Zemliachky NGO. All funds raised during the exhibition will be directed to sewing women’s tactical uniforms for the military.
The exhibition project will last up until May 16.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Personal stylist, fashion influencer and an active public figure Frank Peter Wilde, together with the NAFO initiative collected EUR 20,000 as part of their latest fundraiser. These funds were used to purchase cars and drones for the Ukrainian army. The official handover will take place on May 3 (journalists are invited to learn more about it).
To mark this achievement, Frank Peter Wilde will hold his first press conference on May 7, in Kyiv: the stylist will be ready to answer all the questions that have accumulated during the two years of his activity.
Journalists must register for the event (the deadline for applications is May 4).
For reference: Berlin-based stylist Frank Peter Wilde is also known for his elevator photos in support of Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On May 6, veteran Serhii Khrapko, who was seriously injured in 2015 when he lost his left arm and left leg, will go on a one-day walking marathon from Kyiv to Boryspil using a prosthesis. The goal is to raise funds to pay for the continuation of the rehabilitation of Oleksandr Nadtochyi, who was seriously injured in 2022 near Bakhmut. The required amount is UAH 650,000.
Serhii believes that he will be able to collect the required amount on the way to Boryspil, if not, he will be forced to make the return journey.
For reference: This is not Serhii Khrapko’s first walking marathon. In May 2023, together with his brother Oleksandr Shvetsov (a veteran with a prosthetic leg), they walked the distance from Zhytomyr to Kyiv to collect money for a gastroscope for the reception department of a Kyiv hospital. They were awarded by the National Register of Records of Ukraine for this achievement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A youth center for displaced youth has opened in Zaporizhia. It was opened with the assistance of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Ukraine and financial support from the European Union. The center will serve as a foundation for establishing teams of young leaders. These teams will collaborate with local authorities to facilitate the engagement of young individuals in the recovery efforts of the Zaporizhia region. A separate milestone in the center’s work will be the involvement of young people in volunteer initiatives in the city and the organization of measures to improve public safety and social cohesion. In particular, educational events and seminars are planned to be held in the center.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
At the briefing, among other things, the participants will discuss how to rescue the fighters of the “Azov” brigade from captivity: what is already being done, and what still needs doing. In particular, they will talk about the prisoners of war who were injured during the terrorist attack in Olenivka, because their fate still remains unknown, and the Day of Remembrance for the defenders killed in Olenivka has not been officially allocated yet.
Participants:
Maria Alieksieievych — representative “Olenivka Families Community” NGO, wife of a twice-wounded defender of Mariupol;
Hanna Lobova — representative “Olenivka Families Community” NGO, the wife of a twice-wounded defender of Mariupol;
Anastasia Hondiul — representative “Olenivka Families Community” NGO “, the wife of a twice-wounded defender of Mariupol;
Tetiana Katrychenko — representative of the Media Initiative for Human Rights (MIHR),
Andrii Yakovlev — MIHR representative.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On February 24, 2022, as the invasion surged, Pavlo Ponomarenko persisted in his studio, passionately painting for four consecutive days. Tragically, his creations vanished amidst the russian occupation of Mariupol.
In the ensuing days, the Ponomarenko family adapted to survival tactics like cooking over open flames, sourcing water, and melting snow, all while bearing witness to russian assaults and pillaging. Eventually, they managed to reach occupied Berdiansk in the Zaporizhia region. Initially, Pavlo’s wife led the way with their younger daughters, followed by Pavlo and their eldest daughter. After a stint in Berdiansk, they embarked on an 11-hour bus journey to reach the government-controlled zone in Zaporizhia. Along the route, they endured relentless scrutiny at checkpoints, enduring intrusive searches and questioning. In Zaporizhia, their eldest daughter underwent surgery for appendicitis.
Presently, Pavlo resides in Lviv, continuing his work as an artist, while his wife and children have sought refuge in Belgium.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Georgian-born Rusudana Pavlichenko, found herself abroad attending her father’s funeral as the full-scale invasion unfolded. Her history with conflict traces back to childhood when, at the tender age of 10, she fled her first conflict, the war in Abkhazia, seeking refuge in Ukraine. Since then, she has called Ukraine home, living here throughout her adult years.
Rusudana’s husband, Serhii Pavlichenko, a stalwart defender of Ukraine against occupiers since 2014, bravely held the defense of Azovstal during the full-scale invasion before being captured. Tragically, he fell victim to a terrorist attack in Olenivka, a village within the occupied territory of Donetsk region, on the night of July 28-29, 2022. Left behind are their two children, Adelia, 10, and Nazar, 8.
Journalists seeking to delve into Rusudana’s story can arrange interviews with her in Cherkasy or online, by prior arrangement.
Meanwhile, the Children of Heroes charity foundation has stepped in to support the grieving family. Dedicated to aiding children who have lost parents due to russia’s full-scale invasion, the foundation offers financial aid, psychological counseling, legal assistance, and ongoing educational opportunities until the children reach adulthood.
For reference: In the late hours of July 29, 2022, russia executed a terrorist assault, igniting an explosion within a barracks at the Olenivka penal colony, where Ukrainian prisoners of war were detained. The attack resulted in the tragic loss of at least 50 Azovstal workers amidst the turmoil.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The NGO CAT-UA (Communication Analysis Team – Ukraine) is set to unveil its findings from a comprehensive study on the Ukrainian national narrative. This narrative serves as the cohesive force binding the nation together, offering a shared perspective on the past, present, and future. Crucially, it’s this narrative that shapes the strategic vision, rallying people to prevail in the ongoing war.
The event will kick off with a concise overview of the research findings, followed by an open discussion.
Participants:
- Artem Zakharchenko, head of CAT-UA;
- Yevheniia Kravchuk, Member of the Verkhovna Rada;
- Anton Drobovych, Head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory;
- Kseniia Ivanyshyn, research manager of the UCBI4 project;
- Nataliia Kryvda, Head of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation.
Prior registration is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Anhelina has been serving in the Defense Forces for five years. In the army, she received the call sign “Max” and prefers to be addressed this way. In addition, Anhelina uses two pronouns: both he and she.
Now “Max” is 23 years old. When the full-scale invasion started the comms specialist’s contract with the army was completed. However, already on February 25, “Max” was at the Recruitment Office, ready to return to military service. The soldier claims that within over 2 years since the beginning of the full-scale war, there has been a noticeable progress in tolerance towards the LGBTQIA+ community. In addition, “Max” is a member of LGBT-military NGO and the administrator of the Sisters in Arms chat for LGBT military women.
For reference: “Max” is on the front line and is ready to communicate with journalists both online and offline, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Rehabilitation Department in the Lozova community has 20 beds. The uninterrupted work of the institution is ensured by a multidisciplinary team of 20 specialists. The facility operates in the premises of the Lozova Territorial Medical Association and provides assistance to residents of the local community, nearby settlements and IDPs.
UAH 7 million from the budget of the Territorial Medical Association was spent to repair and purchase medical equipment and furniture. And thanks to cooperation with the Patients of Ukraine charitable foundation, the center also received modern equipment worth UAH 2.2 million. In addition, the “Early rehabilitation Leads to a Full Life” project for the needs of the department helped to purchase a lot of specialized equipment worth almost UAH 1 million, which came from the regional budget.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On May 14, Kyiv will host an open meeting for journalists with the finalists of the Gongadze Prize. During the “Power of Words” discussion, speakers and attendees will talk about how journalists of different experiences and specializations can join forces.
Speakers:
- Anna Babinets — Founder and Head of Slidstvo.Info independent investigative agency.
- Olga Rudenko — Editor-in-Chief and Founder of The Kyiv Independent,
- Tetiana Troshchynska — Director of the Department for Strategic Analysis and Development of Socially Influential Content at Suspilne, a journalist and a host at “Culture” Radio.
The event will be moderated by Larysa Denysenko, journalist, writer and human rights defender.
The event requires registration.
For reference: The Gongadze Prize is a major award for professional journalists in Ukraine. It was founded in 2019 by PEN Ukraine in partnership with the family of George Gongadze, the Kyiv-Mohyla Business School and “Ukrainian Pravda” media outlet. Vakhtang Kipiani (2019), Pavlo Kazarin (2020), Myroslava Barchuk (2021), Mstyslav Chernov and Yevhen Maloletka (2022), and Bohdan Lohvynenko (2023) won the Prize in previous years. In 2022, photojournalist Maks Levin received the Special Award posthumously.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Back in 2014, Tetiana Ovchar made waves by challenging the inclusion of Russian language teaching in her children’s Kyiv school. Her bold stance led to the removal of the subject from the curriculum. Passionate about promoting Ukrainian literature among youngsters, she spearheaded the “Reading with Pleasure” initiative, culminating in its final session on February 19, 2022. With the onset of the full-blown invasion, Tetiana has thrown herself into volunteering efforts, supporting both military personnel and civilians alike. Tetiana Ovchar, alongside her husband, selflessly offered their family’s former eco-tourism retreat as a refuge for those displaced by the war, accommodating up to 27 individuals in a single night. In their hometown of Kyiv, they mobilized with neighbors to provide vital aid to hospitals and the Territorial Defense Forces, distributing much-needed supplies such as food and medicine. Their outreach extended to villages like Moshchun and Horenka in the Kyiv region. Despite receiving a cancer diagnosis in December 2022, Tetiana remained resilient, channeling her energy into fundraising for military needs during her treatment sessions. Today, she continues to dedicate herself to volunteering, addressing military requests, supporting the families of servicemen, advocating for literacy, and confronting the challenges of her illness with unwavering determination.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A new recruitment information center for the Ukrainian army has been established at Kyiv Main Railway Station. Staffed by specially trained personnel from Ukrainian Railways (Ukrzaliznytsia), the center will offer details on available positions within the Armed Forces and address common queries regarding roles in military units.
This pilot initiative, a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and Ukraine’s railway network, aims to provide transparent guidance to individuals interested in supporting the Ukrainian Defense Forces effectively and to foster voluntary enlistment.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Maryna Shazhko began taking care of homeless animals more than 10 years ago. When city services started shooting stray dogs and cats in Bakhmut, Donetsk region, a woman brought a stray animal home for the first time to save it. Later, together with a team of volunteers, Maryna started the Bakhmut Animal Protection Society “Lada” NGO. On February 24, 2022, Maryna, shelter volunteers and 160 dogs were in Bakhmut. At first, the woman did not even think about moving, she hoped that the war would bypass the city. However, in August 2022, after the second explosion near the shelter and the death of one of her dogs, Maryna started the evacuation. All the animals had to be transported at once, the cages barely fit in the cars. They decided to take the dogs to Dnipropetrovsk region, where they had to pay a huge rent for a new place.
Meanwhile, animals from hotspots are still being brought to the shelter. The number of rescued pets has already reached 200, including dogs from Chasiv Yar, Krasnohorivka and Marinka. Every day, Maryna has to wake up at 5 in the morning, walk her own dogs, buy food for the animals of the shelter and go there to take care of the animals in the shelter. In addition, the woman did stop working as a teacher.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Daria-Olha, a resident of Mariupol, was 15 when she tried boxing for the first time. The girl learnt fast: just 3 months after starting she participated in an all-Ukrainian competition. In 2022, 18-year-old Daria-Olha was supposed to go to the European Championship, but russia launched its full-scale invasion, and enemy troops surrounded Mariupol. At first, the athlete’s family was hoping to wait out the russian shelling in an apartment together with friends. Later they had to relocate to the basement. At this time, the city had already been cut from communication, gas and electricity. Even in such conditions, Daria continued training to keep herself in shape. The family managed to leave the besieged Mariupol in a truck with strangers, and the road to Zaporizhia took more than a day, because they had to go through russian checkpoints. Already in the Ukraine-controlled territory, Daria-Olha found out that her coach had left for Ivano-Frankivsk, so she went to him. There, the girl entered the Carpathian National University’s Faculty of Physical Education and Sports, because she dreams of becoming a trainer. In May 2022, Daria-Olha won bronze at the International Boxing Tournament in Sweden in the category of up to 52 kilograms. Currently, the Ukrainian boxer is training to win gold at the Olympics.
For reference: the defense of Mariupol lasted 86 days. On May 20, 2022, Mariupol was occupied by the russians. According to the estimates of the human rights organization Human Rights Watch at least 8,000 people were killed in russian shelling of civilians in Mariupol. Thousands of people were injured: they lost limbs, sight, hearing and memory, particularly, as a result of craniocerebral injuries caused by the explosions. Also, according to Human Rights Watch estimates, from the pre-war population of 540,000 people, about 400,000 residents had fled Mariupol by mid-May 2022.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On May 10, Lviv will host an opening of the Prosthetics Center. It will operate from the premises of the UNBROKEN National Rehabilitation Center. The Center has all the necessary equipment for the production of modern hand and foot prostheses. In addition to facilities for taking measurements, manufacturing, testing and trying on artificial limbs, there is also a walking laboratory, a room for specialists to train in and a courtyard for patients to relax. The Center will train specialists for all of Ukraine. It will also be a place to conduct research in prosthetics and the development of Ukrainian startups.
The goal of the UNBROKEN Prosthetics and Orthotics Center is to improve the field of prosthetics in Ukraine. Namely, to create a space for theoretical and practical training as well as for training prosthetists and orthotics specialists according to the standards of ISPO – the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics.
Participants:
- Andriy Sadovyi, Lviv City Mayor;
- Oleh Samchuk, General Director of the Lviv First Territorial Medical Union;
- Daniel Boucher, Director of GIZ Ukraine.
Journalists are required to obtain accreditation for the event.
For reference: The initiative is implemented within the framework of the “Special Assistance Program Ukraine/ EU4ResilientRegions” project, implemented by GIZ Ukraine and funded by the German government.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The second Ukrainian Construction Congress will take place in Kyiv on May 15 and 16. The Congress will focus on rebuilding Ukraine with a special emphasis put on barrier-free and inclusive design.
As usual, the Congress will act as a platform for constructive dialogue, exchange of opinions and ideas between authorities, developers, architects, builders, manufacturers of building materials, the civil society and other industry participants.
Some of the major topics of the Congress will include:
- Strategies and challenges of Ukraine’s recovery: ways to economic and social development in 2024-2025;
- New approaches to construction in wartime. New safety standards and norms;
- Restoration of historical sites;
- Veteran-run enterprise as a guarantee of public safety;
- Barrier-free and inclusive: challenges of today;
For the first time, the Congress will feature the announcement of the winners and the ceremony for the independent construction award “BUILDER OF THE YEAR – 2024.” Prizes will be given to companies, industry specialists and projects in 15 nominations, such as “Construction,” “Architecture,” “Business in the Construction Industry.”
The event requires accreditation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Benda enlisted in the Defense Forces back in 2017, juggling her duties with caring for her son who was almost two years of age. Assigned as chief cook to the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade named after the Black Cossacks, stationed in Avdiivka, Donetsk Oblast, she faced enemy fire that same year, sustaining injuries that resulted in the loss of her leg. Following treatment and rehab, Olha adapted to using a prosthetic limb. Just two years later, she triumphed in her first 10-kilometer run at the Veterans Dozen Foundation event in Kyiv. Shortly after, she conquered the challenge of the Marine Corps Marathon in the U.S. In 2023, she even joined a women’s soccer squad specifically designed for amputees.
Olha’s dedication extends beyond personal achievements. She actively supports fellow veterans and those impacted by the war through various social initiatives, including creating videos showcasing the resilience of Ukrainian defenders with amputations. Recently, she took on the role of ambassador for the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Originally slated to celebrate its 50th anniversary in Mariupol in 2022, the Arkhip Kuindzhi Art School faced a setback due to Russia’s full-scale invasion. The institution’s building suffered significant damage, including the destruction of equipment, prompting a relocation to Lviv in April 2022.
Despite the upheaval, the school has resumed operations at its new location, welcoming 40 children for both in-person and online fine arts classes. These students, hailing from Mariupol but dispersed across Ukraine and beyond. Moreover, adults are finding solace and expression through art therapy sessions offered in Lviv, Kropyvnytskyi, and Dnipro. These sessions include oil painting sessions and the exploration of traditional Ukrainian murals. Additionally, the art school remains active in organizing various exhibitions.
For reference: The battle for Mariupol raged on for 86 harrowing days until May 20, 2022, when russian forces seized control of the city. Human Rights Watch’s grim assessment puts the civilian death toll from russian shelling at a staggering 8,000, with thousands more left maimed and traumatized. Many suffered life-altering injuries, including loss of limbs, sight, hearing, or memory, often due to traumatic brain injuries inflicted by relentless explosions. By mid-May 2022, an estimated 400,000 residents, out of a pre-war population of 540,000, had fled Mariupol in search of safety.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On May 14th, the Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform will be the venue for the presentation of analytical studies conducted by experts from the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union. These studies include:
– “Examining Laws Governing Privacy Restrictions During Martial Law”
– “Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights: Guidelines and Limitations in the Realm of National Security and Defense”
During the research presentation, experts will discuss the trends they’ve identified, suggest potential changes, and highlight practices they view positively.
Speakers:
- Maksym Scherbatiuk, Program Director of the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union (UHHRU)
- Yevhen Krapyvin, criminal justice expert at the Center of Policy and Legal Reform,
- Yuliia Kovalenko, lawyer at the UHHRU Strategic Litigation Centre
Pre-registration is required:
In the first quarter of 2024, pre-trial investigation authorities documented 202 cases of privacy violations. This represents a notable increase compared to the 164 cases reported in 2022 and the 422 cases in 2023. Experts attribute this surge, in part, to heightened citizen awareness regarding mechanisms for safeguarding their rights. However, despite the increase in investigations, the court received only 24 cases in 2023, resulting in six guilty verdicts. Discrepancies between the number of indictments and cases brought to court stem from variations in statistical tracking methods.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Anastasiia Yaremchuk and Vadym Fedorenko met in Druzhkivka, Donetsk region. The woman moved there with her child after surviving enemy shelling in Horlivka, Donetsk region, in 2014 (now Horlivka is occupied). Anastasiia and Vadym got married, the woman was pregnant with their second child when russia launched its full-scale invasion. Then Vadym insisted that his wife leave for a safe place, but she refused. Instead, Anastasiia offered to start a business: a hair salon that would focus on men’s haircuts. First of all, the couple started looking for barbers. This became a difficult task, because many people left the East of Ukraine. However, entrepreneurs managed to open hair salons in Donetsk region: first four in Druzhkivka, and soon three more in Kostiantynivka. Anastasiia and Vadym named their chain of hair salons “Sherlock,” because this is their favorite character. Besides, they equipped their establishments in the style of Arthur Conan Doyle’s books. Currently, there are 16 masters working in the salons, the couple plans to increase the number of establishments, and after Ukraine’s victory, they plan on traveling the world.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Sofiia Kuchynska is from Kyiv. She has a background in marketing. While putting together a puzzle amidst the war, Sofiia realized that this activity helped her cope with anxiety and distracted from bad thoughts. Later, while buying new puzzles, she came to the conclusion that this was an expensive hobby. In addition, a person usually buys an expensive puzzle, puts it together once, and then it just lies there. That’s when Sofiia came up with the idea to create an online puzzle rental service.
Currently, Sofiia’s collection numbers more than 250 puzzles, including those depicting landscapes, still life and art objects. She also has unusual jigsaw puzzles and even rare puzzles, which are 10-20 years old.
The girl received many good reviews from users. After all, renting a puzzle can be five times cheaper than buying a new one. Sofiia’s clients can also purchase a puzzle subscription (similar to subscriptions for streaming services).
Journalists have the opportunity to talk with Sofiia in Kyiv.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
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.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Serhii Zhukovskyi, 43, hails from the Zaporizhia region. Despite his childhood dream of becoming a soldier, he initially faced hurdles when got a medical certificate determining his unfitness for military service. However, when his hometown faced a full-blown invasion, Zhukovskyi and his family evacuated before it was occupied. In the Lviv region, he eventually enlisted with the 80th separate airborne assault brigade after encountering delays at the military enlistment office. His first injury occurred during the storming of Serebryany Forest, where shrapnel lodged near his spine. Despite medics’ unsuccessful attempts to remove a dangerous object from his body, the man persevered and returned to the front line after his wound healed. In the summer of 2023, serving with the 82nd Brigade, he sustained severe injuries from a mine explosion, resulting in the loss of both arms. His wife took on the task of finding the top rehabilitation centers in Ukraine, eventually leading him to the Halychyna and the Superhumans rehabilitation centers in the Lviv region. Following his prosthetic journey, the veteran received training in launching veteran-owned businesses, to which Serhii readily agreed. Subsequently, he successfully brought to fruition an idea conceived during his time on the front lines: crafting jerkies, pre-marinated and dried slices of meat. The business, named Sushena Radist (Dried Joy), was coined by Serhii’s eldest son, Ivan. It’s not just a veteran’s enterprise but also a family affair, with his wife, Daryna, handling the bulk of the work.
Reporters welcome to seize the chance to interview Serhii Zhukovskyi in Lviv.
For context: The Sushena Radist veteran-owned enterprise emerged as a facet of the initiative “Reintegration of War Veterans through the Creation of Educational Opportunities,” spearheaded by DVV International in Ukraine and backed financially by the German Federal Foreign Office.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Kyiv is set to showcase the ‘Combat Dronivka’ vyshyvanka on May 16th. Crafted by Tetiana Zez, this embroidered shirt, a collaborative effort between the World Vyshyvanka Day NGO and the Embroidery in the Clothes of Outstanding Ukrainians project, is tailored exclusively for the 2024 Vyshyvanka Day festivities.
The centerpiece of the ornament features a drone, symbolizing Ukrainian triumph in warfare. Complementing this are symbols such as the Cossack cross (also known as the cross of the Armed Forces of Ukraine), the State Emblem of Ukraine, the trident, and the English inscription “VictoryUA.” The bordering, designed by Olena Pchilka, signifies the emergence of new life from ancient roots.
The primary objective of the ‘Combat Dronivka’ initiative is to raise funds for the UAV strike systems unit (RUBAK) “Seraphim” of the 104th Territorial Defense Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, along with support for the Dignitas Charitable Fund.
In the evening, a video projection titled “Poetry of Victory” will illuminate the facade of the Kyiv City State Administration, featuring readings of Ukrainian poetry by both classic and contemporary authors, exploring themes of war, suffering, faith, love, and triumph by:
– Ivan Lukavyi, a soldier of the 3rd Brigade;
– Tetiana Vlasova, poet;
– Kateryna Eikhman, volunteer;
– Valerii Vasyliev, a former Russian prisoner of war, a soldier of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine;
– Myroslav Otkovych, a soldier of the 241st Territorial Defense Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine;
– Akhtem Seitablaev, director, actor, serviceman of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine;
– Taras Kompanichenko, musician, serviceman of the 241st Territorial Defense Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine;
– Yevhen Nyshchuk, General Director and Artistic Director of the Ivan Franko National Academic Drama Theater, theater and film actor;
– Serhii Korshikov, actor, and serviceman of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine;
– Maksym Devizorov, actor, serviceman of the 103rd Territorial Defense Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine;
– Vira Lytvynenko, mother of the fallen soldier Vladyslav Lytvynenko;
– Olha Chernilevska, mother of the fallen soldier Illia Chernilevskyi;
– Kateryna Pryimak, volunteer, veteran;
– Kateryna Halushka, volunteer paramedic;
– Olena Prokopenko, mother of missing soldier Dmytro Prokopenko.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In Dnipro on May 19th, families of prisoners of war, missing, and fallen heroes will host an exhibition titled “HELD CAPTIVE FOR THE SECOND YEAR” as part of the “DON’T BE SILENT! CAPTIVITY KILLS!” campaign. This event commemorates the release of the defenders of Mariupol and Azovstal, who were expected to enter honorable captivity but instead endured two years of torment and imprisonment, including the Mariupol garrison soldiers.
The exhibition aims to recount the defense of Mariupol, showcasing the bravery of its soldiers and the tragic events in occupied Olenivka, Donetsk region, where many were wounded or killed. Visitors will have the opportunity to view photos of those who have spent two years in Russian captivity and honor the fallen heroes.
Throughout the exhibition, flags representing the units that defended Mariupol will be displayed prominently.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Myroslav Kobylianskyi, a veteran who enlisted in 2012. Serving since March 2015 in the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) and subsequently in the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) in eastern Ukraine, he witnessed the onset of the war in Mariupol. His unit engaged in combat until redeployment, facing the challenges of repelling a full-scale Russian invasion.
Myroslav Kobylianskyi, a native of Kolomyia, has adopted Mariupol as his second home. Even prior to the all-out invasion, Kobylianskyi had a passion for photography, initially snapping shots on his phone before upgrading to a camera. Venturing into aerial photography in 2020, he utilized a drone to compile an extensive archive of Mariupol’s imagery. Although he kept his work private before the eruption of war, following February 24, 2022, his wife encouraged him to assemble a photo book, aptly titled “My Mariupol and the World Around.” Kobylianskyi self-funded the project, supplemented by contributions from friends and patrons, distributing copies to 35 countries. Subsequently, exhibitions featuring his work were held in the United States, Australia, and Ukraine, all stemming from the photo book. Despite his ongoing military service, Kobylianskyi maintains his passion for photography, entertaining the possibility of a future project centered on the Donetsk region’s frontline and surrounding areas.
For reference: Myroslav Kobylianskyi remains stationed at the front line and is available for interviews with journalists, both online and in-person, with prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
At 39 years old, Victoriia Prokhorenko resides in Kryvyi Rih with her son and daughter. Her husband, Anton, swiftly mobilized upon the commencement of the full-blown invasion, rising to the rank of squad leader in a Special Forces battalion of the National Guard within months. However, upon his return home a year and a half ago, Victoriia noticed a stark transformation in Anton’s demeanor. Afflicted with PTSD, he struggled to reintegrate into family life despite her efforts and the assistance of a psychologist. Anton’s sleeplessness and subsequent alcohol consumption culminated in hospitalization due to a micro-stroke, instilling fear even in their children. Consequently, the couple made the difficult decision to part ways, navigating the challenges of PTSD recovery and family dynamics.
In the midst of adversity, Victoriia hit the ground running, taking up educational training and delving into the field of psychology. Determined to sustain her relationship with her beloved, she faithfully communicated with him daily. After several months, Anton reconnected and began applying the psychological techniques imparted by his wife. Within a month, Victoriia won her husband back home.
Presently, Victoriia is on the cusp of completing her studies and is already strategizing her approach to support military spouses and children. She is eager for her experiences to resonate with women who may feel isolated in their struggles amid the backdrop of war.
Victoriia Prokhorenko is available for interviews, both in-person in Kryvyi Rih and online.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On May 18, Kyiv will host a special gathering marking the second anniversary of the Mariupol garrison’s fighters leaving the besieged Mariupol Azovstal steel plant, featuring the participation of families of prisoners of war and liberated Mariupol defenders.
Two years ago, on May 20, 2022, the final defender of the Mariupol garrison departed Azovstal as per orders. Since then, many of these brave defenders have remained captive, leaving their families in a state of uncertainty. The event’s organizers aim to highlight the magnitude of the Mariupol tragedy, honor the courage of its defenders, and underscore the ongoing importance of advocating for their cause.
Joined by the families of Mariupol’s fighters, attendees will have the opportunity to reflect on the city’s pre-invasion era and its defense during the 86-day siege, including 82 days of complete encirclement.
The program will include a performance titled “Poems of a Military Soul” from the “Light of Art” project, presented by the Department of Cultural and Public Development of the Mariupol City Council and the independent theater of original plays, “Conception,” led by Oleksii Hnatiuk.
Event registration is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In 2021, Olha Akymova founded an online modeling school for women over 40. The project also worked with mothers of children with disabilities (participation was free for them): the idea was to give an opportunity to women who devote themselves completely to their children to discover themselves. A little later, young girls also joined the project, and it became inclusive. Models with and without disabilities work at the school, and together they participate in all the projects, shows, and performances.
The transformed project held its first classes in February 2022 in Kyiv and Lviv, but they had to stop because the full-scale invasion started. A year later, Olha decided to resume classes. The students of the school study subjects just like in any other modeling school: the basics of modeling, posing techniques, model walking, etc. The school operates in Kyiv and Lviv. Classes take place online and offline. Currently, the school has 32 graduates from Kyiv, Lviv, and Vinnytsia.
The mission of this project is to use the art of modeling to bring Ukrainian society closer to a new tolerant inclusive European barrier-free space with equal opportunities for everyone.
In the near future, journalists will be able to visit a show with the participation of the students of the modeling school in Lviv or a rehearsal in Kyiv.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On May 17, the press opening of the exhibition “Qırım içün/For Crimea” will take place in Kyiv. The exhibition is dedicated to the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Genocide of the Crimean Tatar People. It will present the works of artists depicting the tragedy of the genocide of the Crimean Tatar people.
Prior accreditation is required. Accredited media will receive a confirmation letter regarding their accreditation and further participation details.
For reference: In Ukraine, May 18 marks the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Genocide of the Crimean Tatar People. Under Stalin’s orders, the deportation of Crimean Tatars from Crimea to Central Asia commenced on May 18, 1944. Approximately 200,000 people were forcibly removed in railway freight cars. This inhumane act of deportation resulted in countless casualties. Within days, an entire nation was uprooted from its homeland.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On May 18, media representatives are invited to the “Veteran House” project’s Doors Open Day. This project is part of “New Perspective” – a large charitable educational program for veterans of the russo-Ukrainian war and their family members, which is implemented by the Alyona Vinnytska Charitable Foundation in cooperation with the Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv and with the support of the State Employment Service.
Those participating in the program can undergo psychological rehabilitation and acquire a new profession – a psychologist for veterans and their family members.
For the first time in Ukraine, the program involves a systematic approach to the training of such specialists and consists of several stages. (Journalists have the opportunity to learn more about them). The author of the idea and the leading psychologist of the program is Oleksandr Tkachenko, Doctor of Psychological Sciences, military psychologist, veteran of the russo-Ukrainian war.
During the “Veteran’s House” project’s Doors Open Day, media representatives will be able to take part in an “art hour,” chat with program participants, ask for comments from the program’s leading psychologist Oleksandr Tkachenko and Alyona Vinnytska.
The event requires accreditation.
For reference: Participation in the program is free of charge for and is funded by Alyona Vinnytska Foundation with the money coming from socially responsible businesses and caring citizens.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On May 21, the Gongadze Prize awards ceremony will take place in Kyiv, as this is the day when the name of this year’s winner of the award will be announced. As reported, the short list includes journalists Anna Babinets, Olga Rudenko and Tetiana Troshchynska.
– Anna Babinets is an investigative journalist and Head of Slidstvo.Info independent investigative agency, which she founded in 2012. Regional editor of the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) network of investigators. In 2014, together with her colleagues, she founded the YanukovychLeaks initiative. Co-author of the Panama Papers international project, which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting in 2017.
– Olga Rudenko is the Editor-in-Chief and Founder of The Kyiv Independent. In 2016, she became an editor at the Kyiv Post and was published in a number of leading international publications. In 2021, the new owner of Kyiv Post suspended the media outlet. Therefore, the journalists launched The Kyiv Independent – the leading English-language publication about Ukraine. In 2022, TIME editors recognized Olga Rudenko as a leader of the next generation.
– Tetiana Troshchynska is Director of the Department for Strategic Analysis and Development of Socially Influential Content at Suspilne, Producer of the socio-political talk show “Noviy Vidlik” (New Countdown), a journalist at “Hromadske Radio”, a host at “Culture” Radio. From 2018 to 2024, she was the editor-in-chief of “Hromadske Radio.” She also hosted linear broadcasts and her own programs “Love Does Not Fade”, “40 is the new 20”, “We Have Agreed On Everything” and “Tailed wave.” In addition, Tetiana is developing and conducting training on strategic and crisis communication and conflict management, as well as on the improvement of communication and media skills. Finalist of the Gongadze Prize-2022.
During the event, colleagues and relatives of media workers who died as a result of russian aggression over the past year, will deliver speeches to honor the deceased media workers.
“Pyrig i Batig” band will perform at the awards ceremony.
Prior registration of journalists is mandatory.
The online broadcast will be held on the Facebook pages of the Gongadze Prize, PEN Ukraine, Kyiv-Mohyla Business School, and Ukrainian Pravda, as well as on the Gongadze Prize and Pershyi YouTube channels.
For reference: The Gongadze Prize is a major award for professional journalists in Ukraine. It was founded in 2019 by PEN Ukraine in partnership with the family of George Gongadze, the Kyiv-Mohyla Business School and “Ukrainian Pravda” media outlet.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Grandma’s Hares project was launched three years ago by the Nasha Peremoga (Our Victory) Charitable Fund, which supports the elderly. This initiative aims to foster intergenerational communication by having participants, aged 60 and older, create hares from socks following a specific pattern. These soft toys are given to children in stressful situations, those who have suffered violence, or witnessed traumatic events. Police officers use these comforting toys to establish contact with or calm the children. For instance, the first doll hare was given to a young child who got lost and was found by the juvenile police.
Since the outbreak of the full-blown war, these toy hares have aided police officers in working with children affected by the warfare, including those who have lost parents or endured occupation. They are also distributed to children in shelters and hospitals. Additionally, hares in reflective vests have been used to teach preschoolers about traffic rules. During the winter blackouts, they provided comfort at the Points of Invincibility.
In May 2023, the elderly women crafted a special batch of brightly colored hares at the request of the White Angel unit of the National Police of Ukraine, which is responsible for evacuating children from the war zone.
Since the project’s inception, volunteer craftswomen from Kyiv, Khmelnytskyi, Lutsk, Ternopil, Mykolaiv, and Kharkiv regions have produced over 1,000 handmade doll hares, which have been distributed to the police. These toys are now used by Ukraine’s Juvenile Police across 19 regions and by the White Angel evacuation teams.
Journalists can arrange interviews with the project participants and organizers in Kyiv or other cities, and online communication is also available.
For reference: The practice of distributing Trauma Teddies to police is common in the USA, Canada, the UK, Australia, the Netherlands, and Germany.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Association of Azovstal Defenders’ Families and the Animalism by UAnimals Shop have launched a unique clothing collection—animals waiting for their owners’ release from captivity series. Two years ago, following orders, Mariupol’s defenders left the Azovstal plant, and most have been held captive since. The entire country, along with their Ukrainian fighter’s families, friends, and pets, eagerly awaits the return of these heroes.
The Association of Azovstal Defenders’ Families partnered with the Animalism by UAnimals store for this collection. Kateryna Prokopenko, head of the Association and wife of soldier Denys “Redis” Prokopenko, created the drawings. A talented illustrator designed a series, inspired by real animals waiting for their pet parents to come home freed from captivity.
For example, Chiara the female pit bull eagerly awaits Taras during his walks, always excited to see someone who resembles her owner from a distance. Oleksandr constantly carried his cat Marta in his arms, and before the full-scale invasion, he dreamed of taking her to a military base. Rem, the dog, enjoyed walking in the woods with his friend Serhii, but he became highly stressed by the noise of explosions after the invasion began. Sadly, Rem passed away before Serhiy was released from captivity. There are similar stories about other animals.
All proceeds from the T-shirt sales will go to the UAnimals humanitarian movement, which rescues animals affected by the war.
For reference: Denys Prokopenko, known by his call sign “Redis,” is a colonel and the commander of the 12th Special Forces Brigade “Azov” of the National Guard of Ukraine. A participant in the Russia-Ukraine war and a Hero of Ukraine, Prokopenko was captured by Russian forces in May 2022 after leaving the Azovstal plant in Mariupol. At that time, the highest military command had ordered the city’s defense to cease to save the soldiers’ lives. He was released from captivity in September 2022.
The defense of Mariupol lasted 86 days and concluded on May 20, 2022.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oleksandr Romenskyi, 28, enlisted in the Defense Forces in September 2022. He was initially hospitalized following combat near Kherson. After recuperating, he resumed fighting in the Donetsk region. In 2023, near Bakhmut, he sustained a severe head injury and multiple contusions from artillery fire. Following extensive treatment and rehabilitation, Oleksandr has begun relearning to walk. The injuries almost cost him his eyesight and resulted in a stutter, although his stutter vanishes when he sings. Ukrainian singer Serhii Lazanovskyi, moved by Oleksandr’s story, collaborated with him to record the song “Black Cloud.” The proceeds support the recovery efforts of Oleksandr and his fellow soldiers. Oleksandr continues his treatment and awaits eye surgery.
For reference: Oleksandr Romenskyi is currently in Kyiv and available for interviews with journalists, both online and in-person, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Prior to 2014, Pavlish served as an assistant judge until Russia’s aggression sparked his call to arms, leading him to join the 53rd Brigade for over a year of frontline combat. Upon demobilization, Pavlish pivoted to entrepreneurship in his native Lviv region, venturing into farming where he cultivated wheat, soybeans, and sweet potatoes. Following a successful initial harvest, Pavlish entered the #VARTO competition hosted by the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation, vying for funding to acquire an agricultural drone for his farm. His proposal secured approval, securing the necessary funds. Empowered by the foundation’s support, Pavlish procured his inaugural agricultural drone, employing fellow veterans of the Russia-Ukraine war to operate it effectively.
Amidst the escalation of the conflict, Ivan once more answered the call to arms while simultaneously overseeing his sweet potato farm from a distance. In a recent development, he successfully secured another victory in a competition sponsored by the UVF. With his sights set on expanding operations, Ivan intends to purchase a second drone and assemble a new team of veterans to bolster farm productivity by the end of the summer.
For reference: Ivan Pavlish remains stationed on the front line, available for online interviews with journalists.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The “TOY THERAPY ROOM” stands as a nationwide charitable initiative established by a collective within the NGO The National Genofund amidst the full-scale invasion. Its primary aim is to mitigate the trauma endured by both children and adults impacted by Russia’s invasion, achieved through the application of puppetry and play therapy techniques.
The TOY THERAPY ROOM offers a carefully designed environment where children and adults can navigate their emotions in a healthy and supportive manner. Within these spaces, carefully curated by dedicated hosts, individuals can explore their feelings, replenish their inner strength, and nurture a sense of confidence in their own abilities and desires. Central to the experience are the hundreds of soft toys that inhabit each room. These toys serve not only as companions but also as conduits for understanding and healing. Participants are encouraged to select a toy at the outset of their session, which then becomes a steadfast ally throughout their journey. Beyond the confines of the therapy room, this toy becomes a transitional object through which psychologists gain insights into the person’s condition and provide assistance.
Today, the TOY THERAPY ROOM initiative boasts over 70 locations across Ukraine, extending its reach even beyond national borders to countries like Germany and Bulgaria. Spearheaded by Victoriia Nazarevich, a seasoned psychologist and the driving force behind the Nazarevich-Art psychology training portal, the project maintains a team of dedicated professionals comprising psychologists and art therapists.
For journalists seeking insight into this transformative endeavor, opportunities for interviews with project representatives and participants are available in Kyiv and other cities by prior arrangement. Additionally, online communication channels offer convenient access for those unable to attend in person.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
“Ukrainian Puzzles” is a social enterprise born from the idea of creating puzzles depicting objects destroyed or damaged in the war, such as the Chernihiv Youth Library, the An-225 Mriya, the Mariupol Drama Theater, and Karazin University. Symbolically piecing these puzzles together contributes to the real-life reconstruction efforts, as the net profits from Ukrainian Puzzles are allocated to restore these destroyed cultural monuments.
Founded in April 2022 by Vita Vorobchuk and Yaryna Zhurba, the company operates under the slogan “A puzzle to rebuild Ukraine.” The founders believe these puzzles offer a unique way for people worldwide to participate in Ukraine’s restoration. Additionally, the initiative aims to showcase Ukrainian culture and highlight the devastation inflicted by Russia on Ukraine’s cultural heritage.
Among the best-selling puzzles is the An-225 Mriya, the world’s largest airplane. Even President Volodymyr Zelenskyy owns one. Beyond the initial collection focused on destroyed landmarks, new series are in development, including Ukrainian Art, Discover Ukraine, and Glory to Ukraine.
Journalists interested in the initiative can arrange interviews with the founders in Lutsk, Lviv, Kyiv, or via online communication.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On May 21, Kyiv will see the launch of the Intercity Information Train, designed to highlight real stories of human exploitation and trafficking. The initiative aims to educate the public on self-protection measures and available resources for assistance. Volunteers will be present at the station during the event to engage with passengers and passersby about modern slavery, distributing leaflets containing hotline numbers.
Even speakers:
- Alessia Schiavon, Chief of Mission at the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Ukraine;
- Theodora Dell, Deputy Mission Director, United States Agency for International Development (USAID);
- Nils Dahlquist, Senior Secretary of the Embassy of Sweden in Ukraine;
- Valerii Tantsiura, Head of the Service for Children and Family Affairs of the Executive Body of the Kyiv City Council (Kyiv City State Administration);
- Oleksii Liashenko, Deputy Head of the Migration Police Department of the National Police of Ukraine.
The station event marks the start of a widespread information blitz set to roll out across public transit in 10 Ukrainian cities and aboard the Intercity train. The campaign will feature external branding on trolleybuses, trams, buses, and the Intercity locomotive, showcasing narratives on prevalent forms of exploitation, including labor, armed conflict, sexual abuse, forced begging, and survival sex.
Accreditation is mandatory! The deadline to apply for media accreditation is on May 20, 5:30 PM.
This initiative is spearheaded by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Mission in Ukraine in collaboration with the All-Ukrainian Counter-Trafficking NGO Coalition. Funding is provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Ministry of Justice of Sweden.
In 2023, the IOM in Ukraine identified and aided 374 victims of human trafficking, with 23% being internally displaced persons. Additionally, 663 individuals were found to be victims of labor exploitation, lacking signs of human trafficking.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The emergency response team from the international non-profit organization World Central Kitchen (WCK) is actively aiding large-scale evacuations in the Vovchansk and Lipetsk communities of Kharkiv Oblast. From the outset, WCK has been on the ground providing hot meals, beverages, and emotional support to those impacted by the war.
Since May 10, WCK has distributed thousands of hot meals and sandwiches to approximately 10,000 evacuees. The team has also recently extended their assistance to evacuees from the Sumy region, aiding their relocation to the city of Sumy.
WCK welcomes all media inquiries and encourages coverage of their ongoing efforts.
For context, in Ukraine, WCK delivers hot meals, vegetable kits, grocery kits, and seeds to frontline areas. They also provide hot drinks and food in large cities affected by missile strikes, supporting both victims and rescue workers. Since initiating operations in February 2022, WCK has prepared more than 260 million meals for Ukrainians.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Kateryna met her husband Volodymyr at KPI University. When the Maidan protests began, he felt compelled to join. In 2015, he volunteered for the front lines. A year later, during a combat mission, Volodymyr was hit by an enemy mine, losing both his legs.
The family was in Bucha at the start of the full-scale invasion. Volodymyr moved Kateryna and their 5-year-old son from their apartment to a private house. Despite his prosthetics, he eagerly joined the local defense forces, determined to protect his country.
Volodymyr died on Vokzalna Street in Bucha, a site later infamous for photos of destroyed Russian equipment. He was among the first to engage in the battle and was killed.
Kateryna and her son endured two weeks in a basement, suffering from constant darkness and running out of food and water. Finally, they ventured outside to find a car to escape the city. After hours of wandering outside in the cold temps, an elderly man picked them up. They traveled under fire for six hours in a frigid car, eventually reaching a village near Kyiv where Kateryna’s brother lived.
Journalists can arrange to speak with Kateryna in the Kyiv region for more details.
For reference: A street in Bucha has been renamed in honor of Volodymyr Kovalskyi. After his exhumation, he was reburied on the Walk of Fame and posthumously awarded the title of “Honorary Citizen of the City.”
The family is now supported by the Children of Heroes charity foundation, which aids Ukrainian children who have lost parents to the war.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Throughout 2023-2024, the analytical publication Texty.org.ua examined numerous rehabilitation centers, including public, private, and volunteer-run facilities. While some have been aiding soldiers since 2014, others began operations in 2022. Despite their varied beginnings, all share a common goal: to restore the physical and mental well-being of military personnel affected by the war.
During the roundtable, Texty.org.ua journalists, who have extensively researched this topic, along with officials and public members, will discuss the priorities for state policy in military rehabilitation over the next five years and explore the contributions that private and volunteer initiatives can make in this effort.
Speakers:
- Natalia Kalmykova, Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine for Social Development;
- Vasyl Strilka, Director of the Department of High-Tech Medical Care and Innovations at the Ministry of Health;
- Kseniia Voznitsyna, Chief Doctor of Lisova Poliana Veterans Mental Health and Rehabilitation Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine;
- Valeriia Pavlenko, journalist at Texty.org.ua, author of multiple series publications relating to the Anastasios and challenges the military faces during rehabilitation;
- Anastasiia Pampukha, Strategic Advisor on Policy Development and Legal Support of the Rehabilitation of War Trauma Initiative;
- Ihor Chernetskyi, head of the Center for Anti-Terrorist Operation Participants and Their Families “Bandera Skhron” (Bandera’s Cache);
- Uliana Bakh – Project Director at IREX.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Inna Sorokina is from Toretsk, Donetsk region. The woman saw the war with her own eyes in 2014, when russia attacked Ukraine for the first time, and her hometown was temporarily occupied by the enemy. Inna didn’t want to leave her native region, so she moved to Sloviansk, which is also in Donetsk region. At that time, Ukraine had already regained control over the settlement. On February 24, 2022, the Kramatorsk District State Administration, where the Inna worked, decided to order an evacuation of its employees to Dnipro. Soon the woman came up with an idea to create a place in Dnipro where refugees from Eastern Ukraine could meet and communicate. Together with her supervisors, Inna founded and headed “We Are Together” IDP Support Center in Dnipro. Soon the Center began to organize thematic festivities and pajama parties for children. And for adults, the Center held a master class on pysanky painting. In the Center, displaced persons can also receive legal, psychological, informational, educational and healthcare services. The Support Center has been operating for 18 months with over 7,000 people addressing the center for help.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In the South of the country, particularly in Mykolaiv and Kherson regions, volunteers of “Let’s do it Ukraine” movement are currently working on drying and disinfecting premises damaged due to the explosion of the Kakhovka HPP dam. Journalists are welcome to cover the work of volunteers and communicate with local residents.
Under the auspices of the AWO International and with the financial support of Aktion Deutschland Hilft the All-Ukrainian youth movement “Let’s do it Ukraine is implementing the project aimed at eliminating the consequences of the Kakhovka HPP dam explosion “Overcoming the consequences of the flood in Mykolaiv and Kherson regions, helping households and social infrastructure objects: cleaning, disinfection, restoration works, preparation for winter.”
A total of 192 households will be gradually restored as a part of the project. Organizers, volunteers and specialized companies will help people dry the premises, carry out disinfection and pest control measures. In addition, some of the participants will even receive resources for carrying out basic works on liquidating flood consequences, and special equipment will be provided free of charge to speed up repairs.
For reference: one of the largest man-made disasters in Europe occurred on June 6, 2023, as the russians blew up the Kakhovka HPP dam. 600 km2 of territory was flooded, 30 settlements came under water in Kherson region, and 31 more in Mykolaiv region.
A huge wave of water from the Kakhovka Reservoir washed away everything in its path – garbage dumps, sewers, cemeteries, animal corpses, dangerous chemicals, etc. This contaminated water stayed in the houses for several days. In order to live in these premises, they must first be properly dried and disinfected.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Anton Shelest developed an interest in 3D technologies while studying at the Ivano-Frankivsk National Medical University. While still a student, Anton assembled a 3D printer himself based on a project he found on the Internet. Later, he tried to make 3D copies of human bones on another printer. With the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Anton gathered a team of like-minded people in Ivano-Frankivsk who had 3D printers and set up the production of parts for weapons and drones for the military.
And recently, a doctor turned to Anton with a request to create a prosthesis for one of his patients: the soldier’s leg was amputated, and the bones on his other leg still hadn’t started to heal. In addition, a half of the soldier’s palm was amputated. Anton’s task was to create a temporary prosthesis that would facilitate recovery, as due to the palm injury, the patient could not use crutches. As a result, Anton came up with the idea for a patch for the soldier’s hand, with which the veteran could hold on to a walker, and later crutches. The manufacturing process took several months, and the soldier received this prosthesis for free.
Currently, Anton helps fighters who come in touch with him directly. However, in the future, if he can bring together a special team, he will start making such prostheses on a permanent basis.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The results of the fourth environmental mission will be published in the coming days. The mission was conducted in March 2024 by “Let’s do it Ukraine” volunteers together with the Ukrainian Scientific Center of Ecology of Sea. Water and bottom sediment samples were taken from reservoirs, wells and boreholes in settlements of Mykolaiv and Kherson regions with the goal to analyze how the quality of water changed due to the explosion of the Kakhovka HPP dam.
Research results will also be used in the criminal proceedings conducted by the Specialized Environmental Prosecutor’s Office of Ukraine and the Main Investigative Department of the Security Service of Ukraine.
As reported, environmental volunteers and scientists already conducted three such missions in the South of the country. The first water samples were taken in June 2023 in Mykolaiv and Kherson regions. The next environmental mission took place in July. The first results yielded disappointing forecasts. Starting from the Dnipro River near Kherson, the content of oil products, toxic metals (zinc, cadmium, arsenic) and organic chlorine compounds exceeded safe concentration levels in the Dnipro-Buh estuary, the Black Sea near Ochakiv, and the Odesa Bay. The third environmental mission didn’t show any significant changes, as the results were just as disappointing.
Journalists have the opportunity to learn more about the findings of the previous and latest missions as well as talk with representatives of the “Let’s do it Ukraine ” movement in Kyiv. Media representatives will also have the opportunity to talk with representatives of the Ukrainian Scientific Center of Ecology of Sea in Odesa.
In addition, it is possible to obtain photos and video materials from environmental missions.
For reference: on June 6, 2023, the russian military blew up the Kakhovka HPP dam in Kherson region. This caused Ukraine losses estimated at USD 14 billion, states the report “Post Disaster Needs Assessment report of the Kakhovka Dam Disaster” by the UN and the Ukrainian government.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On May 28, the Ukrainian Tactical Medicine Forum will be held in Kyiv for the second time. The main theme of this year’s event is “2 Years since the Full-Scale Invasion. What has Changed in the Media. Positive and Negative Experience.” The purpose of the event is to share unique experience and knowledge that helps save the lives of our soldiers at the front.
The reports and discussions at the Forum will feature:
– Experience and practices essential for providing effective care to the wounded at the pre-hospital stage;
– New changes in TCCC protocols;
– Practical cases of training and assistance within individual units;
– Pathways to becoming a combat medic;
– Interaction between combat units and volunteers.
The event is organized by the Serhiy Prytula Charitable Foundation.
Pre-registration is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The “OnTrack” course by “Reskilling Ukraine” is a free course that gives women the opportunity to become a truck driver (with category C driver’s license). The course consists of theoretical and practical parts, as well as an exam.
The priority categories of women considered for this course are veterans and discharged soldiers, women from military families, as well as forcibly displaced persons. Future students must have category B driver’s license and previous driving experience (at least 3 years).
The “OnTrack” course started in February 2024. 38 Ukrainian women have already received category C driver’s licenses.
“Reskilling Ukraine” also launched the “BusDrive” training program, which focuses on training women to become passenger bus drivers (category D license). The first group has already been enrolled.
By prior agreement, journalists have the opportunity to talk with participants of both programs (“OnTrack” and “BusDrive”) and cover practical classes in Kyiv or Ternopil region. Also, media representatives have the opportunity to communicate with Sweden-based organizers of the program online.
For reference: “Reskilling Ukraine” is a project by the Swedish non-profit organization “Beredskapslyftet” working in the field of retraining and employment of women in Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Dmytro Bigas comes from a town in the north of Moldova. The man moved to Ukraine 15 years ago. Here he graduated from the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, and later received Ukrainian citizenship. While still a student, the man managed to work in a craft bakery and a restaurant. It was then that he realized what he dreams of doing – he wants to bake bread. In 2021, Dmytro was a chief in the kitchen in Lviv at a new focacceria (an establishment specializing in baking traditional Italian bread). However, due to the Covid epidemic, the focacceria had to be closed, so Dmytro began to teach cooking to people in Lviv, Ivano Frankivsk and Chernivtsi.
In October 2023, the man was drafted to the Defense Forces. In the army, he received the call sign “Chief.” At first, the military man became a sniper, but later he worked as an assault scout in Klishchiivka district of Donetsk region, where he took part in the first serious assault. At that time, Dmytro lost his brother in arms and vowed to take revenge.
Dmytro recently changed his military profession and became an operator of attack UAVs. In order not to lose himself in the war, he turned to his subscribers on social networks asking them to help him purchase a bread machine. After all, he wanted to continue doing what he loves. So now, between combat missions, the soldier bakes four to eight loaves of bread. “Chef’s” brothers in arms enjoy his craft bread.
For reference: Dmytro Bigas is currently in the Donetsk sector. The soldier is ready to communicate with journalists, both online and offline, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On May 31, the National Competition for the Invictus Games 2025 will begin in Kyiv to select the national team members, who will represent Ukraine at the international sports event in Canada.
This year, a record number of participants will take part in the national competition for the Invincible Games — 415 soldiers and veterans who were injured, wounded or got ill while performing combat tasks at the front. Subsequently, the commission will select 35 participants of the national team that will represent Ukraine at the Invictus Games – the international event which will be held in Canada in February 2025.
During the national competitions, journalists will be able to get to know the organizers of the Invictus Games in Ukraine, as well as talk to military personnel and veterans who will participate in the national selection.
PLEASE NOTE! For security reasons, the organizers are forced to introduce restrictions (embargo) on spreading information while the all-Ukrainian competitions are held. All media representatives that will receive accreditation will be able to collect information without hindrance, but it can be distributed only after 12:00 PM on June 3. This applies to the distribution of photo, video, audio content, as well as texts.
A blanket restriction is imposed on the spread of information about the national competitions’ venue.
The deadline for accreditation applications is May 29, 7:00 PM.
Detailed information about the competition’s venue will be sent only to accredited journalists who agree to the terms of the embargo on the distribution of information.
For reference: The selection and training of the 2025 Ukrainian National Team is carried out by the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine, together with the budgetary institution Ukrainian Veterans Foundation, StratCom Ukraine Center for Strategic Communications, “Come Back Alive!” NGO and “Invictus Games Ukraine ” NGO.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Since the onset of the full-scale russian invasion, Olha Konoval has dedicated herself to volunteering. Initially, she focused on purchasing drones and thermal imagers for the Defense Forces. It was during her first trip to the East that Olha met her future husband, Serhii, the commander of the Steel Hundred company, known by his call sign Nord. What was intended to be a brief volunteer mission turned into a four-month stay with Serhii. To buy a thermal imager for him, Olha sold her car. Additionally, she began crafting jewelry from spent shell casings, using the proceeds to support the soldiers. Serhii soon embarked on a project to manufacture FPV drones, aiming to supply the military with high-quality equipment.
In January 2024, the couple married and soon after produced their first batch of drones.
Tragedy struck shortly after their wedding when Olha learned that Serhii had been killed during a combat mission in the Donetsk sector. Despite her profound loss, Olha continued their work, setting up a drone workshop and assembling a team of engineers. To date, they have produced 250 drones. She named her business NORD-DRON in honor of Serhii. Olha views this endeavor as her form of revenge against the enemy for the loss of Serhii and other fallen soldiers.
For reference: Currently, Olha Konoval is in Ternopil but plans to return to the East soon.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Since the start of the all-out russian invasion, hostilities have impacted 20% of Ukraine’s territory, leading to the capture or deportation of hundreds of thousands of civilians. Their homes have been looted and destroyed, and liberated lands have been left heavily mined. The exact number of civilian prisoners and deportees remains unknown, and there are no established legal mechanisms for their return.
Ukrainian authorities, in collaboration with European institutions, are actively seeking ways to bring back Ukrainians who were forcibly deported to russia and belarus.
List of participants and speakers:
- Iryna Korobko, spokesperson for the EU Advisory Mission Ukraine;
- Maria Mezentseva, Member of the Verkhovna Rada, Head of the Permanent Delegation of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe;
- Oleksandr Tolokonnikov, Head of Internal and Information Policy Department of Kherson Regional Military Administration (online);
- Oleksandr Baulin, Head of Kurylivka Village Military Administration, Kupiansk District, Kharkiv Region (online);
- Khrystyna Shkudor, “Where Are Our People?” campaign advocacy manager, PR Army NGO;
- Yuliia Khrypun, co-founder of the NGO “Civilians in captivity”;
- Oleksandra Romantsova, Executive Director of the Center for Civil Liberties.
Prior accreditation is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On May 31, the Center for Civil Liberties and the Kateryna Osadcha Foundation, in collaboration with the XII International Book Arsenal Festival, will host a poetry reading focused on themes of captivity.
“Hold on! I’m holding on!” is more than a slogan—it’s a heartfelt message from prisoners to their families, friends, and the broader community. The poster for the event features an illustration by Serhii Ofitserov, a Kherson resident captured in his parent’s apartment and currently detained at the Lefortovo detention center on false terrorism charges.
The event will showcase works by renowned Ukrainian poets including Serhii Zhadan, Tetiana Vlasova, Tonia Kornuta, Natalka Heiman, Yuliia Musakovska, Anna Malihon, Maryna Ponomarenko, and Oksana Stomina, whose husband remains in captivity. Contributions from prisoners such as Serhii Tsyhipa, founder of the Tavrian Games, Nariman Dzhelialov, Deputy Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, and Andrii Holubiev, a trainer from Melitopol, will also be featured. Their works will be brought to life by actors Akhtem Seitablaev, Kateryna Vyshneva, and Roman Yasinovskyi, along with human rights activist Oleksandra Matviichuk. The event will be hosted by Kateryna Osadcha.
Journalists wishing to attend must apply for accreditation by May 27.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Strategic Communications Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (StratCom of the Armed Forces of Ukraine) invites media representatives to the opening of the exhibition “Putting on a Pixel: Stories of Those Who Chose to Fight” on May 30, and the premiere of the documentary “Resistance and Unity: Writers Explain How Not to Lose the Future” on June 1 at the Book Arsenal 2024.
“Putting on a Pixel: Stories of Those Who Chose to Fight” highlights the stories of servicemen who successfully integrated their civilian skills into their military roles. The exhibition features illustrations by Mariia Kinovych, known for her work with Facebook, MacPaw, and The Economist, based on stories from servicemen. Featured individuals include Taras Ishchyk, a designer who crafted a visual style for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and Anastasiia Blyshchyk, a television journalist now serving as a press officer for a combat brigade.
Speakers at the exhibition opening will include Mariia Kinovych, the servicemen featured in the exhibition, the StratCom command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and the project coordination team.
The documentary “Resistance and Unity: Writers Explain How Not to Lose the Future” explores how Ukrainian culture resists the aggressor’s hybrid warfare and the impact of the large-scale invasion on Ukrainian literature. The film features insights from prominent writers, philosophers, and artists, including Volodymyr Yermolenko, Serhiy Zhadan, Oksana Zabuzhko, Oleksandr Mykhed, Iryna Tsilyk, and Artem Chekh.
The deadline to apply for media credentials is Wednesday, May 29, 2024.
In order to receive a press pass issued exclusively by the Book Arsenal, all media outlets are encouraged to complete an additional accreditation application by May 27.
For reference: For the first time, StratCom of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is partnering with the XII International Book Arsenal Festival, taking place in Kyiv from May 30 to June 2, 2024.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the outbreak of all-out war, Oleksa Melnyk managed a comic book store he co-founded with his wife in Kolomyia, a western Ukrainian city. Alongside his civilian pursuits, he lent his voice to films, TV shows, video games, and advertisements. Despite being called to duty at the onset of the conflict, Melnyk continued to nurture his creative passions even on the front lines. Over a decade ago, the concept for his book took root in his mind. Penned in a trench amid the chaos of war, Melnyk’s dystopian novel, titled “And I Will Tear the Fabric of Being,” was meticulously crafted during brief breaks between military duties. Remarkably, within four months, he completed the manuscript. Currently available for pre-order through Publishing 333, the book’s official release is slated for post-2022.
For reference: For media inquiries, Oleksa Melnyk, stationed at the front, is open to interviews with journalists, both online and offline, with prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Media Initiative for Human Rights examined the circumstances surrounding the disappearance, capture, and death of soldiers from various units, including the 57th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade. Between April and June 2022, these soldiers were involved in intense battles near Novotoshkivske and Toshkivka in the Sievierodonetsk district of the Luhansk region. They later participated in the defense of the Kherson and Donetsk regions. The team spoke with relatives of the missing and deceased soldiers, as well as soldiers who directly took part in these events.
Participants:
– Maria Klymyk, MIHR journalist, author of the article “Missing from the 57th Brigade: heavy fighting, deaths, captivity, and search”;
– Olena Zavalna, daughter of Oleh Khodak, who went missing during the battle for Bohdanivka, Donetsk region;
– Mariia Plaksii, representative of the initiative group of the NGO “Find and Return. 57/34”, whose brother was released from captivity in January 2024;
– Liliia Lukianiuk, representative of the NGO “Wives of Toshkivka prisoners”;
– Valentyn Zabolotnyi, deputy commander for moral and psychological support, 57th Brigade.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Media representatives are invited to attend an open training session for veterans at the “Unstoppable” adaptive club, located in the Kyiv region. Taking place on May 30, this event marks the presentation of the “Time to Act, Unstoppable!” project, a grant competition empowering communities to establish adaptive clubs, with funding of up to 400 thousand hryvnias available for each winning community.
During the presentation, a Memorandum will be signed between the project organizers—the “MHP-Gromadi” Charitable Foundation and the State Institution “Sport for All.” Attendees will witness firsthand the impact of this initiative as they observe a training session conducted at one of the established club locations.
Speakers of the event:
- Matvii Bidnyi, Acting Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine;
- Tetiana Volochai, Director at MHP-Gromadi Charitable Foundation;
- Andrii Rebryna, Director of the State Institution “All-Ukrainian Center for Physical Health “Sport for All”.
Distinguished guests include veterans who have discovered the healing power of sports. Among them are National Guard member Volodymyr Tovkis, an Invictus Games participant who overcame a head injury and now excels in archery using his teeth, and Territorial Defence Forces fighter Oleh Andriienko, coordinator of the Active Parks project, an amputee.
Journalists are required to be accredited.
For reference: The “Time to Act, Unstoppable!” project aims to support social initiatives focused on establishing and outfitting sports centers tailored to community needs, particularly for individuals with disabilities. These centers provide opportunities for exercise, socialization, and professional coaching support.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Olga Abdalla, Tetiana Shcherbak and Elena Ernandes-Rodriges are volunteers and founders of the Bez.Doma charity initiative. In 2014, when russia first attacked Ukraine, the women came together, brought food for wounded soldiers in a hospital in Kyiv, and later began assisting children’s shelters. In the winter of 2017, Olga, Tetiana and Elena thought about how to support the homeless. Then the women decided to join the Help the Homeless initiative, came to the capital’s Podil and distributed more than a hundred sandwiches to those in need, particularly, the homeless, as well as the elderly. The team that worked in Podil took the next step and started taking care of those in need at the capital’s railway station.
On February 24, 2022, the Bez.Doma initiative announced a break, and volunteers responded to the requests of the military. Food, generators, and charging stations were sent to the soldiers. After three months, the team decided to resume the activity of the initiative, however, they had to start from scratch. After all, most people went abroad. 150 people came to the first distribution of food, later this number increased to 400. Internally displaced persons who needed support joined the homeless. Every Saturday, volunteers distribute food, basic necessities and medicine. In addition, last year Bez.Doma together with the Help the Homeless initiative created a shelter for those in need. The shelter is designed for 40 people, and it currently houses 25 people.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
“Place of Strength,” a free space for supporting children and teenagers who suffered from the war, works in Kyiv. This is a project of the “Dobrodiy Club” charitable foundation.
The space has 3 floors and an equipped shelter. There are separate zones for creative activities, lectures, training and sessions with a psychologist. So, for example, various creative master classes and art therapy classes (ranging from drawing and compositing to creating affirmation paintings) are held in the art zone. Among other things, the space has an interactive theater, a film club, reading and discussion clubs. Famous guests are invited to certain events.
In total, within 5 months of operation, the space opened its doors to 5,400 visitors with more than 600 different events taking place during this time.
By prior agreement, journalists can visit the space and talk with visitors and organizers.
For reference: June 1 marks International Children’s Day in Ukraine. The Prosecutor General’s Office reports that more than 1,899 children were injured in Ukraine as a result of russia’s full-scale armed aggression. According to juvenile prosecutors’ reports, 548 children died and more than 1,351 received injuries of various degrees of severity as of the morning of May 27, 2024.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Kharkiv-based cheerleading team Nice Ladies was created back in 2016. It is also referred to as the most mature cheerleading team, because all the participants are over 50 years old. Women were even listed in the National Register of Records of Ukraine. At the beginning of the full-scale war, the team suspended training, which resumed in September 2022 (5 participants remain abroad).
Currently, there are 8 women in the team. The youngest is 53 years old, and the oldest is 77. The women train despite the shelling of their hometown and despite the power cuts. They also had to change their practice space to a safer one.
Nice Ladies became the champions of Kharkiv, Ukraine, and now they would like to prepare for the European Championship, however, the team, which consists mostly of the retired citizens, lacks funding for this.
Journalists have the opportunity to communicate with the Kharkiv team in person.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Dmytro Mazurov joined the ranks of the National Police in 2018. Currently, the policeman serves in the “White Angels” group, which evacuates people from hot spots on the frontline. Dmytro mostly works in six settlements near the front line: Torske, Zarichne, Yampolivka, Terny, Kolodiazi, and Ivanivka.
When most of these villages and towns were occupied in April 2022, and there was one kilometer of land between the enemy and Zarichne, more than fifty people gathered in one spot waiting for evacuation. It took Dmitry 8 trips to take everyone to a safe place. Then he learned that two more women managed to get out of occupied Torske (Dmytro’s native village), and they were on their way to Zarichne. The policeman went to pick them up and evacuated the women under artillery fire.
Dmytro returned to service immediately after the liberation of the district in 2022. The “White Angels” deliver necessities including food and medicine to the de-occupied villages and towns. Also, the police work together with the rescuers, dismantle the rubble after enemy strikes, rescue the wounded and dead, and take care of those who refuse to leave. According to Dmytro, over the past year, the “White Angels” managed to evacuate all the children who lived near the line of fire in the policeman’s area of responsibility. He saved a total of 32 children.
For reference: Dmytro Mazurov is in the Donetsk sector. The policeman is ready to communicate with journalists, both online and offline, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Pylyp Dukhlii, a military veteran of the russia-Ukraine war, has established a private school where apart from receiving a general education, students also delve into programming, robotics, and 2D and 3D modeling.
Following the events of February 24, 2022, Dukhlii relocated his family to the West and joined the Defense Forces. His responsibilities included coordinating communication between positions. As a multiple life-or-death situations survivor, Dukhlii faced throughout his service, he, in what he describes, have accumulated four new “second birthdays.”
Upon his discharge, Dukhlii returned to Kyiv to continue developing his school. Now, high school students there are engaged in assembling FPV drones for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This hands-on experience allows students to apply their theoretical knowledge in a practical setting. The school boasts a modern workshop equipped with tools for designing, modeling, and soldering, as well as a laser cutter and a 3D printer. The drones built by these students can carry up to two kilograms, travel at least five kilometers, and remain airborne for over twenty minutes.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Launched in the summer of 2023, the spiritual recovery program at Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, known in English as the Monastery of the Caves has seen participation from 700 soldiers and 20 chaplains. Set within the historic confines of the reserve, the initiative aims to rejuvenate soldiers by immersing them in Ukraine’s rich cultural, historical, and spiritual heritage.
The program unfolds in two stages. The first stage is a 10-day program where military personnel engage in activities such as archaeological excavations of ancient walls and a glassmaking workshop dating back to the 11th and 12th centuries. They also visit exhibitions at the Treasury of the National Museum of History and the Museum of Books and Printing, participate in an icon painting master class, explore the Upper and Lower Lavra, and join in worship services. The second stage, titled “Day at the Lavra for Military,” involves groups of veterans spending a day at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra with a lecturer-guide. They explore the grounds, take guided tours, participate in reserve activities, and visit local shrines. Additionally, the program offers support for the families of active duty servicemen and prisoners of war.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oleksandr Knyha has been the director of the Mykola Kulish Kherson Regional Academic Music and Drama Theater for over 30 years. He is also an honorary citizen of Kherson and a member of the regional council.
At the start of russia’s full-blown invasion of Ukraine, Oleksandr found himself under occupation. On March 23, 2022, he was arrested by russian forces. After interrogation, he was released, but a few days later, they returned to the theater, attempting to coerce him into cooperation. Determined to escape, Oleksandr managed to flee on April 1, 2022.
Despite these harrowing experiences, he remained committed to his work. In Ukrainian-controlled territory, he prepared for the annual Melpomene of Tavria festival, which had previously been held in Kherson. He also launched the theater in evacuation.
Following the liberation of Kherson on November 11, 2022, Oleksandr and some actors returned to their hometown. Amid ongoing shelling, they performed in art hubs within shelters and bomb shelters, managing to revive several major performances, which were staged at Mykolaiv theaters.
Oleksandr, along with other residents, faced severe flooding due to the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station dam. His house in occupied Oleshky was submerged, with water levels reaching two meters. The house was later looted. During this time, Oleksandr actively participated in flood relief efforts in Kherson.
Oleksandr is available for journalist interviews, welcoming inquiries from both online and offline.
For reference: On June 6, 2023, the russian military destroyed the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant dam in the Kherson region, causing Ukraine nearly $14 billion in damages, according to a report by the UN and the Ukrainian government.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Anastasia Astafieva is one of the best tattoo artists and tattoo removal specialists in the capital. After the start of the full-scale invasion, Anastasia was approached by a military man who wanted to have his tattoo removed. There was gunpowder residue embedded into the skin of his face after an explosion. Anastasia tried to remove these specks with a laser, because her device can also be used for such tasks. The result became noticeable after the first session. And after a few procedures, Anastasia completely restored the soldier’s skin. He, in turn, told his brothers in arms about the tattoo artist. This is how the woman obtained her first clients with injuries from explosives. Nowadays, in addition to gunpowder residue Anastasia also removes pieces of soot and earth from people’s faces, as they also get under the skin during an explosion. Anastasia doesn’t charge military and civilians who have suffered as a result of the war.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Olha is an economist by profession, and her husband Andrii is an engineer. At the beginning of a full-scale war, their relative joined the ranks of the defenders of the country (and in April 2022, he was wounded, lost a limb, and was captured by the enemy, where he was held for 7 months). In turn, Olha and Andrii decided to make “bomber drones” (FPV drones with a drop mechanism) and give them away to the soldiers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces for free. Andrii designed and developed these drones by himself.
Later, this initiative grew into a full-fledged company “IRV — Innovative Research Vision,” which currently employs qualified specialists working on the development of UAVs, video surveillance systems, and analytical research. They also manufacture a variety of drones (kamikaze, FPV, reconnaissance, attack drones).
Throughout 2022 and 2023, the company gave away its products for free, but this year, due to a lack of funds, as well as expenses for the treatment of a relative, they began selling them.
Journalists can communicate with the couple in Lviv or online.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
FRIDA Ukraine medical volunteer mission implemented the Mobile Dentistry project with the support of United Help Ukraine, one of the largest Ukrainian charitable initiatives in the United States. On May 25-26, the mobile clinic together with a team of volunteer doctors embarked on its first mission to Kherson region. Within two days, the team managed to examine, consult and help 27 patients.
The mobile clinic is equipped with a dental unit, which includes: a compressor, a suction unit, a portable X-ray machine, a photopolymer lamp, etc. The Mobile Dentistry project can provide a full range of therapeutic, outpatient surgical, orthopedic and orthodontic dental services.
The mobile clinic is gearing up for its next mission as it prepares to see patients in the Sumy region on June 8-9.
Journalists are invited to cover the work of the Mobile Dentistry project on-site and learn more about the opportunities that such mobile clinics open up for doctors in places where it is not possible to conduct specialized examinations.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Summer mountain therapy for veterans will be held in the Carpathians on June 13-16. The idea behind this type of therapy is healing by hiking and interacting with other people.
Mountain therapy is organized by the Metta NGO. Participation, accommodation and meals for participants are free.
The mountain therapy team includes psychologists and guides. Military personnel, who have already tried the effects of mountain therapy on themselves, are now helping their brothers and sisters in arms to recover. They also take part in the hikes.
By prior agreement, journalists can cover the mountain therapy.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On June 5, Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform will hold a briefing ” The results of a sociological survey on russians’ stance toward the ongoing war.” The results of a sociological study conducted on the territory of the russian federation will be presented during the event. The main topics of the focus include: attitude towards mobilization, russians’ assessment of their losses, attitude to negotiations.
Participant:
- Vadym Denysenko, political scientist;
- Igar Tyshkevich, expert at the Ukrainian Institute for the Future;
- Volodymyr Nahirnyi, expert at the National Institute for Strategic Studies.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A women’s volunteer fire brigade emerged in Rivne Oblast at the onset of the full-blown invasion. Spearheaded by Alla Karpiuk, head of the Velyka Omeliana village community, the brigade sprang into action after Karpiuk’s firsthand experiences battling blazes, including three fire incidents involving homes and dry grass, when under coordination with firefighters, she helped save people’s property.
Comprising 21 volunteers, the fire brigade boasts diverse backgrounds, with members ranging from deputies and accountants to saleswomen. Even a widow, grappling with the war’s toll, has joined the ranks.
Currently, the team is immersed in rigorous training provided by the State Emergency Service, honing skills in first aid, fire hose manipulation, fire extinguisher operation, and water management to earn their professional certifications.
Journalists, upon arrangement, are welcome to engage with brigade members for firsthand insights, either in person or online.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Lars Fersters, a Swedish citizen and former sailor, has embarked on a mission alongside the Kyiv-based volunteer group, Dobrobat, to restore the home of a senior woman in Irpin. Her dwelling place sustained significant damage from shelling during the spring of 2022 and requires meticulous reconstruction.
Fersters expressed his inability to idly watch as Ukrainians suffer from russian attacks, prompting him to leave behind his domestic affairs and join Dobrobat as a volunteer.
For context: “Dobrobat” is a volunteer construction unit dedicated to swiftly restoring housing and social infrastructure facilities in de-occupied territories.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), the Center for Civil Liberties, and the Kharkiv Human Rights Group will present a submission to the International Criminal Court (ICC) detailing hate crimes committed by russians against Ukrainians. Ukrainian and foreign media are invited to the presentation, which will be held on June 6 at the Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform.
The submission highlights the accountability of five prominent russian propagandists—Vladimir Solovyov, Margarita Simonyan, Dmitry Kiselyov, Dmitry Medvedev, and Sergey Mardan—for inciting hatred against Ukrainians. It also addresses the responsibility of Alexey Gromov, the first deputy chief of staff of the presidential administration of russia.
The document is based on an analysis of 526 hours of broadcasts, from which over 300 statements were quantified as hate speech. These remarks not only urged russian troops to capture, mistreat, harm, or forcibly displace Ukrainians but also sought to garner approval from the russian populace for these heinous acts.
Journalists wishing to attend the event must be accredited.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On June 7, Kyiv will host a panel discussion titled “Feminization and the Present: Trends, Issues, and the Role of Women in Ukraine’s Recovery” at the Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform. The event will address the rapid feminization of the labor market, examining how this shift is impacting various sectors of Ukrainian society amid the ongoing conflict. Panelists will review current state policies and propose additional measures needed to support this transition.
Participants:
– Kateryna Levchenko, Government Commissioner for Gender Policy;
– Svitlana Voitsekhovska, co-founder of the Ukrainian Women’s Congress;
– Milena Goryachkovska, Ukrainian Women’s Fund, project coordinator;
– Yaryna Voloshyn, Head of Communications, Ukrainian Women-Lawyers Association “JurFem”;
– Oksana Hryhorieva, Gender Advisor to the Commander of the Land Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
For reference: Since the onset of the full-scale invasion, the number of women in Ukraine’s Armed Forces has surged by 40%. As of March 2024, over 47,000 women are serving, with more than 4,000 on the front lines, according to the General Staff. Additionally, the State Employment Service reports that in 2023, it helped 240,000 individuals secure new jobs, 66% of whom were women.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Originally hailing from Berdiansk, a city in the southern Zaporizhia region, with around 15 years of experience as a welder, Oleksandr Shaposhnyk’s journey into blacksmithing began in 2013 during a visit to Donetsk, now held under occupation, for the International Blacksmithing Festival. By 2015, he honed his skills to become a master of industrial training in hand-forged blacksmithing at the Berdiansk Machine-Building Professional Lyceum, where he imparted his knowledge to aspiring young blacksmiths. In a bid to foster community and celebrate the craft, he established the Steel Wave campus-based festival, drawing 44 talented counterparts from across Ukraine. Additionally, he adorned Berdiansk with the “Blacksmith Alley,” a collection of his sculptures that stood until the onset of the full-scale russian invasion.
To escape the occupation, Shaposhnyk navigated 13 checkpoints before finding refuge in Zaporizhia for six months. Ultimately, he resettled in Ivano-Frankivsk, a city nestled in the western expanse of Ukraine.
In a gesture of solidarity, a volunteer from Kyiv approached the blacksmith with a proposition: craft a sculpture to be auctioned off, with proceeds benefiting the Armed Forces of Ukraine. After pondering the concept for a month, Oleksandr conceived the Kalyna (Viburnum) Girl, fashioned from wire salvaged from the wreckage of power grids destroyed by occupiers and fragments of shells. This poignant piece now resides in a museum in Kyiv, slated for auction in Europe.
Building on this momentum, the blacksmith fashioned three additional sculptures from similar materials—Mavka, Berehynia, and Metal Motanka. Hoteliers snapped up two of these creations for 200 thousand hryvnias each, while a bank acquired another for a hefty sum of 2 million hryvnias. Generous volunteers ensured the proceeds reached the hands of Ukraine’s defenders.
In a creative twist, the artist repurposed the gearbox of a downed enemy Mi-8 helicopter to fashion two lamps. One lamp ventured to a UK auction, while the other fetched 23 thousand hryvnias in a sale orchestrated by local volunteers, funding the procurement of drones.
Presently, the industrious blacksmith is hard at work crafting a collection of robots inspired by the American film Living Steel, set to debut at an exhibition in Zakarpattia.
Journalists eager to delve deeper into Oleksandr’s narrative can arrange interviews either in person in Ivano-Frankivsk or through online channels.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Founded in the early weeks of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the PowerKit project began with five friends and has since grown to over 100 volunteers from across Ukraine and abroad. The project’s mission is to supply the Ukrainian Armed Forces with free-of-charge, powerful, and user-friendly power banks. Each PowerKit power bank features a red LED strip, USB outputs, and a special connector for charging military radios.
In addition to supporting the military, the project has an environmental focus: repurposing disposable electronic cigarettes. These devices contain lithium batteries, which are well-suited for creating rechargeable powerful power banks.
Since its inception, PowerKit volunteers have produced 5,015 power banks, reusing 200,600 e-cigarettes in the process.
Journalists are invited to meet the project team and report on their work in Kyiv.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The savED Charitable Foundation, in collaboration with Ukrainska Pravda online newspaper, the CORE global crisis response organization, students, and teachers, has inaugurated a shelter at Mykolaiv Lyceum No. 55. This new facility stands as the largest shelter within Mykolaiv’s educational institutions. Utilizing the funds raised, savED successfully renovated the shelter, equipping it with furniture, appliances, high-quality lighting, and ventilation to ensure a comfortable and safe environment.
The funds for the shelter were gathered by savED last summer during the Back to School campaign. Ukrainska Pravda also initiated its own fundraising drive. CORE Response, founded by Sean Penn, contributed an additional UAH 4 million to the UAH 4 million already collected. The educational community in Lviv raised over UAH 1 million, and Kiwi, an airline ticket search service, donated around UAH 800,000 for furniture.
For background: savED is a charitable foundation focused on restoring educational access in war-affected areas. The foundation outfits shelters and educational centers, repairs damaged school buildings, sets up temporary educational spaces, and involves teenagers in community reconstruction through the UActive program. savED operates in the Chernihiv, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, and Dnipro regions.
Recently, savED launched a summer campaign to rally business support for equipping shelters and temporary schools in de-occupied communities. The campaign also aims to raise funds for backpacks filled with essential supplies for learning during power outages. The campaign’s central theme is #DriveChangeForUAChildren, encompassing all the foundation’s activities under the banner of #DriveChange.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Eight years ago, Lesia Mandur moved from Avdiivka, Donetsk region (the city has been occupied since February this year) to Irpin, Kyiv region. At the beginning of the full-scale war, she had to leave home again.
After the russian retreat from Kyiv region, Lesia returned to Irpin. And at the beginning of 2023, she founded a volunteer movement that makes energy bars for the military. Parishioners of one of the local churches (about 10 women) joined the initiative.
Volunteers make 44 kilograms of energy bars every week, which amounts to more than 500 bars. The ingredients include various nuts, cranberries, dates, dried apricots, dried plums and apples, raisins, sunflower seeds and honey.
This week, the volunteer movement faced difficulties – they could not work due to power outages. After all, a special device for grinding food is used in production, and it requires electricity. So now they are collecting fuel to start using a generator starting next week and continue working.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Anatolii Mytskan joined the Defense Forces with the beginning of the full-scale invasion. And already in April 2022, together with his brothers in arms, he defended the Zaporizhia direction. The veteran was on the front line for more than a year. During this time, he got numerous concussions, which eventually led to a stroke. Anatolii explains that he was lucky, because the stroke did not happen at the frontline.
Currently, the man is in Ivano-Frankivsk and is rehabilitating with the help of drawing. The theme of his paintings is war. In mid-June, Anatolii will bring 15 of his works to Lviv to hold a personal exhibition. He plans to buy drones and EW equipment for the army with the money he will get from the sale of paintings.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On June 11, on the eve of the World Donor Day, the team of the Yanina Sokolova Fund together with the UCU Medical Clinic invite Lviv residents to attend the Red Brunch event and together express gratitude to our defenders.
Hundreds of soldiers need blood transfusions every minute. One donation can save three brave lives.
Guests of the event can expect a friendly atmosphere and pleasant networking, delicious treats and gifts.
For reference: World Blood Donor Day is celebrated annually on June 14.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Taras Ishchyk decided to join the Defense Forces in 2021. Even then, the man felt that there would be a big war: he submitted documents to become a soldier in reserve and got into the 103rd brigade of the Territorial Defense Forces, where he is currently serving.
Before the start of the full-scale invasion, Taras had been responsible for the communications of his brigade and served as a press officer. Later, the military man began to receive requests from various military units that related to his civilian work, namely graphic design. At that time, almost every brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine had its own pages in social networks, and they all differed in design. So the work that Taras performed for his brigade was scaled to the entire Armed Forces. The man created a guiding document – the Brandbook of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This is a book of graphic rules for the military to follow. It was Taras who initiated the appearance of the official pages of the Defense Forces, which are seen by users of social networks.
The man is not yet thinking about returning to civilian life. Taras has many plans, which he dreams of implementing in the army.
For reference: Taras Ishchyk is in Lviv. The military man is ready to communicate with journalists, both online and in person, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Marcus Smith from the UK is 32 years old. In order to join the Ukrainian army, Markus first flew to Budapest, and from there he walked to Chop, a Ukrainian border town. The journey took the British man eight days.
For the past two years, Marcus had watched the full-scale invasion unfold on the territory of Ukraine when he finally decided to join the foreign legion and become a combat medic, because he has the necessary knowledge.
Before coming to Ukraine, Marcus honed his hunting skills and went on long mountain trips without gear. Currently, Markus is in the Zakarpattia Regional Territorial Recruitment Center, where he is undergoing training. During his service in the army, Markus plans to learn the Ukrainian language.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
From June 21 to 23, the Land of Dreams festival will take place in Kyiv celebrating its 20th anniversary. This year’s festival program includes: 15 thematic areas, 35 ethnic and folk bands, a book fair, craftsman alleys, children’s lawn as well as Crimean Tatar and Japanese spaces. This year the festival will for the first time feature a spiritual mystical scene and a poetry workshop.
Land of Dreams international ethnic music and culture festival is currently the largest of its kind, it’s been held in Ukraine since 2004.
One of the important missions of the festival has to do with helping children and the military. “Charity Fund of Oleg Skrypka “Kraїna Mriy” will hold special fundraisers and activities.
Among other things, the festival will feature a zone for writing “Letters to a Free Crimea,” exhibitions about military personnel from Crimea, and a fundraiser for the needs of Crimea special unit. In addition, the festival will also feature poetry from the front lines written and recited by the authors, who serve in the military.
Journalists have the opportunity to look at the detailed program of the festival and cover the event. Accreditation is required.
For reference: since 2004, the festival has been attended by about 1 million visitors, in addition to the traditional Kyiv location, it was also held in Lviv, Dnipro, Oslo and London. The festival is held in 2 seasonal formats – summer and winter. The festival has already featured craftsmen and performers from 30 countries.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Lieutenant Oleksandr “Biker” Voznyi was commanding a platoon in the Air Assault Division during an attack on the village of Robotyne in Zaporizhia. A shell exploded two meters away from him, shredding his lungs, spine and limbs. Oleksandr experienced significant blood loss and suffered 7 cardiac arrests. The MOAS team performed desperate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in their ambulance while racing him to the nearest hospital for life-saving treatment. The team consisted of Stanislav Geranin (anesthesiologist), Volodymyr Vahonin (paramedic) and Serhiy Goldovansky (driver).
“I’d lost too much blood and they couldn’t inject any medicine because my veins were buried. But the MOAS medic somehow believed he could keep me alive. He said he would keep pumping me and transfer me to the regional hospital. I’m extremely grateful to the team. Every day I thank God that I’m alive. I’m so happy my children will not be orphans,” says the fighter.
In addition, on June 14, Oleksandr Voznyi will speak in Kyiv at the presentation of the book “Sirens of Hope: The MOAS Mission to Save Lives in Ukraine,” which highlights the heroic work performed by the organization’s Ukrainian medical teams.
Last November, President Zelenskyy awarded Oleksandr with the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi Third Class. He was also awarded medals by the Mayor of Kyiv and the Commander of the Airborne Assault Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for his bravery and selfless commitment to preserving the lives of his brothers in arms. Oleksandr is still undergoing intensive rehabilitation therapy.
Oleksandr’s meeting with doctors will take place in a small room, so we recommend applying for media accreditation in advance. The MOAS team can also provide media representatives with photos and videos of Oleksandr’s rescue.
For reference: MOAS, the international humanitarian non-governmental organization, has been working in Ukraine since the start of the war and has now saved more than 45,000 lives. It employs 150 teams of all-Ukrainian medics in 50 ambulances supplied with state-of-the-art life-saving equipment. MOAS receives no government funding and relies entirely on fundraising to keep its operation costing USD 1 million a month on the road.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
June 13 will mark the start of the next journey of Iron Change, a unique social project for sports and patriotic education of children and youth. The participants of the project are talented teenagers with outstanding achievements in education, sports, art and creativity, who lost the opportunity to develop their potential as a result of russian aggression, but did not lose their desire to contribute to the development of the country.
For 12 days, the children travel through the cities of western Ukraine — Ternopil, Ivano-Frankivsk, Uzhhorod, Chop, Lviv — all the places where Ukrzaliznytsia trains go. The youth meet with political and business leaders, as well as with the military, doctors and artists. They will visit modern Ukrainian and international companies, where they acquire leadership skills required for making successful steps into adulthood.
More than 1,000 schoolchildren from all over Ukraine have finished the project since September 2023. Participation is free.
By prior agreement, journalists have the opportunity to talk with the participants and organizers of the project on the day their next trip departs from Kyiv. There is also an opportunity to cover the journey itself.
For reference: The project was created by JSC Ukrzaliznytsia, Charitable Organization “Charitable Foundation Save Ukraine” and the Howard Buffett Foundation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On June 14, a capsule laying ceremony will be held to commemorate the start of the construction project for the new building of the Kyiv Regional Mental Health Center in Vorzel. The new 5,500 m² building will be constructed out of modular structures from the USA and will include a rehabilitation space connected by a corridor to the main building. The American side will pay for all the expenses. The local community has dealt with the land plot, service lines and landscaping. The construction is to be completed in November 2024.
The ceremony will also include the handover of 50 ambulances collected by volunteers from all over Europe. They will be provided for the needs of different communities of Ukraine.
Participants:
- Viktor Liashko, Minister of Health of Ukraine,
- Ruslan Kravchenko, Head of the Kyiv Regional Military Administration,
- Yaroslav Dobrianskyi, Chairman of the Kyiv Regional Council,
- Anatolii Fedoruk, Mayor of Bucha,
- Tetiana Ponomarenko, Director of the Kyiv Regional Center for Mental Health,
- Brock D. Bierman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ukraine Focus,
- Brent Yessin, General Counsel at AMC Healthcare,
- Kathy Sheehan, Mayor of Albany (USA).
For reference: the Kyiv Regional Mental Health Center was captured by the occupiers at the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The russian military settled in the facility and stole valuable equipment from there. The center itself was badly damaged. The restoration of the medical facility began after the de-occupation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On June 14, Irpin will host a presentation on the start of the new stage of construction of the expansion to the Irpin Central City Hospital.
Speakers:
- Viktor Liashko, Health Minister and representatives of the Ministry;
- Representatives of the World Bank;
- Oleksandr Markushyn, Irpin Mayor, representatives of the Irpin City Council;
- Anton Dovhopol, Director of the Irpin Central City Hospital non-profit municipal enterprise;
- Doctors, hospital staff and locals.
At the end of the event, there will be a tour of the medical center and the construction site.
For reference: The Ministry of Health of Ukraine is implementing the project Health Enhancement And Lifesaving (HEAL) Ukraine project.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Liubov Kovalchuk’s husband, Dmytro, made the ultimate sacrifice in battle. A dedicated member of the Joint Forces Operation, Dmytro, a fearless airborne assault troop of the 95th Brigade, valiantly served in the Donetsk sector until his untimely demise on July 12, 2022. Despite the chaos of warfare, Dmytro managed to impart his farewell words to Liubov before departing, leaving behind their infant daughter, Ameliia, just six months old at the time.
In the depths of grief, Liubov turned to her passion for writing to navigate the harrowing aftermath of loss. Through poignant poetry and heartfelt memoirs, she channeled her anguish onto paper, culminating in a poignant manuscript aptly titled “To You, My Hero!”—a poignant tribute to her beloved warrior.
For Liubov, this literary endeavor serves as a poignant homage to Dmytro’s memory, offering solace amid the void left by his absence. Moreover, she envisions her book as a beacon of hope for fellow war widows, providing them with a source of solidarity and resilience in the face of profound loss.
Journalists seeking to delve deeper into Liubov’s poignant journey are invited to connect with her in Rivne by prior arrangement.
For reference: The Kovalchuk family receives support from the Children of Heroes charity fund, which extends a helping hand to children orphaned by the ravages of russia’s full-scale invasion. The foundation offers vital financial assistance, psychological and legal counsel, and fosters the educational and personal development of these resilient youngsters until they reach adulthood.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Scheduled for June 14th in Kyiv, this event marks the grand inauguration of a physical rehabilitation facility at the Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital.
After an extensive year-and-a-half-long renovation effort, the pool, dormant for over three decades, has been meticulously restored to its former glory. The refurbishment encompassed a comprehensive overhaul, including the replacement of piping, ventilation systems, sewage infrastructure, and more.
This new aquatic resource plays a vital role in the recovery journey of children requiring specialized care following severe injuries and illnesses. Specifically tailored for patients impacted by war, disabilities, developmental setbacks, orthopedic issues, and scoliosis, the facility will be staffed by dedicated physical therapists.
Distinguished guests from the United States, Europe, and Ukraine, alongside philanthropists, patrons, hospital leadership, medical professionals, patients affected by conflict, individuals in need of rehabilitation services, members of the press, and supporters of Okhmatdyt, will grace the opening ceremony.
Accreditation is required for journalists interested in covering the event.
For reference: As the largest children’s hospital in Ukraine under the Ministry of Health, the National Children’s Specialized Hospital “Okhmatdyt” annually serves over 20,000 young patients, with an additional 65,000 receiving outpatient consultations.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the full-scale invasion, Oleh Slyvar was a professional folk dancer in Lviv region. Oleh changed his life radically in the summer of 2022, when he decided to join the ranks of the National Guard of Ukraine. Together with his brothers in arms, Oleh fought in the Donetsk direction. During one of the assaults, the man received numerous shrapnel wounds. Due to shelling, it was not possible to evacuate the soldier immediately. Later, at the stabilization point, the man’s heart stopped, however, doctors managed to bring Oleh back to life. The soldier lost his leg, but thanks to rehabilitation at the medical center, he learnt to live with an electronic knee prosthesis. And recently he returned to the stage.
Oleh is ready to communicate with the media online or in person in Lviv.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On June 14, in Dnipro, representatives of the National Register of Records of Ukraine will record another record – 78-year-old Volodymyr Nikolaiev will make his 794th blood donation. He is the first to receive the highest title of Hero of Ukraine for donating blood.
Volodymyr is convinced that his blood is especially needed now, because it saves our wounded soldiers. Volodymyr Nikolaiev has been a donor for 47 years and 11 months, and this was recognized as an absolute record of Ukraine. The honored donor of Ukraine donated a total of 650.5 liters of blood.
For reference: World Blood Donor Day is commemorated on June 14.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On June 16, the Equality March will take place in the capital. The main slogan of the Equality March 2024 is “Together for equality and victory.”
The last time such an event was held in Kyiv was in 2021. This year, its format will be somewhat different from previous years due to the wartime conditions.
The Equality March will take place close outside but close to the shelter, as required for security reasons. The route has been agreed with the police. This year’s event will be closed, and the attendance requires prior registration.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On June 18, the presentation of driver’s licenses to women who participated in the “Driving expands opportunities” course will take place in Kyiv.
Participants:
- Pavlo Zamostian, Assistant Representative at UNFPA;
- Maryna Khonda, Deputy Head of the Kyiv City State Administration responsible for exercising self-governing powers;
- Denys Darmostuk, Director of the Kyiv Regional Employment Center;
- Anastasiia Liadneva, Head of the Innovative Social Solutions NGO;
- Oleksandr Klyzhko, Head of the Kyiv Service Center of the Interior Ministry;
VONA career hub team.
In September 2023, VONA career and business hub launched “Driving expands opportunities” course. These are Ukraine’s first driving lessons for women who found themselves in difficult life circumstances. The main focus is to expand the professional competences of women, as well as to give them the opportunity to become even more mobile, independent and self-confident.
“Sisters of the Road” courses for women truck drivers will be announced at the event. The courses will be implemented with the support of logistics companies that are partners of VONA hub.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On June 14, a meeting with the organizers of the National Selection for Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2024 will be held at Media Center Ukraine — Ukrinform in Kyiv. During the event, Suspilne will present a songwriter and a director who will work on this year’s selection. The event will be moderated by Tymur Miroshnychenko, Ukraine’s National Selection for Eurovision commentator and host.
At the event, Svitlana Tarabarova, music producer of the National Selection and
Oksana Skybinska, Head of Delegation for Ukraine at the Eurovision Song Contest, will tell you everything you need to know about the innovations and participation criteria for this year’s National Selection. The participants include: Tetiana Kovryga, Director of the GoGlobal Educational Foundation, Oksana Pysarieva, a psychologist at the Voices of Children Foundation.
Pre-registration is required.
For reference: Suspilne has simplified the criteria for participation in the National Selection to make it even more accessible for young performers: it is not necessary for them to write their own songs. To take part in the competition and win the opportunity to represent Ukraine on the big stage of Junior Eurovision Song Contest – 2024 in Madrid, Spain, it is enough to record two covers of popular songs and a video introduction.
At the same time, young songwriters still have the opportunity to submit their own song for consideration if they wish. However, this option does not affect their chances of passing to the next stage of selection.
Applications for participation in the National Selection are accepted up until July 3 through the form on the website junior.eurovision.ua
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On June 18, Kyiv will see the launch of classes for the “The Veterans’ Theater” pilot project. This initiative, spearheaded by the Public Relations Service of the Territorial Defense Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (TRO Media) in collaboration with the Theater of Playwrights, aims to create an innovative rehabilitation system combining therapeutic effects and the creative potential of veterans.
The project seeks to use modern theater as a medium for rehabilitation and socialization, offering military personnel and their families a platform to discuss their challenges and needs with communities and audiences. It aims to build communication bridges and alleviate emotional stress.
As part of the program, organizers and a group of veterans will collaborate to create a play based on texts that reflect the life experiences, fears, and dreams of the military. Veterans will also participate in an educational program on contemporary theater and explore acting.
The program is estimated to run for two months, with a performance based on veterans’ texts scheduled for August 2024.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The event, which is part of the second Summer School on International Humanitarian Law organized by the Ukrainian Red Cross for civil servants, aims to explore the conventions’ implementation amid the ongoing conflict to be held on June 17.
Speakers:
– Iryna Vereshchuk, Vice Prime Minister – Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine, Head of the Interagency Commission on the Application and Implementation of International Humanitarian Law in Ukraine;
– Ole Egberg Mikkelsen, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Denmark to Ukraine;
– Gillan Defourne, Chief of Operations of the ICRC Delegation in Ukraine;
– Daria Herasymchuk, Advisor and Commissioner of the President of Ukraine for Children’s Rights and Rehabilitation;
– Anton Korynevych, Ambassador at Large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine;
– Oksana Senatorova, Member of the Interdepartmental Commission on the Application and Implementation of International Humanitarian Law in Ukraine;
– Inna Zavorotko, Deputy Head of the International Law Department of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
International and Ukrainian experts, along with representatives from the government and non-governmental organizations, will provide their insights on several key issues: the current relevance of the Geneva Conventions, the realities and prospects of their implementation in Ukraine, and whether adherence to International Humanitarian Law truly paves the way to peace.
Prior accreditation is required for attendance.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On June 15, Kyiv will host the second “Protasiv Yar” festival in memory of Roman Ratushnyi, a civic activist and scout with the 93rd Brigade “Kholodnyi Yar.” The event will begin with a press briefing featuring the festival organizers.
Speakers:
– Svitlana Povaliaieva, writer, mother of Roman Ratushnyi;
– Sofia Cheliak, Executive Director of the Protasiv Yar Festival in memory of Roman Ratushnyi;
– Yulia Bartle, head of the NGO “Let’s Protect Protasiv Yar”;
– Myroslava Barchuk, journalist, TV presenter, Vice President of PEN Ukraine;
– Artur Kharytonov, president of the Liberal Democratic League of Ukraine;
– Tetyana Teren, executive director of PEN Ukraine;
– Hryhoriy Baran, Director of the Social Capital Program at the International Renaissance Foundation.
Moderator: Tetiana Vlasova.
Accreditation is required to attend.
The festival aims to continue its mission of promoting contemporary and traditional art, Ukrainian history, human rights initiatives, and honoring the legacy of Roman Ratushnyi. Inspired by Roman’s vision, the festival, held under the motto “Never Fear Anything,” has grown significantly and returns for a second year at Protasiv Yar.
Journalists will have the chance to gain detailed insights into the festival’s program.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oleksandr Shvachka first mobilized to the Defense Forces in 2015 when russia initially attacked Ukraine. He served in the 79th Air Assault Brigade and was transferred to the operational reserve after demobilization. Oleksandr voluntarily rejoined the military during the full-scale invasion, serving with the 95th Brigade.
In March 2022, while in the Kyiv region, Oleksandr was struck by a tank shell, resulting in the loss of his leg. Initially, he was determined to quickly adapt to a prosthetic and return to his unit. However, his recovery required extensive treatment and rehabilitation. To maintain muscle strength, Oleksandr began exercising and was later contacted by the Strongman Federation of Ukraine.
Driven by a mission to support fellow veterans in their training and recovery, Oleksandr co-founded TRENVET, a mobile app designed to help military personnel locate nearby training facilities or connect with trainers, rehabilitation therapists, and massage therapists, all at no cost.
Currently based in Kyiv, Oleksandr is available for interviews with journalists, both online and in person, by prior arrangement.
For reference: The TRENVET app was developed with support from the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation, as part of a project by the NGO Association for the Promotion of Physical Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities “Zvytiaha Neskorenykh” (Victory of the Invictus).
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Sercevir Veterans’ Space has been operating remotely for over a year without a physical location. This April, the founders and participants, including military personnel, veterans, and their families, began renovating a former women’s clinic. Once completed, “Sercevir” will offer its services in-person. Currently, dismantling work is in progress. Injured soldiers, some using prostheses, are personally contributing to the renovation efforts to expedite the opening. Plans include a modern, inclusive gym, an entire floor dedicated to psychological counseling and support, legal assistance, and a children’s playroom for families to use while attending the gym or training sessions.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Journalist accreditation for the Land of Dreams anniversary festival, set to take place in Kyiv from June 21 to 23, is now open. The festival will kick off on June 21 with the Kupailytsia rite, a traditional Kupala tree decorating ceremony, which attendees can participate in. Journalists will also have the opportunity to speak with the festival’s founder, Oleh Skrypka.
This year’s program features 15 thematic areas, 35 ethnic and folklore groups, a book fair, artisan alleys, a children’s playground, and Crimean Tatar and Japanese cultural spaces. New additions include a spiritual mystical stage and a poetry workshop.
The Land of Dreams International Ethno Festival, established in 2004, is Ukraine’s largest and oldest music festival. It aims to support the needs of children and the military. Oleh Skrypka’s Land of Dreams Charitable Foundation will host special meetings and activities.
Highlights include a zone for writing Letters to a Free Crimea, exhibitions on military personnel from Crimea, and a collection for the Crimea Special Forces. The event will also feature frontline poetry written and performed by soldiers.
Accreditation is required. Journalists can access the detailed festival program and cover the event.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Hospitails project is a team of veterinarians and volunteers who have come together to help and evacuate animals in the frontline areas.
A year ago, when the occupiers blew up the Kakhovka dam, the team set out to rescue four-legged friends from the disaster zone, which marked the day when the initiative started working systematically. Hospitals equipped a full-fledged mobile operating room, which allows treating and vaccinating animals as well as performing surgeries in field conditions.
Within the year of operation, the team evacuated and found homes for about 200 animals. During their trips, 243 animals were vaccinated and treated. 168 “tails” were operated on and sterilized. They also distributed 10 tons of humanitarian aid.
For reference: The Hospitails project is a joint initiative of the Hospitallers medical volunteer battalion and Hvostati Charitable Foundation, which helps and finds homes for animals.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On June 30, the capital will host a charity Run of Honor to Remember Rekrut. Rekrut is the call sign of Oleksii Chubashev, a military journalist who created and hosted his program about military training entitled Rekrut.ua. All funds from the registration fees of those participating in the run will be directed to the needs of the International Legion (Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine).
The event includes 5 and 10-kilometer runs, which you can join both in person in Kyiv and online from anywhere in the world. Civilians and the military will participate in the competition, most of whom will cover the distance in their units.
Throughout his life, Oleksii paid a lot of attention to physical training and actively engaged in running and other sports, so his wife, Yuliia Chubasheva, together with the Run Ukraine company, decided to initiate a race in honor of the military man.
Oleksii Chubashev took part in the Anti-Terrorist Operation in the East of Ukraine, and after the start of the full-scale invasion, he joined the International Legion of the Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. On June 10, 2022, Oleksii Chubashev died in battle near Sievierodonetsk.
Media accreditation for the event starts next week.
For reference: The event is organized by Run Ukraine with Rekrut acting as a co-organizer.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
USAID TCA invites the media to the meeting “Ukraine’s National Strategic Narrative: the Second Year of the Full-Scale Invasion” on June 19. For two years, CAT-UA organization has been monitoring the Ukrainian media space and analyzing changes in the public discourse on the war. The media is invited to discuss the annual report, which covers more than 350,000 social media and online media posts between 24 February, 2023 and 24 February, 2024.
This report highlights a significant change in public sentiment: from strong confidence in victory to a weak hope for it. The state narrative has become less clear, and the once coherent story of Ukrainian resistance is now fragmented. In addition, russian narratives in the temporarily occupied territories are getting increasingly more aligned with the occupiers’ communication with the russian audience. Despite these alarming signals, the report contains numerous recommendations for the media that could strengthen Ukraine’s national strategic narrative.
The speaker is Artem Zakharchenko, Head of CAT-UA NGO.
Accreditation is required.
For reference: The event is organized in partnership with the Recovery Window media network.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On June 20, Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform will host a discussion entitled: “Global Peace Summit: Conclusions, Results, Solutions for Ukraine’s Recovery”
Participants:
- Yevhen Mahda, Executive Director of the Institute of World Policy;
- Nataliya Plaksiienko-Butyrska, expert on East Asia, Master of International Relations;
- Vadym Denysenko, political scientist;
- Volodymyr Horbach, Executive Director of Institute for Northern Eurasia Transformation.
Topics of focus:
- Expectations and results: the key conclusions of the Global Peace Summit;
- What’s next: how will the situation develop after the Summit?
- Reaction of the russian federation and prospects for its participation in the next Summit;
- The reaction of the East and the Global South, lessons for Ukraine;
- What “homework” should Ukraine work on before the next Summit?
For reference: on June 15-16, the Global Peace Summit initiated by Ukraine was held in Switzerland. More than 100 countries and organizations from around the world took part in it.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On May 23, 2024, a Russian missile attack struck the Factor-Druk printing house in Kharkiv. The assault resulted in the destruction of more than 50,000 books, including those published by Vivat Publishing House. Despite numerous offers to purchase the damaged books, Vivat’s CEO, Yulia Orlova, declined and decided to send the salvaged books for exhibition at the Library of Congress and various foreign museums.
The printing house is currently assessing the damage and planning its restoration. Orlova mentioned that the Howard G. Buffett Foundation has expressed willingness to fund the purchase of new equipment for the facility.
Yulia Orlova, who is currently abroad, is available for online interviews with journalists.
For reference: Factor-Druk is one of Europe’s largest printing houses, producing books for nearly all Ukrainian publishers. The missile strike resulted in the deaths of 7 people and injuries to 21 others.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oleksandra Knyha and her brother Andrii, hailing from the now-occupied town of Oleshky in the Kherson region, have shown remarkable resilience and dedication. When Russian tanks entered Oleshky and Kherson at the beginning of the invasion, the siblings stayed to help their community. Oleksandra’s friends from abroad sent several trucks of humanitarian aid, which she and Andrii sorted, distributed, and handed out. However, as volunteers strongly involved in civic engagement began to be abducted, the pair had to relocate to Ukrainian-controlled territory
After the de-occupation of Kherson on November 11, 2022, Oleksandra and Andrii returned to help rebuild the city. They organized creative workshops for children in shelters, addressing the urgent need for education and engagement amidst the destruction. This initiative led to the creation of the Kryla Foundation (KRYLA).
The foundation supports families on the right bank of the Dnipro River and carries out humanitarian missions in the town of Oleshky on the occupied left bank. The area suffered significant damage after the Russians blew up the Kakhovka dam. The foundation organizes events and holidays for children in the Kherson region and has arranged trips for Kherson children to camps in Poland and western Ukraine.
Currently, with the support of partners, they are developing a new project called Multispace “KRYLA” (WINGS). This shelter location provides Kherson residents with opportunities to socialize or learn new skills despite the ongoing security concerns.
Journalists can learn more and speak with Oleksandra and Andrii either offline or online.
For reference: Before the full-scale war, Oleksandra Knyha and her friends organized various events and transported supplies for children from an orphanage in Kakhovka. Since 2016, she has worked with children with mental disabilities, designing a collection of casual clothes featuring their drawings. Andrii managed a family business in Oleshky, developing green tourism at a local recreation center with his wife.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Rear Admiral Mykhailo Bilynskyi 36th Marine Brigade was one of the units defending Mariupol until the very end. In April-May 2022, about 1,300 servicemen from this unit were captured by the enemy. According to their families, the International Committee of the Red Cross has confirmed the detention of about 800 of these servicemen.
The enemy is especially reluctant to exchange Mariupol defenders, who are subjected to daily torture, beatings, hunger, and moral humiliation. For over two years, these prisoners of war have endured terrible conditions in pre-trial detention centers and colonies. Relatives of the POWs from the 36th Marine Brigade believe that the prisoners’ endurance is nearly depleted, and their health is in critical condition.
During the press conference, the relatives will provide detailed accounts of what they have learned about the prisoners of war and their conditions of detention.
Participants:
– Tetiana Katrychenko, Executive Director of the Media Initiative for Human Rights (MIHR);
– Milana Kompaniets, mother of Yurii Hulchuk, a POW from the 36th Marine Brigade;
– Yuliia Petryk, wife of Mykyta Petryk, a POW, and Major of the 36th Marine Brigade;
– Hanna Bei, wife of Pavlo Bei, a POW, and Senior Sailor of the 501st Separate Battalion of the 36th Marine Brigade;
– Maryna Holinko, Major of the Medical Service of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who survived captivity in 2022.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
“Swimming from 0 to 1,000 Meters in 2 Months” is a rehabilitation initiative designed to help injured military personnel regain physical and mental confidence. This program, based in Kyiv, focuses on intensive swimming training, specifically catering to soldiers who have lost limbs. Over two months, participants engage in rigorous pool sessions aimed at building strength and endurance.
Training occurs three times a week, with rehabilitation and massage therapists providing additional support twice a week. Since October 2023, the program has seen over 100 participants.
The current cohort is preparing for the Oceanman open water competition, scheduled for June 28-30 in Kyiv. This weekend, they will be practicing at a local lake.
Journalists interested in covering the “Swimming from 0 to 1,000 Meters in 2 Months” project can do so by prior arrangement.
For reference: The program is an initiative of ONE TEAM FORCES, a public organization committed to offering personalized, comprehensive recovery opportunities for wounded soldiers. Its community supports combatants who served before and/or after February 24, 2022, and were injured or traumatized due to the armed aggression of russia.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Folklorist Yaryna Sizyk, animation director Maria Ozirna, and the Oleksii Shovkunenko Kherson Art Museum have launched a project focused on restoring paintings seized by russians during the city’s occupation. Museum staff estimate that about ten thousand artworks were taken. The project’s goal is to recreate these stolen pieces.
The team has successfully reproduced Mykhailo Bryansky’s painting “Portrait of a Girl in an Embroidered Dress.” Yaryna and Maria spent a month preparing this first piece, which was not only repainted but also modernized and animated. Ukrainian model and singer Daria Astafieva helped bring the painting to life, transforming herself into the girl in an embroidered dress made from the stolen canvas. During the animation, they used a shirt embroidered by Inna Mykutska, a Kherson guide, during the occupation.
The project founders are now preparing for their next restoration and are in discussions with Ukrainian influencers.
Yaryna Sizyk and Maria Ozirna are available for interviews with journalists in Kyiv.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Since last summer, the security situation in the Black Sea region has shifted significantly. Ukraine’s security and defense forces have inflicted heavy losses on the russian Black Sea Fleet and helped restore shipping and sea trade routes. In light of this new context, the Crimea Platform Expert Network has initiated the Third International Forum. The event will bring together Ukrainian and international experts and government officials to assess the current situation in Ukraine as of summer 2024, devise strategies to further diminish russian naval capabilities, and explore approaches to revitalizing Ukraine’s economy despite ongoing threats from russia and its allies.
The forum is part of the International Crimea Platform, a mechanism aimed at the de-occupation and reintegration of Crimea, and the restoration of Black Sea, European, and global security.
Representatives from over 15 countries will attend the forum, including members of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, the National Security and Defense Council, independent experts, international think tanks, non-governmental organizations, diplomats from International Crimea Platform member countries, and the academic community.
Prior accreditation is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the full-scale invasion, the couple Viktoriia and Bohdan Popov ran their own workshop in Sloviansk, Donetsk Oblast, where they worked together with their parents. The family kneaded clay, molded products, fired, polished, decorated, and painted them.
At the outbreak of the full-blown war, the front line had emerged right next to Sloviansk, and enemy shells began to destroy the city. In April 2022, the Popovs evacuated to western Ukraine, returning only nine months later. At that time, their workshop was damaged by russian shelling, and after another explosion nearby, it became unsafe to stay in the building, so the couple had to find a new place to work.
Today, in addition to ceramics, Viktoriia and Bohdan paint tubes from hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers and shell casings used by the military. The couple auction off war items to support a friend who worked as a teacher before the invasion and now assembles FPV drones for the army.
The Popovs are ready to talk to journalists, both in Sloviansk and online.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
For 56-year-old Khrystyna Dovhaliuk of Ternopil, the russia-Ukraine war began in 2014. Following russia’s annexation of Crimea and its assault on eastern Ukraine, Dovhaliuk started volunteering. She transported vehicles and humanitarian aid for the military from abroad, delivering supplies to the front lines. Dovhaliuk also became a blood donor, contributing 50 liters by age 17. One of her sons is currently defending Ukraine.
Even before russia’s full-scale invasion, Dovhaliuk had resolved to join the Armed Forces. This decision, set for 2024, recently moved forward when the Territorial Recruitment Center approved her for a military medical commission. Now, Dovhaliuk is refreshing her first aid knowledge and training physically to prepare for service.
For reference: Currently, in Ternopil, Khrystyna Dovhaliuk is available for interviews, both online and in person.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Lavka Deokupatsii (De-occupation Shop) is a volunteer initiative in Kharkiv that markets vegetables and other produce grown by residents of the recently de-occupied Kharkiv region.
The project’s primary aim is to revitalize agriculture and foster economic independence for the residents of Studenok village in the Izium district. This village, situated on the border of Kharkiv and Donetsk regions, was under russian occupation for three months starting May 31, 2022. The initiative also assists locals with acquiring seeds, and greenhouses, and facilitating the sale of their produce in Kharkiv.
On its first day of operation, the De-occupation Shop offered cucumbers, green onions, young garlic, carrots, zucchini, new potatoes, and fresh honey from farmers in the reclaimed Kharkiv region.
For reference: The De-occupation Shop is a project of the Volonterska Charitable Fund.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Vladyslav Kushniruk, a skilled implant surgeon based in Kyiv, stepped up to the challenge as the full-scale invasion loomed. When the opportunity arose to contribute to a charity initiative aimed at aiding the military, Kushniruk wasted no time in joining forces.
The Swiss corporation, Straumann, generously donated 5,000 implants and accompanying components to the Ukrainian armed forces, enabling Kushniruk and his team to address the dental woes plaguing soldiers. These issues stem not only from combat injuries but also from subpar water conditions and inadequate hygiene facilities on the front lines. Additionally, philanthropists extend their support to soldiers captured by russian forces.
The process begins with a comprehensive assessment by the medical team, followed by consultations, treatment planning, and the procurement of necessary implants. Soldiers then undergo a rigorous treatment regimen, including surgeries and rehabilitation.
In a touching gesture of gratitude, soldiers leave their signatures on Ukrainian flags, with over a hundred such mementos collected. One of these flags will find a permanent home in a Kyiv hospital, while the other will journey to Switzerland.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
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.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Recent developments in the Black Sea region have underscored Ukraine’s resilience and strategic prowess. With significant blows dealt to the russian Black Sea Fleet and efforts to restore vital shipping lanes, the security landscape has undergone a transformation. In response to these shifts, the Crimea Platform Expert Network has convened the Third International Forum, slated for June 25.
The forum will convene Ukrainian and global experts alongside government officials to take stock of the evolving situation in Ukraine as of summer 2024. Discussions will focus on strategies to further weaken russian naval capabilities and strategies for economic revitalization amidst persistent threats from russia and its allies.
Integral to the International Crimea Platform’s mission of de-occupation and reintegration of Crimea, the forum seeks to bolster Black Sea, European, and global security.
Representatives from over 15 countries will gather, including members from the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Security and Defense Council, as well as independent experts, international think tanks, NGOs, diplomats from member countries of the International Crimea Platform, and academic circles.
Prior accreditation is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Media professionals are cordially invited to a press tour on June 28 to witness the unveiling of the newly restored library in the once-occupied village of Rudnytske, nestled in Kyiv region. In 2022, the village fell victim to russian military aggression, resulting in the destruction of its school, infrastructure, and numerous private residences.
Among the casualties was the local club, which housed the village library. Thanks to generous benefactors, the club has been transformed into a vibrant creative hub for Rudnytske’s youth. The latest endeavor in this revitalization effort is the restoration of the library, featuring complete refurbishment of its premises—walls, ceilings, and floors—alongside the acquisition of new furniture and a selection of books.
The library’s grand reopening will feature a presentation of “Piddubnyi: Victories and Unforgiven Love for Ukraine” by author Serhii Smahlicuk. Additionally, the philanthropists behind the restoration project will host 3-5 summer events for locals, including book presentations, literary readings, and poetry evenings.
During the press tour, a press conference will be convened with Natalia Vasylenko, head of the branch library, Oleksandr Pakholiuk, director of the MHP-Gromadi Foundation, and Iryna Borzak, village head, in attendance. Attendees will have the opportunity to be among the inaugural visitors and receive Rudnytske library cards.
Complimentary shuttle services will be provided. Journalists must secure accreditation for the event, with registration open until 12:00 on June 27.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Mariana Mamonova, a military medic serving in Ukraine’s Armed Forces, was taken captive while pregnant by enemy forces. Despite her ordeal, she has since established a charity foundation to aid women who have survived russian captivity.
Aged 32, Mariana, a captain in the Medical Service, had been deployed to Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO)/Joint Force Operation (JFO) zones since 2018.
Initially stationed in Mariupol, she discovered her pregnancy amidst the full-scale invasion in mid-March 2022. Undeterred, she continued her life-saving work and was among those held at the Illich Iron and Steel Works in Mariupol, under Ukrainian military control, before being captured by occupiers on April 4th. An expectant mother endured nearly six months of captivity in a Donetsk region colony, finally being released during a prisoner exchange on September 21, 2022. Just four days later, she welcomed her daughter into the world.
Mariana is now available for interviews in Lviv or online, offering insights into her remarkable journey.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Anna Gin, a journalist and writer hailing from Kharkiv, has embarked on a remarkable endeavor—creating one-of-a-kind jewelry using local flowers and minute fragments of rockets and bombs.
This initiative, dubbed “Flowers from Unbreakable,” was born unexpectedly. While leading foreign journalists through Northern Saltivka—an area deeply scarred by russia’s full-scale invasion—Anna was captivated by the resilience of poppies amidst the devastation. Despite the looming danger of sirens and explosions, she couldn’t resist gathering these blooms, determined to preserve their beauty. Turning to online resources, Anna learned the art of working with epoxy resin, transforming her floral finds into exquisite pieces of jewelry.
In a bold move, Anna also began incorporating small shards of enemy missiles—gathered during walks with her dog amidst the wreckage of the Epicenter home improvement store demolished by occupants’ hands—into her creations, ensuring every piece carries a profound story of survival.
Through three charity auctions, Anna has already channeled proceeds to support a hospital in Kharkiv.
For further insights, journalists can engage with Anna Gin in Kharkiv or online.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Inspired by Nordic Therapy Gardens, this environment will debut in Kyiv with the participation of the Embassy of Denmark.
Over the past 10 weeks, a collaborative effort between Danish and Ukrainian designers—Coolville Design Lab and L Design Landscape Architecture—has brought the Nordic Therapy Garden to life.
This garden aims to alleviate stress and help individuals overcome mental trauma. By harnessing the power of nature and Scandinavian principles of sustainable design, the garden is specifically designed to facilitate interaction with nature’s healing elements for those affected by the russian invasion.
The initiative is led by renowned Danish urbanist, writer, and TV presenter Mikael Colville-Andersen.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On June 26, the Ukraine’s War Museum will mark the Day of the Crimean Tatar Flag by aiming to set a new Ukrainian record for the largest Crimean Tatar flag. The achievement will be officially recognized and documented in the Book of Records of Ukraine.
Initiated in 2021, the Crimean Tatar Flag over Crimea campaign kicked off in Kramatorsk. Volunteers meticulously handcrafted a 16-meter-long flag, which embarked on a journey across Ukrainian cities, gathering well wishes for the people of Crimea.
On June 28, 2021, using 200 balloons to fly the flag, it soared above the administrative boundary between Ukraine’s free territory and the temporarily occupied peninsula. As the wind carried it over Crimea and back to the activists, the symbolic slogan “The flag is back—Crimea will be back” emerged.
Subsequently, event organizer Ismail Ramazanov entrusted the flag to the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in World War II for safekeeping until the liberation of the Crimean peninsula.
The commemorative event will witness the participation of activists pivotal in both crafting and raising the historic flag in the air.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ihor Velko is a veteran of the russo-Ukrainian war. He had a civilian job when the full-scale invasion started, and within a few days Ihor came to the Military Enlistment Office and joined the Defense Forces. During service, Ihor was wounded and lost his leg. After the surgery, treatment and rehabilitation, the veteran faced his most difficult challenge: accepting the new reality.
Ihor found an ad about an opportunity for people with disabilities to get a driver’s license at the Dnipro inclusive driving school. Ihor got interested and applied for category C1. The training took place on a truck (3.5-7.5 tons) with manual gearbox specially equipped for the needs of persons with disabilities. Ihor successfully passed the exams, became the first graduate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ service center in Dnipro and received a C1 category driver’s license.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On June 29-30, volunteers of the Brave to Rebuild project will organize community cleanup events in Irpin and Hostomel, Kyiv region. They will clear the rubble of buildings that were damaged as a result of russia’s full-scale invasion into Ukraine.
Journalists have the opportunity to cover the volunteer community cleanups.
For reference: on April 2, 2022, Kyiv region was completely freed from the russian occupation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On June 28, renowned Georgian singer and UNBROKEN Center ambassador Nino Katamadze will perform on the center’s terrace in Lviv. Her performance aims to support the Unbroken Defenders undergoing treatment, prosthetics, and rehabilitation.
For reference: The UNBROKEN National Rehabilitation Center provides comprehensive medical care to military personnel and civilians, including adults and children, who have lost limbs. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, over 15,000 wounded Ukrainians, including 2,000 children, have received treatment at the center. The facility specializes in reconstructive surgery, orthopedics, and prosthetics.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Veteran of the Joint Forces Operation, Andrii Nesmachnyi, has resumed a production facility destroyed by russian forces. A few years ago, Nesmachnyi came up with the idea to set up a workshop where servicemen on leave or recovering from injuries could work. The BatArt workshop, located in the Kyiv region, successfully produced craft glassware and donated proceeds to support wounded combatants in eastern Ukraine. This was until the workshop was destroyed following the full-scale invasion by russia. Afterward, Andrii took up arms again to defend Ukraine.
Recently, Nesmachnyi has renewed production. During breaks in military personnel rotations, he and his fellow soldiers craft glasses, shot glasses, knives, and various souvenirs. Among other materials, they use bullet casings for manufacturing. Starting in July, they plan to expand their production to include ceramics. The money earned in the workshop is used to provide units with drones, night vision devices, and vehicle repairs.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Artur Sadykov, a modeler from Nikopol, a frontline city in the Dnipro region, has been dedicated to his craft for 10 years. His recent diorama, “Congratulations, Bakhmut,” which captures the destruction of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region during the full-scale Russian invasion, has gained significant attention.
Creating the diorama took Artur 10 months, making it one of his most complex pieces. He employed various materials, including prefabricated models, 3D-printed models, plastic, cardboard, wood veneer, polymers, gypsum, polystyrene foam, decorative vegetation, glue, varnish, and acrylic paints.
Artur’s collection features other war-themed works such as DAP (Donetsk Airport) Cyborgs, Morning Starts Not With Coffee, Irpin, and By Fire and Sword.
For security reasons, Artur is only available for interviews via text through social media.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On June 30, Kyiv will host a charity Run to Remember to honor Rekrut, the call sign of Oleksii Chubashev, a military journalist and creator of the military training program Rekrut.ua. Proceeds from registration fees will support the International Legion at the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
The event features 5 and 10-kilometer runs, which participants can join either in-person in Kyiv or online from anywhere in the world. The competition will include both civilians and military personnel, with many participants running within their units.
Oleksii Chubashev was dedicated to physical training and actively participated in running and other sports. In his honor, his wife, Yuliia Chubasheva, partnered with Run Ukraine to initiate this race.
Chubashev participated in the Anti-Terrorist Operation in Eastern Ukraine and, following the full-scale invasion, joined the International Legion of the Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. He was killed in action near Sievierodonetsk on June 10, 2022.
The event is organized by Run Ukraine, with Rekrut as a co-organizer.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Carla Pizzolante moved to Ukraine from Italy seven years ago. She lives in Kyiv with her Ukrainian husband and 5-year-old son. When Carla first heard the explosions of the full-scale invasion, she was at home in the capital. Despite her husband’s attempt to convince her to leave for Italy with her son, the woman firmly decided that she would stay in Ukraine.
The Big War led Carla to starting learning the Ukrainian language. Later, the woman started posting videos on social networks with attempts to communicate in Ukrainian. After her videos became popular, Carla decided to inspire others to learn Ukrainian. These days, the Italian woman sings Ukrainian songs, and also launches fundraisers to support the Defense Forces.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On July 11, Ukraine’s first residential house built using 3D construction technology will be handed over to the family of the fallen hero (the Berezov family) in Kyiv region. The house with an area of 130 m² was printed within 58 hours using a 3D printer of 3D UTU company.
On March 6, 2022, during the occupation of Irpin, the Berezov family lost their home due to the russian aggression. And on November 6, 2022, the father of the family, Yaroslav, died in the battles for Bakhmut. This house will be a symbol of a new beginning for them as well as serve as the memory of their hero.
The special feature of this house is a dual-purpose room with an increased level of security, in which the Berezov family will be able to wait out air alarms.
Participants:
- Oleksandr Markushyn, Mayor of Irpin
- Inna Furman, Head of the Hold the Nation Charity Fund, Head of the United to Help project, CEO of 3D UTU
- Nataliia Berezova, wife of a fallen soldier
- Alina and Anna Berezova, daughters of the fallen soldier
The event requires accreditation.
For reference: The house for the Berezovs was built as part of the United to Help project. This is an initiative of the Hold the Nation Charity Fund, implemented with the support of the Irpin City Council and over 70 partners.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On June 30, Lviv will host a ceremonial reception for the Finnish participants of the Relay to Ukraine. Teams covered the route through 6 countries on foot, boats and SUP-boards. The participants raised EUR 182,000, which are to be used to purchase ambulances for Ukraine in the future.
The relay started on May 18 in Helsinki. Since then, 10 teams and 50 participants from different countries have run marathons, walked through cities and swum across the Gulf of Finland.
A baton with a message from Finland, signed by a minister of the Finnish government Anders Adlercreutz and the organizer of the relay, Magnus Londen, will also be brought to Ukraine. The message will be read at the event in the Lviv City Hall. The event will take place with the participation of the Lviv Mayor and the Honorary Consul of Finland.
In addition, a team of foreign benefactors will deliver 9 off-road vehicles, all-wheel drive trucks, 2 military motorcycles and about 10 powerful portable power stations for the Ukrainian military. The team was able to purchase equipment with funds raised during previous initiatives.
The event requires accreditation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On June 29, the largest open water swimming competition in the history of amateur sports, Oceanman Kyiv — 2024, will start in the capital for the second time. Over two days, more than a thousand participants from all regions of Ukraine will compete at various distances and in various age categories. This year’s start will be special, as there is a large number of military personnel and veterans among the participants.
Athletes will compete at different distances with the shortest being 1 kilometer, and the longest – 10 kilometers. Traditionally children’s and charity swims will also be a part of the event.
For reference: OCEANMAN is a unique international project for athletes of different level of training to take part. The competition features 27 stages held in the most picturesque corners of the world.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Peaceful demonstrations are planned in at least 20 cities to remind about the Azovstal defenders and other soldiers who are still held captive by the enemy.
On June 29, events will take place in Dnipro, Lviv, Chernihiv, Okhtyrka, Pavlohrad, Vinnytsia and Bila Tserkva.
On June 30, rallies are planned in Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Kremenchuk, Krolevka, Korosten, Ovruch, Obikhov, Sumy, Uzhhorod, Kryvyi Rih, Ternopil, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Odesa.
The events are organized by the families of prisoners of war from the Mariupol garrison.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Jennifer is a German citizen. She first learned about Dobrobat in the summer of 2023. Working on the delivery of humanitarian aid to Ukraine was not enough for her, so she also started restoring Ukrainian houses ruined by the occupiers.
During her first volunteer trip in June 2023, Jennifer worked in Kharkiv. After that she came to Kyiv and fell in love with this city. Since then, she has been constantly involved in Dobrobat’s work in Kyiv region. Mostly, this involves cleaning up construction rubble and debris, but Jennifer has a favorite job – repairing roofs.
The woman combines volunteering with work as a German language teacher in Kyiv. She supports Ukrainians in learning German in every possible way.
Tomorrow (July 2), Jennifer, together with other Dobrobat volunteers, will work in Horenka, Kyiv region. The roof of a house belonging to a large family was completely burnt out as a result of the russian attacks in the spring of 2022.
For reference: Dobrobat is a volunteer building division that helps those affected to urgently rebuild their houses and social infrastructure facilities in the de-occupied territories.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On July 5, media representatives are invited to the opening night of the inclusive and interactive theatrical performance for children with disabilities entitled “Symphony of Ukrainian Fairy Tales” performed by the Kyiv-Classic Symphony Orchestra under the direction of UNESCO Artist for Peace Herman Makarenko. The event will take place on the territory of Okhmatdyt National Specialized Children’s Hospital. Young patients of the hospital will take a direct part in the play.
In “Symphony of Ukrainian Fairy Tales” musical and theatrical art are combined using an interactive approach. The script is based on Ukrainian folklore. The performance will feature the works of Semen Hulak-Artemovsky, Mykola Lysenko, Levko Kolodub and Volodymyr Ptushkin, as well as Ukrainian folk melodies.
The program of the event includes: a briefing with the participation Volodymyr Zhovnir, General Director of the Okhmatdyt hospital, Herman Makarenko, Head of Kyiv-Classic Symphony Orchestra, Olena Anopriienko, Chief Psychologist of the Okhmatdyt hospital, Vadym Myroshnychenko, Director and Playwright, and Nataliia Miiedinova, actress and gamemaster; the performance; interaction with participants and spectators of the performance.
The event requires accreditation.
For reference: The project is supported by the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In Kyiv, Ukrainian defenders, including veterans who have lost limbs during the war, now have the opportunity to rehabilitate through water sports such as paddleboarding, wakesurfing, and wakeboarding. These activities utilize special inclusive seats for training.
The training sessions are free and take place 2-3 times a week, depending on the sport, with professional instructors on hand. Journalists can arrange in advance to cover these sessions and speak with participants and organizers.
For reference: These lessons are organized with support from the Ukrainian Wake Federation (UWF) and X-Park.
X-Park has been providing comprehensive support for veterans, participants of the Revolution of Dignity, the russian-Ukrainian war, and their families for six years. The park offers inclusive sports facilities, including basketball courts, stand-up paddle boards, and surfing locations, aimed at post-frontline rehabilitation. This support is crucial for soldiers with severe injuries and physical limitations, as it helps improve their psychological well-being, prevent depression, and demonstrate possibilities for a vibrant, active life.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the full-scale war, 27-year-old Vadym Bartashchuk from Vinnytsia region worked in construction. On the second day of the invasion, he voluntarily joined the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade and fought with them for nearly two years. Vadym participated in battles in the Kherson and Donetsk regions, including the defense of Avdiivka. He was injured on February 16, 2024, just before Ukrainian forces withdrew from the city. A bullet struck his right leg, and he couldn’t be evacuated for hours. With a tourniquet on for 11 hours, doctors at the nearest medical center had no choice but to amputate to save his life. After multiple hospital stays, Vadym arrived at the UNBROKEN Center in Lviv for prosthetics and rehabilitation. By his third week at the center, he had fully adapted to his artificial limb and now moves without crutches.
Vadym’s foremost wish is to return to his comrades in the 3rd Assault Brigade, confident he can still contribute effectively with his prosthesis.
Journalists can arrange to speak with Vadym in Lviv, though no filming is allowed.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On July 4, the Ukraine Media Center will host a press conference to reveal the national team for the 2025 Invictus Games, set to take place in Whistler and Vancouver, Canada.
Participants:
– Oleksandr Porkhun, Acting Minister for Veterans Affairs of Ukraine;
– Anastasia Rashchenko, Head of Program Department at the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation;
– Ilona Voloshyna, National Coordinator of the Invictus Games in Ukraine;
– Alina Frolova, Founder of Stratcom Ukraine, Founder of the Invictus Games in Ukraine;
– Taras Kovalyk, Head of the Veterans Department at Come Back Alive.
From May 31 to June 2, Kyiv held the All-Ukrainian Adaptive Sports Competition. Based on its results, the selection committee has formed a team of 35 participants who will travel to Canada in February 2025.
For reference: The selection and preparation of the 2025 national team is overseen by the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine, in collaboration with the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation, StratCom Ukraine, Come Back Alive Foundation, and Invictus Games Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oksana Myronenko was a surgeon in her hometown of Luhansk. In 2014, following russia’s initial attack on Ukraine and the occupation of the city, Oksana and her husband relocated to Bucha in the Kyiv region.
In February 2022, during the Russian assault on Kyiv, reluctant to face occupation again and swiftly moved with her children from Bucha to Kyiv. Tragically, Oksana’s parents also attempted to flee Bucha, but her mother died and her father was injured en route.
In spring 2022, Oksana and her sister established the Nash Sokil (Our Falcon) charity foundation, dedicated to aiding internally displaced persons with limited mobility. They named the foundation in honor of their late mother, whose last name was Sokolovska. Despite her new responsibilities, Oksana continues her medical practice, performing at least 30 surgeries a month in Ivano-Frankivsk and Kyiv. As a peripheral nerve injuries expert, she helped many soldiers avoid disability and alleviate pain. Oksana offers all surgeries for military personnel at no charge.
Journalists can interview Oksana Myronenko in Ivano-Frankivsk or Kyiv.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Mykhailo Tsybulka’s passion for beekeeping was inspired by his father and grandfather, who maintained apiaries. In 2018, Mykhailo established his own apiary in Kharkiv.
Following the onset of the full-scale invasion, his family relocated to Ivano-Frankivsk. However, in January 2023, Mykhailo returned to Kharkiv with his wife, and they opened a shop selling their apiary products. They also applied for a grant to secure financial support for essential equipment.
In February 2024, a russian drone strike on a nearby oil depot devastated their home with oil contamination, destroying everything except the beehives that were still in hibernation.
Currently, the couple resides in a small apartment in Kharkiv, continuing to expand their apiary and experiment with new honey flavors.
Mykhailo Tsybulka is available for interviews in Kharkiv or via online communication.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The public monitoring group OZON from the Center for Civil Liberties will conduct its third round of shelter inspections, focusing on accessibility and basic standards.
This effort will be joined by volunteers from the UAnimals community, who will also check if shelters allow animals.
The inspection campaign is open to the public. The Center for Civil Liberties will offer special training beforehand.
Following the inspections, a detailed report with recommendations for shelter improvements will be prepared and presented to local and national authorities responsible for shelters.
Journalists are invited to cover the shelter inspection campaign in Kyiv, tentatively set to begin in mid-July.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Alina and Vadym Gaburych are soldiers of the Azov Regiment. They had defended Ukraine even before the full-scale invasion. After February 24, 2022, they defended Mariupol. Vadym was seriously injured in April 2022 and died in the bunker of the Azovstal plant. Alina, along with thousands of Mariupol defenders, was captured.
The couple’s son Yehor (now 8 years old) was raised by his grandparents. However, the boy looked at the pictures of his parents above his bed every day and believed that they would return. He even wrote a song for his mother.
In April 2023, Alina was released from captivity, and she and her son finally met. The woman still cannot bury her husband, because the russians did not hand over his body.
Journalists have the opportunity to talk with Alina in Cherkasy region.
For reference: the Children of Heroes Fund helps the family by providing material and humanitarian aid (medicines, food products, hygiene kits). Yehor also received a long-awaited tablet.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Mykola Velychko from Khmelnytskyi had gotten interested in pottery even before the full-scale invasion. He had even planned to create a pottery residence next to his workshop. The website of the residence was supposed to be launched on February 24, 2022. However, the big war broke out and Mykola joined the army.
In the summer of 2023, the man returned to the workshop and decided to restore the residence project, but now he wants to turn it into a center for the military to recover after service. Mykola plans to produce and sell 10,000 small pots, and use the proceeds to equip the residence.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On July 5, media representatives are invited to spend the day with operators of the Unified Veterans’ Line in Lviv. This is a unique, free telephone line created to provide comprehensive assistance to veterans, their families and families of fallen soldiers. Although the Line is currently working in test mode, operators receive thousands of different requests every day, from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM.
During the open-door day, media representatives will be able to observe the work of operators in real time and find out what veterans ask about.
Speakers:
Ruslan Prykhodko — Deputy Minister of Veteran Affairs of Ukraine;
Maria Kutina — Head of the Information Center at the Unified Veterans’ Line.
Accreditation is open until 6:00 PM on July 4.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On July 5, on the birthday of public activist and military man Roman Ratushnyi, the documentary film “20 Days in Mariupol ” will be screened in Kyiv. This movie depicts the russian siege of Mariupol in February-March 2022. (The film won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film in 2024)
“Film Screenings on Protasiv ” continue the traditions started by Roman Ratushnyi, who united and rallied the local community in the struggle for the green zone in Protasiv Yar, a historical area in Kyiv. Roman was a scout of 93rd Separate Mechanized Brigade “Kholodnyi Yar.” He died at the front on June 8, 2022.
The film screening will feature a fundraiser for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Program of the event:
- The beginning. Introductory speech by Yulia Bartle, Head of Save Protasiv Yar NGO.
- Screening of the film-essay “Roman Ratushnyi. A Free Man” directed by Mishel Lades. The film was presented last year at the “Protasiv Yar” festival in tribute of Roman Ratushnyi.
- Meeting with the participants of events in Mariupol in the spring of 2022:
- Mykhailo Vershynin, a police major who returned from captivity and is currently fighting in the East. Head of the Patrol Police Department in Donetsk region.
- Call sign “Ostap,” a major of the National Guard of Ukraine, who after captivity is serving in “Azov” 12th brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine. During the defense of Mariupol, he commanded the air reconnaissance combat group of the Azov Regiment
- Alina Kozytska, Head of I’Mariupol.Molod NGO, Head of the Mariupol Youth Council
- Liudmila Vaskovska, an anesthesiologist at the regional hospital in Mariupol, one of the people featured in the documentary.
- Screening of the documentary film “20 days in Mariupol.”
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Mariia Aleksieievych is 26 years old, for two of which she has been waiting for her husband Serhii Aleksieievych, a soldier from Azov Regiment. On May 16, 2022, he carried out the order and surrendered to the enemy.
Mariia and Serhii met before the full-scale invasion. Both studied in Khmelnytskyi, majoring in psychology. The couple lived for several years in a civil marriage, and officially married online in April 2022, when Serhii was already in surrounded Mariupol.
While Serhii was fighting in Mariupol, he tried to get in touch, asked his wife to hold on, work and study. The last time Mariia communicated with her husband was on May 13, 2022. The woman came across a video where she saw Serhii being captured, later she found confirmation that he was in Olenivka. After the explosion in the barracks of the Olenivka colony, the woman found her lover’s name on the list of the wounded.
Mariia says that Serhii Aleksieievych was officially recognized as a prisoner of war only on August 31, 2023. Every once in a while Mariia learns about her husband’s condition from former captives who return in prisoner exchanges.
Currently, Maria heads Olenivka Community NGO. She is also actively involved in public work to investigate the events in the Olenivka colony, bring the culprits to justice, and help Ukrainian prisoners of war and their families.
Mariia Aleksieievych is in Vinnytsia region and is ready to communicate with the media, both in person and online.
For reference: On the night of July 29, 2022, the russian federation committed a terrorist attack, setting off an explosion in the barracks of the penal colony in Olenivka, which housed Ukrainian prisoners of war. At least 50 defenders of Azovstal were killed in the blast.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Having an alternative source of electricity has become a matter of survival for people with disabilities in Ukraine. After all, this makes it possible to provide electricity for an oxygen concentrator, charge an electric wheelchair or connect an anti-bedsore mattress. Providing people with sources of alternative energy has become a priority for the Fight For Right NGO.
They are currently working on 30 requests trying to obtain large alternative power equipment, and such requests come in daily
By prior agreement, journalists have the opportunity to talk with representatives of the Fight For Right NGO in Kyiv and, if possible, with people who ask the NGO for alternative sources of electricity.
For reference: the Fight For Right NGO advocates for the observance of the rights of people with disabilities in Ukraine. With the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the organization has started evacuating people with disabilities, providing assistance at their homes as well as psychological support and legal advice.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A social project in support of Ukrainian defenders has been operating in Lviv and Ternopil, since the beginning of the full-scale war. The project makes it possible for couples to undergo a free infertility treatment program, as well as to cryopreserve (freeze) their biological material (sperm and eggs).
Journalists have the opportunity to learn more about this project by talking to the doctor of medical sciences, reproductive endocrinologist Stefan Khmil. And, if possible, with couples who used the services provided by the initiative.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On July 8, Media Center Ukraine will host a presentation of the trailer for the film “People of Steel.” The event will also feature a presentation of results of the pre-premiere screening of the film about the Mariupol defenders in front of European diplomats.
The documentary, which took more than a year to complete, uses unique footage from the prison in Olenivka and Mariupol, where the russians committed numerous war crimes.
Participants:
- Serhii Fomenko, musician and director, frontman of the band Mandry;
- Kateryna Prokopenko, Association Azovstal Defenders’ Families;
- Andrii Rizol, Head of the association “Watch Ukrainian!”;
- Petro Yatsenko, representative of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
For reference: This film was developed as part of the Culture VS War and Between Light and Evil projects, involving the NGO Association of Azovstal Defenders’ Families and the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
IMPORTANT NOTICE! Starting from the beginning of July, Media Center Ukraine will be located in the comfortable public space Urban Space 500, at 9 Hrinchenko Street in Kyiv. All events will take place there.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A charity initiative called “Wind Power” has been launched in Kyiv, aimed at empowering women who are veterans, internally displaced persons (IDPs), or wives and widows of military personnel. The project focuses on teaching participants how to sail, fostering a supportive community, and helping them find new purposes in life. Eventually, the program aims to qualify them as yacht captains.
Currently, 16 women are enrolled in the 2.5-month course. The curriculum includes 10 practical training sessions on a sailing yacht with a professional instructor, 5 theoretical sailing classes, and participation in sailing races to solidify their skills.
The “Wind Power” project is led by Viktoriia Pototska, a military spouse and experienced yacht captain with a decade of sailing under her belt. She also founded the Family Yacht Club sailing school.
Journalists seeking coverage of the project in Kyiv can do so by prior arrangement.
For reference: The initiative is part of the You Are Goal program by the Projector Foundation, supported by USAID’s Ukraine Confidence Building Initiative (UCBI), and takes place at the Obolon Yacht Club in Kyiv.
Key partners include psychologist and yachtswoman Maryna Petrovych and financial literacy coach and yachtswoman Svitlana Telychenko.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
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.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Kateryna Lukiienko hails from the small village of Zalyman in the Kharkiv region, home to about 800 people before the full-scale invasion. When the all-out war erupted, Zalyman quickly fell under enemy control. Kateryna, along with her sister Lidiia and her children, was trapped in the village with no communication. Determined to document the atrocities, Kateryna began recording everything she witnessed. She took pictures, made videos, and kept detailed notes, compiling evidence of russian crimes in the region. During this time, she survived a russian shelling that left her with a traumatic brain injury. Her collected evidence, including testimonies, photos, and videos, has been submitted to the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
Following the village’s liberation, Kateryna and her family relocated to the Chernihiv region. She is currently awaiting state compensation for their destroyed home in Zaliman.
Kateryna Lukiienko remains in the Chernihiv region and is available for interviews, both online and in person.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On July 9, the Media Center Ukraine will hold a briefing with Vadym Guttsait, President of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine. The focus will be on the preparation of Ukrainian athletes for the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris.
For reference: The Summer Olympic Games will take place in Paris from July 26 to August 11, 2024, featuring competitions in 32 sports.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Serhii Krasnov, a master of sports in cycling from Nova Kakhovka, Kherson region, has embarked on a 3,500-kilometer charity bike ride across Ukraine. His hometown has been under russian occupation since the full-scale invasion began, and some of his relatives and friends remain there.
Serhii’s ride aims to raise funds to support displaced people from the Kherson region. He plans to complete the journey in 23 days.
Starting his route in Odesa on June 29, the cyclist will arrive in the capital on July 14, passing through Mykolaiv, Kryvyi Rih, Zhytomyr, Uman, and Cherkasy. Serhii plans to conclude his ride in Odesa on July 21.
Serhii Krasnov is available for interviews with journalists, both online and offline.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Lviv region has launched its first inclusive retreat, Veteran Camp, designed for veterans and their families. This initiative is part of the League of the Unconquered sports rehabilitation project for veterans, offering free training and entertainment for the defenders.
So far, 47 veterans undergoing rehabilitation in local medical facilities have participated. The heroes engaged in various activities, including rope park challenges, fishing, swimming, and Nordic walking.
These camps will be held at the end of each summer month.
Journalists can cover the camp tentatively set for July by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The BusDrive course is a free training program that empowers women to obtain Class D licenses for driving passenger buses. This initiative is part of the Reskilling Ukraine project.
Priority participants for the BusDrive course include women veterans, women from military families, IDPs, single mothers, and women over 50. Applicants must hold a Category B driver’s license and have at least three years of driving experience.
The course comprises theoretical and practical training, along with corresponding exams. Practical classes will commence next week in the Ternopil region.
The first class has already graduated, with eight women earning their Category D licenses. More than ten participants have joined the current course.
Journalists can, by prior arrangement, speak with participants and cover the practical classes in the Ternopil region. They can also interview the program organizers based in Sweden online.
For reference: Reskilling Ukraine is a project by the Swedish non-profit organization Beredskapslyftet, focusing on retraining and career support for women in Ukraine. Since its inception, over 100 women have been retrained as passenger bus or truck drivers.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ukraine’s National Guard fighter and combat medic Serhii Korshun was in Mariupol when the full-scale invasion began. He provided medical care to wounded soldiers in the city and later at Azovstal. Serhii received the order to surrender with composure. Initially, he was held in a colony in Olenivka, in the occupied Donetsk region, before being transferred to Sverdlovsk, russia. There, the russians permitted him to tend to injured Ukrainians. Serhii dressed wounds, removed shrapnel, and ensured that the 198 people in his barracks did not contract tuberculosis. He didn’t believe he was part of a prisoner exchange until he saw the Ukrainian flag. He returned home on February 8 this year, after spending more than a year and a half in russian captivity.
Currently, Serhii is undergoing rehabilitation and always carries a combat first aid kit.
Serhii Korshun is in Kryvyi Rih and is available for interviews with journalists, both online and offline.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Dozens of volunteers, including members of the Los Solomas community, are currently working in Kyiv’s Holosiivskyi district, where a kindergarten and nearby houses were damaged by the missile hit on July 8.
Volunteers are engaged in tasks such as clearing construction debris and covering shattered windows with plastic.
Journalists are welcome to report on the volunteers’ efforts.
For reference: On July 8, russian forces launched a missile attack on Kyiv, damaging 129 buildings in the city. The attack resulted in 34 fatalities. As of the morning of July 10, 38 people injured in the attack remain hospitalized, with 6 in serious condition.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On July 11, the Media Center Ukraine will hold a briefing with the Head of the Press Service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, focusing on the consequences of the russian missile attack on Ukraine on July 8.
For reference: On July 8, russia launched a powerful missile attack on Ukraine. The missiles caused significant destruction to residential buildings and civilian structures, including a strike on the Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital in Kyiv. The attack targeted Kyiv, Kryvyi Rih, Dnipro, and other Ukrainian cities, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Svitlana Solonska worked as a kindergarten teacher in Zaporizhia region. Her husband, Vladyslav, was a teacher by education. At one time, he graduated from the Zaporizhia Police School. After the Revolution of Dignity, he joined the ranks of the Azov volunteer formation. Vladyslav was very happy when the unit later became part of the National Guard of Ukraine (now it is the Azov Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine). Having started as a driver, Vladyslav was promoted to the position of company commander, and then to the position of logistics officer.
On February 22, 2022, Vladyslav came home and told his wife that they were being sent to Mariupol. It was the last time Svitlana saw her husband.
Svitlana and her 13-year-old daughter were in Zaporizhia region when the full-scale invasion began. During the first days, their settlement was occupied by the russians. The woman saw enemy tanks driving through her village in the direction of Mariupol. Later, her husband called and said that Svitlana and her daughter needed to leave urgently, as the invaders would come to their home. On March 19, they were able to leave for Ukraine-controlled territory.
Vladyslav was at the Azovstal plant in Mariupol. Despite the blockade of the city and constant shelling, he was assigned the task of delivering products and supporting the rear. He delivered food and water to the field hospital under the shelling. A “Starlink” allowed him to keep in touch with his wife.
In May 2022, Vladyslav together with other defenders followed the order of the high command and surrendered. On the night of July 29, 2022, Vladyslav was injured during an explosion in the barracks in Olenivka, he did not receive proper medical care. There was no information about his condition for a long time. Later, Svitlana found out that her husband had died: they could find him only by DNA matching.
Journalists are welcome to learn more and talk with Svitlana in Kyiv.
For reference: On the night of July 29, 2022, the russian federation committed a terrorist attack, setting off an explosion in the barracks of the penal colony in Olenivka, which housed Ukrainian prisoners of war. At least 50 defenders of Azovstal were killed in the attack.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On July 11, the training began for guides, who will work at memorial sites of the russo-Ukrainian war in Kyiv region. Their goal is to train qualified specialists who will be able to provide meaningful, reliable information about the tragic events of the war in Kyiv region.
The courses will consist of online and offline classes, trainings, educational and methodological excursions and will culminate in thematic exams. The program is divided into theoretical and practical parts. The training will last 4 weeks.
At the first stage, the organizers selected 29 applicants, including representatives from tourism industry and museum institutions.
Journalists are welcome to cover the training process.
For reference: Guide training takes place within the framework of the project “Kyiv region. Memorial Sites” of the Kyiv Regional State Administration.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On July 15, the ENDLESS HOPE photo exhibition by Nataliia Nesterkina will begin in Kyiv. It is dedicated to the families of Ukrainian soldiers from the 30th brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who went missing during the battles with the Wagnerites along the Bakhmut axis. There are over 300 fighters from this brigade.
The photo project features wives, sisters, mothers and children of the missing soldiers.
For reference: Nataliia Nesterkina is a member of the National Society of Photo Artists of Ukraine. She has been accredited for photography by the Armed Forces of Ukraine since 2022. She has been documenting the crimes committed by the aggressor in de-occupied territories.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Center for Civil Liberties invites lawyers, foreign policy experts, representatives of civil society organizations and state institutions to a series of events that will take place within the Ukrainian International Criminal Justice Week.
The Day of International Criminal Justice is on July 17. It marks the anniversary of the adoption of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court in 1998. This is the first ever permanent body of international justice with jurisdiction to prosecute the most serious crimes under international law.
For the fifth year in a row, the Center for Civil Liberties organizes the Ukrainian International Criminal Justice Week around this date. And this year, the focal topic of the week is “How to Break the Cycle of Impunity?”
The events that will take place during the week include: “Ten Years of International russian Crimes in Ukraine: Which Strategy Leads to Justice?” — a conference. Format: offline; Destroy, in Whole or in Part — screening of the Kyiv Independent film and its discussion. Format: offline.
Journalists are welcome to learn more about the full program of events.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Artem Hondiul has held numerous roles, including fire rescuer and security guard for merchant ships against Somali pirates in the Gulf of Guinea and Oman. Eventually, he joined the National Guard and later transferred to the Azov Regiment, now part of the National Guard of Ukraine’s Azov Brigade. Artem and his wife Anastasiia moved to Mariupol.
On February 23, 2022, Artem was on duty and convinced Anastasiia to leave Mariupol, despite her reluctance. She managed to escape in late February.
Anastasiia later discovered that Artem was at “Zaliziaka” (“Piece of Iron”), an improvised hospital at the Azovstal plant, suffering from a shrapnel injury to his pelvis. In May 2022, under orders from higher command, Artem and his comrades entered honorable captivity. On the night of July 29, 2022, Artem was seriously injured in the Olenivka massacre.
Following the explosion in the colony’s barracks, Anastasiia saw her husband several times in videos released by the russians. Since September 2022, she has had no news of Artem’s whereabouts or condition.
In May 2023, Anastasiia and the relatives of other Olenivka victims traveled to Geneva to meet with representatives of the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross. It was only after this visit, 16 months into Artem’s captivity, that Russia officially confirmed his status as a prisoner of war.
Journalists can learn more and speak with Anastasiia in Kryvyi Rih, with online communication also available.
For reference: On the night of July 29, 2022, russia carried out a terrorist attack by detonating a barracks in the Olenivka penal colony, where Ukrainian prisoners of war were detained. At least 50 Azovstal defenders were killed, and over 100 were injured.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Anastasiia Morozova serves as a pediatrician at the Okhmatdyt National Children’s Hospital and heads the Little Hearts program under FRIDA Ukraine, a Ukrainian-Israeli Medical Volunteer Mission. This program deploys multidisciplinary teams of volunteer doctors to orphanages to assess the children’s needs for medications, vaccinations, rehabilitation, and surgical interventions. Anastasiia has participated in over 20 FRIDA Ukraine missions.
On July 8, Anastasiia witnessed a russian missile attack on Okhmatdyt. She was unharmed and, along with FRIDA volunteers, helped evacuate the children, provided medical care to the victims, and assisted in clearing the rubble. The attack resulted in two fatalities and 32 injuries at the hospital.
Journalists can arrange interviews with Anastasiia and join FRIDA Ukraine missions by prior arrangement.
For reference: Since the full-scale invasion began, about 8,500 Ukrainian children have been left without parental care, over 1,500 have become orphans, and tens of thousands have lost their homes or been forced to relocate. Ukrainian children’s homes and orphanages are under immense pressure, with depleted resources and limited access to quality medical care. Through the Little Hearts project, FRIDA supports orphanages and boarding schools across Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Iryna Maslo is from Volnovakha, Donetsk Oblast. Today, occupants live in her house, and one of the businesses she founded was destroyed by the war. Iryna first saw the fighting in 2014, when russia started its aggression in eastern Ukraine. The woman and her family stayed in her hometown, which was 30 kilometers from the front line, and soon managed to open a shop selling patriotic souvenirs. Later, this shop turned into a store selling military equipment, as there were many soldiers in the city who needed such goods. After that, Iryna opened a household chemicals store, but had to leave the business when the full-blown war began.
Together with her children, Iryna left Volnovakha, which was later occupied by the enemy, and relocated to Pavlohrad in the Dnipro region. In this new city, Iryna sought job opportunities and eventually decided to transform her hobby into a livelihood by opening a yoga studio. She applied for a grant, used the funds to establish the studio, and began her work.
Now Iryna and her children have moved again, this time to Odesa. Here, she teaches yoga and plans to open another studio in the future.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Peaceful gatherings are planned in at least 16 Ukrainian cities to highlight the plight of Azovstal defenders and other military personnel still in enemy captivity.
On July 13, rallies will occur in Okhtyrka, Chernihiv, Vinnytsia, Pavlohrad, and Irpin.
The following day, July 14, demonstrations are scheduled in Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Kremenchuk, Krolevets, Ovruch, Kropyvnytskyi, Trostianets, Kryvyi Rih, and Chernivtsi.
These events are organized by the families of POWs from the Mariupol garrison.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Iryna Vlasenko is a doctor specializing in dermatology and venereology who survived the russian occupation in Melitopol (Zaporizhia region). She knows the feeling when it seems that everyone has forgotten about you. These memories motivate her to volunteer at FRIDA (the Ukrainian-Israeli medical volunteer mission). Together with other doctors, Iryna attends to patients both in the front-line regions and in the borderlands, and shows by her example that people who live there are remembered.
The trips also help her deal with her fears about her husband, who is now on the front lines. While her husband has operated a Mavic drone on over 100 missions, Iryna has gone on more than 40 trips to the front-line territories.
Journalists have the opportunity to talk with Iryna in Kyiv. There is also an opportunity to cover the volunteer trips made by FRIDA Ukraine.
For reference: FRIDA Ukraine is a Ukrainian-Israeli medical volunteer mission that aims to help the civilian population. Volunteer doctors provide Ukrainians affected by hostilities with high-quality healthcare.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Rehabilitation in the Carpathians project was created within the framework of Zemliachky NGO’s Psychological Support for Women Defenders Project. Its purpose is to restore the psychological and emotional state of military women. The initiative is open to all female defenders.
The organizers note that the project gives women the opportunity to recharge, rest, be in a safe place among their people (“tribe” effect). It is also an opportunity to be alone with nature.
Preference in the formation of the group is given to military women who were held in captivity, as well as defenders who have worked in the combat zone for a long time, because they are the ones who need support and the opportunity to recover the most.
Over 80 women defenders have participated in the project since it was created.
Journalists have the opportunity to learn more about the peculiarities of covering the initiative.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On July 18, the family of the fallen hero (the Berezov family) in Kyiv region will receive Ukraine’s first residential house, built using 3D construction technology. A house with an area of 130 m² was printed in 58 hours using a 3D printer of 3D UTU company.
On March 6, 2022, the Berezov family lost their home due to the russian aggression during the occupation of Irpin. And on November 6, 2022, the father of the family, Yaroslav, died in the battles for Bakhmut. This house will become a symbol of a new beginning for them as well as commemorate the fallen hero.
The special feature of this house is a dual-purpose room with an increased level of security, in which the Berezov family will be able to wait out air alarms.
Journalists will have the opportunity to talk with the Berezov family, Inna Furman, Head of the Hold the Nation Charity Foundation, and representatives of the authorities and partners.
The event requires accreditation. Accreditation will be open until 6:00 PM on July 17, 2024.
For reference: The house for the Berezovs was built as part of the “United for Help” project. This is an initiative of the Hold the Nation Charity Foundation, implemented with the support of the Irpin City Council and over 70 partners.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On July 16, Media Center Ukraine will host a presentation of the analytical report: “Ukraine’s Efforts in Searching for Missing Persons and Family Support.”
Participants:
– Aliona Luniova, Advocacy Manager at ZMINA Human Rights Center;
– Artur Dobroserdov, Commissioner for Persons Missing in Special Circumstances;
– Olena Bieliachkova, Coordinator for Groups of Families of Prisoners of War at Media Initiative for Human Rights;
– Liubov Tkachenko, mother of Roman Tkachenko, a missing soldier of the military unit A7376.
Topics of discussion:
– Has the government adequately safeguarded the rights of missing persons?
– How well are the needs of affected families met by state assurances?
– What improvements are necessary to enhance support for missing persons and their families?
Pre-registration is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
For Hennadii Azzheurov, the war began back in 2014, when russia occupied Crimea and attacked Ukraine in the East. That’s when the man’s native village of Hranitne (Donetsk region) turned into a battlefield. Hennadii had worked in Mariupol’s patrol police for about 30 years. In February 2022, he planned to retire from service. However, on the evening of February 23, heavy shelling began: the russians surrounded Hranitne. A few days later, armed enemy soldiers came to Hennadii’s house and arrested the man without any explanation.
Later, the former policeman, along with other Ukrainian civilian and military prisoners, ended up in temporarily occupied Donetsk. There, according to Hennadii, the prisoners were interrogated and tortured by being deprived of food and water. A few months later, the man ended up in a colony in occupied Olenivka in Donetsk region, where he stayed for another 40 days. After that, the occupiers released Hennadii without explaining why they had detained him. He managed to get to Ukraine-controlled territory on his own.
The 55-year-old man had no idea what he would do after captivity. Due to age and health, he couldn’t return to police work. In Odesa, he turned to Heart of Azovstal NGO, where he was offered to master HR management in the IT industry for free. After half a year of study, Hennadii started working as a career mentor at the Heart of Azovstal. Currently, he helps the military defenders of Mariupol to choose a direction for training and retraining, and also provides them with comprehensive support in employment.
For reference: Hennadii Azzheurov is in Odesa. The man is ready to communicate with journalists, both online and in person, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the full-scale invasion, Yevheniia Kim from Mykolaiv (a city in the south of Ukraine) was an icon painter. However, with the first explosions in February 2022, Yevheniia put down her brush and started volunteering. She even turned her workshop into a volunteer hub.
At first, Yevheniia evacuated women and children from Mykolaiv, and after the death of her friend, she joined the efforts to evacuate the wounded from the battlefield. Currently, the woman cooperates with the local Voluntary formation of the territorial community as a volunteer paramedic. Yevheniia does not receive a salary, however, she is able to go to the front line and return home at her own request. Yevheniia is not sure that she will be able to paint again after the Victory.
For reference: Yevheniia Kim is either in Mykolaiv or at the front line. The paramedic is ready to communicate with journalists, both online and in person, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Artist Yaroslava Yatsuba and schoolboy Mark Ivanchenko met at the beginning of the full-scale invasion. Back then the 13-year-old boy created the first animation based on Yaroslava’s drawing. Mark animated a piece called “Moonlit Night,” in which Ukrainians destroy enemy tanks under the moonlight. Since then, the artist and the animator began to collaborate. Yaroslava draws almost every day, she finds ideas for her works in the news. And Mark turns her drawings into animations.
Yaroslava puts up her “Living Pictures” for a raffle in exchange for donations as well as presents them at international exhibitions. Animations also accompany fundraisers of many military personnel and have already helped raise more than UAH 250,000 to support the Defense Forces.
This year Mark’s animations took first place at the international “Children’s Film Festival,” and the boy donated the prize money to the fundraiser for the Azov Regiment.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the outbreak of full-blown war, Liubov Popova thrived as a landscape designer in her hometown of Kharkiv. When war escalated, she relocated to central Ukraine with her child, later returning to her parents’ village of Koziivka in the Kharkiv region. It was there that childhood memories resurfaced, recalling her grandmother’s teachings on foraging herbs and homemade tea crafting.
Initially a pastime, her passion for herbalism soon blossomed into a lucrative endeavor. Today, enthusiasts eagerly await the teas she meticulously crafts, with demand extending beyond Ukraine’s borders. Beyond her herbal pursuits, Liubov actively engages in community development initiatives, organizing workshops for local children on creating tea bouquets.
Based in the Kharkiv region, Liubov Popova is available for media inquiries, both in-person and online.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Zaporizhia will witness the official launch of a new educational center on July 18, specifically designed for children from internally displaced families.
This pioneering center offers:
– Structured classes led by qualified educators;
– Themed activities encompassing sports, art therapy, psychological workshops, scientific experiments, interactive learning, dynamic entertainment, quests, and cinematic experiences;
– A secure and nurturing environment.
More than just a place for academic learning, this center encourages children to explore their talents, forge new friendships, and make the most of their time.
The event will host esteemed guests including representatives from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Ukraine Confidence Building Initiative (UCBI).
Supported by USAID’s Ukraine Confidence Building Initiative (UCBI) and the Support Ukraine Today Foundation, the center’s inauguration marks a significant step in supporting children affected by displacement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In a landmark initiative spanning April to July 2024, Ukraine has established its inaugural Team of Cultural First Aiders under the flagship project “Enhancing Capacities in Ukraine for Cultural Heritage First Aid and Recovery Planning.” This team comprises 23 specialized professionals who underwent intensive training.
Throughout the comprehensive program, Ukrainian experts including museum curators, monument conservators, architects, engineers, legal advisors, restorers, and managers engaged in both online and in-person sessions. They drew insights from international and domestic mentors, examining strategies for safeguarding cultural assets during crises.
Practical exercises, such as assessing the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Viazivka, Zhytomyr region—damaged during the Russian-Ukrainian conflict in 2022—underscored their training. Participants learned to apply international standards in risk management, document damage, evaluate threats, and execute protective measures for endangered cultural sites.
Journalists seeking further details, including visual documentation from the Viazivka training, can obtain additional information about this pioneering effort.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
EOD specialist Anastasiia Kuzminych, who works for the international organization the Halo Trust, met her future husband right on a minefield. Anastasiia and Illia worked on neighboring lines, and during the breaks, Illia helped her to carry heavy objects. Later, they kept in touch and finally got married.
Today, Anastasiia’s husband, Illia Khomiak, is the Head of the Non-Technical Examination Groups, and recently he brought his 22-year-old brother Andrii to the Halo Trust. Andrii works as a paramedic in an EOD unit and is glad that demining has become a family business.
Journalists are welcome to learn more and talk with Anastasiia and Illia in Kharkiv region.
For reference: the Halo Trust is the largest international non-profit organization that has been clearing mines and explosive ordnance in 30 countries and territories around the world for 35 years.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The apiary near Mykolaiv (a city in the south of Ukraine) was founded by Yakiv Fedosov’s father. After his father’s death, Yakiv continued the family business. Before the full-scale invasion, Yakiv had bought new equipment and increased the number of bee colonies. Over time, he began making honey infused with medicinal herbs.
However, with the beginning of the Big War, the village in which the farm was located became the epicenter of the russian offensive. Heavy shelling destroyed the house, some of the beehives burned down, and the occupiers stole the already produced honey.
However, this did not stop Yakiv. He distributed the remaining honey to the military. Then he bought more honey from beekeepers he knew, and based on it, he created a honey paste for the soldiers, which quickly replenishes their energy.
Now Yakiv is waiting for compensation for the destroyed property from the state. He plans to rebuild the house and continue to work on the apiary.
Yakiv Fedosov is in Mykolaiv oblast. He is ready to communicate with journalists, both online and offline.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
“Ukrainian LGBT+ Military and Veterans for Equal Rights” NGO opened the first veteran hub for LGBT+ military personnel in Ukraine’s capital, which is also the first one in Eastern Europe. The goal of the hub is to create a safe space to assist LGBT+ military personnel and reintegrate queer veterans in the society. In particular, the hub will host events to help with the mental and physical health of defenders. Psychological and legal assistance as well as services by friendly sexologists will be available in the hub.
For reference: The association “Ukrainian LGBT+ Military and Veterans for Equal Rights” was created in 2018 after Anton Shebetko’s exhibition “We Were There.” During the exhibition, one of the soldiers, currently the Head of the organization, Viktor Pylypenko, came out as gay combat veteran.
The association includes hundreds of LGBT+ military personnel and veterans, some open about their identity and others keeping it private. The military is rallying to fight for the rights available to other citizens of Ukraine. Members of the association actively participate in both the defense of the Motherland against russian invaders and the protection of rights and freedoms.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On July 24, media representatives are invited to a press tour to the renovated “Ukraine” cinema in Ladyzhyn, Vinnytsia region.
The “Ukraine” cinema is an important cultural center for Ladyzhyn and neighboring villages. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the cinema was temporarily closed. Plans to resume screenings after the lifting of quarantine restrictions were thwarted by the full-scale invasion.
“Watch Ukrainian!” Association, which has been implementing a number of cultural and educational projects together with the MHP-Hromadi Charitable Foundation for several years, has initiated the resumption of screenings in the Ladyzhyn cinema.
The Ladyzhyn City Council will organize educational events for young people and families of military and veterans in the cinema, which aims to become a real cultural platform for residents of Ladyzhyn, as well as nearby villages and towns.
Program of the event:
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM – an official opening, communication with invited guests, including ambassadors of the “Cinema for Victory!” National Tour. Andrii Rizol (producer and CEO of “Watch Ukrainian!” Association), Bohdan Beniuk (People’s Artist of Ukraine and Artistic Director of the Kyiv Academic Drama Theater on Podil), Vyacheslav Dovzhenko (actor, performer of the leading roles in the movies Cyborgs, Obmin, Another Franko).
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM – press conference with the participation of the director of the cinema, the management of the MHP-Hromadi Charitable Foundation, “Watch Ukrainian!” Association and representatives of local authorities.
Accreditation is open until July 23.
Transfer from Kyiv is provided for accredited media representatives.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Anna Yaroshenko, a seasoned diver with over 20 years of experience, believes diving is accessible to everyone. She has dived with children, elderly individuals, and people with hearing and visual impairments, mental disorders, and various injuries. Underwater, the effects of gravity diminish, allowing everyone to experience a sense of “weightlessness.”
Following the onset of the full-scale war, Anna saw diving as a potential rehabilitation tool for injured military personnel. Recognizing its benefits for both physical and psychological recovery, she launched the project “Gravity? WTF?”. Her mother, a rehabilitation therapist, introduced her to the first volunteers—wounded defenders with injuries and amputations.
The project’s aim is to provide military veterans with a new and engaging hobby, teaching them the complete set of skills needed to become independent divers. Initially, the soldiers train in a shallow, barrier-free pool accessible by wheelchair. The next phase involves a 3.8-meter deep pool. Those who gain confidence in scuba diving progress to open water dives.
To date, 25 veterans with various injuries and amputations have participated in the project.
Journalists are invited to learn more about “Gravity? WTF?” and to cover the diving lessons held in Kyiv pools and open water sessions.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On July 22, Kyiv will unveil the exhibition “The Will to Win: Warriors of Sport” to mark Ukraine’s participation in the Olympic Games. This exhibition showcases the rich history of Ukraine’s Olympic journey, spanning from the late nineteenth century to the present.
The display highlights the devastating impact of russia’s aggression on Ukraine’s sports infrastructure. Visitors will see fragments of trophies, sports equipment, and stadium seats, all damaged or destroyed by russian hostilities. These artifacts were salvaged from various sports venues wrecked by ongoing warfare.
A special section, featuring photographs by Mykola Synelnykov, celebrates the resilience of Ukrainian athletes who continue to train amidst the ruins of their facilities, exemplifying their unbreakable spirit.
For reference: This year, Ukraine is sending a delegation of 140 athletes to compete in 23 sports at the Olympics. Tragically, nearly 500 Ukrainian athletes and coaches have lost their lives since the large-scale russian invasion began.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On July 25, Lviv residents are invited to participate in the 17th Red Brunch Donor Day, organized by the Yanina Sokolova Foundation. This event aims to collect blood to support the needs of Ukrainian soldiers.
The primary goal of the event is to save lives and promote a culture of conscious donation in Ukraine.
For reference: Since 2019, the Yanina Sokolova Foundation has been working to change stereotypes about blood donation by hosting Red Brunch events in major offices of socially responsible companies, hotels, and hubs. These events feature treats for donors, networking opportunities, and incentive gifts. So far, 2,887 donors have contributed, helping to save over 8,661 lives.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In Kyiv, wounded defenders take part in free clay sculpting and pottery master classes organized by the Azov’s Angels Patronage Service together with Kust ceramics studio. Creative activities are part of the rehabilitation of the military.
During the class, defenders make dishes or other objects – by hand or with a potter’s wheel. Soldiers often donate completed works for various charity events.
By prior agreement, journalists have the opportunity to cover a clay sculpting master class.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Accessible Wakeboard is an initiative for participants of projects by ONE TEAM FORCES NGO. Its goal is to show that even extreme sports like wakeboarding are accessible to warriors recovering from injuries, as well as to give veterans an opportunity to test their own strength and help regain confidence in themselves and their bodies.
Training sessions take place once a week. Project participants include defenders who have lost their upper and/or lower limbs.
By prior agreement, journalists can cover classes in Kyiv.
For reference: ONE TEAM FORCES is a community that helps combatants who were in service BEFORE and/or AFTER February 24, 2022 and were injured or psychologically traumatized as a result of russia’s armed aggression.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Artem Sylko is an entrepreneur from Kyiv region. Artem has always been concerned about environmental pollution, so he decided to start a business that would be friendly to nature. At first, he made pencils that can be planted in a pot and grown as a plant.
After the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Artem decided to use recycled paper for postcards and business cards, and then tried to add seeds to this paper. The businessman experimented with plants, observed what grew best. In the end, he created a company called Paperiya. This is a printing house that produces “blooming paper” from the waste of several factories. If this paper is thrown away out in the open, it will decompose in two weeks, and it will also grow shoots of various plants. Currently, 80% of printing house’s customers are Ukrainians.
Artem Sylko is in Kyiv region. He is ready to communicate with journalists, both online and in person.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Center for Civil Liberties invites journalists to cover the important topic entitled “Ukrainian prisoners who were forcibly taken to the russian federation: problems of returning them.”
According to Olena Vysotska, Deputy Minister of Justice, within the first days of the full-scale invasion, 11 penal institutions with almost 3,000 prisoners and staff found themselves in the occupation. According to the Protection for Prisoners of Ukraine NGO, about 2,000 people who were serving sentences in places of deprivation of liberty were deported from Kherson region alone. On the territory of the russian federation and temporarily occupied territories, prisoners are tortured and subjected to abuse. russians passports are forced on imprisoned Ukrainians while they are in captivity.
The organizers are ready to help journalists with getting in touch with:
– Experts for interviews and comments,
– People who went through this experience.
Also, on July 31, journalists can take part in the human rights club on this topic, where they will have an opportunity to talk with experts, representatives of the Ministry of Justice and former prisoners. (The event requires registration).
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On July 28, Kyiv will host a requiem event entitled “Olenivka – pain that will not go away.” The organizers invite everyone to commemorate the brave and loyal heroes of Ukraine who went through the defense of Mariupol with dignity. The enemy could not defeat all of them on the battlefield, and on the night of July 29, 2022, the adversary made a despicable act and blew up almost 200 Azov soldiers in the colony in occupied Olenivka.
For reference: the defense of Mariupol lasted 86 days, 82 of them – completely besieged. From May 16 to 20, 2022, the Mariupol garrison carried out the order to stop the defense of the city and go into captivity.
On the night of July 29, 2022, the russian federation committed a terrorist attack, setting off an explosion in the barracks of the penal colony in Olenivka, which housed Ukrainian prisoners of war. At least 50 defenders of Azovstal were killed in the act.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On July 24, Media Center Ukraine will hold a press conference entitled: “Missing 16 Sailors: The Fate of the Crews from the Sunken ‘Sloviansk’ and ‘Stanislav’ Boats.” Two Ukrainian ships sank in the spring of 2022 following missile strikes by the russian forces in the Black Sea. Some of the sailors were saved. The fate of 16 remains unknown. For two years, the United by the Sea NGO, founded by the families of missing sailors, has been collecting information about how the ships went down. However, there is still no information about what happened to the 16 sailors. At the same time, some unofficial reports have started circulating claiming that the sailors were captured by the russians.
During the press conference, representatives of the families of the missing sailors, the Navy Command and the Media Initiative for Human Rights will talk about the search for the crews, attempts to reach the boats, cooperation with the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Maritime Coalition led by the UK and Norway.
Participants:
– Olesia Aulina, Head of the United by the Sea NGO, wife of the missing Damir Aulina, commander of the patrol boat “Sloviansk”;
– Tetiana Sherishorina, mother of the missing Nikita Sherishorin, sailor of the patrol boat “Sloviansk”;
– Olena Bieliachkova, Coordinator for Groups of Families of Prisoners of War at Media Initiative for Human Rights;
– Andrii Ursol, Captain (First Rank), Deputy Commander of the Ukrainian Navy for Moral and Psychological Support, Department Head.
For reference: The Sloviansk sank on March 3, 2022, in the area between the Kinburn and Tendra spits, 2 km from the coast. The vessel was the first combat casualty of the Ukrainian Navy during russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Stanislav sank on May 7, 2022, 20 meters from Snake Island, it now lies at a depth of about 20 meters.
Pre-registration is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the outbreak of the full-blown war, Yevheniia Mashyna was a saleswoman in Mykolaiv, a city in southern Ukraine. In late May 2022, a russian shell exploded just five meters from her window, leaving Yevheniia with severe shrapnel wounds to her arms, hips, and face.
While her physical injuries healed, the resulting scars caused persistent pain and discomfort. Seeking relief, Yevheniia turned to the Neopalymi (Unburned) project, which specializes in treating war-related injuries. At the clinic, Yevheniia received complimentary scar treatment for her arm and facial scars.
Today, Yevheniia has relocated to Odesa, where she is now assisting internally displaced persons.
For reference: The Unburned project aims to offer comprehensive free treatment for military personnel, volunteers, civilians, and children affected by burns and scars due to the war. Supported by the Ukrainian Ministry of Health and various partners, the initiative strives to alleviate the physical and emotional impacts of conflict-related injuries.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On July 25, Kyiv will organize a special concert titled “Music that Saves” in honor of Medical Worker’s Day. The event will celebrate doctors and wounded soldiers receiving treatment and will include a presentation on efforts to prevent amputations among military personnel.
Performers at the concert will include Oleh Sobchuk (of SKY), Marta Adamchuk, Dima Libra, Alex Peakman, Daria Minieieva, and Vasyl Lohay. The concert is organized by the National Program #SavetheLimb team.
Prior to the concert, a press cocktail will feature appearances by wounded soldiers who have avoided amputation thanks to the efforts of doctors and the program. These defenders will share their personal stories of injury and recovery.
The event requires accreditation.
For context: #SavetheLimb is the largest program in Ukraine, following the National Health Service of Ukraine, offering support to war victims across over 20 cities. It funds costly limb-saving surgeries that are not covered by state health services.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Media Center Ukraine will host a panel discussion titled: “Restoring the Ukrainian Economy: Managing Blackouts, Taxes, and Labor” on July 25.
Participants:
– Hlib Vyshlinsky, Executive Director at the Center for Economic Strategy;
– Andrii Dlihach, Doctor of Economics, CEO of Advanter Group;
– Oleksii Herashchenko, economist, lecturer in finance at Kyiv-Mohyla Business School (KMBS);
– Oleksii Kushch, analyst at the United Ukraine Think Tank (online).
Topics of focus:
– Impact of blackouts on industry, Ukraine’s GDP, and economic growth;
– Tax legislation and recovery: Essential policy decisions;
– Labor market recovery: Its role and impact on economic growth;
– Government actions needed for economic restoration and growth.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A serviceman known as “Demon,” commander of the FPV drone unit in the 37th Marine Brigade, played a crucial role in delivering supplies to his comrades. Due to security concerns, “Demon” keeps his identity undisclosed.
Last winter, when the Dnipro River froze over, Ukrainian troops stationed on the left bank in the Kherson region faced severe supply shortages. “Demon” and his unit stepped in to aid these soldiers. Using drones, the 37th Brigade successfully transported food, medicine, and other essential items to the isolated troops. They devised unique ways to mark the drones to ensure their comrades could distinguish Ukrainian copters from enemy ones. In a remarkable feat, “Demon’s” unit completed 23 drone missions in a single day.
“Demon” is currently stationed in the Kherson region and is available for interviews with journalists by prior arrangement, either online or offline.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Vitalii Lytvyn, raised in a military family, initially pursued a different path—studying at a pedagogical university with aspirations of becoming a legal historian. However, when russia invaded Ukraine in 2014, Lytvyn followed in his grandfather’s and father’s footsteps by enlisting in the army. He began his service with the 4th Kruk Battalion of the National Guard of Ukraine and later transferred to the 4th Rubizh Brigade of the NGU, where he served as a scout. Lytvyn currently leads the same battalion as its commander.
In June 2022, his exceptional bravery earned him the title of Hero of Ukraine. Recently, he became an ambassador for the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation, committed to supporting his former comrades, both active and retired.
Lytvyn is based in Kyiv and is available for interviews with journalists by appointment, either online or in person.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Velyke Divnytstvo (Great Girl’s Gathering) project, led by Repair Together, is revolutionizing gender roles by empowering young women to take on construction tasks traditionally dominated by men. This initiative aims to open doors for women in the construction industry, providing them with equal opportunities to excel in the field.
In the village of Lukashivka, Chernihiv Oblast, Ms. Nina’s home was destroyed by the russian invasion. The project began in November 2022 with the installation of the first autoclaved aerated concrete block for a new home for Nina’s family. Since then, an all-female team has constructed the walls, installed the reinforcement belt, and completed the roof. The team is set to finish the house for Ms. Nina by the end of the year.
For reference: Over the past two years, more than 200 volunteers, including notable Ukrainian personalities, have joined the Velyke Divnytstvo project.
Repair Together, a non-governmental organization, focuses on building a dynamic volunteer community in Ukraine, combining efforts to tackle pressing social issues with cultural and educational initiatives.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On July 28, Kyiv will unveil the exhibition “OLENIVKA: The Quintessence of Cruelty,” marking the second anniversary of the Olenivka terrorist attack. This event, organized in collaboration with the National Museum of the Revolution of Dignity, aims to highlight the suffering endured by Ukrainian prisoners of war.
The exhibition’s opening coincides with an action organized by the Association of Azovstal Defenders’ Families, which has been holding weekly demonstrations across Ukrainian cities. Their posters, featuring slogans such as “They saved us, now we have to save them” and “Fight for them as they fought for us,” call for support for prisoners of war and missing persons under the #FREEAZOVSTALDEFENDERS campaign.
Journalists planning to attend the exhibition must register in advance.
Additionally, on the same day, Kyiv will host a requiem event titled “Olenivka – pain that will never go away.”
For context: The attack occurred on the night of July 29, 2022, when the russian federation targeted a barracks at the Olenivka penal colony, resulting in the deaths of at least 50 Azovstal defenders and injuring over a hundred.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On July 26, a new exhibition celebrating Ukrainian women doctors will open in conjunction with the launch of the Dictionary of Courage project. The media are invited to the event, which includes a press briefing. The photo exhibition coincides with the Day of the Medical Worker, showcasing 24 compelling stories from medical professionals across Ukraine.
The project aims to craft visual narratives and psychological portraits of these doctors, who are dedicated to saving lives and helping those in dire need. Each interview features a selected keyword that has been incorporated into the Dictionary of Courage.
Participants:
- Serhii Dubrov, First Deputy Minister of Health of Ukraine;
- Mustafa Elkanzi, Deputy Representative of the United Nations Population Fund in Ukraine (UNFPA);
- Representative of the Embassy of the French Republic in Ukraine;
- Representative of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ukraine;
- Nataliia Heinz, neonatologist at the Kyiv Oblast Perinatal Center.
Media representatives must register by 6:00 PM on July 25.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Dmytro Kutsenko joined the army in 2014. And in 2015, he planted the first cherries in the family garden. For 9 years, Dmytro and his father were working on their own business with his garden expanding to 450 trees.
However, with the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Dmytro returned to the front line. He joined the 93rd brigade and fought with the occupiers in Sumy, Kharkiv and Donetsk regions. Dmytro was defending Bakhmut from August 2022 until March 2023 when the soldier found himself in the basement of a high-rise building, which was attacked with two enemy aerial bombs. Five floors of the building collapsed over Dmytro, who had to fight for his life under tons of concrete for 33 hours. Dmytro’s brothers in arms cleared the rubble with their own hands, pulled the man out and evacuated him to the hospital.
Dmytro lost both legs, underwent a number of surgeries as well as rehabilitation and mastered prostheses. In 2024, the President of Ukraine awarded the veteran with the Order of the Gold Star and the title of Hero of Ukraine. Nowadays, Dmytro has returned to the family business, bought a wheelchair and an electric scooter, which he uses to take care of his garden.
Dmytro Kutsenko lives in the Nikopol district of Dnipropetrovsk region. The veteran is ready to communicate with journalists, both online and in person, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On July 28, a charity run to support Ukraine’s largest children’s hospital Okhmatdyt will be held in Kyiv to commemorate the Medical Workers’ Day.
The goal of the race is to help the hospital recover from the russian missile attack on July 8, 2024 by collecting UAH 1 million.
For reference: As a result of the russian attack on the Okhmatdyt children’s hospital on July 8, 2024, two people died. 32 injured people sought medical help.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On July 30, Media Center Ukraine will host a presentation of a report on the enforced disappearance of civilians — one of the crimes committed by russia in the occupied territories. It is a practice when the state or its agents arrest a person without due process or simply kidnap them. Victims cannot speak to a lawyer or relatives and are usually instead of prison or detention center they are held in a location where they can’t rely on the protection of the law.
The T4P initiative managed to identify 5,340 victims of enforced disappearances and filed submissions to the International Criminal Court as well as summaries to the UN Working Group, substantiating that russia deliberately and systematically uses this practice, mostly by persecuting people who have a pro-Ukrainian position, have served in the Ukrainian army, police or civil service.
Participants:
- Hanna Ovdiienko — a lawyer, Co-Author of the report,
- Mykola Komarovskyi — a lawyer of the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, Co-Author of the report,
- Oleksandra Romantsova — Executive Director of the Center for Civil Liberties
Prior accreditation is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On August 3, the Hurkit Charitable Foundation, in collaboration with the Pasya Team sports team, will hold a charity swim in the Kyiv region. The event aims to raise UAH 4 million to purchase four Ukrainian-made mortars for the mortar battery of the Da Vinci Wolves Battalion (59th Brigade).
The entry fee for participants is set at UAH 2,000. Each swimmer will receive a special prize: a shell casing from a UAG-40 grenade launcher, with the funds for these grenade launchers having been raised during last year’s swim.
Notably, the event will feature the Ferum Will, a team of veteran swimmers, alongside dozens of active military personnel and veterans participating in the swim.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Institute of Peace and Common Ground (IPCG) extends an invitation to representatives from civil society organizations, local activists, international partners, and all interested parties to attend the presentation of the research titled “Some Challenges Related to the Reintegration of the De-occupied Territories and Memorialization.”
This event will showcase findings from a series of in-depth interviews conducted in the de-occupied regions, alongside the outcomes of a national survey carried out by the Sociological Group “Rating” between July 5 and 12, 2024.
The primary aim of the presentation is to highlight the obstacles faced in reintegrating these territories and to discuss the potential for conflict during such processes.
Participants:
- Maksym Yelihulashvili, Member of the Board of the Institute for Peace and Common Ground, expert on transitional justice;
- Daria Svyrydova, Member of the Advisory Council on De-occupation and Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of the Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol under the President of Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Tamara Koriahina and her husband, Serhii Mykhailenko, both hail from Mariupol. In 2019, Serhii enlisted in the Azov unit, which has since been absorbed into Ukraine’s National Guard.
When the full-scale invasion began, Serhii, who had been training in the Lviv region, returned to Mariupol to defend their home. Meanwhile, Tamara endured the relentless russian shelling, struggling to survive in the besieged city.
On March 18, 2022, Tamara managed to escape. She later discovered that, in early April, Serhii had suffered a shrapnel wound. Tragically, he was unable to undergo surgery due to a shortage of medical supplies.
Tamara last heard from her husband on May 16, 2022: he informed her that he had received orders to surrender and added, “See you soon, get ready for the wedding.” Tamara says this message has sustained her for the past three years. During this period, she has not received any letters from him and has only seen him in russian propaganda videos. She is convinced that her husband is being tortured in the Polar Wolf penal colony in Siberia, where he is currently held. Before being transferred there, Serhii underwent an illegal trial in occupied Donetsk and was sentenced to life imprisonment.
In June 2024, Tamara joined a delegation of POWs’ wives who appealed to the Pope for assistance in securing the release of Ukrainians unlawfully detained in russia.
Tamara Koriahina resides in Dnipro. Serhii Mykhailenkos’s wife is willing to speak with journalists, both online and offline, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Aiden Aslin, originally from the UK, never served in the British military. His journey into conflict began in 2015, when, at 21, he traveled to Syria and spent a year and a half there.
His interest in Ukraine led him to follow events in the East, and in 2018, he enlisted in the Armed Forces of Ukraine with the 137th Marine Battalion of the 35th Brigade. He later transferred to the 1st Battalion of the 36th Marine Brigade, where he served for nearly four years. Aslin found himself in Mariupol during the full-scale invasion, where his unit was encircled for over a month. Captured by russian forces, he endured six months in captivity, during which he faced allegations of mercenarism, terrorism, and attempting to overthrow Donetsk’s “constitutional order,” leading to a death sentence. Subjected to torture, he despaired of ever returning home.
In September 2022, Aslin was released in a prisoner swap. After receiving psychological support in the UK, he has returned to Ukraine and now serves with the International Legion of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine.
Aslin is available for interviews by prior arrangement, both online and in person.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
At 30 years old, Iryna Nomerovska is a certified economist and the mother of a fifth-grader, Eva. In the spring of 2022, her family was trapped under russian occupation in their hometown of Kherson, a city in southern Ukraine. By a stroke of luck, they managed to escape, evading enemy checkpoints and fleeing toward the Kyiv region. Along the way, Iryna was struck by the extent of the devastation and the proliferation of mine warning signs.
A year later, Iryna returned to Mykolaiv, a city near Kherson, where she joined the HALO Ukraine team. Today, she leads a non-technical survey team, working to identify hazardous areas in her native southern region.
Journalists interested in speaking with Iryna can arrange interviews in the Mykolaiv region.
For reference: The HALO Trust is the world’s largest international non-profit organization dedicated to clearing mines and unexploded ordnance. For 35 years, it has operated in 30 countries and territories.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
At 26 years old, Viktoriia Kasianchuk with the call sign “Zironka” (Starlet) unapologetically open about her sexual orientation as a lesbian.
When the large-scale conflict broke out, Viktoriia felt an immediate calling to join the Defense Forces. Tragically, her brother, who volunteered for service, lost his life defending the Kyiv region in the spring of 2022. After taking time to settle her civilian matters, Viktoriia applied to the Territorial Recruitment Center earlier this year. Determined to engage in combat roles, she chose the UAV operator path. Her family has stood by her side, offering the same support they showed when she came out.
Currently, Viktoriia is undergoing training and preparing for her role in the military. She is available for interviews with journalists, accessible online by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The 13th Operational Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine has launched a photo project titled “Women of the Khartiia,” highlighting the roles of female defenders. Among those featured are Svitlana “Chuma” (Plague) a 25-year-old sanitary instructor with the Khartiia brigade’s drone strike unit, and Iryna “Hera,” a 22-year-old UAV operator. Before the large-scale invasion, Chuma managed a motorcycle parts and equipment store. She has since transitioned to a combat medic role, training soldiers in life-saving techniques on the battlefield. Hera, previously employed in social media management, now operates drones.
Both Chuma and Hera are stationed on the front lines and are available for interviews with journalists, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Petro Antyp is an honored artist of Ukraine, who was born in Horlivka, Donetsk region. Now this city is occupied by russia.
Before 2014, the artist had lived and worked in his native town, and his works were displayed at international exhibitions. However, when russia started the war in the east of Ukraine 10 years ago, the man had to leave Donetsk region. He became a displaced person for the second time in 2022, when the full-scale invasion began. Then Petro was forced to leave Kyiv and move to Lutsk, where he took up the project aiming to break the Guinness World Record. Petro is painting a 2,000-square-meter painting called “Cosmogony” in the Korsaks’ Museum of Modern Ukrainian Art. The painting process is a real-time performance. The artist works in a museum, where every visitor can observe his work. The picture itself combines several types of art: painting, graphics, sculpture. And the artist’s intent is to show the process of creation of humanity and predict a possible future. In addition to the “Cosmogony” project, Petro also works on smaller canvases, and donates the proceeds from sales to provide medical support for the Armed Forces.
Petro Antyp is ready to communicate with journalists, both online and in person, by prior agreement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The idea for the project came to the writer Serhiy Zhadan (now he serves in the “Khartiia” (Charter) 13th brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine) even before the beginning of the full-scale invasion when he worked at the volunteer radio “Tryzub FM” (Trident FM). That is when he realized the importance of communication between the military and civilians, between the rear and the front. Therefore, after the mobilization, Zhadan returned to the idea of a media platform, which will make the voices of the vanguard heard. The first guests of the radio show included: paramedic Yuliia “Taira” Paievska, commander of the “Khartiia” brigade, colonel of NGU Ihor Leskiv and frontman of the band “Pyrig and Batig” Marjan Pyrozhok. Episodes of the traveling show “Radio Khartiia” will be released once a week. Each episode will be broadcast from a new location and with new guests.
The authors of the traveling “Radio Khartiia” project are ready to communicate with journalists, both online and in person, by prior agreement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On August 5, an open training session by Ukraine’s National Team for the Invictus Games 2025 team will take place in Kyiv.
The program includes:
- The formal part of the event with the participation of Oleksandr Porkhun, acting Minister of Veteran Affairs of Ukraine; team members; co-organizers of the Invictus Games project in Ukraine,
- Time for media to communicate with the National Team and project organizers
- Transfer to locations where training sessions will take place.
Open training session will feature winter water sports, swimming, wheelchair basketball, and sitting volleyball.
Journalists must register for the event by 7:00 PM on August 4.
For reference: Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 will be the first ever hybrid Winter Games. Participants will compete in swimming, indoor rowing, sitting volleyball, wheelchair basketball and wheelchair rugby, including the new winter sports of alpine skiing, snowboarding, biathlon, Nordic skiing, skeleton and wheelchair curling.
The Ukrainian National Team trains for winter sports in the summer — this is what makes these training sessions unique.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Greenpeace in Ukraine together with Atmosfera company invite Ukrainian women to learn the skills of a solar installer.
Ten female candidates who pass the preliminary selection will receive free access to the professional course entitled “Solar Installer.” The winners of the competition will have the opportunity to work with Greenpeace on the installation of new renewable energy facilities in Ukraine. (To participate in the competition, one must have a technical education or work experience in technical fields).
Training will start on August 1 in Kyiv: first in an online format, and later — in person.
By prior agreement, journalists will be able to cover the training process.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A new recruitment center for the Unmanned Systems Forces, the latest branch of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, has opened in Lviv. This facility provides information on service opportunities and enables interested individuals to enlist in this innovative military unit. Established in partnership with the Lviv City Council, the center’s primary role is to interview candidates and guide them to the territorial recruitment centers. It features drone simulators, allowing prospective recruits to experience and understand the technology firsthand.
For context: The Unmanned Systems Forces, inaugurated in May 2024, represent a pioneering military branch, integrating air, sea, surface, underwater, and ground unmanned and robotic systems into its operations.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the onset of the full-scale invasion, Maryna Kukharchuk was already establishing her embroidery workshop in Odesa. She meticulously researched historical embroidery patterns, amassing an extensive collection.
In response to the full-blown war outbreak, Maryna has launched an online embroidery course aimed at preserving Ukrainian cultural identity amid ongoing efforts by occupiers to undermine it. These are the first courses of their kind in Odesa, with sessions beginning on August 10.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
From August 9 to 11, the Kolochava village in Zakarpattia Oblast will host a special festival blending ecology and cinema in honor of the late soldier Roman Zhuk.
Organized by the CHYSTO.DE NGO, this event will feature a diverse lineup of activities including ecological awareness, film education, screenings, and tourism. The Eco Film Festival will engage attendees through hands-on workshops where young participants will create videos about nature and produce stop-motion animations highlighting the impact of waste on wildlife, guided by professional directors. The festival will also offer open-air film screenings, lectures, masterclasses with industry experts, and discussions on pressing environmental issues.
Roman Zhuk, who passionately advocated for environmental preservation, envisioned a grand festival like this one. Before his untimely death in May 2022, Zhuk, who was serving as a scout with the 128th separate mountain assault brigade, and his wife had organized numerous eco-picnics at the Vilshany Reservoir, a location marred by litter. Following his death, more than 20 tons of garbage were removed from the reservoir to uphold Zhuk’s legacy in tribute to his dedication.
For reference: For several years, the CHYSTO.DE team has been effectively cleaning up the Carpathians, participating in environmental protection efforts, and promoting environmental education.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Since childhood, Dmytro Stepnov has been passionate about rowing yawls—small boats with multiple pairs of oars. In 2018, he began sharing his love for the sport with others in Mariupol, where he formed a team and even led them to compete in local events.
With the onset of the full-scale invasion, Dmytro and his team narrowly escaped russian-occupied Mariupol, seeking refuge in Dnipro. Undeterred by the upheaval, Dmytro started anew. He constructed a modern yawl and resumed training sessions.
In a heartening twist, a rehabilitation center from Odesa partnered with him, proposing a unique initiative: offering rowing classes to soldiers who had lost limbs on the front lines. Today, this inspiring program is available at no cost in Dnipro, Odesa, and Kyiv. The initiative has received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with soldiers not only finding a physical outlet but also competing in rowing competitions as part of their rehabilitation journey.
Currently based in Dnipro, Dmytro Stepnov is open to sharing his story with journalists, whether in person or via virtual interviews, upon request.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Alina Bahai, a bridge master with Odesa Railways, supervises a crew tasked with upgrading infrastructure. In a traditionally male-dominated field, Alina manages a team of all-male repairmen. Together, they replace old asphalt pavement with new reinforced concrete slabs, enhancing the durability and safety of the railway infrastructure. Despite the challenges that might come with being the only woman in her role, Alina finds the job rewarding. She finds it easy to manage a male team, as she performs her job exceptionally well.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
From August 9 to 11, the Poltava region will host the Kobzar’s Family Tree festival, a celebration that brings together folk bands, cultural enthusiasts, and kobzars from across Ukraine and its diaspora. The event aims to revive and celebrate the rich heritage of kobza music.
The festival’s founder, Yuriy Fedynsky, was born in the United States but moved to Ukraine 25 years ago, drawn by his ancestral roots. Thirteen years ago, he settled in the village of Kriachkivka in the Poltava region, where he has been dedicated to reviving the traditional kobza art form. Fedynsky established a workshop in the village, where he teaches the craftsmanship and music of various kobza instruments, including the Veresaiev kobza, kobza bandura, pan bandura, mama kobza, and torbana.
Journalists are invited to explore and cover the festival program, offering a deeper insight into this vibrant cultural event.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On August 7, a peaceful rally titled “russia Kills in Captivity” will take place in Kyiv.
The event seeks to remind the public of the tragic reality that russia is responsible for the deaths of both civilians and prisoners of war from Ukraine.
Over the past two and a half years, more than 160 bodies of Ukrainian defenders, showing signs of torture, have been returned from captivity.
The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War has been invited to participate in the event.
For reference: The march is organized by the Association “Strength of the Marine Corps,” the NGO “Faithful Always 2022,” the NGO “Union of Prisoner of War Families of the 501,” and the NGO “Condemned but not Forgotten.”
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the start of the full-scale invasion, 50-year-old theater and film actor Oleksandr Laptii acted in a number of Ukrainian films. In particular, he had roles in The Rising Hawk, The Fight Rules and Cherkasy. Shortly before the start of the big war, Oleksandr received an invitation from S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 casting director to participate in the creation of its sequel. Oleksandr, as a fan of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. universe, immediately agreed and his appearance was used for a 3D model of one of the game’s key characters. Before February 2022, the team had managed only a few shooting days.
With the beginning of the invasion, the project was put on hold, and in the summer of 2023, Oleksandr joined the army and became a fighter of the 12th Special Operations Brigade Azov, where he received the callsign “Sei.” However, in November of the same year, work on the sequel resumed, and Oleksandr received permission from the command to get back to work on his character.
Oleksandr Laptii is ready to communicate with journalists, both online and in person, upon prior agreement and coordination with the Azov press service.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Back in Czechia Filip has two jobs: he is a Turkish language and literature lecturer at a university in Prague, and a chemistry and geography teacher at a school. Recently, he came to Chernihiv oblast by bicycle for the second time and joined the volunteers of the International Construction Camp (INBUT), who are rebuilding Ukrainian homes destroyed by the russians.
Last year, Filip traveled 2,000 km by bicycle from the Czech Republic to Ukraine to join INBUT. He was supposed to volunteer for a month but stayed for three.
For reference: INBUT is a project of Repair Together NGO, which launched last year. With the help of about a thousand people from 27 countries, INBUT built frames of 10 houses in place of those destroyed during the hostilities. This year, 22 foreign volunteers from 11 countries worked with INBUT: U.S., France, Brazil, Belgium, Canada, Austria, Germany, Ireland, England, Chile.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ofeliia Yershova was 2 years old when her family left Azerbaijan due to the outbreak of the war in Nagorno-Karabakh. The family moved to Kharkiv, where Ofeliia lived ever since. As an adult, the woman started her own sewing business in the city.
When russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Ofeliia persuaded her mother to leave their apartment in Saltivka (the area most affected by the russian shelling). Two days after that, the occupiers destroyed the high-rise building in which Ofeliia’s parents lived. All the sewing equipment that the woman kept in the apartment burned down.
Ofeliia could no longer get back to sewing, so she took up cooking. She made jams and canned meat according to the family recipe. Eventually, the hobby turned into a business. Together with her beloved, she wrote a business plan, applied for a grant from the state, received funds and set up production workshops. Canned meat and jams under the brand “Pani Chef” (lady chef) are produced in Kharkiv. And Ofeliia plans to open a branded store in her hometown soon.
Ofeliia Yershova is ready to communicate with journalists, both online and in person, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The BuhurtSich project is leveraging the medieval sport of buhurt to bolster the psychological well-being of Ukrainian military personnel. Buhurt, a team sport that simulates knightly combat in full armor or protective gear, has proven to be not only visually striking but also therapeutically beneficial, as evidenced by its impact in other countries.
In the U.S., many participants in buhurt have been former military members who credit the sport with helping them manage PTSD, overcome substance abuse, and even stave off suicidal tendencies. Beyond its physical demands, buhurt fosters a strong sense of community.
The BuhurtSich project has been active for over 10 months, attracting 171 participants to its training sessions. Among them, one veteran has even taken up blacksmithing to learn the craft of armor-making.
Journalists are invited to explore and report on this innovative initiative in Kyiv.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On August 7, Kyiv will host the inauguration of the “Alley of Unbreakable Cities,” an exhibition organized by Dobrobat. Sculptor Jan-Pavlo Roman, the exhibition’s creator, describes it as a tribute to the remarkable strength and resilience of Ukrainian cities subjected to russian missile attacks over the past two and a half years.
The exhibition will showcase columns, each dedicated to a different Ukrainian city that has endured the aggressor’s strikes. These columns are adorned with fragments of missiles that have struck buildings, transforming deadly remnants into symbols of defiance, resistance, and renewal. The notches on the columns represent the number of missiles that have targeted each city.
This exhibition serves not only as a memorial to the war’s victims but also as an expression of solidarity and gratitude toward cities that have steadfastly resisted occupation and continue to fight back.
For reference: Dobrobat is a volunteer building division focused on the urgent restoration of housing and infrastructure in areas recently liberated from occupation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On August 10, “You Are Not Alone” event will be held in Bucha, Kyiv region. Girls and women who have survived the occupation and feel anxiety during the shelling, or have husbands on the front lines are invited to participate in activities aimed at supporting inner healing and strengthening their sense of security.
Event program:
1. Self-defense for women (1 hour). Professional instructors will teach the participants the self-defense basics so that they could feel more confident and protected in everyday life.
2. Training to deal with anxiety and stress amidst the war (2-3 hours). The psychologist will speak about techniques for overcoming anxiety, stress, and panic attacks.
3. Meditation for internal healing (1 hour). Participants will learn meditation techniques that will help them find inner peace and healing.
Journalists require accreditation.
For your information: The event is organized by the Security Police of Kyiv region, the Security Police of Kherson region and the Bucha City Council.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the full-scale invasion, Kostiantyn Frolov worked as an international trainer for a cosmetics company and taught in Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Ukraine.
Kostiantyn planned to join the army in 2022. He finally went through with his decision after his mother, who lives in occupied Crimea, sided with the aggressor country. Nowadays, Kostiantyn does not communicate with his mother.
The man is undergoing training in the capital and is preparing to become a UAV operator. Kostiantyn’s brothers in arms know about his orientation and treat him with respect.
Kostiantyn Frolov is undergoing training in the capital. The man is ready to communicate with journalists, both online and in person.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Hazh Ali Shadi moved to Ukraine in 2009. Two years later, the war broke out in his native country, Syria. The man decided to stay in Sumy oblast, and eventually opened his own business in the city – a fast food restaurant. At first, he worked by himself, and later started hiring locals. Soon Hazh had two establishments in the city.
In February 2022, the Syrian man’s restaurants were on the brink of closing, and the location where the entrepreneur planned to open his third establishment was occupied by the russians. However, in April, when the Armed Forces of Ukraine pushed the enemy military from Sumy region, the Syrian man managed to open his third fast food restaurant. He says he did it to support local residents after everything they had to go through.
Hazh Ali Shadi is in Sumy oblast. He is ready to communicate with journalists, both online and in person, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In 2004, Vasyl Shtefko, a native of Zakarpattia, lost both his legs while working in russia. Since the accident, he has relied on prosthetic limbs and lives with a first-grade disability. Yet, despite these challenges, Vasyl’s resolve remained unshaken.
When russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, Vasyl didn’t hesitate. He reported to the Territorial Recruitment Center, concealing his use of prostheses to join the military. Successfully enlisting, he became a member of the 128th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade “Zakarpattia”, serving alongside his comrades on the Zaporizhia front.
After six months of intense combat, Vasyl’s health deteriorated, forcing him to step down from active duty and return home. However, his commitment to Ukraine’s defense did not end there.
Back in Zakarpattia, Vasyl remains deeply involved in supporting the military as a volunteer though.
Vasyl Shtefko is available in Zakarpattia for interviews with journalists, both online and in person, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
For 15 years, Tetiana Hrek has dedicated her life to teaching karate to both children and adults. Together with her husband, she established a private gym in Bucha, Kyiv region. However, the full-scale invasion changed everything. When the war erupted, Tetiana and her family found themselves trapped under occupation. During this harrowing time, their gym was looted by invaders, and their home came under fire.
After two weeks of living under occupation, Tetiana and her family managed to escape to territory controlled by Ukraine. It wasn’t until a year later that she felt ready to return to Bucha. In her absence, fellow coaches who had remained in the city took it upon themselves to restore the gym and resume classes for children. When Tetiana finally returned, she was welcomed back by eager students waiting to train with her again. Additionally, a public martial arts school in Bucha reopened, and she was invited to join as an instructor.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Diana Chernikova, a trained educator who now works as a fitness trainer, shared her life with her husband, Kostiantyn, a master of sports in artistic gymnastics. Kostiantyn dedicated his life to training young athletes and working as a fitness coach. His talents extended beyond the gym, as he also worked as a stuntman, appearing in films and commercials. Together, they raised their 8-year-old daughter, Kira.
The morning of February 24, 2022, shattered their world as explosions erupted across Kyiv. For a time, the family sheltered in the city, spending countless hours in the shared corridor of their building. Eventually, they decided to evacuate to Kalush, Diana’s hometown in western Ukraine.
Both Diana and Kostiantyn were determined to defend their country, eager to serve in the military. However, with a young daughter to care for, they made the difficult decision that only one of them could enlist. Kostiantyn volunteered in March 2022 and soon took on the role of an FPV drone pilot.
By August 2023, Kostiantyn was engaged in combat in the Donetsk region. Tragically, on May 29, 2024, his service came to a heartbreaking end when he was killed in action.
Diana remains deeply proud of her husband, who selflessly volunteered to protect Ukraine.
For those interested in hearing more about Kostiantyn’s story, Diana is available to speak with journalists in Kyiv.
For reference: The Children of Heroes charity fund is currently supporting Diana and her daughter. The organization aids children who have lost one or both parents due to russia’s full-scale invasion, offering financial assistance, psychological and legal support, and ensuring the educational and developmental needs of these children are met until they reach adulthood.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A School of Construction Equipment Operators for Women has been started at Nemishaieve Professional College in Kyiv Oblast. The program is aimed at training women to become construction equipment drivers, which can help Ukrainian companies cope with the staffing crisis during the war. The idea for the school came from Yuliia Skichko, head of a construction equipment rental company.
Among the first group of women to start training is a mother of three whose youngest daughter is just one year old. The oldest student in the group is 55 years old.
Tuition, accommodation, and meals are fully covered by the project.
Practical training on modern construction equipment will begin in two weeks. By prior arrangement, journalists can cover the classes and talk to the participants and organizers of the initiative.
For reference: The program is being implemented by Alef Stroi (LLC “Production and Construction Company “ELITPROEKT-BUD”) and the Nemishaieve Professional College of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences (NUBiP) of Ukraine with the support of the USAID Competitive Economy Program and the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
How should journalists and communicators approach conversations with military personnel and former prisoners of war without causing harm? What ethical considerations should guide the media’s portrayal of the military? These pressing questions will be at the forefront of a discussion led by Valeriia “Nava” Subotina, a reserve officer, former prisoner of war, and defender of Mariupol. Subotina, who now serves as the director of the YOUkraine hub for ex-prisoners of war, will share her expertise in an upcoming meeting with members of the media.
The session aims to emphasize the importance of ethical communication, highlighting how responsible interactions can aid military personnel and former POWs in transitioning back to civilian life and overcoming psychological trauma.
Pre-registration is required, with a minimum donation of 300 UAH for participation. The event will be held both in person and online via Google Meet. All funds raised will be directed to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On August 12, Media Center Ukraine is set to be the venue for a briefing on “The Surge in COVID-19 Cases in Ukraine and the Spread of New Omicron Sub-Variants.”
The briefing will delve into several key issues, including the current COVID-19 status in Ukraine, updated vaccination guidelines as issued by the Ministry of Health, and emerging global and local trends related to the spread of new COVID-19 strains and influenza. The event will also feature a forecast and risk assessment from the World Health Organization (WHO), offering insights into the potential impact of these developments.
Participants:
– Ihor Kuzin, Deputy Minister of Health, Chief State Sanitary Doctor of Ukraine;
– Fedir Lapii, Head of the National Technical Group of Experts on Immunization, immunologist;
– Aron Aregay, Information Management and Risk Assessment Officer at the World Health Organization CO in Ukraine.
For reference: Ukraine is experiencing a significant rise in COVID-19 cases, with the number of reported cases increasing fivefold since May 2024. Furthermore, the detection of three cases of the new Omicron sub-variant, FLiRT, in July signals the arrival of potentially more transmissible strains.
This surge mirrors broader European trends, where elderly populations are particularly affected by a growing number of positive COVID-19 cases, according to the latest joint bulletin from the World Health Organization and the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Eoin, an Irishman, is in charge of rebuilding 10 houses in Chernihiv oblast that were destroyed as a result of the full-scale invasion. He came to Ukraine last year as a volunteer, but later became the chief foreman in the international construction camp INBUT organized by Repair Together NGO.
Eoin is a carpenter by trade. In the summer of 2023, he came to Ukraine with his work tools to join the restoration efforts for 4 weeks on a volunteer basis. However, he stayed for 5 months, because Eoin was put in charge of coordinating the work at 10 sites developed by INBUT volunteers. This year, the Irishman returned to finish the houses.
Many other foreign volunteers work together with Eoin in the Chernihiv oblast. In particular, Filip from the Czech Republic.
For reference: INBUT (international construction camp) is a project of Repair Together NGO, which launched last year. With the help of about a thousand people from 27 countries, INBUT built frames of 10 houses in place of those destroyed during the hostilities. This year, 22 foreign volunteers from 11 countries worked with INBUT: U.S., France, Brazil, Belgium, Canada, Austria, Germany, Ireland, England, Chile.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In civilian life, the serviceman with the call sign “Scythian” painted landscapes and trekked through the mountains and steppes of Ukraine. It was for this reason that the man received the call sign “Scythian” in the army. The fighter does not disclose his name for security reasons.
With the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the soldier joined the “Khartiia” (Charter) 13th brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine. Even in the army he found use for his skills: “Scythian” camouflages weapons and vehicles so that they become invisible to the enemy. The military man is also in charge of the artillery calculation in the brigade. In the breaks between military missions, he continues to paint pictures and experiment with drawing techniques. The landscapes painted by the soldier mostly depict Crimea, because the military man dreams of returning the peninsula under Ukraine’s control.
The serviceman with call sign “Scythian” is on the front lines. The soldier is ready to communicate with journalists, both online and in person, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In January 2015, during fierce fighting near the Donetsk airport, a serviceman of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Bohdan Pantiushenko, was taken prisoner by the russians. It was only five years later that Bohdan was finally returned home. He was released from captivity in an exchange on December 29, 2019. A year ago, Bohdan, together with his wife Viktoriia, started his own business, namely a family cafe in Kyiv region. It was one of the couple’s longtime dreams. The couple is raising a small son, so they have created a special area for children in their establishment, as well as a children’s menu.
At first, Bohdan planned to invest only his own funds, but he learned about the support program for veterans from the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation. Thus, the serviceman submitted an application and received almost UAH 3 million to realize his project. Now the doors of the establishment are open to everyone who wants to have a delicious meal.
By prior arrangement, the couple is ready to communicate with journalists, both online and in person in Kyiv region.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
There is a functioning exhibition hall “Aquarium. Amazing Fish” in Kramatorsk, 20 kilometers from the front line. The couple Roman and Iryna founded this exhibition center in 2020. Before the full-scale invasion, they had managed to bring together the largest collection of marine fish in Donetsk region.
Nowadays, visitors can see a wide variety of aquatic life in the Aquarium: from tangs to flagfish. There is also an ocellate river stingray. In addition, the Aquarium sheltered two turtles amidst the war (one was found in the city garden with one leg bitten off, and the other one’s aquarium cracked due to shelling).
As a result of blackouts, both marine and freshwater animals died in the exhibition center. And due to the proximity of “Aquarium. Amazing Fish” to the front line, the founders are thinking about whether they will have to evacuate all the marine inhabitants to safety.
Journalists have the opportunity to communicate with Iryna and Roman online or in person.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Iryna Shmatko lost her husband and mother in the war. Iryna met her beloved Oleksandr back in 2014 at the Azov training center, where her future husband was serving at the time. The relationship developed, in 2017 Oleksandr was discharged and the couple became parents of three children.
With the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion, Oleksandr Shmatko immediately returned to the ranks of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, and Iryna took up volunteering.
On April 15, 2022, Iryna lost her mother, Nataliia Strebkova (call sign Zoriana), who defended Mariupol and died during the bombing of the Azovstal plant.
Later, Iryna found out that she was pregnant with her fourth child. However, Oleksandr didn’t live long enough to meet his youngest daughter. He died in November 2023 in Donetsk region. The girl, who was born three weeks after her father’s death, was named Zoriana after her heroic grandmother.
Journalists can talk to Iryna in person in Poltava or online. Iryna is raising two sons (ages 9 and 5) and two daughters (age 7 and an 8-month infant).
For reference: Nataliia Strebkova (call sign Zoriana) was posthumously awarded the Order for Courage 3rd degree. The “Memorial” platform created a documentary film about Nataliia.
Currently, the family is being cared for by the Children of Heroes charitable foundation. The organization helps children who lost one or both parents as a result of russia’s full-scale invasion. The foundation provides financial assistance, psychological and legal support, promotes education and development of children until they reach adulthood.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In Ukraine, a mine countermeasures training project was launched to train people affected by explosive ordnance. As of now, 12 participants have joined the initiative, most of whom are veterans of the russo-Ukrainian war. The training will last three weeks.
During the training, participants will, in particular, learn about various aspects of UAV operation, data collection and analysis. After all, UAV operators are currently required for surveying territories and analyzing aerial photographs.
The goal of the project is to expand employment opportunities for people with disabilities and to promote humanitarian demining in Ukraine with the help of innovative technologies.
The training has already started: the theoretical part will take place in Kyiv, and the field trips will take place in Kyiv and Zhytomyr regions.
For reference: The project is implemented by the United Nations Development Program in Ukraine with the participation of the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine and the State Employment Center and the financial support of the Dutch government.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Journalists are invited to chat with the author of the “Seen” project Yulia Bevzenko and sculptor Yurii Biliavskyi.
“Seen” are two bronze check marks indicating messages that have been read in messengers. Families write to soldiers, soldiers write to their fellow soldiers, children write to their parents who are on the occupied territories, and all together write to the dearest people who are in high-risk regions and cities that have been shelled. This mini sculpture is a tribute to everyone who must wait for two check marks for long hours or even days on end.
Guests:
- Kateryna Prokopenko and wives waiting for the coveted check marks from their husbands,
- Oleksii Erinchak and co-founders of “Sens on Khreshchatyk” bookstore.
Pre-accreditation is required.
For reference: Kateryna Prokopenko is a Ukrainian illustrator, public activist and volunteer. Head of the Association of Azovstal Defenders’ Families NGO and the Charity Fund for Support of Families of Azovstal Defenders. Wife of Denys Prokopenko, Commander of Azov 12th Special Purpose Brigade.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On August 14, representatives of the Book of Records of Ukraine will officially document the record for the smallest icon in Ukraine. This rare piece will be presented in Kyiv’s National Reserve “Sophia of Kyiv.” The icon has been made by painter Natalia Kushnir, a member of the National Union of Icon Painters of Ukraine.
According to preliminary data, the size of the “Image of Edessa” icon is 4 mm x 5.5 mm. Final measurements with special devices will be made when documenting the record. The icon has been painted with a hair-thin brush on a miniature disk of natural mother-of-pearl with a diameter of 19 mm. The craftswoman had to use an 8x magnifying glass to paint this icon.
Pre-accreditation is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In 2019, Vladyslav Zadorin enlisted in the Ukrainian army, becoming part of the 35th Marine Brigade. When russia launched its full-scale invasion, he found himself stationed on Snake Island. Alongside his fellow defenders, Zadorin was captured by russian forces in the early days of the conflict.
Over the course of two grueling years in captivity, Zadorin endured both physical and psychological torture. His body, once strong, was ravaged by starvation—he lost 60 kilograms, nearly half of his total weight. In the dire conditions of the prison, prisoners were left to starve. Vladyslav recalls the extreme measures they took to survive, with some resorting to eating worms and even chewing on toilet paper.
Vladyslav only learned of his release on a bus ride, a moment filled with disbelief as he had been led to believe he was being transferred to yet another prison. On January 3, 2024, he was finally brought back to Ukraine. Now, Zadorin is undergoing rehabilitation in Odesa. Despite the trauma, he plans to return to military service—this time as an instructor, determined to share his experiences and knowledge.
Vladyslav is open to speaking with journalists, both online and in person, by appointment.
For reference: The battle for Snake Island began on February 24, 2022, with a missile strike on the Ukrainian border garrison. Despite the destruction of all structures on the island, Ukrainian forces continued to resist. After hours of intense fighting, the russian military captured the island and took its defenders prisoner.
However, on June 30, 2022, the russian forces hastily withdrew from Snake Island, and on July 4, the Ukrainian military raised their flag over the reclaimed territory.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A groundbreaking adaptive yachting project for people with disabilities, including military veterans, has been launched in Kyiv. The initiative has already attracted more than 20 participants, both men and women, many of whom are veterans. Among them are individuals who have lost limbs and rely on wheelchairs for mobility.
The classes, which are offered free of charge, take place twice a week and cover both theory and practical training on the water. Participants are taught essential sailing skills, such as determining the boat’s position relative to the wind and managing the sails.
Currently, the project is in an experimental phase, but the organizers have ambitious plans to expand it across Ukraine and enhance the program’s resources and equipment.
For context: The adaptive yachting project was founded by Ihor Yatluk, a seasoned yacht captain and sailing athlete with five decades of experience, who also leads the NGO Vodnyk. He is joined by co-founder Nataliia Tyshchuk, a business consultant and fellow yacht captain.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In a groundbreaking initiative to support veterans, the Kyiv region is finalizing the construction of Ukraine’s first inclusive residential complex for soldiers who have suffered severe injuries. This unique development is the only one of its kind in the country, designed to provide a comfortable and accessible living environment for those who have sacrificed so much.
Every aspect of the inclusive town has been meticulously planned to ensure ease of movement, comfort, and quality of life. The homes will come fully renovated, with kitchen furniture installed, and bathrooms and toilets fully equipped.
The complex consists of 56 houses, and by the end of August, the veterans will receive the keys to their new homes, which will be transferred to their ownership. All necessary paperwork is currently being finalized.
For reference: The project is funded by Andrii Zasukha’s Foundation and Kolos Kovalivka FC.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On July 15, a press conference will be held at Media Center Ukraine in Kyiv, where Vadym Gutzeit, President of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, will present the results of the 2024 Olympics and address the challenges of preparing for the next Olympic cycle. The event will provide insights into the number of medals won by Ukrainian athletes, the total medal count, and details on how and where the athletes’ training was conducted.
For reference: The 2024 Summer Olympics took place in Paris from July 26 to August 11. Ukraine was represented by 140 athletes competing across 23 sports, finishing 22nd in the overall medal standings.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Mariia Peshko raised her son Ivan alone while living in a village in the Rivne region, where she taught math at the local school. As a child, Ivan frequently played in the schoolyard or in a nearby vacant lot.
In 2014, as an adult, Ivan joined the army. He served for a year before being mobilized again in 2021. His contract was set to end in April 2022, but during one of his combat missions, Ivan Kliuiko and his unit were caught in enemy fire. Ivan was killed. Devastated by her loss, Mariia frequently gazed at the empty lot where Ivan once played, yearning to restore its sense of joy. In a poignant tribute, she decided to transform the space into a vibrant community hub. Using the state compensation she received after Ivan’s death, Mariia, with the support of Ivan’s wife Olha, constructed a playground and a soccer field in his honor. Today, the village of Orvianytsia boasts these new facilities, which have become focal points for community activities. Mariia and Olha continue to organize various events, ensuring that Ivan’s memory lives on through the laughter and camaraderie of the village.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
For the fifth year running, the “Watch Ukrainian!” Association will present the Film Bouquet festival as part of the high-profile Bouquet Kyiv Stage art festival. This year’s Film Bouquet maintains its focus on the “Culture vs. War” theme, underscoring the Ukrainian struggle to preserve their values and way of life.
On August 16, the festival will feature a pre-premiere screening of “Da Vinci,” a film that chronicles the life and valor of Dmytro Kotsiubaylo, a Ukrainian volunteer, Hero of Ukraine, and commander of the Da Vinci Wolves battalion. Kotsiubaylo, who fell in battle on March 7, 2023, near Bakhmut, is celebrated for his heroism.
The following day, August 17, will see the premiere of the documentary “Culture vs. War,” an exposé on the current war through the lens of prominent artists who have joined the Armed Forces and cultural figures actively engaged in volunteer efforts. This film had its international debut on February 24, 2024.
Additionally, on August 17, the festival will offer a pre-premiere screening of “Perun’s Flute,” which features raw footage from the combat zone.
The Culture vs. War project will also host two panel discussions on August 16 and 17. Topics include “Cultural Genocide: From Crime to Punishment” and “Cultural Diplomacy: Paths to Development,” featuring notable cultural figures, artists, and government officials.
Journalists interested in covering the event should apply for accreditation to access the festival program and activities.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In a move widely condemned as illegal, russia has sentenced Ukrainian activist Irina Horobtsova to 10 years and 6 months in prison on charges of “espionage.”
Horobtsova, a resident of Kherson and an employee of a Ukrainian IT company, gained attention in the spring of 2022 for her outspoken posts on social media about life under russian occupation. She shared images featuring Ukrainian symbols and referred to her apartment as the “home base of the resistance.” However, on May 13, 2022, russian forces abducted her from her home. She was subsequently held in a pre-trial detention center in occupied Crimea, where she was kept in isolation with no access to the outside world or visits from family.
Horobtsova’s parents have expressed their willingness to speak with the media about her situation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In Irpin, a city in the Kyiv region, the Irpinski Lypky residential complex, which was heavily damaged during the early days of russia’s full-scale invasion, is now undergoing extensive restoration. The housing estate gained global recognition following the liberation of the Kyiv region, attracting numerous international delegations. The destroyed complex also featured in the music video for “Stefania” by the Kalush Orchestra, the band that won the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest.
Initial assessments deemed the building unsuitable for restoration, recommending its complete demolition. However, the residents, desperate to save their homes, pushed for a second evaluation. While the building’s fate remained uncertain, the community came together every Saturday to clean the area and maintain a sense of order. Eventually, a more in-depth examination brought the news they had been hoping for: the structure could indeed be restored. By the end of 2023, reconstruction work at Irpinski Lypky began, and repairs are now actively underway.
Journalists have been granted exclusive access to witness the progress inside the complex and, where possible, speak with local residents.
For context: On March 2, 2022, russian forces launched airstrikes on Irpin, with two missiles striking a multi-story building on Hostomelke Shose Street. Before the invasion, the complex was home to 206 families.
The reconstruction of Irpinski Lypky is being overseen by the Kyiv Regional Military Administration in collaboration with the Fund for the Elimination of the Consequences of Armed Aggression.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Twelve years ago, Ihor Tsyba and his family established an ostrich farm in their backyard in the village of Verkhnia Syrovatka, located in Ukraine’s Sumy Oblast. Over the years, the farm grew to house more than 50 different bird species. However, when russia’s full-scale invasion began, their tranquil village was occupied, putting all the animals at risk.
In early March 2022, heavy shelling ravaged the area, injuring several of the birds in their enclosures. Tragically, three ostriches had to be put down due to the severity of their injuries.
After the village was liberated, Tsyba’s farm took on a new mission: rehabilitating wild animals affected by the war. Among the new residents are a roe deer that lost a leg after being struck by a combine harvester and a swan that was rescued from the ice with its wings severely damaged. Despite the challenges, Tsyba uses his own funds to keep the farm running.
For reference, Ihor Tsyba is based in the Sumy region and is available for interviews with journalists, both online and in person, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On August 20, the Media Center Ukraine will host a briefing to discuss the progress made by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SESU) in clearing mines from Ukrainian territories. The briefing will also cover the outcomes of the “Mind the Mines” (Pomichai Zminy) campaign, an initiative aimed at increasing public awareness about the dangers posed by mines and other explosive hazards.
Launched on June 10, 2024, the “Mind the Mines” campaign seeks to educate Ukrainians on how to identify and avoid explosive devices. One key component of this effort is the educational series “Mine Safety,” available on the Diia.Education platform. This series provides critical information on recognizing and responding to potential threats.
Participants:
- Serhii Reva, Head of the Department for Organizational Work on Humanitarian Demining at the Ukraine’s State Emergency Service;
- Oleksandr Khorunzhiy, Press Officer of the State Emergency Service;
- Ruslana Korenchuk, Project Manager of Diia.Education.
For reference: As a result of russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine has become the most heavily mined country in the world. The State Emergency Service estimates that 24% of the nation’s territory, or approximately 144,000 square kilometers, may be contaminated with mines, posing severe risks to civilians. According to the National Mine Action Authority, since the war’s escalation, explosive ordnance have claimed the lives of 303 civilians, including 15 children. Additionally, 703 people have been injured, 81 of whom are children.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Khrystyna Drahomaretska, 27 years old, is an architect by profession. With the beginning of the full-scale war, the woman started rescuing homeless animals and evacuating them from the war zone. She continues working despite the enemy shelling. For example, recently in Toretsk, Donetsk region, three russian guided aerial bombs struck not far away from Khrystyna. And in Vovchansk, Kharkiv oblast, while rescuing animals, Khrystyna sustained a shrapnel wound from enemy mortar fire.
As a rescuer, she uses a catch pole and a blow-pipe. Khrystyna works with her dog (German shepherd) Miledi that helps to find animals, which Khrystyna has hit with a tranquilizer dart, as they still have a few minutes to run away.
Khrystyna also founded a shelter for four-legged friends in Odesa, where she evacuates some animals from the war zone. There they are treated, taught to behave in the society and put up for adoption (about 70% of the animals go abroad). Currently, there are 160 dogs in Khrystyna’s shelter.
Journalists can learn more about Khrystyna’s work and communicate with her online or in person by prior arrangement.
For reference: Khrystyna rescues animals from the war zone together with the 12 Vartovykh (Guards) Charitable Foundation. She also joined the UAnimals rescue mission.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On August 21, Kyiv will host the IRON EGGS charity veteran sports festival. It will bring civilians and veterans under one team with the purpose of raising funds for an OSSUR sports prosthesis for an active serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valerii Dych (“Dalnoboi”). The cost of the prosthesis is UAH 450,000.
The program of the festival includes: a 7-km, an 18-km and a 35-km march; open golf lessons; 1,000-meter swimming race in open water; open football practice; archery; open pickleball lessons; petanque training and competitions; open sitting volleyball training.
Speakers of the festival:
- Vadym Svyrydenko — Presidential Commissioner on Rehabilitation of Combatants.;
- Volodymyr Nechyporuk – producer of the IRON EGGS festival;
- Valery Dych (“Dalnoboi”);
- Serhii Khrapko – a veteran of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, whose left leg and left arm were amputated; a participant in 120-km and 18-km walking marathons.
- Alla Borysenko (“Chonhar”) – head of the Svyatenko Rehabilitation Clinic;
- Olha Benda – captain of the Ukrainian national team in amputee football;
- Vlasta Shovkovska – President of the All-Ukrainian Federation “Healthy Lifestyle” NGO.
Journalists are required to obtain accreditation for the festival.
For reference: the festival is organized by the National Council for the Sports Rehabilitation of Defenders of Ukraine and YANKO Charitable Foundation with the assistance of the Kozyn Village Council.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On August 23, the War Museum will host the opening of “War: Reverse Perspective” large-scale exhibition project. This exhibition attempts to cover the history of World War II and the russo-Ukrainian wars through artistic reflections. The curators have selected pieces of art with different imagery and unique ideas. But in both cases, they reflect the most tragic periods of Ukrainian history.
The reproject presents the works by 40 contemporary artists from all over Ukraine (Kyiv, Odesa, Dnipro, Lutsk, Ivano-Frankivsk) and 39 artists whose works are kept in the Museum’s stock collection. There will be over 150 pieces exhibited in an area of almost 2,000 square meters inside the pedestal of the Motherland Monument.
The presentations are to include speeches by Rostyslav Karandieiev, acting Minister of Culture and Information Policy; Yurii Savchuk, Director of the museum; a representative of Nova Poshta; exhibition curators Yurii Horpynych, Maryna Bohush and Anton Lokhov. The opening will be attended by artists, whose art is presented at the exhibition, and relatives of artists of the 20th century.
Journalists must obtain accreditation.
For reference: The project is implemented with the assistance of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On August 20-21, Kyiv will host a forum dedicated to the 140th anniversary of the Ukrainian Women’s Movement ” Women’s Movement Works in All Women”.
The forum will present a unique chance to share experiences, discuss strategies and find new opportunities for the development of the Ukrainian women’s movement, both at the national and international levels. One of the key tasks of the Forum is the actualization of the key moments of women’s history, because they represent those precious nuggets of wisdom that can guide us today.
In addition, the Forum will present a great opportunity to honor the achievements of the Ukrainian Women’s Movement and discuss current challenges and opportunities.
The event is organized by the Female and Gender History Museum, Centre of Gender Culture NGO, Ukrainian Women’s Fund, Union of Ukrainian Women NGO, Ukrainian Women’s Congress NGO, Centre “Women’s Perspectives” NGO, “Women’s Necklace of Zakarpattia” Network.
Event partners include: the Office of the Government Commissioner for Gender Policy, World Federation of Ukrainian Women Organizations, National Democratic Institute, the Danish Center for Research on Women and Gender (KVINFO) and Urgent Action Fund for Feminist Activism
The event’s information partner is Media Center Ukraine
Participants will be informed about the venue and time of the event after registration.
For reference: In 1884, in the city of Stanislavov (modern Ivano-Frankivsk), Ukrainian writer Nataliia Kobrynska founded the “Society of Ruthenian Women,” which laid the foundation for the Ukrainian Women’s Movement. The participants of this movement saw that a woman’s vote is both a vote for women’s rights and a vote for Ukrainian statehood as well as for the preservation of culture and the future.
The Ukrainian Women’s Movement is a powerful force that has been standing guard over women’s rights and the national interests of Ukraine for more than a century. Just like 140 years ago, modern women continue to rally, uniting their efforts in response to new challenges. Ukrainian women demonstrate extraordinary resilience and strength in the face of war, crises and social changes. They save lives, develop reforms, protect the country, rebuild communities, start businesses, create culture and develop the media and advocate for social justice for the most vulnerable people in the country.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The 11th Vyshyvanka Run will take place on August 25 in Kyiv. Traditionally, the organizers gather professional athletes, amateur runners and children to run distances of 5, 10 and 21.1 km. The annual event is timed to the Independence Day of Ukraine and takes place in different cities and countries. The special feature of the event is the Ukrainian Vyshyvanka pattern on the sports uniform, in which the participants run the distances.
The event is initiated by Oleksandr Kuzin, Ukrainian track and field athlete and marathoner, long-distance running coach, participant of the Summer Olympics in Beijing. Since 2023, the Ukrainian company Creative States has become one of the organizers of the patriotic race.
The run is a charity event. This year, the organizers will help the studio of sports medicine and rehabilitation “Liberi Studio,” which currently rehabilitates military personnel for free. 15% of the registration fees will be used to support the studio.
Combatants can compete free of charge.
For reference: the race is organized by the Ukrainian company Creative States in partnership with Taras Bulba marathon club.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The “33 years of Ukraine’s Independence Through the Eyes of Donbas” event will be held at the War Museum on August 25 to commemorate the Independence of Ukraine. Opinion leaders closely connected to the Donetsk and Luhansk regions have been invited to participate in the discussion.
In order to understand the events of the last three decades, it is important to examine how the people of Donbas identified themselves in 1991 and how their views have changed over the following years.
Some of the topical issues to be considered during the event include:
1. Prerequisites for the compact settlement in the region and the factors shaping the population’s mentality.
2. History of Wild Fields — Donbas in 1600-1917 and the “novorossiya” myth.
3. Russification of the population of Donbas and the “soviet person” education.
4. Changes in the mentality of the Donbas population and Ukraine’s loss of the patriotic majority that voted for secession from russia in the 1991 referendum.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Dobrobat together with the Borodianka Village Council is launching a new major project entitled the Revival of Borodianka. The first step on the way to its implementation is a big community clean-up event, which will take place on August 21-23, 2024, on the village’s main square named after Taras Shevchenko.
The square near the culture center will soon turn into a conceptual park with thematic zones and Revival Source in its center — a wheat field, a symbol of energy that gives life to all living things. Recreation areas with wooden terraces, flower gardens, play areas for children, a fountain, the River of Life and much more will be located nearby.
For reference: Borodianka village, which is not far from the capital, was occupied by the russians at the beginning of the full-scale invasion. The russian aircraft dropped aerial bombs on houses. On April 1, 2022, Borodianka returned under Ukraine’s control. Damage sustained by Borodianka was one of the largest in Kyiv region. The number of casualties among local residents is in the hundreds.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oksana Vedmid, 32, was a world champion powerlifter before russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Alongside her husband and coach, Pavlo Vedmid, she achieved global recognition by securing the title in the equipped bench press category. But their lives took a sharp turn at the onset of war. When news of the invasion broke, the couple was in western Ukraine’s Carpathian Mountains. Without hesitation, they returned to their hometown of Dnipro.
Pavlo quickly enlisted in the local territorial defense forces, playing a critical role in the liberation of Izium in the Kharkiv region. Tragically, his life was cut short when an enemy shell struck his vehicle during a mission. Devastated but determined, Oksana decided to join the Ukrainian Defense Forces, driven to carry on the fight Pavlo had started. Today, Oksana serves on the front lines, using drones to target enemy positions.
Oksana Vedmid is currently serving on the frontline and is available for interviews with journalists, both online and in person, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On August 22, the “Voices Camp” will begin its fourth session in Ukraine’s Zakarpattia region, offering a safe haven for children aged 10-16 who have been affected by the ongoing conflict. The camp specifically welcomes those from de-occupied and frontline areas, providing them with an environment where they can connect with peers, receive psychosocial support, and explore their talents and creativity. Over the course of two weeks, participants will have the opportunity to make new friends and begin to heal from the traumas of war.
Journalists interested in covering the camp and its activities can obtain more information through the foundation.
For context: This summer camp is organized by The Voices of Children Charitable Foundation, with financial backing from the Olena Zelenska Foundation.
The camp’s mission is more critical than ever, as nearly half of Ukraine’s children—44%—are showing signs of potential post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to a recent Future Index study.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On August 23, Kyiv will unveil “In Memory of Us,” an exhibition showcasing war sketches by Oleksandr Komiakhov. This collection features military-themed artworks, predominantly created by Komiakhov during his service with the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
The exhibition will display approximately fifty graphic pieces, forming a visual report of the current wartime landscape. The sketches include rapid situational depictions—war landscapes, detailed elements of military life presented like user manuals, and images of buildings destroyed by invaders, highlighting the fragility of peace and human existence.
Komiakhov focuses particularly on soldiers, capturing their world with vivid detail: trenches, dugouts, camouflage, weapons, combat gear, and their roles in missions and medical evacuations.
A dedicated section of the exhibition will feature sketches from expeditions documenting russian crimes against cultural heritage.
A lifelong artist, Oleksandr has focused on military-themed art since the Anti-Terrorist Operation began in 2014.
For reference: Oleksandr Komiakhov is a Ukrainian illustrator from a Kyiv-based artistic family, founder of the Ukrainika project, and co-founder of the Illustrator educational community. His graphic novel, “DAD”, portrays the Revolution of Dignity and the journey from Maidan to the russian-Ukrainian war. Komiakhov also serves as a leading artist at the National Museum of the Revolution of Dignity and a member of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The “pomitna” project, developed by the uzahvati team with the Veteran Hub’s concept and supported by the Partnership Fund for a Resilient Ukraine and Ukrainian Railways, is set to debut at Kyiv’s railway station.
In this immersive performance, participants are equipped with special headphones and follow a designated route, engaging in a 90-minute auditory journey. The performance features audio stories from 20 women whose lives have been affected by the war, either awaiting their loved ones’ return or reflecting on their experiences. These narratives explore their personal trials, aspirations, and the intersection of civilian and military life.
The uzahvati team plans to present 28 performances by September 15, each accommodating 25 spectators. While attendance is free, prior registration is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The famous French street artist James Colomina has installed a new work on Maidan Nezalezhnosti, the iconic square in Kyiv. The artwork depicts a child emerging from the walls of the Main Post Office to draw the Ukrainian trident. This child symbolizes a messenger coming to support Ukraine at a site that commemorates Ukrainian heroes.
In total, James planned to have five red sculptures in Kyiv. The other four works should be installed over the next few days. All sculptures are dedicated to the Independence Day of Ukraine, because the artist wants to highlight the reality of the war and express support for the Ukrainian people.
In addition to the sculpture in Ukraine, James Colomina created a mobile piece with the image of putin on a toy tank. This sculpture moves from city to city and country to country symbolizing the destructive effects of war on a global scale. The artist placed putin on a tank in the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris without a permit. Then the sculpture was moved to Barcelona, Central Park in New York, and later to Regent’s Park in London. On the anniversary of russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the sculpture was installed in Brussels near the European Parliament. And in August 2023, it was moved to the Villa Borghese park in Rome. The sculpture continues on its way while the war continues.
Journalists can talk to the artist by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On August 24, the Children of War global photo project will start in Kyiv. It aims to draw attention to the plight of children who suffered from the russian aggression. This important initiative headed by Sofia Tchkonia, a well-known entrepreneur and founder of the Be Next charity fund, will start its journey in Kyiv and then continue to the main squares of the world.
The Children of War project is comprised of powerful images captured by talented Ukrainian photographers Marina Karpiy and Sasha Mazur.
The project serves as an important platform to amplify the voices of young Ukrainians, providing a visual narrative that conveys the emotional burden and physical impact of war on innocent lives. By sharing their stories with a global audience, organizers hope to bring compassion, understanding and support to these brave children and the communities in which they live.
French artist JR and the InsideOut project cooperate with the initiative.
A similar exhibition will be opened in Brussels on the same day.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On August 23, Media Center Ukraine will host a press conference entitled: “The Kursk Offensive: Are russians Awaiting prigozhin’s Resurrection? Survey Findings.”
August 23 marks one year since of the death of yevgeny prigozhin by order of vladimir putin. In russian society, many already compare prigozhin’s march on moscow with the Ukrainian army’s offensive on Kursk. Dilova Stolytsia newspaper and New Image Group sociological company conducted another survey on the territory of the russian federation. The main topics of the survey include; psycho-emotional state of the russians; attitude to peace talks; and the belief in the possibility of prigozhin’s return.
Participants of the press conference include:
- Vadym Denysenko, political scientist;
- Igar Tyshkevich, expert at the Ukrainian Institute for the Future;
- Volodymyr Nahirnyi, expert at the National Institute for Strategic Studies.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
“Symphony of Ukrainian Fairy Tales,” an inclusive and interactive theatrical event for children with disabilities performed by the Kyiv Classic Orchestra under the direction of UNESCO Artist for Peace Herman Makarenko will be held in Kyiv on August 28.
In “Symphony of Ukrainian Fairy Tales” musical and theatrical art are combined using an interactive approach. The script is based on Ukrainian folklore. The performance will feature the works of Semen Hulak-Artemovsky, Mykola Lysenko, Levko Kolodub and Volodymyr Ptushkin, as well as Ukrainian folk melodies.
The program of the event includes: press briefing; performance; communication with participants and the audience.
For reference: The project is supported by the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Peaceful demonstrations are planned in at least 18 cities of Ukraine to remind the society about the Azovstal defenders and other soldiers still held in enemy captivity.
On August 23, rallies will take place in Irpin, Khmelnytskyi, Mykolaiv.
On August 24, rallies are planned in Okhtyrka, Pavlohrad, Chernihiv, Vinnytsia and Ternopil.
On August 25, rallies will take place in Kyiv, Krolevets, Ovruch, Korostyshiv, Kremenchuk, Kovel, Rivne, Chernivtsi, Kryvyi Rih and Poltava.
The demonstrations are organized by the families of POWs from the Mariupol garrison.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
For the past 10 months, the Irpin National Resistance Training Center has been offering free courses to local residents as part of the National Resistance Action Program, aimed at bolstering Ukraine’s defense efforts.
The program, which is conducted by instructors from the Volunteer Force and the Municipal Guard, covers around 15 subjects of basic military training. One key component is the training of UAV operators, including FPV drone pilots.
To date, cadets have completed simulator training and are now conducting their initial field exercises.
Journalists interested in covering the program can arrange visits in advance.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On August 29, Kyiv will hold an event to support prisoners of war and missing persons, bringing together relatives, friends, and officials.
Families and friends of prisoners of war, along with representatives from the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, are expected to participate in the event.
The gathering is organized by the Association “Strength of the Marines Corps.”
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Yanina Sokolova Foundation is set to host its 18th Red Brunch Donor Day in Lviv, a vital blood collection effort aiming to support Ukraine’s military personnel.
On August 29, both locals and visitors in Lviv will have the chance to donate blood, contributing directly to saving the lives of soldiers on the front lines.
The event’s mission is to save lives while raising awareness about the importance of conscious blood donation in Ukraine.
For reference: Since 2019, the Yanina Sokolova Foundation has been challenging stereotypes around blood donation. By organizing Red Brunch events in major offices of socially responsible companies, hotels, and community hubs, the foundation has created an environment that includes refreshments, networking opportunities, and incentive gifts for donors. To date, 2,981 individuals have donated, helping to save more than 8,943 lives.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On August 27, a forum will be held featuring the participation of heads of government agencies and concluding with a press conference by the President of Ukraine.
The topic of discussion will focus on the war and Ukraine’s steps towards a just peace.
Journalists must obtain accreditation.
Each media outlet can accredit one correspondent, one camera operator, and one photographer.
The time and place of the event will be disclosed in the accreditation confirmation letter.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ania Kudzia is a Polish citizen who restores monuments for a living. For the past ten years, the woman and her team have been helping to restore Ukraine’s architectural heritage. The restorers have set up a workshop in Lviv where they work on sculptures.
With the beginning of the full-scale war, Ania together with a group of Polish-Ukrainian restorers founded the Ukraina Pomagamy initiative. They buy cars and medicines for the front and assemble first aid kits for soldiers in their workshop. Ania Kudzia delivers all of it to the front line by herself or together with a team of women. Since the initiative was created, volunteers have managed to send seven cars to the front, including an ambulance.
In addition, the restorers underwent a tactical medicine course in Poland, and now they plan to complete the next level of the course, because in the future they are considering the possibility of working as medics at the front.
Ania Kudzia and her team are in Lviv. Restorers are ready to communicate with journalists, both online and in person, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On August 27, at Media Center Ukraine, the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs will present new developments in the work of the Crisis and Legal Support Hotline for Veterans and Their Family Members. The project was launched on June 27, 2022, at first only psychological support was provided, but in March 2024 it was supplemented with legal consultations.
The goal of the project is to offer qualified crisis and legal support through telephone and online counseling for veterans, their loved ones, and the families of those who have died, been captured, or gone missing.
Participants:
- Yulia Kirillova, Acting Executive Director of the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation
- Oleksandr Chamorsov, Chief Psychologist of the Crisis Support Hotline, veteran
- Veronika Kozhemiakina, expert of the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation, head of legal department, lawyer.
Journalists require accreditation.
For reference: The project was made possible through the Ukraine Rapid Response Fund program, implemented by IREX with the support of the U.S. Department of State.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On August 28, the Center for Civil Liberties is inviting participants to the human rights club entitled “Implementation of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court: Main Challenges and Problems for Ukraine.”
Topics of focus include:
- What legal and practical changes does the ratification of the Rome Statute bring about at the national level?
- What should human rights organizations and authorities do to properly implement the provisions of the Rome Statute?
- To what extent does the criminal law of Ukraine comply with the Rome Statute and what should be the main directions of changes?
- What changes will be required for the rules governing pre-trial investigations and criminal proceedings?
The event will take place in Kyiv (venue address will be provided after registration).
For reference: The Human Rights Club is an intellectual platform for discussing current challenges in the field of human rights in Ukraine. The organizers carefully select a topic of focus for each meeting of the club and invite experts with different views with the goal of creating a proper atmosphere for a balanced and deep discussion.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Serhii Tsytrykov has been using a wheelchair for the past seven years since he suffered a spinal injury. After the start of the full-scale invasion, he immediately joined the volunteer movement, and soon began to assemble FPV drones for the military. In order to continue supporting the army and get funds for parts for drones, Serhii organized a campaign called “A Thousand Kilometers in a Wheelchair.” Serhii went on his first marathon in May 2024, the second one was held in July. During two marathons, the volunteer traveled more than 700 kilometers across Ukraine. In the second marathon, he managed to collect UAH 236,000. According to Serhii, this should be enough to make 15 FPV drones.
Serhii plans to start his final marathon in September and cover another 300 kilometers. Serhii is currently in Ternopil undergoing rehabilitation, recovering from previous marathons. He will go on the road when he receives a doctor’s permission.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On Thursday, August 29, military personnel who sustained injuries will swim 1,000 meters in Kyiv. The participants include defenders with upper and lower limb amputations. The event will take place in one of the capital’s swimming pools.
The event takes place within the “Swimming from 0 to 1000 m” project. This is a swimming initiative for military personnel recovering from injuries. Its goal is to help fighters regain confidence in themselves and their bodies. During training in the pool, participants learn to swim, develop strength and endurance.
Training takes place three times a week, twice a week massage therapists attend to the injured military. In total, since October 2023, more than 150 people have attended the training.
For reference: The project was created by “ONE TEAM FORCES” NGO. It is a community that strives to implement a comprehensive approach to open up personalized opportunities for the comprehensive recovery of the wounded military. It helps combatants who were in service BEFORE and/or AFTER February 24, 2022 and were injured or psychologically traumatized as a result of the armed aggression of the russian federation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On August 29, Kyiv will open a photo exhibition “Days of Remembrance of the Heroes of the Battle of Ilovaisk (2014)” to commemorate the Day of Remembrance of the Defenders of Ukraine. This year marks 10 years since one of the most tragic events in our fight against russia. The photo exhibition is a reminder of those events and a tribute to all those who were the first to defend our country in 2014.
Photos that have already become historic and were taken by photographers who worked in the area of the fiercest fighting near Ilovaisk, Donetsk region, in August 2014, in the deployment area of “Donbas” Special Purpose Battalion of the National Guard of Ukraine will be presented in the capitol’s downtown. A kind of photo anthology of those events was created by Maxim Dondyuk, Oleksandr Glyadyelov, Markiian Lyseiko and Maksym Levin, who managed to get out of the Ilovaisk encirclement alive.
Maksym Levin died in occupied Kyiv region during the full-scale invasion in the spring of 2022, when he was documenting the crimes of the russians.
These more than fifty photos are just part of a large collection, which represents facts about the battle of Ilovaisk from August 10 to the “green corridor of death” on August 29, 2014.
At the opening of the exhibition, the Ilovaisk events will be told by:
- Nataliia Kharchenko, mother of Yevhen “Red” Kharchenko, a participant in the Revolution of Dignity and the russo-Ukrainian war, who died in the battles for Ilovaisk;
- photographers Oleksandr Glyadyelov and Markiian Lyseiko;
- Roman Zinenko, soldier, participant in the battles for Ilovaisk;
A representative of the organizers of the photo exhibition will also speak at the event, mainly Olha Salo, Deputy Director General for Development, Cultural and Educational Work of the National Museum of the Revolution of Dignity.
For reference: Organizers of the event are “’Sarmat’ Military-Patriotic Association of Combatant” NGO, “Invincible Mothers of Ukraine” NGO, Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine and the National Memorial Complex of the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred – Museum of the Revolution of Dignity.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On August 30, Kyiv will host an event marking the International Day of the Disappeared.
- The Media Initiative for Human Rights (MIHR) will present PSAs about the communities of families of prisoners of war and missing persons. Through the stories of servicemen’s wives, mothers and sisters, the MIHR will tell the story of the grief that unites thousands of families and their struggle to bring their loved ones home.
- This will be followed by a premiere of the documentary film “Waiting for Contact” featuring the stories of families who lost contact with their loved ones during the war in Ukraine.
This event is an opportunity to honor the memory of the disappeared, support the families and come together in common hope and struggle.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On August 29, St. Luke’s Hospital in Lviv will mark a significant milestone with the groundbreaking ceremony for its new modular Mental Health Center. Media representatives are invited to attend this event at Lviv’s First Medical Union.
The upcoming Mental Health Center will offer specialized psychiatric and psychotherapeutic care to both civilians and military personnel, including local residents and internally displaced persons.
The 900-square-meter, fully accessible facility will feature two main sections: an inpatient unit with 32 beds and an outpatient area equipped for individual and group therapy sessions. A 65-square-meter glass terrace is also planned, providing a serene space for inpatients to relax. The building will be designed without thresholds, with handrails and optimally wide doorways, ensuring ease of movement for patients using wheelchairs, prostheses, or other assistive devices.
Speakers:
- Andriy Sadovyi, Lviv Mayor;
- Vasyl Trunkwalter, St. Luke’s Hospital Director
- Christian Schuchardt, Mayor of Würzburg, Lviv’s sister city in Germany.
Prior accreditation is required for media attendance.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
This August 30, the Center for Civil Liberties, a Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights organization, will host an evocative evening of poetry and solidarity in Kyiv to honor the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances. The event, titled “Hold on! I’m Holding On!”, aims to bring together human rights activists, artists, and families of those imprisoned by russian forces, creating a poignant space for reflection and resistance.
In this intimate gathering, participants will read aloud poems written from and about captivity, sharing the pain and resilience of those who have been forcibly disappeared. The event seeks to amplify these voices, highlighting the importance of speaking out against such injustices.
The evening’s participants include:
– Akhtem Seitablaev, soldier, actor, and director;
– Tetiana Vlasova, poet;
– Iya Kiva, poet;
– Olena Tsyhipa, wife of political prisoner Serhii Tsyhipa;
– Oleksandra Romantsova, Executive Director of the Center for Civil Liberties.
Attendance is by accreditation only.
For reference: “Hold on! I’m Holding On!” is a poetry initiative launched by the Center for Civil Liberties. The project showcases the writings of renowned Ukrainian poets alongside the poignant verses of individuals currently enduring captivity in russia. Its goal is to shed light on the suffering and unyielding spirit of Ukrainians who have been detained during the conflict.
According to the Center for Civil Liberties, at least 7,000 civilians are currently held in prisons across russia and its temporarily occupied territories. The exact number of prisoners of war remains unknown. Both civilians and soldiers suffer egregious violations of international law, enduring torture and being kept in a chilling information void.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is set to host a series of specialized training sessions for journalists covering reparations for victims of the russian invasion and for organizations involved in documenting war crimes.
Schedule:
– Kyiv (September 12-13): Targeting journalists and organizations from southern and eastern Ukraine;
– Kyiv (September 17): Focused on participants from central and northern Ukraine;
– Lviv (September 19-20): Designed for those based in western Ukraine.
The training is free of charge, with all travel, accommodation, and meal expenses covered by the organizers. Registration is mandatory.
Important dates for registration:
– For the September 12-13 session in Kyiv: Apply by August 30;
– For the September 17 session in Kyiv: Apply by September 2;
– For the September 19-20 session in Lviv: Apply by September 4.
Selected participants will be notified ahead of the training dates.
This initiative is organized with the support of Media Center Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Another round of military training courses for civilians by the Reservist NGO will start in September. The training will be led by experienced instructors who are war veterans. The course program includes: applying tourniquets, the theory and practice of storming trenches, dugouts, and buildings, engineering training, and the creation of individual trenches that participants will test in a stress test at the end of the course. It also covers the basic rules of handling weapons and much more.
The Reservist NGO also has other courses, in particular, a course for FPV drone pilots and a shooting training course for civilians.
By prior agreement, journalists have the opportunity to cover the training in Kyiv region.
For reference: Reservist NGO has developed intensive training programs that include tactical medicine skills, weapon handling, safety and security protocols, teamwork, assault operations under various conditions, physical training and many other aspects necessary for effective performance of tasks. Their mission is to provide the best possible training and self-confidence. In addition, the organization’s main goal is to provide work to war veterans, who in turn will share valuable knowledge with course participants.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Every day, hundreds of people with disabilities face obstacles in moving around the city. An ordinary thing, such as a visit to the doctor, can become a real challenge. Save Ukraine charitable organization strives to provide them with more opportunities to fully participate in everyday life, regardless of physical limitations.
Social Taxi is a free transportation service for people with reduced mobility. A specially equipped car will operate between Irpin, Bucha, Hostomel and Kyiv. Currently, the service will run in a test mode. Residents of the territorial communities of Irpin, Bucha and Hostomel will be able to use it. The service aims to help adults and children with disabilities, servicemen undergoing rehabilitation and internally displaced persons who are housed in a center for people with reduced mobility and a modular town.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On August 30, Media Center Ukraine will host an interactive presentation on the process of conducting the survey titled “Satisfaction among Kyiv Residents with Mental Health Issues in regards to Medical, and Social Services Received in the Kyiv Community.”
Currently, the situation with social services for this vulnerable group, as well as their quality, is critical in the Kyiv city community. The availability of medical services is also a big problem, as is confirmed by a study conducted by the Psychability Public Organization within the framework of the Z.N.A.M.I. project.
The positive experience of developed countries in achieving barrier-free access for people with mental disorders suggests that introducing the service “Assistant for a Person with Mental Disorders” could be a successful solution. Such an assistant is a specialist who provides comprehensive individual support to a person with mental disorders, guiding them on the path to recovery or improving their quality of life.
Participants of the event:
- Lidia Martynova, Founder and Chair of the Board of the Psychability Public Organization;
- Kostiantyn Zelenov, Psychiatrist of the Highest Qualification at the Center for Emergency Medical Care and Disaster Medicine in Kyiv, Member of the Board of the Psychability Public Organization;
- Ihor Nazarenko, Clinical Psychologist at the “Psychiatry” Clinical Hospital, Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Psychability Public Organization;
- Yevheniia Panichevska, Director of the Research Society of Disabled People “Institute of Social Policy”, Lecturer at the Department of Philosophy of the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute;
- Yevhen Bielonozhko, Father of a Person with a Group 2 Disability Due to Mental Disorder, Member of the Psychability Public Organization.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The NGO Vodnyk has launched a new yachting training program in Kyiv, specifically designed for women veterans, the wives of veterans, and internally displaced persons. Participants in the program are learning to sail using RS Tera sports boats, which are designed for single-person use.
Twelve women have enrolled in the program, with training sessions held four times a week. The goal is to prepare these women to compete in various yachting competitions.
Journalists can arrange in advance to cover these training sessions.
In addition to this initiative, Kyiv has also introduced an adaptive yachting project aimed at providing opportunities for people with disabilities, including veterans.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Indira Urusova, a native of Mariupol, has transformed her harrowing experience of living under russian occupation into a force for good. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Indira began her studies at a university in Kyiv, but later switched to distance learning and returned to Mariupol. She was at home with her family when russia launched its full-scale invasion. Initially, they held out hope for a swift ceasefire, but as the conflict dragged on, it became clear that escape was their only option.
Their car was damaged by explosions, but Indira and her parents managed to reach russian-occupied Berdiansk. From there, they made a perilous journey through russian territory, eventually finding refuge in Bulgaria. The family remained in Bulgaria until October 2022, before returning to Kyiv.
Haunted by the devastation in her hometown, Indira sought a way to help her country. She created a drawing of a burning house in Mariupol, captioned: “We will survive, because the sun rises over the free Azov.” This artwork sparked the creation of KRYLATI, a charity project dedicated to raising awareness about Mariupol, Donetsk, and the Pryazovia region.
Alongside a colleague, Indira organizes workshops and lectures for young people, challenging myths and spreading the truth about the region. All proceeds from KRYLATI are donated to support the Ukrainian military.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Efforts are underway to rebuild the National Literary and Memorial Museum of Hryhorii Skovoroda in Ukraine’s Kharkiv Oblast, after it was devastated by a russian missile strike. Recently, the “301 Skovoroda’s True Friend” campaign succeeded in raising 1.4 million Ukrainian hryvnias to support the museum’s restoration.
On May 6, 2022, a russian missile obliterated the Skovoroda Museum’s main building in Kharkiv Oblast. The explosion also caused significant damage to the 19th-century barn and the Manager’s House, both key elements of the museum complex. A large-scale fire erupted in the wake of the blast, scorching 280 square meters of the structure. Remarkably, a statue of Hryhorii Skovoroda survived the attack.
Journalists have documented the extensive damage left in the aftermath of the strike.
For reference: The museum is situated within the Memorial Complex dedicated to the renowned philosopher and poet Hryhorii Skovoroda, a site recognized as a national historical monument. The grounds also include Skovoroda’s gravesite, further cementing its cultural significance.
It’s worth noting that September 6, 2024, will mark two years since the start of the Slobozhanske counteroffensive by Ukrainian Defense Forces, a campaign that nearly liberated the entire Kharkiv region from russian occupation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On September 8, the “Beloved, I Live!” project will launch its fifth group of support classes in Zaporizhia. This initiative, dedicated to providing psychological assistance to women who have lost their husbands in the war, will welcome seven new participants.
The project was conceived in March 2023 when Yaryna Herashchenko, a social activist, was approached by a family friend grieving her military husband. The idea for “Beloved, I Live!” emerged from this interaction, with Herashchenko and her mother, a psychologist, coming together to offer support.
Participants in the program receive counseling and engage in various therapeutic activities such as archery, yoga, and Thai boxing. The initiative also includes off-site events. For example, on Khortytsia Island, participants wrote letters to their lost loved ones, crafted boats from these messages, and set them afloat on the Dnipro River. Additionally, they prepared and shared meals featuring their Beloveds’ favorite dishes. The women have also been involved in two photo projects: “In Memory of You,” which features images with memorabilia to tell the stories of their husbands, and “Beloved, I Live!,” a photo session designed to inspire renewal.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
An innovative program is bringing adaptive wakeboarding to soldiers with various injuries and amputations in Kyiv. The initiative, “Wake Accessible,” is part of the ONE TEAM FORCES public organization’s efforts to demonstrate that even extreme sports can be accessible to those recovering from significant injuries. The program aims to help military veterans test their limits and rebuild their confidence and physical self-assurance.
Training sessions are held weekly and involve defenders who have lost one or more limbs. The project has been active for two months and has engaged approximately ten participants so far.
Journalists interested in covering these sessions can arrange to observe the classes in Kyiv.
For context: ONE TEAM FORCES supports combatants who served BEFORE and AFTER February 24, 2022, and who have experienced injuries or psychological trauma due to russia’s armed aggression.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On September 3, a briefing for the organizers and participants of the Second KyivBookFest will take place at the Media Center Ukraine.
Running from September 5 to 8, the KyivBookFest will return for its second edition, featuring a large-scale book fair and a branch forum. Over 100 publishers are set to participate, with the festival offering more than 150 events throughout its duration.
The festival also includes a charitable initiative, aiming to raise UAH 1.5 million for the Army Reading Program of the Ukrainian Reformation Community. These funds will be used to purchase approximately 7,000 books for libraries in military educational institutions.
Participants:
– Vladyslav Kyrychenko, Owner of Nash Format Publishing House, Organizer of KyivBookFest;
– Anna Bondarchuk, Executive Director of the NGO Reformation;
– Anatolii Symovoniuk, Serviceman, Major, Representative of the NGO Reformation;
– Serhii Kruhlov, Deputy Head of the Kyiv Institute of the National Guard of Ukraine for Personnel Management, Col.
During the briefing, participants will highlight what makes this year’s festival special, provide an overview of the program, and introduce the event’s notable guests.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The NGO “Humanitarian Aid Center Volunteer-68” in Kharkiv has a mission that goes beyond ordinary assistance to people with disabilities. The organization focuses on the most vulnerable: people with disabilities who have no close relatives nearby. Representatives of “Volunteer-68” evacuate them from dangerous areas, transport them to state institutions, banks, administrative service centers, etc.
In the “Without Limits” transit shelter, they provide round-the-clock care for evacuees with limited mobility and people with disabilities. In addition, their case managers address critical issues for elderly and disabled people staying in other temporary shelters in Kharkiv. This includes restoring documents, paying pensions, and organizing care and treatment.
In June 2024, Volunteer-68 opened an inclusive educational space in Kharkiv, where members of low-mobility groups can receive education, including vocational training, which is especially important given the increasing number of people with disabilities due to the war.
The organization has also created a network of activists called “Ambassadors of Inclusion” in three communities of the Kharkiv oblast. They advocate for the interests of people with disabilities and work to improve accessibility.
Journalists have the opportunity to cover the activities of the Volunteer-68 NGO.
For reference: September 6, 2024 will mark two years since the start of the Slobozhansk counteroffensive of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, which led to the near-total liberation of the Kharkiv oblast from the russian occupiers.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On September 6, as part of the traditional “Film Screenings at Protas”, a documentary about the soldiers of the 3rd Brigade will be screened in Kyiv.
Before the screening there will be a meeting with members of the film crew: director Lyubomyr Levytsky and executive producer Dmytro Nikiforov.
The documentary We Were Recruits shows war stories through the eyes of its protagonists. It is not a simple catalog of events, but a deep insight into the nature of war, its impact on individuals, nations and society.
The documentary is presented in an artistic form that allows viewers to immerse themselves in the events, feel the emotions, and experience the pain and hope of the characters.
Admission to the screening is free. During the screening, attendees will have the opportunity to contribute to a fundraising effort in support of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Journalists must be accredited for the event.
Background: “Film screenings at Protas” continue the tradition initiated by Roman Ratushnyi. He was an activist, a leader who united and rallied the local community in the fight for the Green Zone of Kyiv’s historic Protasiv Yar area. He fought as a scout in the 93rd Mechanized Brigade “Kholodnyi Yar” and was killed in action on June 8, 2022.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Lisa, a 10-year-old from Sievierodonetsk in the now-occupied Luhansk Oblast, is a young girl with a deep love for music. Alongside her interests in drawing, learning English, and reading Harry Potter, Lisa shares a special bond with the cello—a passion she inherited from her mother, a professional cellist.
Two years ago, tragedy struck when a missile hit her grandmother’s house, destroying all their belongings, including Lisa’s cherished cello. The loss devastated Lisa, who admits that she would cry whenever she heard the sound of a cello, a painful reminder of what she had lost.
Recently, Lisa had a memorable experience at a concert by renowned French cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras, held at the Kyiv center of the Charity Foundation “Voices of Children.” The performance left her deeply moved and inspired, reigniting her passion for the instrument.
Journalists have the opportunity to meet Lisa and her mother in Kyiv by prior arrangement, and a video of Jean-Guihen Queyras’s special concert is also available.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Save Ukraine, a charitable organization, in collaboration with the ICF “Contribution to Medicine Development”, has launched a new initiative called the Medical Bus. This social project aims to provide residents of remote Ukrainian communities, where access to doctors is limited, with essential medical services.
The Medical Bus, a large vehicle converted into a mobile clinic by German partners, is fully equipped to offer preventive exams and medical care on the go. Patients can consult with specialized doctors, receive free glasses, undergo ultrasounds, and have their blood sugar levels checked, among other services.
Recently, the mobile clinic visited the village of Lukashi in Kyiv Oblast, where many residents had their first doctor’s visit in years.
The Medical Bus will continue its operations in the Kyiv and Chernihiv regions, delivering much-needed healthcare to those who need it most.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On September 5, a modular house will be unveiled in the Kyiv region, providing a new home for a big family from Kherson who fled the occupation. Dobrobat, a volunteer construction battalion, invites journalists to witness the near-completion of this significant project.
Ms. Olha, a 70-year-old teacher, escaped the war-torn region with her five adopted children. Dobrobat volunteers took on the task of building a new home for them. The family, who lost everything in the conflict, is now preparing to move into the half-installed modular house.
The event will feature both the volunteers and the family, offering a chance to hear their stories and see the completed work. Olha’s husband is seriously ill, and with her brother’s help, she managed to secure land in the Kyiv region where this new chapter begins.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Mariia Ksondzyk is the daughter of a fallen ATO veteran, she worked as a journalist before the full-scale invasion. Petro Shuklinov also worked in the media in civilian life and was mobilized into the Defense Forces in 2023. When the big war began, Mariia and Petro joined forces to volunteer, focusing primarily on providing vehicles for the military. They select, purchase, transport, repair, and deliver vehicles to the troops – a mission Mariia and Petro continue to this day. In 2023, they founded the Nesemos Fund charity and later opened a donation shop, soon followed by a service station for military vehicles. Every month, Mariia and Petro attract numerous donors and work with various foundations that help cover the cost of vehicle repairs. Currently, the Nesemos Veteran Autohub repairs between 20 and 30 military vehicles each month. The team covers repair costs up to 40,000 UAH, and if the cost exceeds this amount, they seek additional supporters to fund the work of the Autohub. Besides, Mariia and Petro decided to open a civilian vehicle repair shop to get additional funding. The service station also operates as a veterans’ center, focusing on the professional adaptation of veterans, so that they can acquire new skills and a civilian profession. The civilian repair shop is scheduled to open this fall. Looking ahead, Mariia and Petro plan to expand their business by opening new repair stations not only in the capital, but across Ukraine, with veterans at the helm.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
To speed up the restoration of buildings destroyed by russian forces, Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi has called on Ukrainian and international businesses to adopt one of these damaged buildings. In less than a day, two Ukrainian companies and one international organization have already joined the “Adopt a House” campaign.
On September 4, a massive missile attack on Lviv killed 7 people. 188 buildings were damaged by russia, 20 are in critical condition. These include historical monuments, residential buildings and schools.
The “Adopt a House” campaign is ongoing, and the Lviv City Council continues to call on local and international businesses, as well as international charitable organizations, to help restore the buildings destroyed by the enemy. What is important: the city does not announce a fundraising campaign, but invites participants to take responsibility for a building and restore it.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On September 7, journalists are invited to the photo exhibition “Brave Faces”, which is part of the charity project for reconstructive facial surgery for military personnel wounded in combat, “Doctors for Heroes”. The event will be held in Kyiv.
The program includes:
– Presentation
– Social and cultural performance
For 2 weeks 24 portraits of 8 heroes will be exhibited in triptych.
The heroes of the portraits are servicemen and veterans, patients of the project “Doctors for Heroes”, who are undergoing treatment and rehabilitation after facial injuries.
The author of the portraits is Yuliia Ovsiannikova, a photographer with the Ukrainian National News Agency.
For reference: The event is organized within the framework of the project “DOCTORS FOR HEROES”, implemented by the charitable foundation Eastern Star with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation, in cooperation with Ukrinform, the state enterprise Crimean House, the charitable foundation Brave Faces and IMATECH MEDICAL.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On Saturday, September 7, Kyiv will host the fourth day of the Protasiv Yar festival in memory of Roman Ratushnyi. This is the final of four festival days that have been taking place throughout the summer on the Protas meadow in Kyiv.
Among other things, the festival program includes performances by the bands MOVA and Vivienne Mort.
A discussion “Freedom of Speech” will also take place.
Participants: Oksana Romaniuk, director of the Institute of Mass Information (IMI); Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, a member of the Ukrainian parliament from the Holos party and head of the parliamentary committee on freedom of speech; Danilo Mokryk, a journalist for Kyiv Independent; and Vlasta Lazur, a journalist for Radio Liberty.
The discussion will be moderated by Sofia Cheliak, journalist and program director of the NGO Publishers’ Forum.
In addition, there will be a discussion “Ariadne’s Thread in Ukrainian Culture: From Our 1920s to the Present” and a lecture “Anger, Sarcasm, and Calm: Three States of Vasyl Stus’s Poetry”.
Journalists are welcome to find out more about the festival program.
For reference: The Protasiv Yar Festival in memory of Roman Ratushnyi was founded last year by the NGO Protect Protasiv Yar and the Protasiv Yar community with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation. This year’s festival was co-organized by the NGO Publishers’ Forum.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
TRO Media, part of the Main Communications Directorate of the Territorial Defence Forces Command of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, is producing a wide range of exclusive content about russia’s Kursk region.
- This includes stories on significant local events, such as Knowledge Day, in the area now under Ukrainian military control.
- The team also reports on efforts to educate locals about the “russian world” concept and the devastation caused by the russian military in Ukraine.
- One notable story involves a 17-year-old girl, Ulyana, from the town of Sudzha, who was reported missing on russian television. TRO Media tracked her down, interviewed her, and facilitated her reunion with her family.
Journalists are encouraged to use TRO Media’s footage to create their own reports, free of any commercial restrictions. The team releases new content from the Kursk region almost daily on YouTube. Reporters can also delve deeper into TRO Media’s operations.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On September 7, the Kyiv Oblast Military Administration invites the public to visit the sites featured in its pilot project, Kyiv Region: Places of Memory. Participants will have the opportunity to explore historical landmarks tied to Ukraine’s heroic resistance and the devastation caused by russian occupation, accompanied by expert guides.
The project employs advanced technology to recreate key scenes from Kyiv’s defense against russian forces. Virtual reality installations at each location immerse visitors in the stark realities of brutal battles, widespread destruction, and the pain endured by the nation during the invasion.
The initiative aims to ensure the world remembers both the victims of the russian invasion and the resilience of Ukrainians. Organizers stress that the war crimes committed on Ukrainian soil must be acknowledged and never forgotten.
Accreditation is required to attend the event.
For reference: In July, the Kyiv Oblast Military Administration began training guides to work at the various sites connected to the russian-Ukrainian war as part of the Kyiv Region: Places of Memory project.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Olena Savchenko, 33, once worked as a quality control inspector at a warehouse in Brovary, a town in Kyiv region. Her life took a dramatic turn when a russian missile destroyed her workplace, leaving her without a job. Refusing to be defeated, Olena found new purpose through The HALO Trust Ukraine, inspired by her husband, who has spent the last three years defending Ukraine in the East.
Now, Olena is part of a team dedicated to clearing her homeland of explosive remnants of war, helping make the Kyiv Oblast safer for future generations. Her efforts reflect her hope for a peaceful future, especially for her children.
For context: The HALO Trust Ukraine is the local program of The HALO Trust, the world’s largest humanitarian demining organization. Active in Ukraine since 2015, the group works alongside Ukrainians to remove the deadly legacy of war.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
British students Finley and Charlie have begun a 2,000 km bike tour from London to the Ukrainian border, with a final stop in Chełm, Poland. The duo is riding to raise funds for Voices of Children, a charity supporting Ukrainian children affected by the war.
Their journey, which started on August 20, is expected to take 20 days. All donations will go directly to the charity.
Journalists can arrange interviews with Finley online for more information.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Mykhailo Kmytiuk, commander of the Typhoon unit, was first mobilized in 2015. After serving for four years, he transitioned back to civilian life, working as a bodyguard and later as a tactical training instructor. However, with the onset of the full-scale invasion, he returned to the military. Pavlo Hvozdenko, the unit’s deputy commander, faced a different choice when the war escalated. As a father of three, he could have opted out of service or left the country, but instead, he joined the territorial defense. Eventually, Pavlo enlisted in the National Guard and, alongside Kmytiuk, helped form the Typhoon UAV unit.
The unit is composed of veterans—many who served during the Anti-Terrorist Operation/Joint Forces Operations campaigns—along with new recruits whom Pavlo trains, helping them transition from civilian life to military service. Women are also part of the team, including Liliia, whose husband has been missing since defending Mariupol with the Azov regiment during the city’s siege. After advocating for prisoners of war, Liliia decided to join the Defense Forces herself, enlisting in the National Guard, where she now serves in the Typhoon UAV unit.
For reference: The military is open to interviews with journalists, available both online and in person by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Lobby X, a social impact organization known for its recruitment efforts for the Security and Defense Forces, is expanding its services to support military veterans. The initiative has introduced a career counseling program designed to help veterans transition into the civilian workforce and find new professional paths after military service.
As part of the program, veterans will receive assistance in crafting resumes that highlight the skills they acquired during their service, preparing for job interviews, creating LinkedIn profiles, and identifying job opportunities with employers who offer veteran-friendly working conditions.
The counseling is open to all veterans, whether they have a clear career direction or are unsure of their next steps. Counselors will help participants identify their strengths, explore career and educational opportunities from NGOs, the government, and the private sector, and provide guidance in finding a new professional calling.
For reference: Journalists can arrange to cover the veteran career counseling sessions in Kyiv by prior appointment.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On September 10, the Media Center Ukraine will hold a press conference titled “Destruction of Freedom of Speech in Crimea: Causes, Methods, Results.” The event will delve into the deteriorating state of media freedom in Crimea under russian occupation.
The discussion will center on the second edition of journalist Yuriy Lukanov’s book, “The Press: How Russia Destroyed Media Freedom in Crimea”, published by the German Ibidem Verlag. The English translation of the book was presented earlier this year at prominent institutions, including the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, The Financial Times editorial office, London Metropolitan University, Oxford University, the University of Glasgow, and University College London.
The conference will highlight how the Crimean occupation authorities have intensified their crackdown on free speech compared to 2014, even leveraging Western media outlets in their efforts.
Participants:
- Yuriy Lukanov, freelance journalist, author of the book “The Press: How Russia Destroyed Media Freedom in Crimea”;
- Valentyna Samar, editor-in-chief of the Center for Investigative Journalism;
- Olha Skrypnyk, Chair of the Board of the Crimean Human Rights Group, co-coordinator of the Crimea Platform Expert Network.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
September building camps organized by the NGO Building Ukraine Together are underway in Ukraine. Volunteers from different parts of the country and the world are helping to strengthen communities.
For example, in one of the communities in the Chernihiv region (located near the de-occupied territories and hosting a large number of people fleeing russian aggression), volunteers are creating a youth space. (Volunteers from the United States, Portugal, the United Kingdom and Italy will join the upcoming shifts).
In the Sumy region, volunteers are setting up a shelter. (Volunteers from the United States, Australia, and Poland will soon be working there. Currently, there is a volunteer from Germany.)
In the Kirovohrad region a museum room is being created. There will be exhibits telling the history of the community and the russian-Ukrainian war. (A volunteer from the United States is also currently working there.)
These volunteer building camps are organized with the support of Razom.
Journalists have the opportunity to cover the activities of the BUT camps by prior arrangement.
For reference: Building Ukraine Together is a public organization that promotes trust and responsibility among Ukrainian youth and encourages their participation in the development of a democratic Ukraine. To achieve this, they work with communities and activists to implement socially important projects.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On September 11, journalists are invited to the offline premiere of the fourth film in the “Ready to Resist” series, “Shields of Kyiv”. The film is dedicated to the 112th and 241st brigades of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which have been defending the capital since the first days of the invasion.
“Shields of Kyiv” is a documentary created by a team of TDF Media military personnel, telling the story of key military positions near Kyiv held by the Territorial Defense Forces at the start of the full-scale invasion.
It is the story of the courage and valor of the soldiers of the 112th Separate Territorial Defense Brigade who, along with other combat units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, defended the capital during the active attempts of the russian troops to advance. This brigade gave birth to and formed the “backbone” of another combat unit – the 241st Independent Brigade of the Territorial Defense Forces. During the early days of the great war, these brigades became, in a sense, the shields of Kyiv.
The film was made under the guidance of serviceman and director Akhtem Seitablayev. Historian and officer of the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Alforov also contributed to the film. The directors of the film are Dmytro Havrylenko and Oles Katsion.
At the premiere there will be an opportunity to meet and talk with the filmmakers.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On September 14, the Security Police of Kyiv oblast invites media representatives to an inclusive and interactive theatrical performance for children with disabilities “Symphony of Ukrainian Fairy Tales”, performed by the Kyiv Classic Symphony Orchestra under the direction of UNESCO Artist for Peace Herman Makarenko.
The premiere of this special performance took place in the main building of the Kyiv Ohmatdyt Hospital on July 5 this year, just two days before a russian missile strike. So instead of continuing to cheer up the young patients as planned, the orchestra musicians had to perform the Requiem amid the ruins – footage that was seen worldwide.
From the very beginning, the creators of the project planned to perform the show several times in Ohmatdyt during the summer. Unfortunately, these plans were thwarted by russian missiles. So, the Security Police of Kyiv oblast stepped in to help organize the event. Visually impaired children were invited to the performance.
Accreditation is required to attend the event.For reference: “Symphony of Ukrainian Fairy Tales” is a combination of musical and theatrical art with an interactive approach. The project is supported by the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The “Homefront Affairs” residency program, run by the Lviv Municipal Art Center, brings together artists to create projects aimed at supporting and rehabilitating veterans and those impacted by the war.
According to WHO research, interaction with culture and art positively affects mental and physical health and promotes the socialization of those who are in a state of trauma.
Over seven weeks this summer, 12 multidisciplinary artists attended lectures, participated in practical seminars on art therapy, studied the principles of nonviolent communication, learned about inclusive transformations of cities, and acquainted themselves with successful rehabilitation project cases.
Ten artist-led projects for veterans and their families are currently underway as part of the “Homefront Affairs” initiative. These projects include a range of activities, such as a tattoo training course for military personnel and veterans, painting 3D models of military vehicles to illustrate their service, art courses for the wives of fallen soldiers, a graffiti workshop for veterans, and interactive performances for veterans’ families and displaced persons in collaboration with the Lviv Puppet Theater, among others.
Journalists can arrange in advance to report on the ongoing “Homefront Affairs” project.
For reference: The “Homefront Affairs” programme was developed by the NGO “Cultural Agency “Liniya Vtechi”, as part of UNESCO’s ongoing efforts to support the mental health and well-being of people in Ukraine. It is implemented with the support of the Lviv Culture Hub, the Lviv Municipal Art Center and is financed by the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation for Development (AECID).
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On September 12, a press conference titled “Building a Human Resource Pool for Future De-Occupation: Completion of the Reintegration Management Program Pilot Group” will take place in Kyiv. The event will highlight efforts to prepare skilled professionals for reintegration and de-occupation initiatives.
Participants:
– Olha Kuryshko, Deputy Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea;
– Іryna Tykhomyrova, President of MIM Business School.
The Reintegration Management Program is a collaborative effort launched by the Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, in partnership with MIM Business School, and supported by the Office of the President of Ukraine.
Over a six-month period, the program’s online students received training in leadership development, management strategies, legal frameworks, and project management. The curriculum also included a deep dive into the history and specific challenges of currently occupied territories. Throughout the program, students engaged with public officials and human rights advocates, gaining insights into leadership and governance.
Graduates of the Reintegration Management Program have developed 20 unique projects aimed at the revitalization of Ukrainian territories post-liberation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On September 12, Kyiv will hold a roundtable discussion at Media Center Ukraine, titled “Exploring Multiple Citizenship: Opportunities and Risks” which will delve into the potential benefits and challenges associated with holding multiple citizenships.
Participants:
– Paul Grod, President of the Ukrainian World Congress;
– Nataliia Naumenko, Head of the State Migration Service of Ukraine;
– Volodymyr Viatrovych, Member of Parliament of Ukraine, European Solidarity faction;
– Solomiia Bobrovska, Member of Parliament of Ukraine, Holos political party party.
With millions of Ukrainians now residing abroad, this community represents an enormous intellectual and economic resource that could play a key role in Ukraine’s recovery and future stability. Implementing a framework for multiple citizenship could mobilize the global Ukrainian diaspora to contribute more effectively to the country’s development. It would harness the talents and skills of Ukrainians abroad while ensuring that their identity and connection to their homeland remain intact.
The adoption of a law on multiple citizenship could open doors for Ukrainians living abroad to engage fully in Ukraine’s political, economic, and social spheres. Since 2019, this issue has been a top priority for the Ukrainian World Congress and has gained even more urgency following russia’s full-scale invasion.
For the global Ukrainian community, it is essential that any law on multiple citizenship reflects a unified stance among all relevant parties.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before russia’s full-scale invasion, a soldier with the callsign “Fartovyi” (meaning “Lucky”) was living abroad, working in construction in Warsaw. When war broke out, “Fartovyi” didn’t hesitate. He packed his bags, returned to Ukraine, and immediately enlisted. In January 2023, at age 22, he signed a military contract, initially hoping to serve as a mortar operator. However, he was assigned to the 505th Separate Marine Battalion as a grenadier. Starting as a senior grenade launcher gunner, he quickly rose to squad leader, serving in Donetsk and Zaporizhia before returning to Donetsk. His most challenging post came in Krynky, a fiercely contested area. Upon his return, “Fartovyi” was promoted to sergeant major of an anti-tank platoon and took on the role of acting company sergeant major. He earned his nickname during training, although there was no special meaning behind it at the time. Yet, his battlefield experiences suggest the name fits: after 18 months in some of the most dangerous areas, he’s managed to avoid being hit by shrapnel. In one particularly close call near Urozhaine, a russian shell struck the trench where he and a colleague were taking cover. His comrade was killed, but “Fartovyi” escaped with only a concussion. In another incident in Krynky, a russian drone dropped a shell just two meters away. All his nearby comrades were injured, yet he walked away without a scratch. Though he doesn’t believe he’s a lucky charm, “Fartovyi” credits his survival to the trust and camaraderie he shares with his fellow soldiers.
For reference: The soldier is open to interviews with journalists, available both online and in person by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On September 14, Kyiv will host the “Run for Freedom,” an advocacy race aimed at securing the release of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians held in russian captivity. Organized by students of the Kyiv School of Economics, the KSE Foundation, DefDev, and the project to support Mariupol defenders—Heart of Azovstal, the event will bring together activists, veterans, and families of those still imprisoned.
Timothy Snyder, a Yale University professor and ambassador for the UNITED24 initiative, has thrown his support behind the race and will participate in person. Snyder, who is also leading a fundraising effort for demining operations as part of the UNITED24 Safe Terrain project, stands in solidarity with Ukraine’s cause.
According to Ukraine’s Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, around 28,000 Ukrainian citizens remain in russian captivity. The race aims to spotlight the plight of these individuals—military personnel, civilians, men, women, and even children—and amplify calls for their release.
The event will include military personnel, veterans, former captives who have survived imprisonment, and families still waiting for their loved ones to return, along with anyone who cares about the freedom of Ukrainian prisoners.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On September 13, the Media Center Ukraine will present a new study titled “(Non-)Return of Children: Ukraine Faces Its Greatest Challenge Since Independence.” The research, conducted by the Regional Center for Human Rights, the Ukrainian Child Rights Network, and the Voices of Children Charitable Foundation, delves into the legal and humanitarian challenges surrounding the return of Ukrainian children from russian control.
The study highlights the experiences of these three NGOs in defending the rights of children who were under russia’s control and have since been returned. It provides insights into the legal efforts, the return process, and the reintegration of these children. The findings are based on interviews with children, their parents or guardians, return specialists, and a detailed review of international humanitarian and child rights law.
Participants:
– Kateryna Rashevska, PhD in International Law, expert at the Regional Center for Human Rights;
– Olena Rozvadovska, co-founder and director of Voices of Children Charitable Foundation;
– Daria Kasyanova, Chairperson of the Board of the Ukrainian Child Rights Network, Program Director of SOS Children’s Villages Ukraine.
Moderator: Natalia Yemchenko, member of the Supervisory Board of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation.
For reference: Since russia’s full-scale invasion, over 19,500 Ukrainian children, including 4,000 orphans, have been forcibly displaced or deported, with the vast majority remaining under russian control. Among them are 1.6 million children from the temporarily occupied regions of Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On September 27, Lviv will host IT Arena 2024, a three-day, English-language technology conference. The event, which annually attracts over 5,000 entrepreneurs, innovators, and thought leaders, offers a platform for discussions, business networking, and inspiration.
Since its inception over a decade ago, IT Arena has played a pivotal role in shaping the direction of Ukraine’s tech industry. This year’s edition will expand its focus, offering new opportunities for startups and local companies.
Journalists are invited to explore the program and cover the event, with accreditation required for attendance.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Viktor Didukh was 23 years old when he was diagnosed with chondrosarcoma, a malignant tumor. The table tennis player had returned from the European Championships in the Czech Republic and noticed swelling in his leg. For two years, he fought the disease relentlessly, even contemplating suicide if the tumor metastasized. After five surgeries, Viktor made the difficult decision to amputate his leg. The tumor receded and Viktor returned to sports. In 2013, 10 months after losing his leg, Viktor won his first European Paralympic Championship. A year later, he became a world champion and invested the money he earned for the gold medal in his own table tennis academy in his home village in the Lviv region.Today, Viktor is 37 years old. He is the father of two daughters and a champion of the 2024 Paris Paralympics. Viktor says that before the gold medal game, he imagined himself going home happy with even a silver medal, and he entered the game with a light heart. The athlete plans to invest his prize money of $180,000 in the development of his own academy and donate the rest to the Defence Forces.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Children’s Voices Charitable Foundation launched the “Children Dream” campaign and asked children from different regions about their dreams. The aim is to show that despite difficult circumstances, children continue to dream and need the support of adults. Moreover, children’s dreams are a source of strength for adults as well.
“I hope that when the war is over, we will have a very beautiful sea that will be very popular with tourists. (…) Let our music flourish all over the world…”
This is an excerpt from a letter written by 12-year-old Eva, who shares her dreams. Three months after the outbreak of the full-scale war, she was forced to leave her native village in the Zaporizhia region (now occupied) and moved to the city of Zaporizhia, where she participates in the activities of the Center of the Children’s Voices Charitable Foundation.
Among the dreams shared by other children is the desire to attend school in person instead of studying online. And, of course, the children dream of Ukraine’s victory and the liberation of the occupied territories.
Journalists can learn more about the “Children Dream” campaign and, with prior agreement, speak with the children (whose parents consent), particularly in the Zaporizhia, Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions, and in Kyiv.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On September 16, Kyiv will host the opening of the temporary Georgiy Gongadze Memorial Alley and a commemorative event dedicated to the 24th anniversary of the murder of the Ukrainian journalist. The event is organized by the Georgiy Gongadze Prize.
Journalists, human rights activists and all interested people are invited to the opening of the temporary Georgiy Gongadze Memorial Alley, which will consist of information banners about Georgiy’s life and contribution to independent journalism and civil society in Ukraine.
The alley will be created in cooperation with the National Museum of the Revolution of Dignity.
At the opening of the Alley the following people will speak:
- Tetyana Teren, Executive Director of PEN Ukraine;
- Myroslava Barchuk, Ukrainian journalist and TV presenter, Vice-President of PEN Ukraine and a person who knew Georgiy Gongadze personally;
- Valentyna Telychenko, human rights activist, representative of the Gongadze family;
- Olha Salo, Deputy General Director of the National Memorial Complex of Heroes of Heavenly Hundred – Museum of the Revolution of Dignity;
- Mykhailo Tkach, investigative journalist with Ukrainska Pravda;
- Tetyana Pechonchyk, Head of the Board of the Human Rights Center ZMINA;
- Oksana Romaniuk, Director of IMI.
For reference: The Georgiy Gongadze Prize is an award and ecosystem of initiatives for independent journalists, founded by PEN Ukraine in partnership with Kyiv-Mohyla Business School, and Ukrainska Pravda publication. The prize is awarded once a year on May 21, Georgiy Gongadze’s birthday. Previous laureates were Tetiana Troshchynska (2024), Bohdan Logvynenko (2023), Yevhen Maloletka and Mstyslav Chernov in tandem (2022), Myroslava Barchuk (2021), Pavlo Kazarin (2020), and Vakhtang Kipiani (2019).
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
To commemorate the defenders of Azovstal and other servicemen still in enemy captivity, peaceful events are planned in at least 18 cities of Ukraine.
On September 14, events will be held in Ochyrka, Pawlowrad, Chernihiv, Vinnytsia, Bila Tserkva, Ternopil, Irpin and Dnipro.
On September 15, peaceful rallies are planned in Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Uman, Krolevets, Ovruch, Korostyshiv, Kremenchuk, Odesa, Kryvyi Rih, and Chernivtsi.
The events are organized by the families of POWs from the Mariupol garrison.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Media representatives are invited to attend an inclusive and interactive theatrical performance for children with disabilities, “Symphony of Ukrainian Fairy Tales”, performed by the chamber ensemble of the Kyiv Classic Symphony Orchestra under the direction of UNESCO Artist for Peace Herman Makarenko. On September 14, the performance will be held for the patients of the Okhmatdyt hospital.
The premiere of this performance took place on July 5 in the main building of Kyiv’s Ohmatdyt Hospital, just two days before the russian shelling. As a result, the musicians of the Kyiv Classic Orchestra had to perform a Requiem over the ruins – footage that was seen by the entire world.
Initially the authors of the project hoped to perform the show in the Okhmatdyt hospital several times during the summer. Unfortunately, these plans were thwarted by russian missiles.
For reference: The project is supported by the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oleksandr Derevianko was killed by enemy tank fire in April 2022. Together with his comrades from the Azov Brigade he was defending occupied Mariupol. Oleksandr’s mother, Anna, says she felt when her son died, and the next day she received the news from the brigade’s patronage service. Anna describes “Adams” as a passionate young man and a warrior at heart. At one point, Anna found the money to allow Oleksandr to start boxing. He also attended football matches in Cherkasy and joined the Ultras fan movement. Anna says that Oleksandr was someone who young people listened to; he encouraged them to take up sports, while he himself won first places in boxing, combat sambo and free fighting competitions.
In 2020, Oleksandr completed basic training, signed a contract with the 12th Brigade “Azov” of the National Guard of Ukraine, and in 2022 he defended Mariupol. After her son’s death, Anna started attending football matches and getting tattoos. She became a contact person for one of Oleksandr’s comrades-in-arms, who is now in captivity and has no relatives. Anna says she promised her son that she would live, and she is keeping her word.
For reference: Anna Derevianko lives in Cherkassy. The mother of the fallen soldier is ready to talk to journalists, both online and offline, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On September 17, the Museum of History of Kyiv will present a large-scale multimedia exhibition project “Guarding St. Sophia”. It shows the modern russian-Ukrainian war as a result of the centuries-long confrontation between the russian and Ukrainian civilizations with their completely opposite values.
The exhibition consists of three thematic sections – ‘Ukrainian Civilization’, ‘russian Civilization’ and ‘Defense of Kyiv’. The first section will present the progress and the continuity of Ukrainian civilization from the Princely era to the present day, highlighting the development of crafts and industry, science and education, the church and the arts, the formation of the state, and the processes of decolonization. The second section will explore russian-soviet civilization, tracing its roots to the era of the Golden Horde, focusing on authoritarian rule and totalitarianism, repression and coercion, expansionist wars, and the cult of personality. The third section will immerse visitors in the recent history of Kyiv’s defense against russian invaders in February-March 2022, showing the fate of various towns in the Kyiv region that suffered from war criminals and testifying to the devastating consequences of the russian presence on Ukrainian soil.
The exhibition features artifacts from the collection of the Kyiv History Museum and the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On September 20, under the slogan “Let’s make Ukraine clean together!”, Ukraine will once again participate in World Cleanup Day. Events will be held in various regions.
The main goal is to promote a culture of cleanliness, proper waste management and responsible consumption among citizens and to unite efforts for an environmentally sustainable future.
Participants will include citizens, commercial and non-profit organizations, media, opinion leaders, companies, and government institutions whose employees will participate in various formats as part of corporate social responsibility initiatives.
Journalists can learn more about and cover the event. Accreditation is required.
For reference: Since 2024, World Cleanup Day has been declared an official UN day, celebrated annually on September 20.
Organizer: All-Ukrainian youth movement “Let’s Do It Ukraine” together with the international movement “Let’s Do It World” and the international youth movement “School Recycling World”.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On September 22, Kyiv will host a large-scale festival of veteran culture, Veterans’ Circle, the first event in Ukraine to truly bring together military and civilians. The organizers, Ukrainian Veterans Foundation, note that the event aims not only to provide moral support and create opportunities for reintegration of veterans, but also to show unity, respect and strong ties of civil society to those who have gone through extremely difficult events in their lives.
The Veterans’ Circle Festival is a large platform that will bring together veterans, combatants, their families and all concerned Ukrainians.
The festival will feature six interactive zones: an adaptive sports area, including archery, sitting volleyball and wheelchair basketball, with an arsenal of prizes. Visitors can also enjoy a literary space, a marketplace where veteran-owned businesses will sell their products and pitch their ideas to potential investors, and photography and art zones where guests can create something special with their own hands.
Journalists can learn more about the program of the event and cover it. Accreditation is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On September 18, Kyiv will host the launch of the “Silenced Voices” campaign, a major initiative aimed at raising awareness about the reform of Ukraine’s child care and support system, known as deinstitutionalization. As part of the event, organizers will unveil an interactive installation—a phone booth where visitors can listen to stories from children in boarding schools, allowing their voices to finally be heard.
Participants:
– Daria Herasymchuk, Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights and Child Rehabilitation;
– Representative of the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine;
– Inna Miroshnychenko, blogger, adoptive mother, lawyer, partner at PRONIN&PARTNERS Law Firm, public figure;
– Mykola Lytvynenko, Deputy Head of the Coordination Center for the Development of Family Upbringing and Child Care;
– Serhii Lukashov, Director of SOS Children’s Villages Ukraine;
– Daria Kasyanova, National Program Development Director of SOS Children’s Villages Ukraine;
– Kyrylo Nevdokha, Head of the DIYMO Office for Children and Youth;
– Representatives of young people who grew up in boarding schools.
Many children in these institutions remain unheard, with their dreams and struggles often going unnoticed. The “Silenced Voices” campaign draws on a 2022 media and sociological study, which revealed widespread societal tolerance toward the boarding school system and a lack of understanding about the needs and challenges faced by children in institutional care.
The goal of the campaign is to spotlight the reform, which seeks to ensure that all children in Ukraine can grow up in family environments rather than institutions.
For more information, contact the organizers: SOS Children’s Villages Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The upcoming conference is being hosted by several prominent organizations, including the Educational Psychological Association, the Division of Psychoanalytic Psychology and Psychotherapy, the Department of Psychology at the Kyiv School of Economics, the Ukrainian Association of Psychoanalytic Psychology, and the Department of Psychiatry, Narcology, and Medical Psychology at Ivano-Frankivsk National Medical University.
The primary goal of the event is to explore how and why russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine became possible, examining the actions of the russian government. Additionally, experts will discuss strategies to end the war and prevent future conflicts initiated by russia.
Spanning two days, the conference is divided into multiple sections and will include presentations from leading scientists, psychologists, historians, and military researchers. Sessions will be conducted in both Ukrainian and English.
Participation in the conference requires prior registration and a fee.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
From September 20 to 22, Kyiv will welcome the “All Together” festival, an annual event organized by Mystetskyi Arsenal designed to engage children and teens in a variety of experiences through interaction, exploration, and creative play. The festival’s program features around 70 events, divided into two distinct sections. The first section, a long-standing part of the festival, caters to children under 12 with approximately 30 activities. New this year is a special program specifically designed for teenagers, marking its debut at Mystetskyi Arsenal’s educational festival. This teen-focused lineup includes 37 diverse events, such as film screenings, theater performances, discussions, and talks with psychologists, filmmakers, and artists. Festival-goers will also have the chance to participate in workshops led by artists, museum experts, book bloggers, and theater directors. Attendees can practice their English, take part in live podcast recordings, connect with peers, enjoy Odesa funk music, and engage in discussions on topics like movies, dreams, and subcultures. Teen participants can also explore career aspirations and join creative workshops led by their peers.
Journalists interested in covering the festival are invited to view the full program but must obtain accreditation in advance.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Feliks Rasko, a 36-year-old Ukrainian Armed Forces veteran, has a remarkable story of resilience. He enlisted in the military at 18, first serving through conscription before signing a contract to continue his service. After his military career, he worked as a conductor for Ukraine’s Railways, Ukrzaliznytsia.
When russia’s full-scale invasion began, Feliks promptly re-enlisted. For eight months, he fought in some of the most intense battle zones, including Sievierodonetsk, Lysychansk, Rubizhne, and Yampolivka. In October 2022, while stationed in Donetsk, enemy missiles struck the building where Feliks and his fellow soldiers were sheltering. Trapped under debris and engulfed by flames, Feliks put out the fire on his burning hands himself, while his comrades helped extinguish the fire on his head. Despite their injuries, the soldiers managed to escape and were evacuated by medics.
Feliks sustained serious injuries, which greatly impacted his mobility. His wife learned about the Unburned project, a free rehabilitation program, and applied on his behalf, submitting photos of his burns. A month later, Feliks began his treatment. Today, after completing rehabilitation, he has returned to work with Ukrzaliznytsia, now as a service center engineer in Kyiv, rather than his previous role as a conductor.
For reference: The Unburned project, supported by Ukraine’s Ministry of Health and partners, offers free, comprehensive treatment for military personnel, volunteers, civilians, and children affected by burns and scars caused by the war.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On September 16, Ukraine’s RePower Ukraine charitable foundation launched a free training program named “Solar ReStart,” designed to help both male and female veterans transition into new careers. Developed in collaboration with leading solar energy experts, the course aims to equip participants with the skills needed for the burgeoning solar energy sector.
The inaugural session welcomed 46 male and 4 female veterans. Attendees can choose to specialize in one of two areas:
- designing solar power plants, which involves developing projects and determining optimal configurations;
- installing these systems, covering installation, configuration, maintenance, and energy storage.
Upon completing the program, participants will receive a certificate and job placement assistance, along with psychological support to aid their transition.
Practical classes will be held in Kyiv in the coming weeks, offering journalists a chance to cover this initiative firsthand.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Irena Danysh is an American with Ukrainian roots. She has traveled the world teaching English in various countries. She first visited Ukraine in 2003, and in 2022 she left Seattle and moved to Lviv. Irena says she wasn’t afraid of the war because she had worked extensively with humanitarian organizations and understood that Lviv was quite safe.
The American got a job as a teacher at one of the higher education institutions. She also volunteers at a charity working with young people. Irena says she feels not only American, but also Ukrainian, and plans to continue living in Ukraine.
For reference: You can talk with Irena Danysh online. On November 17, the American will return to Ukraine and will be available for offline meetings.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
At the age of 17, Ivan lost the ability to walk due to an accident. However, he did not lose his desire to live a full life. He learned to ride a bicycle, drive a car and started doing charity work in his home village in the Ternopil region. Among other things, he helped renovate the local stadium and put up tourist signs.
When the full-scale invasion began, Ivan focused his efforts on supporting the Ukrainian military. Together with other villagers, Ivan managed to raise about 10 million hryvnia for the needs of the defense forces. The volunteer purchased drones, anti-drone guns, charging stations, vehicles, and many other things needed by the soldiers. Today, Ivan continues his volunteer work, raising funds for FPV drones and a relay station.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Bridge of Trust team is building an ecosystem for Ukrainian startups and international investors. They are bringing nearly 100 investors from 12 countries to the IT Arena tech conference.
The Bridge of Trust is a non-profit organization that aims to channel support from Western countries to Ukraine, in particular by bringing together international investors and Ukrainian startups. The organization was founded by Jussi Muurikainen, a Finnish venture capitalist, after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
“We want to build a long-term ecosystem based on trust, which means creating connections, structures and channels through which Ukrainian startups can get contacts and mentoring support. International investors, in turn, can make good investments in promising local startups and help Ukraine,” Jussi said.
Journalists can learn more about the company’s activities and speak with Jussi Muurikainen. Interviews with foreign investors are also possible by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On September 20, the Media Center Ukraine will host a briefing “Incredible success in Paris: Results of the 2024 Paralympics”.
Participants:
– Valeriy Sushkevych, President of the National Paralympic Committee of Ukraine;
– Ihor Tsvietov, two-time Paralympic champion in para athletics, 2024 Paralympic Games;
– Yaroslav Denysenko, two-time gold medalist and bronze medalist in para swimming, 2024 Paralympic Games;
– Iryna Poida, two-time gold medalist and two-time silver medalist in para swimming, 2024 Paralympic Games;
– Danylo Chufarov, two-time silver medalist and bronze medalist in para swimming, 2024 Paralympic Games;
– Marina Mazhula, silver medalist in para canoe, 2024 Paralympic Games.
The event will focus on the following topics: in which sports Ukrainian Paralympic athletes achieved the best results; achievements of Ukrainian Paralimpians at the Paris Paralympics; challenges of training and preparation for the Paralympic Games 2024.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
During russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church priests Bohdan Heleta and Ivan Levytskyi continued to serve their parish in occupied Berdiansk, located in the Zaporizhia region. On November 16, 2022, russian forces abducted them. The soldiers reportedly came directly to the church, offering Father Bohdan a chance to cooperate—an offer both priests declined. Soon after, the russians claimed they had allegedly discovered weapons inside the church.
Father Bohdan spent nine months imprisoned in Berdiansk before being transferred to a penal colony in Horlivka, within the occupied Donetsk region, where he endured another ten months. In total, he spent a grueling year and a half in captivity. Throughout his imprisonment, Father Bohdan endured harsh conditions, often sleeping on the floor and being subjected to the constant sounds of others being tortured by the russians. While in solitary confinement in Berdiansk, he was forced to listen to Soviet-era music playing through a speaker for hours on end, an experience that pushed him to the edge of sanity. The abuse only worsened in Horlivka.
On June 28, 2024, both Father Bohdan and Father Ivan were finally freed during a prisoner exchange.
Journalists can arrange interviews with Father Bohdan, either in person in Lviv or virtually, by prior agreement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Veteranka movement has launched the “Plan B Center of Strength” project, spearheaded by Tetiana Borys, whose husband, a soldier with the 58th Mechanized Brigade, was killed in action in February 2023. The initiative aims to reshape how Ukraine supports families of fallen soldiers, addressing their grief and guiding them toward healing.
The project’s key goal is to study the experiences of those coping with loss and use that insight to reform how government agencies work with bereaved families. As part of the initiative, families will receive a bereavement guide designed to help them re-engage with society and rebuild their lives.
Tetiana Borys also plans to share her personal story of loss in a series of articles that highlight the emotional journey of losing a loved one in war.
Journalists can arrange interviews with Tetiana in Kyiv to learn more about the “Plan B Center of Strength” project.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On September 22, a charity soccer match will be held in Kyiv to raise funds for the 1st Separate Assault Battalion, named in honor of the late Ukrainian hero, Dmytro “Da Vinci” Kotsiubailo. The match, timed to coincide with the International Day of Peace, will feature a friendly game between Ukraine’s national team of artists and soldiers from the “Da Vinci” battalion. Proceeds from the event will go toward the rehabilitation of wounded Ukrainian soldiers.
Oleksandra Kotsiubailo, Dmytro’s younger sister, will kick off the match, while Ukrainian singer Artem Nikitin is set to perform the national anthem.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On September 26, Lviv residents are invited to take part in the 19th Red Brunch Donor Day, an initiative led by the Yanina Sokolova Foundation to gather blood donations for Ukrainian military personnel.
The event aims to save lives while promoting a culture of responsible donation across the country.
For reference: Since 2019, the Foundation has been breaking down stereotypes surrounding blood donation by hosting Red Brunches at major offices, hotels, and hubs. These events feature refreshments, networking opportunities, and incentive gifts for participants. To date, 2,887 donors have contributed, helping to save over 9,156 lives.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Leda Kosmachevska lived in Crimea until 2014. After the russian occupation of the peninsula, she moved to the capital. Today, Leda is a leading communications specialist at the Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, living in Kyiv and raising her three-month-old daughter, Radoslava. She is fighting to have her daughter bear the surname of her missing father, Valentyn Dobryi.
Leda’s partner, Valentyn Dobryi, volunteered for military service in September 2022. He did so of his own free will, despite having undergone heart surgery as a child. Leda told Valentyn that he would become a father two weeks before he went missing.
On October 21, 2023, Valentyn Dobryi went missing during an attack between Chasiv Yar and Bakhmut in the Donetsk region. His comrades told Leda that they had seen Valentyn’s body, but due to heavy shelling they were unable to recover it. Now the area is occupied, and Leda is fighting to give her daughter the Dobra surname. To do so, she must prove paternity in court, as she and Valentyn were not officially married. Leda is raising her three-month-old daughter with the help of Valentyn’s mother, Svitlana Dobra.
Leda Kosmachevska is in Kyiv. She is ready to talk to journalists, both online and offline, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The NGO Camp Maximum together with an American team created the program “Camp of Opportunity” for women with amputations. On September 22, the third shift of the camp began. It was attended by 11 participants, both veterans and civilians who lost limbs during the full-scale war.
The women will participate in soccer training. They will have the opportunity to try out for Ukraine’s first national women’s soccer team for amputees and compete in the 2024 World Cup. The tournament will be held in Barranquilla, Colombia, from November 2 to 11, 2024.
In addition to soccer, camp participants will have the opportunity to engage in other activities. The camp runs until September 28.
Journalists are invited to learn more and cover the camp’s activities.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On September 22, a new shift of the construction camp organized by the NGO “Building Ukraine Together” began. Volunteers are creating a youth space in the Ladan settlement hromada, Chernihiv oblast. Many foreigners joined this new shift.
For example, Ayami came to Ukraine from Japan because she believes that Ukrainians have a very strong spirit. Mykola came from Kazakhstan to volunteer. He used to work in IT, but decided to join the camp because he wanted to do something with his own hands, not just donate.
Also volunteering in the Chernihiv oblast are Maurizio, who came from Italy, and Duarte from Portugal.
For reference: The volunteer construction camp is carried out with the support of Razom.
“Building Ukraine Together” is a non-governmental organization that promotes trust and responsibility among Ukrainian youth and encourages their participation in the development of a democratic Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On September 24, at the Media Center Ukraine the Ministry of Veterans Affairs will announce the composition of the national team of Ukraine to participate in the international sports competition Arnold Classic Europe, which will take place on October 11-13, 2024 in Madrid (Spain). During the presentation, the 50 athletes who will represent Ukraine will be named.
Participants:
- Ruslana Velychko-Tryfoniuk, Deputy Minister of Veterans’ Affairs of Ukraine for European Integration;
- Serhii Koniushok, President of the NGO “Federation of Strongmen of Ukraine”;
- Vasyl Virastyuk, Member of the Parliament of Ukraine.
For reference: Arnold Classic Europe is an international sports festival founded by Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2011. Each year, thousands of athletes from more than 50 countries participate in the competition. The Strong Spirit’s Games, an international competition for war veterans, is held as part of the sports festival. Participants include military personnel who have been involved in combat operations, as well as those who have been injured or disabled in the line of duty.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oleh Hural enlisted in the Ukrainian military in April 2020, signing a contract with the 80th Separate Airborne Assault Brigade. He took part in the Kharkiv counteroffensive during the all-out invasion. In November 2022, a severe injury on the front line left him permanently blind.
Despite undergoing two surgeries, Oleh’s sight could not be restored. Unable to return to military service, he began working from home with his mother, producing and selling handmade dumplings. However, his career took a new direction when he trained to become a massage therapist. Today, Oleh works at the Halychyna Rehabilitation Center, helping fellow wounded soldiers on their path to recovery. His mother accompanies him to the bus, but he has since mastered navigating the commute alone, counting steps and memorizing landmarks over two years. While he continues his search for medical experts who might restore his sight, Oleh remains committed to his work.
For reference: Oleh Hural lives in the Lviv region and is open to interviews, either online or in person, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Marta Kondrin, a trailblazing entrepreneur, is transforming the fashion world by producing leather alternatives from mushroom mycelium. After spending eight years in Malaysia, where she was introduced to a startup developing mushroom-based products, Kondrin decided to pursue her own vision.
Following russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Marta made the decision to fast-track her dream. She applied for a grant and successfully secured funding to establish Ukraine’s first eco-leather manufacturing facility. The innovative material she cultivates mimics natural leather, offering a more sustainable option compared to synthetic alternatives. Though Marta continues to enhance the durability of the fabric, she has already created her first line of products, which includes bags and accessories.
Now based in Ivano-Frankivsk, Marta offers both virtual and in-person consultations for those interested in her work, available by appointment.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Liza, 16, has remained in Kyiv since the onset of russia’s full-scale invasion. Recently, she completed the Sound Lab course, a program blending traditional Ukrainian music with art therapy. Drawing from that experience, Liza formed an ensemble composed of teenage girls.
Liza also co-launched an educational project alongside two members of the folk artists Shchuka Ryba. The initiative offers lectures on traditional Ukrainian singing, music, and dance, available to organizations or groups upon request.
Journalists can arrange interviews with Liza in Kyiv by prior appointment.
For reference: The Sound Lab course was organized by the Voices of Children charity foundation for teenagers affected by the war. Over several months, 15 participants from various regions, each with unique experiences of the war, learned traditional and electronic music from Shchuka Ryba band and DJ Chocollab. With support from a foundation psychologist, the teens used music to process their trauma and emotions caused by the war.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On October 1, Kyiv will hold the annual “Surma” Military Music Festival, a cultural initiative started by the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in WW2 in 2023 under the recently restored Motherland monument, now featuring the Ukrainian Trident on its shield.
This year’s theme, “Song as a Weapon,” highlights the role of Ukrainian songs tied to the nation’s historic and ongoing fight for independence throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Solo performers and bands will gather under the towering monument to inspire unity among Ukrainians through music.
Due to security concerns, attendance at the festival will be restricted. However, with the help of media partner Suspilne Kultura, audiences will be able to watch the performances via broadcast.
Journalists are encouraged to attend and provide coverage of the event.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Vitalii Shepel is a biochemist by profession. Before the full-scale war, he served in the Chemical Service of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and later in the State Emergency Service. After retiring, he worked in the Ternopil municipality, where he and his colleague Roman Repko helped young entrepreneurs secure grants.
With the start of the full-scale invasion, Vitaliy joined the defense forces, but within a few months he was forced to return to civilian life. At first he was unsure what to do, but his colleague Roman stepped in and they decided to start their own business together.
The idea for freeze-dried treats came from children who needed something tasty and healthy. This led Vitaliy and Roman to create the TM Tobi snack brand. Their children were the first to try the freeze-dried fruit and soon Vitaliy sent a batch of snacks to his comrades on the front line. Everyone loved them. Now Vitalii and Roman are working to export their products abroad. They are also reviving Roman’s snail farm and plan to produce freeze-dried snail meat.
Vitalii Shepel and Roman Repko live in Ternopil. They are open to communication with journalists, both online and offline, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On 29 September, the Hurkit Charity Fund will unite the cycling community to raise funds for the needs of the Kyiv region’s air defense forces at ##BikeAirDefense: Girls’ Bike Parade & True Trail.
The 11th Girls’ Bike Parade is a lively and leisurely bike ride aimed at supporting female cyclists and promoting safe, comfortable and enjoyable urban cycling. According to statistics, women make up no more than 15% of cyclists in Kyiv. The parade promotes the CycleChic street fashion style, which re-imagines the bicycle as an effective and practical mode of transport. The participants of the Girls’ Bike Parade show that cycling is possible on any occasion and in different outfits.
True Trail by Kyivska Sotka is an amateur cross-country cycling race for participants of all ages and fitness levels.
True Trail offers two entry formats: Competitive and Open. The Competitive format has two distances — 10 km and 20 km — with winners in different age categories. In the Open format, there will be no winners and losers, and men, women and children aged 12 and over will be able to participate.
Both events will raise funds for the air defense units of the Kyiv region.
Journalists are welcome to find out more about and cover these events.
Background: The Hurkit Charity Fund regularly supplies air defense units with pickups, turrets, spotlights, thermal imagers, tablets, charging stations — everything soldiers need to protect Ukrainian cities from enemy drones and missiles.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On 26-27 September, Kyiv will host the forum “All Children Are Ours — Shared Responsibility for the Future of the Country”.
The main topics of the panel discussions at the event will be:
• The current state of implementation of the reform of the system of care and support for children;
• Inter-agency cooperation for early identification of families at risk and effective collaboration between sector stakeholders to support them;
• Rehabilitation and reintegration of veterans into their families and civilian social roles after military service.
The Forum will also see the opening of a support center for families with children in Boyarka on 27 September.
Journalists are invited to find out more about the full programme of the event. Accreditation is required to attend.
Background: The event is organized by the Human Rights Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada and the Charity Foundation “SOS Children’s Villages“ Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A support center for military families, the “Hub for Families of Ukraine’s Defenders”, has opened in the Kyiv oblast. This space is designed to help military families facing emotional challenges, stress and difficulties caused by the war.
The center provides various forms of support and recreation for military families, including:
- Psychological counseling — individual and group sessions with experienced psychologists to help overcome emotional experiences related to war stress.
- Training and workshops — regular training sessions on topics related to psychological resilience, family relationships, children’s adjustment and other relevant issues.
- Art therapy — sessions of creative activities (drawing, modeling, music, etc.) to help reduce stress, restore inner harmony and find new ways of self-expression.
- Creative classes for children — special programmes for the youngest members of families to help them adapt to new realities and find support among their peers.
- Social integration – events that encourage social interaction and bring families together in an atmosphere of mutual support.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
To help children and their parents cope with the psychological effects of the war, mobile teams of psychologists from the Voices of Children charity foundation travel to villages and small towns where there are no specialists, relevant institutions or reliable public transport. They organize individual and group psychological and psychosocial support for children and parents affected by the war (IDPs with destroyed homes and other losses).
By prior arrangement, journalists can cover the group sessions and talk to the participants (children and their parents).
Coverage can focus on the work of the mobile psychological teams in the Kyiv region (on 30 September at the modular town for temporarily displaced persons in the village of Liubymivka), as well as in the Mykolaiv and Lviv oblasts.
Background: Since the start of the full-scale invasion, 102,000 children and parents have received various types of support. In Ukraine, the Voices of Children Foundation currently operates 13 centers and an online helpline providing free psychological support. Over 200 psychologists and psychotherapists are working to preserve the childhoods and smiles of Ukrainian children.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Anna Hin is a journalist and writer from Kharkiv. Lately she has been creating unique jewelry from Kharkiv flowers and tiny fragments of rockets and bombs.
Anna became the creator of the “Flowers from the Unbreakable” initiative by chance. This spring, she once again brought foreign journalists to North Saltivka (the district of Kharkiv that suffered the most during the full-scale russian invasion). Despite the destroyed buildings around her, the sounds of sirens and explosions, she could not take her eyes off the incredible beauty of the poppies growing there. In the evening, despite the danger, Anna returned to pick the flowers and later decided that such beauty should be preserved. She found information online about working with epoxy resin and soon began collecting other flowers from the frontline town. First she made them into coasters, then into jewelry.
One day, while walking her dog near the Epicentre construction hypermarket destroyed by the occupiers, Anna picked up small fragments of enemy rockets to prevent her dog from injuring its paws. She filled two bags with fragments and decided to incorporate them into her floral creations.
Anna has already held seven charity auctions of her jewelry, with all proceeds going to support a hospital.
Journalists can talk to Anna Gin in Kharkiv or online.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On October 1, Ukraine’s Defenders Day, there will be a screening and discussion of the documentary film “War Note” by director Roman Liubyi.
The film is composed entirely of personal footage from Ukrainian soldiers’ phones and GoPro cameras beginning in 2014, giving viewers a firsthand look at war through the eyes of the defenders themselves.
The film takes viewers on a surreal journey to the front lines of the war with russia, a bizarre world whose laws are quite different from what we are used to. The heroes wake up and fall asleep, rejoice and cry, always feeling that the recording may end at any moment.
The film features contributions from 18 co-authors who provided their videos. Some of the defenders seen on the screen are no longer with us. During the screening, the audience will see and remember the poet Maksym Kryvtsov reading his poem in front of a gunport, and see the footage of a walk through the destroyed village of Pisky filmed by Taras Matviyiv – Ukrainian journalist, public figure and Hero of Ukraine.
Background: The world premiere of “War Note” took place at the Docudays UA festival in 2020, where it won the audience award and two special prizes. This film was the feature debut of director Roman Liubyi. In 2023, he released “Iron Butterflies”, a film about the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, a war crime committed by russian military in 2014.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Iron Women is a no-cost retraining program aimed at equipping women with the skills to become excavator operators and front-end loader drivers.
The program includes both theoretical and hands-on training, concluding with professional certification for Level 5 excavator operators and Level 4 front-end loader drivers. These qualifications permit employment at enterprises but do not authorize operation on public roads.
Participation is free of charge, with tuition, accommodation, and meals funded by the Reskilling Ukraine initiative.
The pilot group will consist of 12 women.
Enrollment is still open. The distance learning segment starts in October, followed by practical training sessions in the Kyiv region in November.
Journalists interested in covering the program are encouraged to arrange visits in advance.
Background: The initiative is organized by the Swedish non-profit Beredskapslyftet in partnership with Volvo Construction Equipment and ETS Group, as part of the Reskilling Ukraine project.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Murashky charity organization officially launched in Kyiv in September 2022, but its story began much earlier. A group of dedicated volunteers came together to support the Armed Forces immediately after russia’s full-scale invasion. Just two weeks later, the newly formed team, dubbed “Murashky” (Little Ants), delivered its first batch of biscuits and dried meat to the front lines. By spring, they had acquired the necessary equipment and established their first production facility.
Today, the team produces and delivers over 30,000 servings of food each month to Ukrainian soldiers. Since its inception, Murashky has produced over 4,000 liters of anti-cold mixtures, more than 230,000 servings of biscuits, and over 360,000 servings of dry meals.
The organization’s workforce consists of 15 to 25 volunteers who dedicate their time daily, often joined by international supporters who pitch in to help the cause.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The event, organized by the Inspiration family Foundation for supporting adult cancer patients, aims to raise UAH 2.5 million to provide essential medications for breast cancer patients that are not covered by the national healthcare system.
Beyond fundraising, the race seeks to highlight the importance of early detection and bring attention to the challenges faced by those confronting this diagnosis on their own. Supporters can join the race for a fee of 20 euros or contribute through online donations.
For reference: Breast cancer is the most prevalent form of cancer among women. In Ukraine, around 14,000 women and 114 men are diagnosed with the disease each year. According to the Inspiration family Foundation, one in four women diagnosed with breast cancer in the country requires costly treatments that are not subsidized by the state.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Social Drone UA is a community of volunteers assembling FPV drones for the military. Anyone can join the Social Drone initiative to build drones. All you have to do is buy the parts yourself and follow the instructions on the website to assemble them properly. Currently, the initiative unites 1617 participants who have assembled at least 1 drone, 70 members of the test team, and many others.
Each assembled drone undergoes a thorough flight test. This helps identify factory defects in components, assembly errors, soldering issues, and more. Up to 2,500 drones are tested each month, and since the initiative began, volunteers have delivered 14,732 drones to the military.
Journalists have an opportunity to cover the initiative in Kyiv.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
10 years ago, Hanna lived and worked in Horlivka, Donetsk region. She was the head of a first-aid post in a mine. After the occupation of Horlivka by the Russians in 2014, she could not live under the enemy flag and moved with her family to Toretsk (Donetsk region), where she started her own business. The Horbachov family opened a shop serving pancakes and coffee, and soon began baking bread. The locals liked the bakery, and in 2022 the family opened another place, this time in Siverskodonetsk, Luhansk region. Hanna managed to bake bread there only once. When the full-scale war began, enemy shells destroyed the bakery. The one in Toretsk lasted longer, but it was also destroyed by the enemy.
The Horbachovs then had to move again, this time to Dnipro. In the new location, Hanna has been able to rebuild the family business from the ground up. Many of the bakery’s customers are from Toretsk: they were also forced to evacuate. Today, the Horbachov bakery employs internally displaced people, including those from Toretsk and Mariupol.
You can meet the Horbachov family in Dnipro. Hanna Horbachova is available for interviews with journalists, both online and offline.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
For three months, the OZON monitoring group of the Center for Civil Liberties together with UAnimals inspected shelters in various Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv. And now they are ready to present the results. To do this, they are organizing an event called “Accessible Shelter — Life Safety!”
On October 2 in Kyiv, attendees will see not only the presentation of the shelter inspection results, but also a performance that will vividly demonstrate how simple actions — like opening a door or marking the way to a shelter — can save lives.
Prior accreditation is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
At 8:45 a.m. on October 1, the National Police of Ukraine will stop traffic on Maidan Nezalezhnosti to observe a nationwide minute of silence. The charity initiative “Vshanui” calls for personalization of the event. To this end, participants are invited to bring to the Maidan a photo of a fallen hero who fought on the front lines for Ukraine’s independence.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Four years ago, Valerii received a German shepherd as a gift and decided to teach it basic commands. He was good at working with the dog, so when he was offered a place in the Ukrainian Armed Forces Dog Training Service, Valerii did not hesitate. Just before he started to collect the necessary documents, he bought another dog, Odin. He signed the contract with Odin at his side. Valerii and his four-legged companion underwent five months of training, during which the dog was trained to detect explosives. Soon after, Odin received a special certificate allowing him to serve in the military.
In addition to his service, Valerii manages his social media, posting videos of dog training and promoting Ukrainian cynology. His videos on TikTok have received millions of views. Valerii is also involved in volunteer work, raising funds for food and medicine for other animals.
Valerii lives in Western Ukraine. He is ready to talk with journalists, both online and offline.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
As the war continues, thousands of Ukrainians are experiencing deep stress, anxiety, and trauma. To help address these challenges, as part of the Ministry of Social Policy’s project and First Lady Olena Zelenska’s “How Are You?” initiative, the charitable foundation “Save Ukraine” will open the first Resilience Center for IDPs from the Donetsk oblast and Kyiv residents on October 3.
Resilience Centers are an innovative model of social services designed to help Ukrainians overcome stress, recover from crisis events, and stay engaged in life. The centers provide counseling on social issues, training in psychological first aid and emotional recovery, mental health assessment, and more.
Speakers:
- Oksana Zholnovych, Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine;
- Vadym Filashkin, Head of the Donetsk Oblast Military Administration;
- Vasyl Mitko, Head of Nikolske Village Council, Mariupol District;
- Oleksii Fedchenko, Head of the “Save Ukraine” Charitable Foundation;
- Natalia Vorobiova, Head of Mariupol District State Administration;
- Olena Tokareva, Director of the Social Protection Department of the Donetsk Oblast State Administration.
Prior accreditation is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oleksandr Pivniev enlisted in the military at the age of 19. Before joining the Ukrainian Armed Forces, he studied at the Ivan Kozhedub Kharkiv University of Air Force but left before graduation to serve with the 203rd Training Aviation Brigade in Chuhuiv, Kharkiv region. Later, he transferred to the 53rd Separate Mechanized Brigade. In 2016, while stationed near Toretsk, he came under a mortar attack and sustained life-threatening injuries. Oleksandr survived four cardiac arrests, a shattered left leg, and the amputation of his right leg.
What followed was a two-year journey of rehabilitation and prosthetic fitting in the United States.
Yet, in 2018, Oleksandr made the remarkable decision to return to active duty. At the onset of russia’s full-scale invasion, he took command of the anti-aircraft artillery unit of the 126th Separate Territorial Defense Brigade in Odesa. He attributes his comeback to his desire to reunite with his comrades. Sports, especially adaptive training under the “Games of Heroes” program and competing in various athletic events, played a crucial role in his recovery. Today, Oleksandr remains active in both sports and military service.
Currently, Oleksandr Pivniev is abroad and available for online interviews. In November 2024, he plans to be in Lviv or Kharkiv and will be open to in-person meetings with journalists.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Heorhii and Olha Chervienkov established a cannery in Posad-Pokrovske, Kherson region, nine years ago. Prior to russia’s full-scale invasion, the facility was producing over 100 tons of goods monthly. But in 2022, as russian forces occupied the Kherson region and fierce fighting turned the area into a frontline, the factory and much of the village were decimated.
The Chervienkovs discovered the extent of the damage only after the area was liberated and they returned home. Undeterred, the couple immediately began rebuilding, and just six months after the de-occupation, they succeeded in getting their first production line back up and running. Initially, operations relied entirely on generators, and labor shortages posed a serious challenge, as many of their former employees had either joined the military or left the community.
Today, Heorhii and Olha Chervienkov are working to restore the plant to its pre-war capacity. They’ve taken innovative steps to overcome staffing gaps, including training local women to take on traditionally male gender roles in the production process.
For reference: November 11, 2024, will mark two years since Ukraine retook the city of Kherson from occupying russian forces.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Veteranka movement has launched a new chatbot, the Recruitment Guide Bot, designed to support women looking to enlist in the Ukrainian Defense Forces. This innovative tool offers step-by-step guidance for those seeking to join specific military units, addressing critical topics such as the distinctions between mobilization and contract service, and detailing the training process at military training centers.
A standout feature of the chatbot is that it was developed by women for women, providing tailored information on preparation for military service. Users can access resources covering the fundamentals of tactical medicine, a directory of platforms for locating military vacancies, and answers to legal inquiries. Additionally, the chatbot offers insights into women’s health considerations in combat zones, along with checklists for essential hygiene products and medications.
Veteranka highlights that the chatbot includes recommendations from seasoned female defenders, covering crucial aspects of initial and ongoing military service. It also offers guidance on how to respond to incidents of sexual harassment or violence.
Notably, interest in military service among women in Ukraine has surged, with women now representing approximately 20% of all applications to recruitment centers.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On October 4, the media representatives are invited to the opening of “Memory of the Theater,” a new exhibition that merges theatrical artifacts with modern sculpture, as part of Lviv Sculpture Week 2024. This collaborative project, presented by the Maria Zankovetska Theater and Ya Gallery Art Center, is curated by Pavlo Gudimov and will be open to the public from October 5 through December 1, 2024.
The exhibition will transform the theater’s opulent space into an immersive installation featuring items tied to the theater’s history, alongside contemporary sculptures by renowned artists such as Mykola Malyshko, Olexa Furdiyak, Volodymyr Semkiv, Denys Shymanskyi, Ivan Samotos, Oleksii Abramov, Volodymyr Loboda, Vasyl Hrynevych, Rostyslav Karpukhin, Olha Bezpalkiv, Olena Blank, Vasyl Zvizhanskiy, Oleksii Konoshenko, Hanna Druhl, Yaroslav Motyka, Mariana Motyka, Oleksii Zolotariov, Ihor Kovalevych, and others.
The centerpiece of the exhibition includes a variety of items linked to the theater’s legacy and backstage life, many of which have never been showcased publicly before. These artifacts range from dressing room cabinets, stage models, and vintage wigs to unique objects like counterweights used for moving scenery and old containers for storing props—pieces typically hidden away in dressing rooms, storage areas, and even the theater’s museum collection.
Event speakers:
- Maksym Kozytskyi, Head of Lviv Oblast Military Administration;
- Andriy Sadovyi, Mayor of Lviv;
- Pavlo Gudimov, Curator of the Exhibition and Lviv Sculpture Week;
- Maksym Holenko, General Director and Artistic Director of the Maria Zankovetska National Theater.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Olena Steblina, a displaced person from russian-occupied Mariupol, served in the Ukrainian Armed Forces for nine years before stepping down just prior to the onset of the all-out invasion. When war erupted, her husband, also in the military, stayed behind to defend the besieged city, while sending Olena and their children to safety in Cherkasy.
Even during the height of the pandemic, Olena pursued online training and began planning to open her own business. She made the difficult decision to evacuate, taking with her not only her family but also supplies for a future confectionery venture.
After her husband was captured by russian forces in Mariupol, Olena remained resilient. Defying the odds, she managed to launch her dream confectionery shop in Cherkasy. Today, as she and her two daughters navigate life in their new surroundings, her greatest wish is for her husband’s safe return from captivity.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Serhii Kolesnichenko, a 40-year-old history teacher from Kropyvnytskyi, chose a path few would have expected. After graduating from the local Pedagogical University, he spent years teaching history at a secondary school. Up until russia’s full-scale invasion, he had no connection to military service. But when war broke out, Serhii felt compelled to act. He completed his last semester, set aside his textbooks, and enlisted in Ukraine’s Defense Forces just before the summer break. Following his training, Serhii joined the 128th Separate Mountain Assault Transcarpathian Brigade, where he took on the role of an infantry fighting vehicle driver. His assignment placed him at the forefront of ground operations during intense assaults.
However, family obligations soon interrupted his service. Serhii left the military to care for his disabled mother and returned to teaching. Yet after her passing, he made the difficult decision to rejoin his unit, driven by a sense of duty and solidarity with his fellow soldiers on the most active frontlines.
Today, Serhii Kolesnichenko is back in uniform and serving on the front lines once more. Despite the demands of his current role, he remains open to sharing his story and is available for interviews with journalists by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before facing the brunt of russia’s invasion, The Jin Roh Circus Studio & Entertainment has been running in Kherson for 15 years. The war caught its members in their hometown. In the chaos, they sought basic necessities like food and medicine, often taking refuge in makeshift shelters. Remarkably, one of the studio’s halls transformed into a bomb shelter, providing safety to around 40 individuals during the tumultuous early weeks. As russian forces tightened their grip on Kherson, civilians faced escalating repression, prompting many, including Jin Roh’s students, to flee. Even the studio’s founder and director, Roman Vashchenko, was compelled to leave to evade capture.
Since the city’s liberation in November 2022, Vashchenko has returned, dedicating himself to rebuilding the studio’s activities. However, the journey back to normalcy is fraught with challenges. Once bustling with 300 students, Jin Roh now sees a fraction of that number attending classes to 2-8, with safety concerns looming large amidst continued shelling by occupying forces.
For reference: Kherson fell under russian occupation at the onset of the full-scale invasion on March 1, 2022. It wasn’t until November 11, 2022, that the Ukrainian Armed Forces liberated the city from russian control. Despite this liberation, the occupiers persist in regularly shelling the city.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Iryna and Viktor, from Kryvyi Rih, met at paramedic courses after the start of the full-scale invasion. The couple has not been apart since.
Together, Viktor and Iryna began evacuating wounded soldiers and civilians from the front lines. For two years, the volunteers traveled from one hotspot to another. Viktor proposed to Iryna during shelling in Avdiivka, when the city was still under Ukrainian control.
Last year, the Mironovs founded the Ukrainian Brotherhood NGO, which raises money for vehicles, drones, and electronic warfare systems for the military. When the couple is in Kryvyi Rih, they assist rescuers at the sites of enemy attacks, helping to clear debris and pull people from the ruins. They say their real day off will come after victory.
Iryna and Viktor Mironov are in Kryvyi Rih. The volunteers are ready to talk to journalists, both online and offline.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Folklorist Yaryna Sizyk, animation director Mariia Ozirna, and the Kherson Art Museum named after Oleksii Shovkunenko have launched a project dedicated to the paintings stolen by russians during the occupation of the city. According to the estimates of the museum staff, the occupiers stole about ten thousand works of art.
The goal of the project is to try to recreate what was taken by the russians. So far, the team has “reproduced” Mykhailo Bryansky’s (1830-1908) painting “Portrait of a Girl in an Embroidered Dress.” The painting wasn’t just repainted, it was modernized and animated. Ukrainian model and singer Dariia Astafieva helped bring it to life as the artists transformed her into the girl in the embroidered dress from the stolen canvas. For the animation, the team used a shirt embroidered during the occupation by Inna Mykutska, a Kherson guide.
They also recreated the oil painting by Serhii Vasylkivsky (1854-1917) “Cossacks in the Steppe.” Ukrainian soldiers Roman “Dobryak” Kolesnyk and Stanislav “Ref” Zorii took part in the reproduction of this painting. Yaryna and Mariia added the Ukrainian folk song “Oh, There Beyond the Seas…” performed by the band Shchuka-Ryba to this animation.
The founders of the project are now preparing the next restorations and are in talks with Ukrainian influencers.
Yaryna Sizyk and Mariia Ozirna are available for interviews with journalists in Kyiv.
For reference: The russians occupied Kherson at the beginning of the full-scale invasion (March 1, 2022). Ukrainian forces liberated the city from russian troops on November 11, 2022. The occupiers continue to shell the city on a regular basis.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In Mariupol, Tetiana worked in the banking sector. Before the full-scale invasion, she bought an apartment in the city and was preparing to renovate it. However, on February 24, 2022, all her plans were shattered by the russians. After spending several days in a basement, Tetiana decided to evacuate. Together with her daughter and sister, she first reached Zaporizhia, then Dnipro, and from there she went to Western Ukraine.
In the new place Tetiana decided to start her own business and open a coffee shop. First she opened a place called DUSHA in Ivano-Frankivsk, and later she managed to open another one. For the first six months, Tetiana worked alone, and then she started hiring people. The first cafe employed displaced people, and in the second, Tetiana opened jobs for locals as well. She dreams of returning to Mariupol, but until then she wants to create places where former Mariupol residents can feel at home.
Tetiana Vasylieva is temporarily out of the country. You can chat with the cafe owner online. In November Tatiana will return to Ivano-Frankivsk and will be ready to talk to journalists offline by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Over 130 people will participate in the Congress, including active women from Donetsk region, representatives of the Government and Parliament of Ukraine, regional and local authorities of Donetsk region, the security and defense sector, Ukrainian and international politicians, business and donor organizations, media. Thousands will join the event via a live stream on Facebook.
The goals of the Second Congress of Women of Donetsk region are
- To draw attention to the situation of women in the region and the impact of the war (forced displacement, traumatic experiences, damage inflicted, increasing violence against women);
- To highlight the key role of active women in overcoming the humanitarian crisis in the region and to develop a strategy to increase their participation in the post-war recovery and reconstruction processes in Ukraine.
Organizers: SMARTA NGO and Donetsk Regional State Administration with the support of UN Women in Ukraine.
For reference: On October 4-5, 2021, Kramatorsk hosted the First Congress of Women of Donetsk Region on the theme “Towards Gender Equality in the Context of Ukraine’s International Commitments”. The event brought together more than 150 offline participants. About 3000 people watched the event stream.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On October 5 and 6 the premiere of the play “Among Three” based on the work of the Kherson writer Alona Movchan and directed by Nadia Ageeva-Shved will take place on the chamber stage of the National Operetta of Ukraine. This is a joint project of the National Operetta of Ukraine and the Kherson Regional Academic Theater named after Mykola Kulish. The play “Among Three” tells the story of the peaceful Kherson that everyone misses, about small problems that seem global but are easily solved, about relationships, humor and love that can save the world.
Background: Kherson was occupied by russians at the beginning of the full-scale invasion (March 1, 2022). Ukrainian forces liberated the city from russian troops on November 11, 2022. The occupiers continue to shell the city on a regular basis.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Olha Hrabovska combines her work as a strategic communications manager for an international organization with volunteering. When Olha learned about the urgent need for drones on the front lines, she decided that she should try to make at least one. Olha even involved her family – her father and sister – in assembling the “kakanchyky drones”, as she affectionately calls them because they remind her of cockatoo birds.
Olha raised money for the parts online, ordered the components, and picked up a soldering iron. She built her first drone following a video tutorial and under the close supervision of her father, who eventually took over most of the soldering. Since then, Olha and her family have managed to send 80 drones, or five “flocks” as she calls them, to the front lines.
Olha Hrabovska is based in Kyiv. She is available to speak with journalists both online and offline by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
For the past six years, Anton Tenyck has run a farm in the Kherson region of southern Ukraine. After the Ukrainian Armed Forces liberated the right bank of the Kherson region, the farmers decided to return to work. However, this proved to be difficult as most of the fields were mined. In order to continue their work, the farmers had to use hand-held mine detectors themselves. Together with the military, deminers and rescuers, Anton is clearing his territory of dangerous objects left behind by the occupiers. In one year of work, the farmer managed to demine more than 20 percent of his land.
In addition, Anton tries to employ everyone who returns to the liberated regions of Kherson Oblast.
For reference: November 11, 2024 will be the second anniversary of the liberation of Kherson from the occupiers.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Dmytro Bereziuk has been making musical instruments for over 10 years. During this time he has mastered the creation of 15 different types of instruments – flutes, bagpipes, lyres, violins, “vykrutka” pipes, and many others. At first Dmytro was interested only in foreign medieval instruments, but later he turned his attention to Ukrainian history.
The craftsman focused on studying traditional musical instruments from his native Volyn. Dmytro personally sources the materials for his instruments, searching for the necessary wood and working it himself.
Dmytro has become well known among connoisseurs of ethnic instruments. Musicians often approach him with requests to build various ancient instruments.
Dmytro Bereziuk is based in Lutsk and can be contacted for online or offline meetings by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Anna Pavlus, a professional fashion designer who has relied on a wheelchair since 2016 due to a ladder accident, has transformed her life and career through resilience and creativity. Initially unable to work for six months after her injury, Anna eventually rediscovered her passion for sewing. She dedicated herself to crafting comfortable clothing specifically for individuals with disabilities, particularly those who use wheelchairs.
However, the onset of the full-scale invasion shifted her focus. Anna pivoted her efforts to produce load bearing vests and plate carriers for the military while maintaining her vision of creating adaptive clothing. Determined to establish her own workshop, she applied for a grant and, in 2023, successfully launched an atelier specializing in dresses and coats tailored for wheelchair users.
Now based in Bila Tserkva, Anna is working to expand her workshop, with plans to open showrooms across Ukraine in the future. Interested clients can connect with her online or in person by appointment.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the full-scale invasion, Inna Yakovenko ran a successful business selling windows and doors, operating out of two trade pavilions in the village of Novovorontsovka, Kherson region. When war broke out, her village was the only one in the Novovorontsovka community that remained unoccupied, but it endured relentless shelling from russian forces for seven straight months. Throughout August 2022, Inna took refuge in her basement, sheltering from near-constant bombardments that eventually wrecked her business.
After Ukrainian forces liberated the region, Inna decided to shift her focus from retail to reconstruction. Determined to help her community recover, she began producing granite blocks to support the rebuilding of homes in her war-torn village.
For reference: November 11, 2024, will mark the two-year anniversary of Kherson’s liberation from russian occupation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On October 13, Kyiv will host a gathering of veterans enrolled in the Veteran’s Hut program, an initiative aimed at preparing veterans and their families to serve as professional psychologists for other service members. The event will feature a tango therapy session and include the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation between the Kyiv Region Security Police and the Veteran’s Hut NGO, solidifying joint efforts in educational, cultural, and social projects.
The event will bring together veterans from the program’s inaugural cohort, currently pursuing master’s degrees in psychology, along with new participants set to begin their training at the end of October. Leading the tango therapy session will be Yurii Kadyrov, who specializes in using dance as a rehabilitation tool to support the physical and emotional recovery of combatants and their families.
For context: The Veteran’s Hut project launched in spring 2024, offering psychological rehabilitation and university preparation for veterans. Designed by Psy.D. Oleksandr Tkachenko, a veteran of the russia-Ukraine war, the program aims to train veterans to work effectively with their peers. The first cohort comprised 20 participants, most of whom are now enrolled in the psychology program at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.
Yurii Kadyrov, a Kyiv native, previously lived and ran a business in Crimea before the 2014 russian occupation forced him to abandon his home and livelihood on the peninsula. Today, he uses his experience and training to aid other veterans in their recovery journey.
The event is organized by the Kyiv Region Security Police.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Kyiv Unbroken Marathon will return to the capital on October 12-13, with ambitious plans to raise UAH 10 million for charitable causes. Since its inception in 2010, the marathon has centered on philanthropy, and this year, proceeds will benefit the Ukrainian army and various charitable initiatives.
The event will see participation from soldiers who are recovering from injuries, including Invictus Games champion Volodymyr Tovkis and marines Rostyslav Prystupa and Dmytro Tereshchenko, among others.
Participants can choose from multiple race distances, including 42 km, 21 km, 10 km, 5 km, and a 1.6 km option, with children’s races also scheduled.
Although the race’s founder, Dmytro Chernitskyi, and project manager, Ivan Tretyakov, have been mobilized into the Defense Forces, the organizational team is committed to ensuring the event’s success.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Inna Korolenko mobilized with the Defense Forces at the beginning of the full-scale invasion. In the first two weeks of the great war, Inna lost her friends on the front line, so she joined the army to save the lives of other soldiers. Inna serves as a combat medic in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, organizing the evacuation of the wounded and dead from the battlefield. She has served in Vovchansk, Bakhmut, Soledar, and Marinka.
Last year, she suffered a shrapnel wound to the neck and a contusion.
During one of her rotations, Inna’s comrades suggested she apply for the Invictus Games. A friend collected her documents while Inna was still on duty. When the selection process began, Inna was in hospital recovering from a difficult rotation. But that did not stop her from competing in the qualifying events, and later it was sport that helped her find an environment where she was understood and supported.
Inna Korolenko will represent Ukraine at the Invictus Games in Canada in February 2025, competing in skeleton, alpine skiing and swimming.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Mykhailo Puryshev is an entrepreneur from Mariupol. At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Mykhailo delivered humanitarian aid to blockaded Mariupol and evacuated Mariupol residents from the city blockaded by the russians. After the de-occupation of the Kharkiv oblast, Mykhailo was one of the first volunteers to bring humanitarian aid to Izium, Kupiansk and Kivsharivka.
After months of providing assistance in the hot spots, Mykhailo and his team decided that the support should be comprehensive: people living under constant shelling, in dark basements, without communication, medical care and shops, without electricity and water, need a place where they can get all the essentials. During the big war, Mykhailo’s team managed to create many Points of Invincibility from Bakhmut and Kupiansk to Kherson. The first three points were set up in Bakhmut, before the city was razed to the ground and occupied by the russians. Points were then established in Orikhiv, Huliaipole, Kherson, Avdiivka and Vuhledar. Later, additional points were established in Kurakhove, Kostiantynivka, and Pokrovsk. At these Points of Invincibility, civilians and soldiers can see electric light for the first time in months, eat a hot meal, receive humanitarian and medical aid, wash their clothes and take a shower. They can also watch Ukrainian television instead of russian radio in the basements. Thanks to Starlink, they can connect to the Internet and call their families. For the military, seamstresses are also on hand to help soldiers keep their uniforms in good condition. In some places, the volunteer team has even drilled wells to provide access to water for local residents.
The team plans to set up these laundry stations along the entire front line so that defenders don’t have to worry about finding a place to wash their clothes and can rest while volunteers take care of them.
Journalists are welcome to speak with Mykhailo and his Invincible team, both online and offline, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Journalists from Realna Gazeta, with the support of the Open Information Partnership, conducted an investigation into the activities of the russian organization “Movement of the First”, which operates in the occupied territories and raises Ukrainian children to be “patriots” of russia. The investigation reveals the forms and methods used by the occupiers, identifies key figures in the organization and uncovers its aims and objectives.
Participants:
– Oleksandr Bielokobylskyi, journalist, author of the research, editor-in-chief of the website Farvater.Skhid;
– Andrii Dikhtiarenko, editor-in-chief and founder of Realna Gazeta;
– Oleksii Artiukh, journalist, editor-in-chief of the Trybuna website;
– Anastasiia Stepula, Advocacy Consultant, Ukrainian Network for Children’s Rights;
Background:
The “Movement of the First” has been closely associated with russian aggression against Ukraine since its inception. The proposal to create this new form of pioneer organization in 2022 was voiced at a meeting with russian dictator vladimir putin by a schoolgirl from occupied Sevastopol who was born in Luhansk.
This organization is not a public body; its full name is the All-russian Public-State Movement of Children and Youth “Movement of the First”. The state component includes government funding of tens of billions of rubles annually, the appointment of the chairman by president vladimir putin himself, and the involvement of local administrations in each federal subject and in the temporarily occupied territories of the Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia, Kherson oblasts and the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
French journalist and blogger Sébastien Gobert, who has been living in Ukraine for years, has been a steadfast supporter of the Ukrainian Armed Forces since the start of russia’s all-out invasion. Recently, he discovered that Jonathan Delport, a former French soldier, is now serving with the Ukrainian military. During a mission, Delport was seriously wounded and almost died due to delays in evacuation caused by a lack of vehicles.
Motivated to make a difference, Gobert decided to take action by launching a charity bike ride from Lviv to Brussels. Over 25 days, he cycled through five countries, covering 2,000 kilometers, and raised 320,000 hryvnias to purchase a pickup truck for Delport’s unit.
Gobert plans to return to Ukraine soon. He is available for online conversations or in-person meetings in Lviv after his arrival.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Biologist Yurii Benhus and his wife are on a mission to restore Kharkiv’s Zhuravlivka neighborhood forest, which was severely damaged by a russian attack. The forest, 70% of which was destroyed by fire, is slowly being revived as the couple plant acorns that will eventually grow into oak trees.
The fire erupted on September 16, consuming around four hectares. Just a day later, while emergency crews were still on the scene, the area was hit again—this time by a russian guided aerial bomb, injuring four firefighters.
Undeterred by the threat of further shelling, Yurii and his wife return to the forest several times each week, steadfastly working to bring new life to the charred landscape.
The couple, based in Kharkiv, is open to sharing their story both online and in person by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The volunteer organization Helping to Leave has successfully evacuated more than 45,000 Ukrainians from occupied regions and russian territory. Currently, the initiative boasts over 200 dedicated volunteers who assist Ukrainians living under occupation or those who have been deported to russia in their return to government-controlled areas.
Most individuals under occupation discover the opportunity to leave through word of mouth, with preparations for each evacuation often taking several months. This timeline is contingent upon the documents that evacuees possess, the situation at the front lines, and the chosen route. Volunteers frequently encounter individuals with expired or completely lost documents.
Following the shutdown of the humanitarian border in the Sumy region, requests for assistance surged, prompting Helping to Leave to operate around the clock to aid those in need. Journalists may cover the work of Helping to Leave’s volunteers by prior arrangement.
For context: The humanitarian corridor at the Kolotilovka-Pokrovka checkpoint on the border area of russian belgorod oblast and Ukraine’s Sumy Oblast was temporarily closed in early August. This checkpoint was the only functioning route between Ukraine and russia, utilized by those escaping occupied territories. The closure was attributed to an escalation of hostilities in the area.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Olha Liulina, originally from Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast, is a remarkable figure who has turned her tragedy into a culinary tribute. For 15 years, she owned a thriving pizzeria in her hometown. However, as the full-scale invasion and russian offensive intensified in Bakhmut, Olha resisted evacuation, holding onto hope that her city would endure. Ultimately, the conflict forced her to abandon both her home and her business.
Resilient and determined, Olha decided to rebuild her life from scratch in Chernihiv. She initially opened a street food stall in the central market, and shortly thereafter launched her own restaurant, where she serves a variety of dishes, including pancakes and shawarma. Among her offerings is a unique specialty called Holabakh, a heartfelt homage to her beloved hometown. The name cleverly combines the Spanish greeting “Hola” with the first letters of Bakhmut, resulting in “Hello, Bakhmut!”
Holabakh resembles a cheburek but is crafted from a distinct recipe. Olha finds joy in serving this dish, as it evokes memories of her eastern Ukrainian roots for her guests.
For reference: The battle for Bakhmut began in August 2022, although the city had faced relentless shelling from russian forces since the previous spring. By May 2023, russian troops had captured most of Bakhmut, leaving the city in ruins due to ongoing bombardment.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the full-blown war, Olena and Valentyn Bielozorenko dedicated 11 years to developing their eco-farm in Stanislav, Kherson Oblast. The couple cared for 30 goats, 11 dogs, and 10 cats, producing cheese and offering educational excursions for both children and adults. However, when the war erupted, their farm fell under enemy occupation.
For eight and a half months, the Bielozorenkos found themselves surrounded, relying on food exchanges with neighbors to survive. After Ukraine’s Armed Forces liberated their village, they continued to endure for another year in the reclaimed territory, facing persistent shelling. The farm suffered damage from enemy strikes, resulting in the loss of one animal, the destruction of feed supplies, and Valentyn sustaining a concussion.
In October 2023, the couple made the difficult decision to evacuate. They found refuge in the Kyiv region, where they were welcomed by displaced individuals from Donetsk, who generously provided them with a farm and a house at no cost. Within a year at their new location, the number of goats doubled. Looking ahead, Olena and Valentyn plan to establish a rehabilitation center for Ukrainian soldiers on their farm.
For those interested, Olena and Valentyn Bielozorenko are available for online conversations.
For reference: November 11, 2024, will mark the two-year anniversary of Ukraine’s retaking of the city of Kherson from occupying russian forces.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On October 15, the Media Center Ukraine will host a press conference to introduce the project “Kobzarstvo. Epic Tradition” along with unveiling the DUMA portal, designed to bolster the recognition of UNESCO’s “Safeguarding Programme for the Kobza and Wheel Lyre Tradition” and to preserve and promote the culture of Ukrainian kobzars.
The event will also showcase various creative elements of the project, including live performances by kobza musicians, educational films, and kobza “business cards.” Attendees will learn about the important role kobzars have played throughout history, especially during times of war.
Participants:
– Oles Sanin, Ukrainian filmmaker, actor, producer, and lyre player;
– Taras Kompanichenko, cultural activist, kobzar, bandura and lyre player, senior soldier of the 241st Separate Territorial Defence Brigade;
– Mykola Tovkailo, kobzar, archaeologist, priest, and leader of the Kyiv-based Kobzarskyi Tsekh (Kobzar Guild);
– Taras Dorotskyi, kobzar, lyre player, and member of the Lviv-based Kobzarskyi Tsekh (Kobzar Guild).
For reference:
In late 2022, the “Kobzar-Lirnyk Tradition” (kobzarstvo) was added to Ukraine’s National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. This year, Ukraine submitted a nomination for the “Safeguarding Programme of Kobza and Wheel Lyre Tradition” to be included in UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List, with the Ukrainian request prioritized for 2024 review.
Additionally, October 17 marks the International Day of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Tyler and Nikki Chay are a couple of athletes from the USA. The couple launched the project “Don’t Can’t for Ukraine”, as part of which Tyler and Nikki have entered the third week of marathons. Five days a week, the runners cover the distance from the Romanian border to Zaporizhia. The goal of the project is to run 1,250 kilometers to support Ukraine and remind the world that the war between russia and Ukraine still goes on. In addition, the couple aims to raise funds for the Mariupol Chaplains Battalion and the Pilgrim Republic orphanage, which was forced to evacuate from Mariupol.
Since the project began, Tyler and Nikki have run 22 marathons and covered over 1,000 kilometers. On October 15, the couple will arrive in the capital to run their final leg from the Motherland monument to St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Cathedral. The athletes invite journalists to a press conference that will be held on Mykhailivs’ka Square after the marathon.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Civilian training at the school will consist of two parts: theoretical and practical. The theoretical part of the course is divided into 19 video lessons, while the practical part will last five days. The founders of the school explain that the students will practice on a training ground, where they will learn all piloting techniques. They will also master flying in unstable conditions, as well as precise and automated video recording.
The instructors will use Sirko-2M UAVs for training. According to the school’s founders, more than 500 Ukrainian military personnel have already completed the course.
Journalists can talk to the founders both online and offline. The UAV pilot school is located in Lviv.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A command and staff exercise to simulate the evacuation of people from a residential multi-storey building will take place in Irpin, Kyiv Oblast.
The main goal of the exercise is to train the coordination of actions of authorities and their subordinate emergency services in the event of an emergency.
The exercises will involve 15 units of specialized equipment and more than 50 emergency responders, including fire, police, utility, medical and public safety services.
Journalists will need to be accredited for the event.
Note: The event date is to be confirmed.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Ukrainian YouTube channel “Zahіn Kinomaniv” and the Serhiy Prytula Charitable Foundation will host a closed charity premiere of the film “The Kurbas Phenomenon” in Kyiv on October 16.
“The Kurbas Phenomenon” is a documentary film about the Ukrainian director, actor, playwright, founder of the Young Theatre and the Berezil Theatre, Les Kurbas. It tells the story of a man who created beautiful things in the darkest of times, and how one person can change an entire industry and inspire an entire generation.
The film was made by the team of “Zahіn Kinomaniv”, the authors are Vitaliy Gordienko and Stanislav Veselskyi. The composer is Ehor Hrushyn and the animation was made by Anastasiia Falileieva.
The event will be attended by members of the film team, as well as Ukrainian public figures and bloggers. The presentation will include a charity auction of exclusive film merchandise designed by the team.
Prior accreditation is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
For over a decade, Oleksandr Chaika taught acrobatics with parkour elements to children. But when russia launched its full-scale invasion, he joined the Defense Forces and was deployed to the frontlines in Luhansk. He first fought in Lysychansk and later in Popasna. On April 6, 2022, a tank shell hit the trench where Oleksandr was stationed, injuring both of his legs. The damage was severe, and doctors had no choice but to amputate one limb.
Oleksandr traveled to the United States for a prosthetic fitting, receiving a waist-level prosthesis that demands immense physical effort and control over his back and core muscles just to walk.
After completing rehabilitation, he returned to Kyiv, where the parents of his former students urged him to start teaching again. He opened his own acrobatics studio, but demand quickly outgrew the space. The veteran soon expanded, opening a second location. Oleksandr not only plans to continue training children but also hopes to support fellow veterans in adapting to life with prostheses.
Oleksandr Chaika is currently based in Kyiv and is available for interviews with journalists both online and in person, upon request.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Save Ukraine has established Hope and Healing Centers to offer essential support to children and families displaced by the ongoing war. These centers serve as safe spaces for children returning from russia and families evacuated from combat zones, providing a comprehensive range of services including temporary housing, humanitarian aid, legal assistance, and psychological rehabilitation. Each family is given a personalized program designed to help them recover from the trauma of war and adapt to their new circumstances.
Journalists are invited to visit and report on the work of the Hope and Healing Centers in the Kyiv region.
For reference: russia’s full-scale invasion has displaced and traumatized millions of Ukrainian children, with many forcibly taken to russia. Save Ukraine is a charitable organization dedicated to helping vulnerable families with children through three key initiatives: facilitating the return of children from occupied territories and russia, evacuating families from war zones, and providing rehabilitation and reintegration services within local communities.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
An analysis of a North Korean KN-23/24 missile, downed by Ukrainian forces in the Poltava region in September, reveals that it contains microelectronics manufactured by companies from the U.S., Switzerland, and the U.K. The Independent Anti-Corruption Commission (NAKO), which examined the missile’s wreckage, found that most of the components were produced by American firms, with a total of seven manufacturers identified. Some parts were made as recently as 2021, 2022, and 2023.
On October 17 in Kyiv, NAKO will present a detailed analysis, shedding light on how Western-made components ended up in North Korean weaponry. The briefing will explore the origins of these components and address the challenges in regulating the flow of microelectronics across domestic and international markets.
Participants:
- Vladyslav Vlasiuk, Ukraine’s Presidential Commissioner for Sanctions Policy;
- Agiya Zagrebelska, Director for Partnership Development, Economic Security Council of Ukraine (ESCU);
- Olena Tregub, Executive Director of the Independent Anti-Corruption Commission (NAKO);
- Victoria Vyshnivska, Senior Researcher at the Independent Anti-Corruption Commission (NAKO).
Journalists wishing to attend the event must be accredited by October 16 at 5:00 p.m.
Background: Since the start of russia’s all-out invasion, NAKO experts have examined over 2,500 components from 30 pieces of russian military equipment, including fighter jets, a Ka-52 “Alligator” attack helicopter, Kalibr missiles, and Iranian drones. The investigation found that 2,000 of these parts came from 22 countries, predominantly Western, with 64% sourced from U.S.-based companies.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Voices of Children Charitable Foundation is offering free training sessions in Kyiv for journalists, local producers, and communicators from civil society organizations. These workshops, titled “Ethical Approaches to Interviewing Children in Time of War,” aim to equip media professionals with the tools to conduct sensitive, responsible interviews with children affected by war.
Participants will:
- gain hands-on insights into creating a safe and trusting interview environment;
- navigate delicate questions without causing further trauma, and recognizing when to pause or end an interview;
- ethically report on child bereavement, suicide;
- share stories that both respect the child’s experience and inspire hope.
The training will be led by Yuliia Tukalenko, a psychologist from the Voices of Children Charitable Foundation, and Olena Lisova, PhD in Medical Psychology, also from the foundation.
Event details:
Location: Kyiv (in person)
Duration: 4 hours
Language: Ukrainian
Cost: Free (registration required)
For participants from other cities, tickets and accommodation can be arranged if needed.
Training dates:
November 2: National media journalists
(Application deadline: October 28; Travel/accommodation deadline: October 23)
November 23: Local producers and foreign media representatives
(Application deadline: November 18; Travel/accommodation deadline: November 13)
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the war, Mykhailo Sokolian worked as a wood processing plant operator. But when russia’s full-scale invasion began, he answered the call to defend his country. After completing military training, he joined the 4th Separate Tank Brigade as a sapper.
In August 2022, while on a mission, Sokolian suffered a serious injury that resulted in the loss of his leg. He was sent to the Netherlands for prosthetic treatment, where he received his first permanent prosthesis. Upon his return to Ukraine, he dedicated himself to mastering his new limb, with constant support from his wife and son.
Soon after, Mykhailo Sokolian found a new passion—adaptive sports. He began competing in events like the “Games of Heroes” and the “Invictus Games.” Most recently, he completed a 100-meter race using his prosthetic leg in an impressive 15 seconds.
Today, the veteran is not only focused on his personal achievements but also on helping fellow soldiers recover and embrace adaptive sports. Mykhailo hopes to promote these sports among the military community.
Currently based in the Volyn region, MykhailoSokolian is open to interviews, available for both in-person and online meetings by appointment.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Nataliia Holubieva, a medical doctor by profession, co-founded and leads the Kherson Oblast Medicine charity foundation, which provides humanitarian aid to hospitals and patients. During the russian occupation of Kherson, she remained in the city, continuing her volunteer work, including sourcing scarce medicines from the Ukrainian-controlled areas.
Following the liberation of part of the region, Holubieva turned her focus to helping residents affected by the occupiers’ destruction of the Kakhovka HPP. She coordinated efforts to resettle those displaced, ensuring they received clothing, food, and medical supplies.
Holubieva stayed in Kherson until August 2023, when intensifying russian shelling with guided bombs forced her to leave for Kropyvnytskyi with her child. On the anniversary of Kherson’s liberation, she established the “United by Kherson Region” Humanitarian Aid Center, which now supports over 1,500 people (560 families) displaced from the Kherson region. The Center also aids residents from other hard-hit areas, including Melitopol, Crimea, and Kharkiv, and assists medical and educational institutions by providing medicine and hygiene products.
Holubieva dreams of opening a medical center specifically for displaced persons, where she can offer both psychological and humanitarian assistance. She is currently searching for a location while pursuing a degree in psychology to further help those in need.
Journalists can arrange interviews with Nataliia in Kropyvnytskyi or online by appointment.
Background: Kherson was occupied by russian forces in March 2022, shortly after the invasion began. Ukraine retook the city of Kherson from occupying russian forces on November 11, 2022, though russian shelling continues.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Valentyn Shabunin worked as a driver and also repaired cars. In 2007, he was involved in a car accident and was seriously injured. Due to a fractured spine, he was forced to use a wheelchair. He was also unable to drive a regular car, so a colleague gave him a hand-cranked car.
The car needed to be repaired, but the garages refused to help Valentyn, so the mechanic set out to fix it himself. That’s how he came up with the idea of opening his own garage to repair cars for people with disabilities. In 2014, the authorities of Lutsk supported this idea and provided him with premises, tools and an elevator. Valentyn soon found other mechanics to join him. Together, they not only repair cars, but also install hand controls in vehicles for people with disabilities. Cars come to Valentyn’s shop from all over Ukraine, and one order was even completed for a resident of the United States. The workshop also retrofits cars for driving schools that train people with disabilities.
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Valentyn’s garage has had more work, as the mechanics have also started repairing and maintaining regular cars for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. They do this free of charge, the soldiers only pay for spare parts.
Valentyn Shabunin is based in Lutsk and is open to communication with journalists, both online and offline, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Twelve years ago, Yuliia Roshchenko and her husband opened a copy center in Chornobaivka, Kherson oblast. There, local people could make copies of documents or print out necessary papers. After the beginning of the full-scale russian invasion, Yuliia stayed up at night printing signs that read “Children” so that those fleeing the occupation could put them on their cars, hoping to protect their families from russian attacks.
Later, the occupiers came to the copy center and demanded that Yuliia and her husband print russian documents and take photographs for russian passports. The couple refused, even though the enemy threatened them with weapons. Fearing for their lives, Yuliia’s family fled to western Ukraine, where they lived until their village was liberated by Ukrainian forces.
Upon their return, the couple received a government grant to reopen the copy center in Chornobaivka. Later, Yuliia and her husband were able to open a second location in Kherson.
Yuliia Roshchenko and her husband are currently in Kherson and are open to communication with journalists, both online and offline, by prior arrangement.
Background: Kherson was occupied by russian forces at the beginning of the full-scale invasion (March 1, 2022). Ukrainian forces liberated the city from russian troops on November 11, 2022. However, the occupiers continue to regularly shell the city.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On October 25, media representatives are invited to visit the birthplace of Taras Shevchenko and report on the completion of the restoration of houses and sites associated with the poet’s childhood in the Cherkasy region. These include the Budyshchanskyi windmill (a more than 150-year-old mill the restoration of which began in 2023), the renovated house of Taras Shevchenko’s grandfather, and the restored house where the poet was born. Departure from Kyiv.
Program of the press tour:
– National Reserve “Taras Shevchenko’s Homeland”: laying flowers at the grave of Taras Shevchenko’s mother; guided tour for guests, journalists and children of servicemen;
– Transfer to Budyshchanskyi windmill;
– Guided tour of the windmill, which is called a witness of Taras Shevchenko’s childhood, with a brief review of the site;
– Transfer to the Moryntsi museum complex of the National Reserve;
– Guided tour of the museum with restored houses and exhibitions related to Taras Shevchenko’s childhood; interaction with interactive displays; signing of a memorandum between representatives of the museum and the MHP-Hromadi charitable foundation.
Invited guests:
– Yurii Melnyk, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of MHP-Hromadi;
– Viktor Yushchenko, Ukrainian politician, 3rd President of Ukraine;
– Nataliia Kryvda, Chairman of the Board of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation (UCF);
– Vadym Loshenko, Chairman of the Ecological Movement of Cherkasy Region NGO;
– Liudmyla Shevchenko, General Director of the National Reserve “Taras Shevchenko’s Homeland”;
– Yurii Pikovskyi, Head of the State Administration of Zvenyhorodka District;
– Oleksandr Saienko, Head of the Zvenyhorodka City Council.
Accreditation is required to attend the event.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Reporters Without Borders (RWB) invites you to an online conference in Ukrainian (English translation will be available) scheduled for October 24, 2024, 5:00 PM (Kyiv time). Topic: Protection of independent journalism and the right to information in Ukraine
The Ukrainian media landscape is facing increasing challenges, and the right of every citizen to independent, reliable and pluralistic information is under threat. The purpose of this conference is to discuss how Ukraine can restore and strengthen its information ecosystem, as well as learn about the programs of the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications, the activities of Reporters Without Borders, in particular the Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI), and the views and perspectives of experts.
Speakers:
- Mykola Tochytskyi, Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine
- Thibaut Bruttin, Director General, Reporters Without Borders
- Lina Kushch, First Secretary of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU)
- Pauline Maufrais, Ukrainian Program Manager, Reporters Without Borders
- Tetiana Kurmanova, Director, Hromadske radio station
- Anhelina Soldatenko, Executive Director, Institute for Regional Media and Information (IRMI)
Accreditation is required to attend the event.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On October 25, the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center in cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the national media literacy project Filter will hold a workshop entitled #WEATHERliteracy. The event aims to raise awareness among Ukrainian journalists on how to properly report weather and climate news.
The full-day workshop will include interactive sessions, hands-on hackathons, training and presentations from leading meteorology and communications experts. Participants will learn about the key aspects of accurate meteorological reporting, how to avoid manipulating headlines, and how to build trust in weather-related information.
Journalists can find out more about the event program. Registration is required. The location will be announced at a later date for security reasons.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Irpin, a city in Kyiv Oblast, has introduced a free demolition program for owners of private homes destroyed during the war. Launched by the Irpin City Council, the initiative is being executed by local utility services, which have already cleared dozens of plots for residents. This effort is designed to help homeowners begin reconstruction more quickly, while also reducing costs related to the initial cleanup.
The Irpin Housing and Utilities Department is using heavy machinery provided by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, including excavators, loaders, and crushers, to carry out the demolitions.
Journalists, with prior arrangement, are welcome to report on the demolition efforts underway in Irpin.
Background: During russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, 1,130 private homes in Irpin were damaged, and 1,483 were completely destroyed.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Larysa Bortovyk, a native of Kherson, found out about russia’s full-scale offensive while she was in Mexico. Immediately, she began searching for ways to return home. Despite the russian occupation of her city, Larysa made it back to Ukraine. In May 2022, she traveled to the russian-held city, helping friends and others who wanted to escape to Ukrainian-controlled areas.
After relocating to the Kyiv region, she joined the volunteer efforts there, clearing the rubble of buildings destroyed by the war. Driven by a desire to bring similar recovery efforts to her hometown, Larysa returned to Kherson just days after its liberation on November 11, 2022. She took on the role of regional coordinator for the Dobrobat volunteer movement, leading a team in clearing debris and rebuilding homes. In addition, she spearheaded projects aimed at restoring private residences and creating shelters in medical facilities. Fellow volunteers affectionately call Larysa “mom,” recognizing her commitment and the care she extends to others.
Given the ongoing security risks in the Kherson region, her volunteer team is now focused on setting up shelters.
Journalists can arrange interviews with Larysa in Kherson or Kyiv, as well as remotely.
Background: Kherson fell under russian occupation at the start of the full-scale invasion on March 1, 2022. The city was liberated by Ukrainian forces on November 11, 2022, though russian forces continue to shell the area regularly.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Kyiv will host the “Festival of First Plays” from October 18-20, showcasing works written by participants in the Veterans’ Theater project. This event focuses on the development of emerging playwrights, with every aspect—from the directors’ efforts to the actors’ performances and audience engagement—centered on helping military veterans learn the craft of drama, write their first plays, and quickly gain stage experience.
Audiences will have the chance to see 11 new plays written by veterans and active military personnel, along with four works from civilian participants in the project.
The Veterans’ Theater project was created by the Communications Department of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (TRO Media), in collaboration with the Theater of Playwrights.
Journalists can access the full event program for the Festival, which runs from October 18 to 20.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the full-scale invasion, Viacheslav Strazhets worked as a railway engineer and long-distance truck driver in European countries. On 25 February 2022 he joined the defense forces and became part of a separate machine-gun platoon of the Vinnytsia Angels rifle battalion, fighting on the Avdiivka front.
During one of his combat missions, Viacheslav was seriously wounded and lost his right arm. While in hospital, he wondered how he could help his fellow soldiers. So, during his rehabilitation, he took all the drone building courses he could find, ordered components and began assembling his first drone with his son and wife. The family spent a week building their first FPV drone: Viacheslav was still unable to hold a soldering iron with his prosthetic hand, so his wife took over.
Today, the veteran has fully mastered the use of his prosthetic arm and is adept with tools. He also received a grant from the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation to support the production of FPV drones, purchasing a 3D printer, controller and goggles to control the drones, while his 14-year-old son tests the drones before they are sent to the front lines.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the full-scale invasion, Nataliia Havrylenko was a businesswoman in Kherson. She prepared for the impending war and, together with her husband, planned to join the Territorial Defense Forces. On February 24, 2022, the couple went to the military recruitment office. Soon the Kherson Territorial Defense unit, which Nataliia had joined, received weapons. But they served for only two days.
Nataliia recalls how the commander entered the room where the newly formed Territorial Defense members were gathered and ordered them to lay down their weapons and flee home across the fields. At that moment Nataliia, her husband and the other civilians realized that they would have to defend their hometown on their own. This is how the partisan movement in Kherson was born. Nataliia and her comrades managed to set up a hospital and establish cooperation with the special forces.
On July 7, 2022, Russians broke into Nataliia’s home, where she was staying with her daughter-in-law, son, and grandson. Nataliia was taken to a temporary detention center for several months. The woman says she was not tortured, but was subjected to a lie detector test and forced to give an interview to Russian propagandists. On November 1, 2022, Nataliia was released – without papers, money or a phone. Today, she continues to volunteer and support the Ukrainian army.
Nataliia Havrylenko is currently in Izium, Kharkiv oblast. She can be contacted for interviews both online and offline by prior arrangement.
For reference: Kherson was occupied by the Russians at the beginning of the full-scale invasion (on March 1, 2022). Ukrainian forces liberated the city from Russian troops on November 11, 2022. The occupiers continue to shell the city regularly.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On October 27, the charity race Run4Victory, organized in support of the 13th Khartiia Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine, will take place in Kyiv. The event will bring together athletes, military personnel and concerned citizens united by a common goal – to help our defenders who protect Ukraine.
The program of the event includes
- participation of 100 soldiers of the National Guard, who will run in support of their comrades;
- for the first time in Ukraine – a 2 km race with a unique robotic dog of the Khartiia reconnaissance unit;
- participation of Andrii Hrechanov, a rescuer from Poltava, who set a Ukrainian record at the previous Run4Victory race in Cherkasy by running 21 km in full gear in memory of a fallen comrade;
- charity auction of unique items prepared by the Khartiia soldiers;
- performance of Orchestra 59, a musical project of the Cultural Forces formed by soldiers and veterans
- reading of children’s fairy tales by Sashko Lirnyk, a renowned storyteller, scriptwriter, actor and TV presenter.
Journalists can access more detailed information about the event program. Accreditation is required.
For reference: A robotic dog of the reconnaissance unit of the 13th Khartiia Brigade of the NGU has recently returned from a combat mission in the Kharkiv sector, where it helped scouts gather information. It can climb stairs, carry a load of up to 10 kg, move at a speed of up to 12.5 km/h, and its battery lasts for 4 hours. Its use reduces the risk to the lives of our military.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
To support Ukraine, the Association of Sustainable Development Experts (ASDE) and its partners have joined forces to create an international sustainable business ecosystem for economic recovery and development of the economy based on sustainability principles. They are organizing the International Sustainability Forum (ISF’2024) for the fourth time.
The forum, which will take place on October 24 in Kyiv and October 25 in The Hague, aims to unite the business sectors of Ukraine and the EU, international investment banks and funds, as well as representatives from the executive and legislative branches of government. The goal is to foster effective and practical discussions on identifying mechanisms to attract investments for sustainable development and the green recovery of Ukraine.
The forum will feature interactive panel discussions, presentations of relevant research, and opportunities for expert networking.
The forum in Kyiv will be attended by:
– Oleksii Sobolev, First Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine,
– Victoria Kireeva, Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine,
– Kateryna Rozhkova, First Deputy Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine,
– Volodymyr Mudryi, Chairman of the Board of the Independent Association of Banks of Ukraine,
– Jaco Silier, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Ukraine,
– Olena Voloshyna, Senior Country Director, IFC Ukraine,
– Oleksii Povolotskyi, Head of the Department for Restoration and Development of Energy Infrastructure at DTEK,
– Adomas Audickas, Deputy Chairman of the Board of MHP.
Journalists can access more detailed information about the full program and participants for the events in Kyiv and The Hague (Netherlands).
Accreditation is required for the event.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Hlib, 7, a boy from Sievierodonetsk in Luhansk Oblast—now under russian occupation—faced profound challenges after being displaced by the war. His father, serving in the military, remained behind as Hlib and his mother fled their hometown when the full-scale invasion began. After spending time in Europe, they returned to Ukraine and settled in Dnipro.
The impact of the war took a heavy toll on Hlib’s well-being. He became increasingly emotional, often crying uncontrollably, and struggled to focus, making traditional schooling impossible. His mother decided to have him study at home.
It was during a visit to the Voices of Children Charity Foundation that a psychologist suggested further examinations. As a result, Hlib was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a diagnosis that provided crucial insight into managing his behavior and improving his condition.
Journalists can arrange interviews with Hlib and his mother in Dnipro by appointment.
For reference: October is ADHD Awareness Month. Between 5-8% of children globally are affected by ADHD, which was declared the leading issue in child psychiatry in 2000.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Nadiia Zharkykh, a coffee art instructor, had long dreamed of opening her own barista school. In 2021, she relocated with her family from Mykolaiv to Kherson, a city in southern Ukraine. But just two months after settling in, her plans were shattered by russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Her barista school, tentatively set to open on February 26, 2022, never saw its grand debut as the war swept across the region.
Caught under occupation, Nadiia sought refuge by working at a friend’s coffee shop, where she also volunteered, cooking and helping however she could. But as threats from russian forces mounted, she knew she had to leave. The escape was grueling—she passed through 70 checkpoints to reach Zaporizhia, and from there, made her way to Kyiv.
On August 7, 2023, exactly a year after leaving occupied Kherson, Nadiia’s resilience paid off when she opened a coffee shop near Kyiv with the support of a government grant. The shop is more than just a business—it’s a place of learning. Nadiia and her team now teach young women the art of coffee-making, and some of her students have gone on to open their own cafes, both in Ukraine and abroad.
During the summer blackouts, the café also served as a co-working space, offering a sense of community during challenging times. In addition, Nadiia and her close friends established a charity foundation in Mykolaiv called “Welcome to Ukraine,” which supports both military personnel and civilians across the country.
For those interested, interviews with Nadiia can be arranged by appointment in the Kyiv region.
Background: Kherson fell to russian forces on March 1, 2022, in the early days of the invasion. Ukrainian troops liberated the city on November 11, 2022, but russian shelling continues to threaten the area.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On October 24, Kyiv will open the exhibition Protest/Architecture. Barricades and Camps: The World and Ukraine at the National Museum of the Revolution of Dignity. The event, organized in collaboration with the German Architectural Museum in Frankfurt, and supported by the Goethe-Institut, is also in partnership with the Museum of the History of Kyiv. This exhibition coincides with two significant anniversaries in Ukraine’s history: the 20th anniversary of the Orange Revolution and the 11th anniversary of the Revolution of Dignity.
The exhibit explores the architectural elements of protest movements worldwide, comparing them to those seen in Ukraine’s historic uprisings. Highlights include the barricades of the 1848 revolution in Western Europe, the 2013-2014 Maidan protests in Kyiv, tent cities from the Arab Spring, and the 2019 light laser demonstrations in Hong Kong.
The Maidan Museum team will also delve into how Kyiv’s urban space became integral to the protests. They’ll examine how the Orange Revolution of 2004 shaped the swift organization and spatial structure of the Euromaidan protests in 2013, which in turn drew on the lessons from the 1990 Revolution on Granite.
Accreditation is required to attend the event.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On October 26-27, the Ukrainian-Israeli medical volunteer mission FRIDA will be in the Kherson region, offering local residents the chance to receive medical consultations and undergo necessary examinations. The volunteer medical team will include specialists such as a neurologist, ultrasound technician, gynecologist, dermatologist, psychologist, ophthalmologist, physical therapist, pediatrician, ENT doctor, vascular surgeon, dentist, and endocrinologist.
This visit is part of the project “Comprehensive Medical and Psychological Support with Improved Referral System for the Population of Explosive Hazard-Affected Communities in Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, and Kherson Oblasts.” The initiative, led by FRIDA Ukraine, is supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through the “Transformational Recovery for Human Security in Ukraine” project, with financial backing from the Government of Japan.
Details about the visit’s location will be provided following accreditation.
For reference: FRIDA Ukraine is a non-governmental, non-profit charitable mission of volunteer doctors from Ukraine and Israel. Since the onset of the invasion, the organization has been offering emergency and outpatient medical care to civilians affected by the conflict.
Their services include
- outpatient appointments;
- medical care for orphanages and boarding schools;
- civilian evacuations;
- training of medical volunteers.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On October 25, celebrated British neurosurgeon Henry Marsh, a pioneer of neurosurgical care in Ukraine and best-selling author, will meet with Lviv doctors to deliver a lecture on the importance of teamwork in medicine. Marsh refers to the lecture as “Team Work.”
The event is open to accredited attendees only.
For reference: Marsh is a renowned British neurosurgeon with extensive experience performing thousands of brain and spinal cord surgeries across the UK and internationally. He was educated at Westminster School and later at Oxford University, where he studied political science, philosophy, and economics. He earned his medical degree with honors from the Royal Medical School. Throughout his career, he worked at Atkinson Morley Hospital, home to one of the most advanced neurosurgical units in the UK. In 2014, he authored Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death, and Brain Surgery, a memoir that, despite being aimed at medical professionals, became a global bestseller.
Marsh first visited Ukraine in the 1990s to share his expertise with local neurosurgeons, earning him the title of a pioneer in advancing Ukraine’s neurosurgical field. Since then, he has made around 30 visits to the country, often consulting and operating on critically ill patients, including those at the First Medical Union of Lviv.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Gala Kozyutynska, a filmmaker and artist from Kyiv, had long dreamed of creating an artistic residence in a rural setting. Though she split her time between Kyiv and Lviv, her heart was set on buying a house in the countryside. When Russia launched its full-scale invasion, Gala felt it was time to turn that dream into reality. Her partner, Viktor Petrov, wholeheartedly supported the idea, and together, they began searching for the perfect spot. They found it in the small village of Latirka in Zakarpattia.
After purchasing the house, they began restoring it and even named their future creative space “The Attic.” But their plans took a devastating turn when Viktor was called to serve in Ukraine’s Defense Forces. In May 2023, Viktor was killed in combat near Bakhmut, leaving Gala to carry on their dream alone. Despite the heartbreak, she pressed forward with their vision.
In the year since Viktor’s passing, Gala has hosted over 20 gatherings with young creatives at the residence. Together, they’ve learned traditional crafts like weaving, whitewashing clay brick warming stove, foraging for mushrooms, and gardening. Gala is also focused on finding ways to offer relaxation and rejuvenation for those visiting the artistic space.
Today, Gala divides her time between Zakarpattia and Lviv, and she remains open to sharing her story with journalists, both in person and virtually.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On October 28-29, 2024, a press tour will take place in Mykolaiv Oblast, where volunteers of the international humanitarian project “Let’s Do It Ukraine SOS” will present renovated shelters in two educational institutions. These institutions were severely damaged by the floods caused by the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam.
As part of the press tour, volunteers will also donate dehumidifiers, air purifiers and charging stations that work without electricity. These will be delivered to the facilities where repairs have already been completed. This equipment will help ensure healthy and comfortable conditions for learning and use of school shelters in the future.
Transportation for journalists from Kyiv and back will be arranged. Accreditation is required.
Background: The restoration work was carried out as part of the project to deal with the aftermath of the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam explosion “Flood relief in Mykolaiv and Kherson oblasts, assistance to households and social infrastructure facilities “Cleaning, disinfection, restoration and preparations for winter”, with the assistance of AWO International and with the financial support of Aktion Deutschland Hilft.
On June 6, 2023, the russian forces blew up the dam of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station in the Kherson region, causing almost 14 billion dollars of damage in Ukraine. This is stated in the “Post Disaster Needs Assessment report of the Kakhovka Dam Disaster” prepared by the UN and the Ukrainian government.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Rita is from the town of Avdiivka, Donetsk oblast (13 kilometers from Donetsk, now occupied). In 2015, 11-year-old Rita lived there without her parents, only with her grandmother. Their house was located in one of the most dangerous parts of the city. Rita had to attend school under constant russian shelling. Rita was one of the first children that Olena Rozvadovska, co-founder of the Voices of Children charitable foundation, met while helping children in eastern Ukraine. Since then, Olena, Rita and her grandmother have remained friends.
After the outbreak of the full-scale war, Rita and her grandmother moved to the west of the country. There, Rita worked at the Voices of Children charity center, helping children affected by the war.
Later, Rita moved to the Kyiv region and got married. Her husband is now defending Ukraine. The Voices of Children foundation helped organize her wedding, and since Rita grew up without a father, one of the foundation’s employees walked her down the aisle. Rita is now expecting a child.
By prior arrangement, journalists can talk to Rita in the Kyiv region. (Footage of her wedding is also available).
Background: In February 2024, russian forces occupied the town of Avdiivka in the Donetsk oblast. Enemy shelling has left the settlement in ruins.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Olha Chernilevska is a philologist who worked as a dubbing director and project manager for the translation of foreign films. In the village of Busha, Vinnytsia region, she once bought two houses, renovated them and rented them to visitors looking for a retreat. In civilian life Olha’s son, Illia Chernilevskyi, worked as a screenwriter, he translated songs for TV shows, and wrote poetry and music. Illia enlisted immediately after the start of the full-scale invasion and was killed two months later.
Illia did not tell his family what he saw and experienced during the war, but Olha says his work spoke for him. Olha published her son’s first collection of poems as a gift for his 21st birthday. The second collection was published posthumously. She called it “I am a bird among nets,” taking a line from Illia’s poem. Olha’s son’s body is still in the enemy-occupied territory, and she hopes to bring it back after the village of Kamianka in the Donetsk oblast is liberated.
This summer, a woman who lost her husband in the war came to Busha. After talking with her, Olha decided to invite mothers and wives of fallen soldiers to her estate. The stay is free for them. The initiative was supported by the village community: locals volunteered to cook and the staff of the Historical and Cultural Reserve promised to give them tours. Olha is expecting 15 guests soon.
For reference: Olha Chernilevska will be abroad until November 12, 2024. After her return, she is ready to talk to journalists offline.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Communications Department of the Territorial Defense Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (TRO Media) can help journalists with contacts for creating stories or articles. For example, it’s possible to highlight foreign nationals in the Territorial Defense Forces (including representatives from Georgia, USA, Australia and Hungary), female soldiers, chaplains, specific units or specializations. Coverage of Territorial Defense Forces training and other aspects of unit capacity building is also available.
Journalists can learn more and contact TRO Media for more information.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
When the full-scale invasion began, Valentyna Nechvolod was working as a seamstress in Kupiansk, Kharkiv oblast. She wanted to evacuate immediately, but she couldn’t leave her mother, who lived near the town. However, she did not want to leave her 14-year-old son, who lived with her in Kupiansk, under the occupation. Faced with a difficult decision, she finally allowed him to leave with volunteers for Ukrainian-controlled territory.
Valentyna spent seven months in the occupation without work, refusing to work for the occupiers. When Kupiansk was liberated in September 2022, she and her mother moved to Kharkiv, where she began looking for a job. However, finding steady work in a city that was constantly shelled by the russians and left without electricity proved challenging. So Valentina enrolled in a course to learn how to start a business and soon received a grant to open a women’s space in Kharkiv called “Nezalezhna” (Independent).
The women’s space offers three types of services: beauty care, clothing repair in a textile workshop, and organizing various events for children. Valentyna employs displaced women who, like her, are struggling to find work in their new environment.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Peaceful events are planned in 26 cities across Ukraine to raise awareness of the defenders of Azovstal and other soldiers still in enemy captivity.
On 26 October, rallies will be held in Ochyrka, Chernihiv, Vinnytsia, Bila Tserkva, Irpin, Dnipro, Zhytomyr, Zaporizhia and Pavlohrad.
On 27 October peaceful actions are scheduled in Kyiv, Pivdenoukrainsk, Mykolaiv, Uman, Uzhhorod, Korosten, Obukhiv, Krolevets, Ovruch, Korostyshiv, Kremenchuk, Odesa, Kryvyi Rih, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ostroh and Chernivtsi.
The events are organized by the families of POWs from the Mariupol garrison. The rallies are often attended by Ukrainians who have been released from captivity.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
British citizen Viper served in his country’s military for four years. During his last year of service, he decided to join the Ukrainian Army.
In Ukraine, he chose to join the 13th Khartiia Brigade of the National Guard. He underwent a medical examination and signed a contract. Already during his training, the soldier noticed many differences between the Ukrainian and British armies. However, he says, he easily adapted his skills to the new conditions of war. Viper is determined to serve in Ukraine until the end of the war, because he wants to protect not only Ukraine, but also the rest of the world from russian aggression.
Viper is currently on the front lines and is open to interviews with journalists, both online and in person, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Recently, five combatants, including veterans who lost limbs, joined the Ukrainian program of The HALO Trust, the world’s largest non-governmental, non-profit humanitarian demining organization. The soldiers, who defended their country on the front lines, will now work on a remote sensing team, analyzing drone imagery to identify potentially dangerous areas and explosive hazards.
By prior arrangement, journalists can cover the veterans’ work in the Kharkiv and Kyiv regions.
Background: The HALO Trust is the world’s largest international nonprofit organization specializing in mine clearance and ammunition disposal, with 35 years of experience in 30 countries and territories worldwide.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On October 29, “VETERAN SPACE. IRPIN” will open in Irpin, Kyiv region — a space where veterans can receive psychological and legal assistance, consultations on business development projects and, most importantly, rehabilitation and social reintegration.
Participants:
- Ruslan Prykhodko, Deputy Minister of Veterans’ Affairs,
- Ruslan Kravchenko, Head of the Kyiv Oblast State Administration,
- Ihor Meshchan, Head of the Department of Social and Veterans’ Policy,
- Oleksandr Markushyn, Mayor of Irpin,
- Borys Balmasov, developer and head of the Veterans’ Space, head of the Department of work with disabled people, veterans, wounded and families of fallen soldiers,
- Veterans and families of fallen Heroes.
Accreditation is required for participation.
For more information: “VETERAN SPACE. IRPIN is a joint project of the City of Irpin with the Kyiv Oblast Military Administration and the VETERAN. PRO platform of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine. It was realized with the support of local businesses and charitable donors, without the use of budget funds.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The conference “Cultural Heritage: Protecting Cultural Boundaries,” will take place in Kyiv on October 29. The central theme is “Preserving cultural boundaries through the integration of tangible and intangible heritage into new cultural forms”.
The conference aims to highlight the importance of preserving cultural heritage and to demonstrate effective methods of integrating tangible and intangible heritage. This integration provides an additional boost to a country’s economic resilience.
The destruction of tangible and intangible cultural heritage in the midst of war creates additional requirements for the state, business and expert community to find quick, effective and systematic tools not only to preserve but also to develop cultural heritage sites for future generations.
The conference will be attended by representatives of government institutions, business, public organizations, international heritage preservation organizations, researchers and educators.
Speakers:
- Nataliia Voitsechuk, Director of the Department of Cultural Heritage Preservation, Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications;
- Yuliia Lytvynets, Director General of the National Art Museum;
- Yuliia Vahanova, Director of the Khanenko Museum;
- Oleksandr Nykoriak, Head of the All-Ukrainian Association for the Protection of Cultural Heritage;
- Vadym Kyrylenko, First Deputy Director of the National Reserve “Saint Sophia of Kyiv”;
- Michał Krasucki (Poland), Director of the Department of Cultural Heritage Protection, Warsaw;
- Larysa Dovha, founder and director of the educational project “UKultura”, professor at NaUKMA;
- Oksana Huliaieva, managing partner of the investment company Dovgiy Family Office;
- Kyrylo Kobtsev, official representative of the Blue Shield International Committee in Ukraine;
- Mariia Motorzhyna, historian, museum expert;
- Larysa Petasiuk, head of the NGO “Culture Advocacy”;
- Mark Wilkins (Switzerland-Kyiv), co-owner of Reytarska Circle, nominee for the EU Prize for Contemporary Architecture;
- Iryna Tatarenko, editor-in-chief of Marie Claire;
- Ihor Dobrutskyi, Ukrainian entrepreneur, public figure, founder and director of Folk Ukraine.
Journalists can view the full conference program. Accreditation is required to attend.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
6-year-old Sasha’s face now appears on the cover of War Through the Voices of Children, a new book featuring quotes from children about the war, recently released in American bookstores. Sasha was born in Bakhmut, a city in Ukraine’s Donetsk region that is now devastated and under russian occupation. His parents met there while volunteering—his mother working with children facing difficult circumstances and his father opening a boxing club to engage local youth. Shortly after Sasha’s birth, his sister Eva was born. But as the conflict escalated, the family relocated to Ternopil, a city in western Ukraine, seeking safety.
Since the start of the full-scale war, Sasha and Eva’s father has been serving on the front line. A photo of him reading a Timothy Snyder book in a trench circulated widely online. “When my dad comes back, he’ll sleep next to me, so I won’t be afraid of air raid sirens,” Eva told her mother when she was just three.
Their mother now works for the Voices of Children charity, providing psychological support to children and parents impacted by the war.
By prior arrangement, journalists can connect with the family in Ternopil or online.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Yuriy Vetkin, 57, is a veteran, screenwriter, and former major in Ukraine’s military. With a background as a psychologist, he served in the State Special Transport Service until 2008. In 2015, he returned to active duty as a deputy battalion commander in the 95th Air Assault Brigade and, after russia’s full-scale invasion, joined the defense of his hometown, Chernihiv, with the 1st Siverskyi Tank Brigade. On March 5, 2022, Yuriy lost a leg in an enemy shelling.
Alongside his military service, Yuriy has developed a career as a screenwriter and blogger. His screenplays have received recognition in national competitions, and in 2016, his short film Interview premiered at Cannes in the Short Film Corner, later winning awards in Portugal and Saudi Arabia.
Yuriy also contributes to The Veterans’ Theater project by TRO Media, where his plays Phantom, Explosion, and Hospital Rhapsody were staged at the Festival of First Plays. He also wrote Turn to Irpin for a paper theater production, in which he performed his own role.
Now, Yuriy is working to establish a Veterans’ Theater in Chernihiv, based at the Chernihiv Veterans’ Space ‘Sercevir’. His goal is to create a space where veterans and their families can perform with professional actors, focusing on psychological recovery, re-socialization, and creative fulfillment.
Journalists interested in Yuriy’s story can connect with him in Chernihiv or through virtual interviews.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Alina, a volunteer from Ukraine’s Mykolaiv region, is raising two sons while supporting the nation’s defenders. When russia launched its full-scale invasion, she began by cooking meals with a friend and sending them to the frontlines. Soon after, she acquired a car, allowing her to personally deliver essential supplies to soldiers.
Her commitment led her to establish a charity named “Unbreakable Kitty,” inspired by her call sign. She recalls being called “Kitty” since her school days, with “Unbreakable” added as her resolve deepened. Her foundation continues to prepare meals and dry rations, storing all donated and purchased supplies at its facility.
In a separate room, Alina keeps cherished mementos: flags signed by soldiers, shell casings, certificates, letters of gratitude, and a photo banner honoring her brother, who was killed by a drone strike on March 17, 2024.
Alina is based in Nova Odesa, Mykolaiv region, and is open to interviews with journalists, both online and in person, with prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Ukrainian women’s national amputee soccer team is set to compete in the inaugural Women’s Amputee Football World Cup, held in Colombia from November 4-11, 2024. Journalists have the chance to engage with team members and report on their final preparations for the journey.
The team, composed of nine players from across Ukraine—including Chernivtsi, Lviv, Vinnytsia, and the Kyiv region—represents diverse backgrounds. The goalkeeper, an internally displaced person, now resides in the Netherlands, while team captain Olha Benda is a military veteran who lost her leg in the war.
Reporters will have access to the team in Ukraine’s Cherkasy region on October 30, with another opportunity on October 31 in Lviv, the day of their departure. Interviews via online platforms will also be available.
This initiative is supported by the Ukrainian Amputees Football Association and the Women’s Department of the Ukrainian Football Association (UAF), in collaboration with NGOs Camp Maximum and Way of the Champion.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Olha Kurtmallaieva, a 25-year-old finance professional, was in her hometown of Berdiansk, Zaporizhia oblast (currently occupied), when the full-scale russian invasion began. She managed to leave the occupied territory in the summer of 2022.
Olha’s husband, Ruslan, has been defending the country since 2014, serving in the ATO/JFO zone. He has now been in russian captivity for 30 months, having been captured during the defense of Mariupol in 2022.
In 2021, Olha was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma (a type of cancer that affects the lymphatic system). Despite her serious illness, she actively fights for her husband’s release and participates in every POW-related event. Initially, she co-founded a non-governmental organization to help soldiers of the 501st Marine Battalion return home. Later, together with other women fighting for the return of captured Marines, she created the association “Marine corps strength”, a coalition of seven public organizations, three charitable foundations and a family association. Among other things, the women organize events, hold meetings, and communicate with representatives of the Ukrainian government. The association also provides legal aid, support for released prisoners, psychological support for families, and aid to the front lines.
During the full-scale war, Olha learned that her disease had progressed from the second to the fourth stage. Doctors attributed this to her high stress level. Olha has undergone 16 rounds of chemotherapy and is in remission, but still needs a stem cell transplant.
By prior arrangement, journalists can talk to Olga in Kyiv.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The charitable foundation “Volunteer Association ‘Poruch'” was founded by a couple from Avdiivka (a city in Donetsk, now destroyed and occupied by russians). Before the full-scale invasion, Rusana and Bohdan were not involved in charity work, but the war changed their lives. At first, they began helping elderly people and abandoned animals near the front lines. Soon they managed to form a team of like-minded people and establish a charitable foundation.
Today, most of the members of the “Volunteer Association ‘Poruch'” are displaced persons from the war zone or from the territories occupied by russia. Among other initiatives, Rusana and Bohdan create safe spaces for children near the front lines. These spaces offer children a place to study, engage in creative activities, and receive psychological support from specialists.
One of these spaces was created by the “Poruch” team in a modular city in Pavlohrad, Dnipropetrovsk oblast. The team renovated one of the modules, repaired the roof, and brought in furniture, school supplies, art materials, and qualified teachers. Since August 2024, 47 children have been attending this space on a regular basis. The team has set up similar spaces for children in Izium and Kramatorsk.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Since the beginning of this school year, schoolchildren in the village of Bohdanivka, Kyiv oblast, have been able to study in a modular Temporary Educational Space (TES). The space is accessible, with a generator for uninterrupted power supply, comfortable furniture, modern tablets and multimedia panels. The TES has six classrooms and now serves 250 schoolchildren who previously had to travel to a neighboring village.
Bohdanivka was occupied in 2022. russian soldiers set up camp in the local school and burned it down when they withdrew. They also blew up the kindergarten, where they had stored ammunition, leaving the village without any educational facilities.
By prior arrangement, journalists can cover the work of the modular temporary educational space in Bohdanivka.
Background: Temporary Education Spaces are being built as part of USAID Dream and Act program, implemented by IREX in partnership with the savED Foundation and the GoGlobal NGO. This project is being implemented in close cooperation with local communities who have lost their educational institutions due to russian aggression.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
After two years in enemy captivity, 33-year-old Vadym Nesterenko returned home bearing both physical and psychological scars. Having served with Ukraine’s Defense Forces since 2011, Vadym began his military career with the Izmail Border Guard and later joined the 35th Separate Marine Brigade. When russia launched its full-scale invasion, Vadym found himself on Snake Island, where he and his fellow soldiers were ultimately captured.
During his two years and three months in captivity, Vadym endured harrowing conditions. He faced relentless torture, including gassing, electric shocks, and beatings that left him with broken bones and missing teeth. By the time of his release on May 31, 2024, Vadym weighed just 59 kilograms.
Following his return, Vadym underwent rehabilitation at a center in the Lviv region, working tirelessly over three months to regain his health and rebuild some of his lost weight. Now focused on recovery and future goals, he hopes to return to service and fulfill his dream of visiting Paris.
Vadym is currently in Lviv and will travel to Odesa on November 4. He is available for interviews with journalists, either in person or online, with prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Daria Bondar, once a lawyer, and Olena Tkach, a former translator and communicator, left their established careers to train in the USA as end-of-life doulas, offering support to individuals in their final days. Their goal was to ease the dying process and provide comfort to families. Yet in Ukraine, they found a different need—helping those grieving war-related losses.
Today, Daria supports people grappling with various forms of loss due to the conflict: homes, pets, marriages, identities, and even the joy of life. Olena works directly with those mourning loved ones lost in war, as well as the families of missing persons and prisoners of war.
Doulas, they emphasize, are not psychologists or medical professionals; they do not treat but offer compassion and companionship. Their sessions, lasting up to two hours, can be held online or in person when possible.
Daria is based in the Kyiv region, while Olena lives in the capital. Both are available for interviews with journalists, in person or online, by prior arrangement.
For reference: “Doula” comes from an ancient Greek word meaning “maid.” Traditionally assisting women in childbirth, the term evolved in the 2000s in the U.S. to include professionals offering end-of-life companionship.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On November 2-3, in partnership with the UNDP, Frida Ukraine will dispatch a team of medical volunteers to a community in the Kharkiv region, delivering crucial medical assistance. This mission will also include a dedicated dental team, supported by the Serhiy Prytula Charitable Foundation, aimed at providing specialized care for residents.
Frida Ukraine plans to offer regular medical consultations, alongside dental services facilitated through the Serhiy Prytula Foundation, with Vladislava Romaniuk leading the medical team.
Details about the mission’s location will be shared following accreditation.
For reference: This mission is part of the UNDP’s “Comprehensive Medical and Psychological Support with Improved Referral System” project, designed to assist communities impacted by explosive hazards. The project includes mobile hospitals providing healthcare and psychological aid, aiming to reach 15,000-20,000 residents by year’s end.
Frida Ukraine, a non-profit organization of volunteer doctors from Ukraine and Israel, has been offering emergency and outpatient care to civilians affected by the conflict since the invasion’s onset.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Kyiv will host a press conference on November 1 at Media Center Ukraine to commemorate the 11th anniversary of the Revolution of Dignity and the 20th anniversary of the Orange Revolution.
This year’s celebration of the Day of Dignity and Freedom will carry the slogan, “WE CANNOT BE DEFEATED! 20 years of the Orange Revolution and 11 years of Euromaidan.”
Throughout November, and especially on November 21—the anniversary of both the 2004 Orange Revolution and the 2013 Revolution of Dignity—the National Museum of the Revolution of Dignity, in collaboration with partners, will host a series of commemorative events.
The full program of events, along with informational and educational materials, will be introduced at the press conference. Organizers will also unveil this year’s social campaign and key messages for the Day of Dignity and Freedom.
Participants:
– Andrii Nadzhos, Deputy Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine for European Integration;
– Ihor Poshyvailo, General Director of the National Memorial Complex of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes – Museum of the Revolution of Dignity
– Kostiantyn Rieutskyi, participant of the Orange Revolution, coordinator of the Euromaidan civil sector in Luhansk, officer of the Armed Forces of Ukraine;
– A representative of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory;
Accreditation is required to attend the event.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the full-scale invasion, Ivan Rozuman worked as a miner in the Dnipropetrovsk oblast. At the beginning of the great war he joined the defense forces and took part in the battles in the Liman sector.
However, when he returned to his hometown of Marhanets, he was wounded. Ivan’s fiancée, Tetiana, also came to the town, eager to meet his parents. That very day the russians attacked the city. Ivan suffered injuries to his windpipe, eyes, arms and legs. Tetiana suffered an open skull wound and her legs were broken.
Ivan spent a month in a coma after his injuries. He lost his right arm and his eyesight completely. He urged Tetiana to leave him. Instead, he received a proposal of marriage from his beloved.
On February 2, 2024, the couple married. Since then, they have been adjusting to life in the new conditions.
Ivan Rozuman is in Kyiv. The army veteran is ready to talk to journalists, both online and offline, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oleksandra Knyha and her brother Andrii come from the town of Oleshky in the Kherson oblast (currently occupied). When russian tanks entered Oleshky and Kherson at the beginning of the invasion, the siblings stayed in the region to help the people. Friends of Oleksandra from abroad organized several truckloads of humanitarian aid, which Andrii and Oleksandra sorted and handed out. But when civic-minded volunteers began to be kidnapped by russians, the siblings had to move to Ukrainian-controlled territory.
After Kherson was liberated on November 11, 2022, they immediately returned to the city to help rebuild life there. They decided to organize creative workshops for children in shelters, understanding that damaged and looted schools and kindergartens would not reopen soon. This became the inspiration for the creation of the KRYLA Charitable Foundation.
Recently, with the support of partners and donors, they launched several major projects at the KRYLA Multi-Space — a shelter where, despite the unsafe situation in the city, Kherson residents can gather to socialize or learn new skills.
Another focus of their work is a humanitarian mission in Oleshky, located on the occupied left bank of the Kherson oblast. The settlement was severely damaged when the russians blew up the Kakhovka Dam.
Journalists can learn more and contact Oleksandra and Andrii in person or online.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
“Voices of Children” Charity Foundation took part in the collaborative study “Behind Closed Doors: children’s dreams in institutional care”, and published a research on the living conditions, dreams and hopes of children in institutional care facilities “I’m just waiting to go home”.
Some key facts:
- There is still a significant number of children in institutional care facilities – around 25,500 according to the Ministry of Social Policy, of whom only 5.5% are children whose parents have been deprived of parental rights. 20,000 children have parents but continue to live in institutional care facilities
- Children can stay in bomb shelters for up to four hours at a time, sometimes even up to 10 hours a day, especially in the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine
- One in five children has no one to talk to when something is bothering them.
- One third of the children have experienced abuse within the institution.
Journalists have the opportunity to learn more and talk to young people (17 years and older) who have experience of living in orphanages. There are youngsters open to communication in Kyiv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Vinnytsia and Lviv region. Comments from experts involved in the research are also available.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oksana Pohomii, a dedicated volunteer and member of the Kherson City Council, remained steadfast in her commitment to her community during the relentless occupation by russian forces. Throughout this challenging period, she awaited the city’s liberation while providing crucial support to those in need, even managing to share videos documenting life under occupation. Oksana was present in Kherson during the catastrophic explosion of the Kakhovka HPP in June 2023.
As the head of the Kherson Solidarna Sprava Hromad NGO (Solidarity Cause of the Communities in Kherson), Oksana recently oversaw the establishment of the Kherson Ukrainian Cultural Center, named after Oleksandr Menshov, a renowned Ukrainian writer from Kherson who lost his life at the front last year. This center serves as a refuge and hosts various cultural events, welcoming participation from all members of the community.
Following the city’s liberation, Oksana’s organization launched a volunteer bakery, providing freshly baked bread for both local residents and military personnel. On the second anniversary of Kherson’s liberation, November 11, the bakery is set to celebrate a significant milestone: the production of its three hundred thousandth loaf of bread.
Journalists interested in learning more about Oksana’s inspiring efforts can engage with her in Kherson or connect online.
For context: Kherson fell under russian occupation on March 1, 2022, at the onset of the full-scale invasion. The Ukrainian Armed Forces successfully liberated the city on November 11, 2022, but the threat remains, with regular shelling continuing to affect the area.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Volodymyr Marchenko, head of the marketing department at Osvita Publishing House, was preparing for a new adventure just days before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He and his wife had planned a trip to São Paulo, Brazil, after she won a ticket to any destination in the world, along with a discount for her husband. However, the onset of war altered their plans dramatically. On February 25, 2022, Volodymyr enlisted at the military registration office to defend his country.
During the war, he suffered a devastating brain injury that left him in a coma for two weeks, followed by a month in intensive care. At that time, medical professionals could not predict whether he would regain his sight, walk, speak, or even care for himself. Despite these grim forecasts, Volodymyr has defied the odds. He now leads an active lifestyle, focusing on rehabilitation through sports and travel. In recognition of his determination and resilience, he has also been selected as a member of the Ukrainian national team for the 2025 Invictus Games.
Journalists interested in learning more about Volodymyr’s remarkable story can arrange to speak with him in Kyiv.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
“We haven’t lived long enough; we want to live a little longer.” This poignant statement from Nazar, spoken when he was just nine, resonates deeply today as he turns twelve. Born in the Luhansk region, which is now occupied, Nazar’s childhood has been shaped by ongoing war.
In 2022, he was forced to flee his home amid intense rocket attacks by the russian army. His mother, a psychotherapist at an art school, dedicated her efforts to helping children in eastern Ukraine, often traveling to remote villages with mobile brigades. Tragically, during the occupation, their family home and school were looted.
Despite the upheaval, Nazar’s passion for nature conservation remains unwavering. Since the age of four, he has actively participated in initiatives to protect the environment, creating reusable shopper bags, organizing school theater performances, and leading community clean-up efforts.
Nazar is also a contributor to the book “War through the Voices of Children,” a collection of children’s reflections on the impact of war that has recently made its way into American bookstores.
Journalists wishing to learn more about Nazar’s inspiring story can arrange interviews with him in the Kyiv region.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Veteran Oleh Kostiukov, who served in Ukraine’s Armed Forces engineering corps for 28 years, is applying his expertise to an unusual form of warfare: deception. Believing that misdirection has always played a key role in military strategy, Kostiukov began crafting decoy of Ukrainian military vehicles when russia’s full-scale invasion began. These dummies, placed at the front lines, are designed to draw enemy fire and prompt russian forces to reveal their positions.
Each replica weighs about 100 kilograms and can be set up within five to seven minutes. Constructed with a metal frame and canvas, the models bear realistic details, including hatches, tracks, and other vehicle features.
Kostiukov’s team manufactures the decoys in the Kyiv region, with each unit costing around 100,000 hryvnias. According to Kostiukov, reports from Ukrainian soldiers indicate that at least once a month, enemy forces mistake the dummies for actual military equipment and open fire.
For reference: Journalists with Defense Ministry accreditation can arrange a visit to the production site, where Mr. Kostiukov is open to interviews, both online and in person.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oksana Starodub, a mother of two from Chernihiv, faced unthinkable challenges after deciding to stay in her hometown when the war began. Her husband, Mykola, joined the territorial defense forces on the second day of the all-out invasion, determined to protect his family and city. On March 6, 2022, russian mortars struck Oksana’s home, leaving her severely injured and unable to move. Her teenage son bandaged her wounds as they awaited help, but continued shelling prevented an ambulance from reaching them. Eventually, Mykola and his unit managed to return home, where a military medic applied a tactical tourniquet to Oksana’s leg before she was taken to a hospital. The hospital, overwhelmed with wounded, was operating under dire conditions. Power was down due to nearby shelling, staff was stretched thin, and resources were scarce. Drinking water arrived only once daily, and food for both patients and doctors was cooked outdoors over an open flame. Oksana later traveled to Vinnytsia for multiple surgeries and, by September 2022, was able to walk on her own again.
Meanwhile, Mykola continued defending the Chernihiv region until his battalion was deployed to Donetsk. On June 17, 2024, during a combat mission, Mykola sustained fatal wounds, leaving Oksana a widow.
The Children of Heroes charity foundation is currently supporting the family. Dedicated to aiding children who have lost one or both parents due to russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the foundation offers financial assistance, psychological counseling, legal aid, and educational support to help these children grow and thrive until adulthood.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
From November 9-13, the Voices of Children Foundation is hosting a Writing Residency in Ukraine’s Carpathians, bringing together young writers under the guidance of Ukrainian author Olha Rusina. Among the participants is 17-year-old Sofiia from Odesa, who plans to write a book honoring her father, a police officer who died during the war.
After russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine, Sofiia was forced to flee to Moldova, where she encountered challenges, such as enforced russian language use and a school curriculum focused on russian literature. An avid reader, Sofiia even started a reading club for her peers in Moldova. This fall, she enrolled at the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv’s Faculty of Journalism, where she connected with Rusina, who now mentors her as she begins work on her father’s story.
Alongside Sofiia, teens from cities including Kharkiv, Dnipro, and the Chernihiv region—many from military families or displaced by the war—will join the residency. Participants will work to process their experiences and turn trauma into resilience through creative expression. Set in a mountain retreat, the program will offer writing workshops, as well as individual and group counseling sessions with psychologists.
Journalists seeking to cover the residency can arrange access in advance, and may also speak with Sofiia in Lviv.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In Kyiv Oblast, a new eco-friendly recycling line has been set up in Borodianka to process construction waste, utilizing equipment provided by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The initiative aims to repurpose debris from damaged structures into usable materials.
The recycled materials will serve multiple purposes: forming the base of roads, acting as filler for concrete and other building materials, and reinforcing riverbanks.
This process supports sustainable rebuilding efforts in an area heavily impacted by war. With approximately 4,000 structures damaged by ongoing hostilities, Kyiv Oblast faces significant cleanup and reconstruction.
Journalists are invited to observe and report on the region’s ecological recycling efforts.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Dr. Clemens Schiestl, a renowned plastic surgeon from the University Children’s Hospital Zurich, is scheduled to arrive in Lviv on November 8. He will participate in Ukraine’s inaugural international burn conference, which will unite leading experts in burn care from around the world.
Before the conference, Dr. Schiestl will visit the burn unit at St. Nicholas Children’s Hospital, part of the First Medical Union of Lviv, to meet the children whose lives he has helped save. Over the past year, several young patients with severe burns from Lviv have been sent to Zurich for treatment. Among them are 7-year-old Maksym, who suffered burns in a fire while studying by candlelight during a blackout, and 15-year-old Maksym, who endured 40% burns from an electric shock. Both will meet with Dr. Schiestl for follow-up care during his visit.
Dr. Schiestl will also assess current patients in the Lviv burn unit. The conference, taking place on November 8-9, will make Lviv the focal point of international burn medicine. Experts will gather to exchange knowledge and discuss the latest advancements in burn treatment, a critical area of care in wartime when blast and mine injuries frequently cause burns.
The event is open to those with proper accreditation.
For further details: The Christian Medical Association of Ukraine, as part of the Burn Care Alliance project, organizes the event with support from the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and the First Medical Union of Lviv.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Since the onset of the full-scale invasion, the Palianytsia Charitable Foundation has been steadfast in supporting Ukrainian defenders. Among its key initiatives, volunteers are focused on producing essential heating equipment for soldiers at the front. One of their creations is a medium-sized dugout shelter heater, designed to heat spaces of up to 20 square meters.
The Palianytsia Foundation’s welding shop in Zaporizhia is managed by Mykhailo, a volunteer who has been working since the war’s early days. He and his team aim to produce 300 heaters for frontline troops this season.
In a typical shift, the volunteers craft 10 heaters, with welders working during their spare time. The materials needed for the project are funded by donations from supporters.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Tetiana Tipakova, originally from Donetsk and a longtime resident of Berdiansk in Zaporizhia Oblast (now under occupation), spent nearly 30 years working in a travel agency. When russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, she became an active voice in support of her country, organizing peaceful protests in Berdiansk.
For her efforts, Tetiana was abducted by russian forces. Blindfolded and taken to a detention center, she endured two days of interrogation and brutal torture, including electric shocks to her fingers and a mock execution. She was forced to record a video apology before being released. However, the next day, she was captured again, held for four more days, and subjected to further abuse.
After this harrowing experience, Tetiana made the decision to flee Berdiansk. She crossed more than 20 checkpoints to reach Zaporizhia, where she founded a women’s initiative group. This eventually led to the creation of the NGO “Ridna Stezhka” (Home Footpath), dedicated to helping displaced people and supporting fellow Ukrainians.
In the early stages, Tetiana’s organization provided food, medicine, and support for evacuees, helping them settle into their new lives in Zaporizhia. Within the first year, the NGO successfully applied for 24 grants, winning 3.
By 2024, Tetiana had secured financial backing to launch an educational space offering computer literacy classes, movie screenings, and psychological support. Her organization is now expanding its mission to empower women through education, training, and ongoing support in Zaporizhia.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Territory of Change conference serves as a platform for the exchange of innovative ideas aimed at advancing Ukraine’s development and recovery across multiple sectors, including public administration, urban planning, environmental sustainability, economics, migration, finance, and demographics.
The event will feature speakers from government, business, academia, and the public sector, who will explore strategies for turning these ideas into reality. The most promising proposals will be presented to experts for evaluation and may receive support for implementation.
The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) backs the event, with the Media Center Ukraine serving as the media partner.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In Kyiv and its surrounding region, the Ukrainian Valkyrie NGO is equipping women with essential self-defense skills. The organization’s training sessions aim to dispel fears around weapons, instill a culture of responsible handling, and teach practical armed defense techniques. The initiative seeks to empower women—whether wives, mothers, or professionals—to safeguard themselves and their loved ones from potential threats.
Classes are held four times a week and incorporate two core elements: mental resilience and armed defense training. Participants can practice using a multimedia shooting simulator, learn the basics of firearm laws, and engage in practical shooting drills with rifled and smoothbore weapons. The program also includes first aid and psychological preparation, ensuring a comprehensive approach to safety and security.
The program attracts women from diverse professions, including teachers, accountants, IT specialists, police officers, firefighters, artists, psychologists, models, and bloggers. Since the onset of the full-scale invasion, approximately 3,500 women have completed the training, with many going on to serve in Ukraine’s armed forces.
Media representatives can arrange to observe and report on these training sessions in Kyiv and the region.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Kateryna and Artem Sobchenko were married in 2016, welcoming their son, also named Artem, a year later. Though the couple eventually divorced, they remained on good terms, maintaining a warm and supportive relationship.
When russia launched its full-scale invasion, Kateryna and her son were living in Mykolaiv, a city in southern Ukraine. On that fateful day, Kateryna was preparing for work when the sound of explosions shattered the morning calm.
Artem Sobchenko had dedicated his life to military service. He served as a Marine during the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) but was forced to retire due to health issues. However, when the invasion began, he immediately volunteered at the enlistment office. Despite being turned away, Artem was undeterred. He defended Mykolaiv as a volunteer, helped evacuate civilians from Mariupol, and eventually joined the 77th Airmobile Brigade as a medic and platoon sergeant.
Artem’s bravery earned him the title of Hero of Ukraine, the Golden Star badge, and the Order of Courage. During the battle for Soledar, he saved 15 comrades. Later, while defending Bakhmut, he saved another soldier’s life but tragically did not return from the battlefield himself.
Kateryna received the devastating news just as their son was preparing to start first grade. The loss plunged young Artem into a deep depression. He became withdrawn, crying constantly and stuttering when he tried to speak.
Seeking help, Kateryna turned to the Children of Heroes Foundation, which supports children who have lost parents in the war. With the help of a psychologist and art therapy, Artem began to heal. He now speaks more openly and has started to smile again.
For context: The Children of Heroes Foundation provides financial aid, psychological and legal support, and educational opportunities for children who have lost one or both parents due to the war, continuing its assistance until they reach adulthood.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oleksandr Tereshchenko, a veteran of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, is turning personal tragedy into a mission to assist others. In 2015, while defending Donetsk airport, Tereshchenko sustained critical injuries, losing his right arm and left hand. Today, he leads the International Charitable Foundation bearing his name and has launched a social project titled “I Did, So Can You” to help fellow veterans navigate life after amputation.
The initiative includes a series of 12 films featuring practical advice on everyday tasks for those with similar injuries. Drawing on his own experiences, Tereshchenko demonstrates how individuals with amputated arms can handle daily challenges. The project primarily targets military personnel who recently lost limbs and are struggling to adjust to their new reality.
Set for completion in 2025, the project aims to assist not only the veterans but also their families. According to Tereshchenko, the videos will provide loved ones with insights into supporting amputees on their journey toward independence.
Those interested can arrange in-person meetings with Tereshchenko in Kyiv or Lviv. Journalists are also welcome to observe the filming process by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On November 11, Kyiv will host the debut of Shevchenko 2.0, a show-performance by the Kharkiv Academic Berezil Theater. Blending history with modernity, the production draws inspiration from the personal diaries of Ukrainian national poet Taras Shevchenko. Through a mix of life events, theatrical expression, avant-garde music, and pop tributes to Great Kobzar’s poetry, the show promises a dynamic reimagining of the poet’s legacy. EL Kravchuk, a celebrated Ukrainian singer, not only plays a pivotal role in the production but also co-developed the concept with academic and physicist Borys Hryniov. The performance combines poignant lyrics with black humor and features original compositions alongside pop homages to Shevchenko’s works, all performed by Kravchuk.
Although rooted in documentary material, Shevchenko 2.0 is staged as a phantasmagoria, incorporating bold theatrical techniques. The production features video projections, elaborate set designs, and chic costumes, creating a visually stunning and energetic spectacle.
The creative team includes:
• Borys Hryniov – Concept creator and lyricist. An Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Doctor of Technical Sciences, and Professor.
• Dmytro Ternovyi – Playwright. Winner of numerous playwriting competitions, including international accolades. His works have been published and staged in Austria, Germany, France, Poland, and Ukraine.
• Oleksandr Kovshun – Director. With 27 productions in his repertoire, he has collaborated with seven Ukrainian theaters and three international cultural institutions. His accolades include two theater awards and participation in 35 festivals across 10 countries.
• Kostiantyn Ponomariov – Production designer. Renowned as Kharkiv’s leading fashion designer, as well as a prominent set designer and art critic.
• Mykhailo Tereshchenko and EL Kravchuk – Performers portraying Taras Shevchenko.
For reference: The Kharkiv Academic Ukrainian Drama Theatre, originally named Berezil, is among Ukraine’s oldest cultural institutions. Established in Kyiv in 1922 by visionary director Les Kurbas, the theater was transferred to Kharkiv in 1926 when the city served as Ukraine’s capital.
Kurbas, a trailblazer in Ukrainian theater, was dismissed in 1933 under accusations of “distorting” optimistic Soviet ideals. He, along with playwright Mykola Kulish, was executed in the Sandarmokh forest on November 3, 1937, during Stalin’s purges.
Despite its proximity to the russian border, ongoing war, and reduced state funding, the theater continues to innovate under chief director Stepan Pasichnyk, producing new works, securing grant-funded projects, and performing for Ukrainian defenders.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Women in Drones program, part of the Duck Drones initiative, is empowering women to enter the traditionally male-dominated field of drone manufacturing. Led by Daria Linkova, the initiative challenges gender stereotypes in the industry, proving through experience that women can excel in drone design and manufacturing.
During its inaugural enrollment, the program attracted over 300 applicants. The selection process prioritized candidates eager to develop new skills and remain active in the workforce.
The two-week pre-employment training program includes theoretical lessons, hands-on practice, and piloting exercises. Graduates receive certificates of completion and immediate job offers, opening the door to careers in the growing drone industry.
For a closer look, appointments can be made to meet Daria Linkova and tour the drone production facility in Kyiv.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A piece by renowned British street artist Banksy, originally painted in Hostomel, has been relocated to the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra Monastery National Reserve. The graffiti, created in the aftermath of the Kyiv region’s liberation, portrays a woman in loungewear holding a fire extinguisher and wearing a gas mask. It quickly became a powerful symbol of resilience and renewal.
Shortly after its creation, the mural narrowly escaped theft when someone attempted to remove a section of the wall it was painted on. The artwork was salvaged and is now preserved within the Kyivan Caves Monastery’s grounds. While its exact location within the monastery has not been revealed, staff have invited visitors to explore and share their discoveries on social media.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Peaceful demonstrations will take place in 26 cities across Ukraine to draw attention to prisoners of war and missing persons, including the Azovstal defenders and other military personnel still held in enemy captivity.
On November 9, rallies are planned in Okhtyrka, Pavlohrad, Chernihiv, Vinnytsia, Irpin, Dnipro, and Zaporizhia. The following day, November 10, events will be held in Kyiv, Pivdennoukrainsk, Mykolaiv, Uman, Cherkasy, Poltava, Uzhhorod, Korosten, Obukhiv, Krolevets, Ovruch, Korostyshiv, Kremenchuk, Odesa, Ostroh, and Chernivtsi.
These gatherings aim to remind the public of the ongoing plight of those in captivity and rally support for their release.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
From November 14 to 16, Kyiv will host Media Days 2024, a key conference for media professionals. This year’s “Media Days” will delve into the challenges media professionals face in the third year of the full-blown war and explore what lies ahead in the post-war landscape.
The panel discussions and public interviews will explore topics such as navigating censorship and self-censorship during wartime, the evolving role of social media and messaging platforms in journalism, the media’s contribution to fostering societal mediation and reintegration, addressing media-related trauma and potential solutions, challenges faced by investigative journalists, strategies for effective communication with international audiences, and more.
A highlight of the event will be a public interview with Nariman Dzhelyal, a prominent Ukrainian Crimean Tatar politician, lecturer, political scientist, and journalist. As Deputy Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People since 2013, Dzhelyal also leads the organization’s Information and Analytical Department.
Attendance is limited, with invitations extended at the discretion of the organizers to pre-accredited participants.
For reference: Now in its fourth year, “The Gongadze Prize Media Days” conference is a flagship initiative of the Georgiy Gongadze Prize, bringing together top journalists, editors, media executives, communicators, and representatives from responsible businesses. The event serves as a platform for examining media trends and challenges both in Ukraine and globally.
Media Center Ukraine is a media partner of this year’s event.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Alla Senchenko is both a skilled tailor and a dedicated soldier. She joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces in 2018, serving for three years before her initial contract ended. When russia launched its full-scale invasion, Alla wasted no time and reported to the military recruitment office, where she was mobilized as a rifleman.
In May 2022, while defending Lyman in the Donetsk region, she was captured by russian forces. Held in captivity for eight months and 11 days, Alla recalls relying solely on her faith and hope to endure. On February 4, 2023, she was finally released and returned to Ukraine. After completing her rehabilitation in late March, Alla was able to reunite with her family, whom she had not seen since the war began.
Today, Alla works at the Lutsk Territorial Center of Recruitment and Social Support. Alongside her current role, she dreams of designing clothing for soldiers and remains steadfast in her hope for Ukraine’s victory.
For those interested, Alla Senchenko is available for conversations both online and in person, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Maryna Lytovchenko, a 33-year-old Paralympic table tennis champion from Kharkiv, has proven her fortitude both on and off the court. A bronze medalist at the Rio de Janeiro Paralympics and a gold medalist in Tokyo, she has faced challenges far beyond the sports arena.
In the spring of 2022, russian forces shelled Maryna’s alma mater, the H.S. Skovoroda Kharkiv National Pedagogical University, leaving parts of it heavily damaged. Determined to help, Maryna took the extraordinary step of auctioning off her gold medal—earned in a match against a russian competitor—to raise funds for the university’s restoration.
She also organized several charity table tennis tournaments in the Czech Republic with colleagues from her sociology department. By February 2023, the fundraising campaign had collected 500,000 UAH, thanks to support from the sports community and compassionate donors. The funds were dedicated to rebuilding the university’s damaged facilities.
Maryna’s determination extends to her academic and athletic pursuits. In 2024, she added a silver medal from the Paris Paralympic Games to her accolades. As a graduate student, she is working on practical recommendations for coaches on training Paralympic athletes while continuing to compete in local tournaments.
She is also an alumna of The Leader (Liderka) school, a program by the NGO Fight For Right that promotes political participation among women with disabilities in Ukraine.
Journalists interested in speaking with Maryna can arrange interviews with her in Kyiv.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Mariia is only 18 now, and her story is one of courage and resilience. Before the all-out invasion outbreak, she lived in Sievierodonetsk, Luhansk region, now under occupation, with her stepfather and younger brother. In 2022, her family relocated to Novorossiysk, a city in russia near the border. However, Mariia opposed the move and made the brave decision to return to Ukraine on her own. This year, she began studying at a university in Kyiv, pursuing her dream of becoming an artist. Her boyfriend is currently serving at the front.
Mariia stands ready to share her story with journalists in Kyiv.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
During the event, experts will unveil the results of a nationwide sociological survey exploring public perceptions of Ukraine’s recovery efforts and shifts in media consumption. The discussion will highlight changes in trust towards major state institutions and media outlets, as well as the growing popularity of specific information channels since March 2024.
Additionally, the findings of AI-driven research into the information landscape will be presented. This analysis, based on over two million publications across media and social networks from January to June 2024, offers valuable insights into public discourse and trends shaping the narrative.
Participants:
– Maryna Klimchuk, Head of Media Partnerships at the Recovery Window Media Network;
– Iryna Riaboshtan, Head of Analytics Division at LetsData;
– Vladyslava Znoviak, an analyst at the Ilko Kucheriv “Democratic Initiatives” Foundation.
Advance registration is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On November 15, Kyiv will host the human rights action “Empty Chairs” in support of journalists, writers, cultural figures and human rights activists who have gone missing, have been imprisoned or are in captivity because of russia’s war against Ukraine. The event will feature a symbolic installation of empty chairs.
Lawyers, family members and friends of detained media workers will speak at the event. Among them are Oksana Mykhalevych, a lawyer for Dmytro Khyliuk, a journalist abducted by the russian military, and Olena Tsygipa, the wife of imprisoned journalist Serhii Tsygipa from Nova Kakhovka.
Media professionals returned from russian captivity will share their experiences – in particular, civil journalist and human rights activist Liudmyla Huseinova and journalist and Crimean politician Nariman Dzhelial.
The event aims to unite the efforts of all those who support Ukraine and fight for the release of civilians and prisoners of war unlawfully detained as a result of russia’s war against Ukraine.
For reference: The event is organized by PEN Ukraine and the Center for Civil Liberties.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Recently, the “Domazhyr” bear sanctuary in the Lviv oblast took in two bears. The sanctuary team received an urgent request to take in these bears from the private zoo “Bilytske” in the Donetsk oblast. The zoo was hit by rocket attacks at the end of September and again in October. Fortunately, Nataliia Popova, founder of the Wild Animals Rescue Center near Kyiv, successfully rescued the two bears and other animals.
The two bears were successfully transported to the Lviv oblast despite all the challenges posed by the war. Currently, the bears are doing well and resting in their bear house. As soon as the necessary documents for their transfer are ready, both bears will move to their permanent homes abroad.
Journalists are welcome to cover the bears’ stay at the sanctuary and to speak with sanctuary staff. The bears will remain at the sanctuary for several more months.
For reference: The Domazhyr Bear Sanctuary is a unique brown bear rescue and rehabilitation center in Ukraine, created with the support of the international charity FOUR PAWS, based in Vienna, Austria.
Since the beginning of the full-scale war, the center has been taking in bears whose lives are in danger. In 2022, for example, the sanctuary took in seven new residents from the Bila Skelia bear sanctuary in Kyiv oblast. They also took in a bear named Bakhmut, who was rescued by the Ukrainian military in Donetsk oblast. He is still living at the sanctuary.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In Lviv, the Car for Ukraine Volunteering Initiative will send its 500th armored pickup truck to the frontline, funded entirely by community contributions. This achievement underscores the power of collective action and the impact of volunteer-driven, crowdfunded support in strengthening Ukraine’s defense capabilities.
Journalists will have the opportunity to speak with the Car for Ukraine team and volunteers and see the convoy of armored pickup trucks being sent to the front line, including the 500th one.
Journalists will be able to find out the exact location and time of the event and cover it.
For reference: Car for Ukraine is a volunteering initiative that sources, upgrades and delivers pickups and SUVs to the Armed Forces of Ukraine fully crowdfunded. Since the beginning of the war the team has delivered over $4 million worth of vehicles to the army uniting people from over 20 countries including the UK, US, Germany, The Netherlands, Grenada, Australia, and more.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Maryna Chernyshova, originally from Mariupol, a city currently under enemy control, lived through the early days of the full-scale invasion alongside her family. The family spent over a month under occupation, seeking shelter from relentless shelling in their basement. During this harrowing period, it was their cat, Marsi, who provided emotional support, offering comfort and helping the family navigate through an incredibly difficult time.
Once they were able to escape Mariupol, Marsi accompanied them as the family relocated to the Ternopil region. There, Maryna found herself inspired to create a space for others in need of emotional relief. Noticing the abundance of stray cats in Ternopil, she decided to open a cat café, a place for people to find solace and relaxation.
With a combination of personal savings and funding from the National Network of Local Philanthropy Development, Maryna launched the café, which is now home to two previously homeless cats. The café offers a variety of activities aimed at providing psychological support to its visitors, including stress-relief meditation sessions led by experts. In the future, Maryna hopes to channel a portion of the café’s profits into building an animal shelter to further help animals in need.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Violetta and Oleh Nahornyi spent their lives in Vinnytsia, where Oleh worked in the building materials business and Violetta taught voice lessons. Together, they raised three children—a son and two daughters. Their peaceful life was shattered by the onset of the full-scale invasion, which destroyed their sense of security and shattered their plans for the future.
On the very first day of the all-out invasion, Oleh enlisted in the Territorial Defense Forces, determined to protect his family. Tragically, on May 14, 2024, he was fatally wounded while attempting to rescue his injured comrades.
A combat medic who was with Oleh in his final moments shared that the fallen soldier’s thoughts were with his family. “He asked me to tell you that he loves Violetta and the children very much, and to raise his youngest son—with dignity—as he is a spitting image of his father.” Official reports list Oleh as missing, but his family knows the heartbreaking truth: he died in the line of duty.
Violetta, once an aspiring composer, had set aside her music as the war took hold. However, after losing Oleh, she felt compelled to write a song in his honor. The piece was completed for his birthday, but she dedicated it not only to him but to all women who have lost their heroes in the war.
For reference: The Children of Heroes charity foundation is currently supporting Violetta and her children. The organization helps children who have lost one or both parents to the war, offering financial assistance, psychological and legal support, and promoting their education and well-being until they come of age.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oksana Smirnova, a resident of Irpin in the Kyiv region, faced an unimaginable tragedy when her son, Serhii, stayed behind to defend their hometown during the early days of russia’s full-scale invasion. Serhii was killed in the Battle of Irpin on his birthday—March 25, 2022.
In the wake of her loss, Oksana, a former designer, turned to art therapy as a way to heal and help others. She established a safe space for women affected by the war, where they could find solace through creative expression. At her workshops, participants craft three-dimensional toys, woolen paintings, and drawings. The handmade items are sold at fairs supporting the families of fallen soldiers, with all proceeds donated to the siblings of the deceased.
The community Oksana has built includes women who have lost loved ones at the front, those with husbands fighting on the frontlines, and displaced women seeking a sense of connection.
Journalists can arrange to speak with Oksana either in Irpin or virtually. Her next workshop is tentatively set for next week.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In the village of Kolonshchyna, Kyiv oblast, the Miracle Village project is in operation. This project is being implemented by the charitable foundation “To Ukraine With Love” and Charity Hansen Ukrainian Mission for elderly people who lost their homes due to russian military aggression. Residence in the village is free and lifelong. Currently, 170 displaced elderly people have settled in the village, and by the end of December, the foundations aim to provide housing for around 200 more people.
The Miracle Village welcomes people who have lost their homes due to the full-scale invasion, those who have been living in shelters and hostels for a long time, and those who have recently been evacuated from the front line. Organizers say the vast majority of residents are vulnerable people with minimal incomes, tragic war experiences and disabilities.
The village offers two community centers that provide daily hot lunches in a social cafeteria, the services of a paramedic and massage therapist. There is also a gym, a library, a hairdresser’s salon and a full-fledged shelter.
Filming on the premises of the Miracle Village is possible by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The White Angels police unit operates in hot spots, evacuating civilians, providing emergency medical care, delivering humanitarian aid and transporting the bodies of the deceased. Currently, the team is working in Kurakhove, Donetsk oblast.
In one trip, the officers managed to evacuate 13 people and 7 animals. The White Angels loaded 10 residents with their belongings, along with six cats and a dog, into an armored vehicle. They also towed a car damaged by an enemy drone, carrying a woman and her son, while the father of the family followed in his own vehicle.
During one operation, while the crew was evacuating two children with their parents, the occupiers attacked with aerial bombs. The law enforcement officers waited out the attack and took the people to a safe place.
Interviews with the officers can be arranged both online and offline by prior arrangement, with the possibility of covering the crew’s work.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On November 18 in Kyiv, celebrities will join women in planting “The Alley of Women’s Strength” garden as a symbol of women’s resilience and strength ahead of the “16 Days Against Violence” campaign.
The event will focus on women who are transforming themselves during a challenging time for themselves and the country — women who have their own painful stories but continue to fight for a better future. Together with celebrities, they will plant trees as symbols of the perseverance and strength of Ukrainian women. These trees will serve as a living reminder that women can recover, thrive, and move forward regardless of past hardships.
The event will bring together everyone who cares about the issue of violence, especially in times of war. Every voice counts. The Cherry Blossom Garden will be entered into the National Register of Records of Ukraine, and participants will jointly sign a time capsule for future generations.
Journalists can access the full list of stars joining the campaign. Accreditation is required to attend the event.
For reference: The 16 Days of Activism against Violence campaign was launched in 1991 by the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership. It is observed annually and unites women, men and children in the fight against violence.
The garden will be planted at the initiative of the International Charitable Foundation “Ukrainian Foundation for Public Health”, the Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation and in cooperation with the Solomianskyi District State Administration in Kyiv.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On November 21-22, Kyiv will host the second international conference “Crimea Global. Understanding Ukraine through the South”.
The conference “Crimea Global. Understanding Ukraine through the South” is bringing together experts and opinion leaders from Africa, Asia and Latin America to discuss current challenges, prospects for cooperation with Ukraine and the promotion of the Peace Formula. It will be a follow-up to last year’s conference, which brought together more than 300 participants, including 35 speakers who shared their experience and insights.
Details of the event: https://cutt.ly/7eGzruZ8
Registration is required to attend the event. (Space is limited). Confirmation of participation and detailed information on the exact location and time will be sent to the e-mail address provided in the registration form.
In addition to access to the conference venue, accredited media will have the opportunity to pre-book interviews with invited speakers.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ivan Lavreniuk, a native of Ukraine’s Vinnytsia region, answered the call to defend his country when russia launched its full-scale invasion. Volunteering for service, he joined the airborne assault troops and became part of the 71st Separate Jaeger Brigade. Stationed near Avdiivka, Ivan faced relentless combat. In March 2024, while returning from an assault, he was caught in a mortar strike. The blast left him permanently blind. Ivan recalls knowing instantly what had happened. He checked his arms and legs, confirmed they were intact, and began crawling back to safety.
The road to recovery was far from easy. Psychological rehabilitation posed significant challenges, but the unwavering support of family and friends helped Ivan rebuild his life. His physical recovery progressed quickly, thanks to a lifelong passion for sports. It was this passion that led Ivan to try out for Ukraine’s national team at the Invictus Games. He is now preparing to compete in powerlifting, athletics, and swimming.
For those interested in meeting Ivan Lavreniuk, he is available for conversations in Vinnytsia, with prior arrangements possible either online or in person.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On November 18, practical training under the Iron Women program will start in the Kyiv region. Iron Women is a no-cost retraining program aimed at equipping women with the skills to become excavator operators and front-end loader drivers.
The program includes both theoretical and hands-on training, concluding with professional certification for Level 5 excavator operators and Level 4 front-end loader drivers. These qualifications permit employment at enterprises but do not authorize operation on public roads.
A total of 12 women have joined the program, which is offered free of charge. Tuition, accommodation, and meals are fully funded by the Reskilling Ukraine initiative.
By prior arrangement, journalists have the opportunity to cover the practical classes in Kyiv region, which will last from November 18 to December 12.
For reference: The initiative is organized by the Swedish non-profit Beredskapslyftet in partnership with Volvo Construction Equipment and ETS Group, as part of the Reskilling Ukraine project.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
As Ukraine and its allies search for new vulnerabilities in the russian economy, the United States and the United Kingdom have introduced fresh sanctions packages this month, while the EU is working on its 15th round of restrictions. Ukraine has also expanded its measures, sanctioning over 100 individuals and entities from russia and Belarus this week.
On November 19, the Public Council on Sanctions will hold a press conference to focus on the effectiveness of these efforts and highlight areas requiring further action. Key questions include whether existing sanctions are achieving their intended goals and how U.S. policy might evolve under Donald Trump’s return to power.
The Council comprises representatives from 13 organizations dedicated to analyzing and advocating for sanctions against russia. During the conference, participants will present policy recommendations for Ukraine and its allies aimed at enhancing their economic pressure strategies.
Speakers include:
– Vladyslav Vlasiuk, Advisor and Presidential Commissioner for Sanctions Policy;
– Agiya Zagrebelska, Director of Partnership Development at the Economic Security Council of Ukraine;
– Oleksandr Liemienov, founder of StateWatch/Trap Agressor;
– Victoria Vyshnivska, Senior Researcher at the Independent Anti-Corruption Commission (NAKO).
Accreditation is required to attend, with applications due by 5 p.m. on November 18.
For reference: The Public Council on Sanctions facilitates collaboration between government and civil society to design, advocate, implement, and renew sanctions against russia and its allies. Its members include organizations such as the ANTS National Interests Advocacy Network, Black Sea News and the Black Sea Institute of Strategic Studies, DiXi Group, Institute of Legislative Ideas, International Center for Ukrainian Victory (ICUV), Molfar OSINT Agency, Independent Anti-Corruption Commission (NAKO), and Economic Security Council of Ukraine (ESCU), Сentre for Global Studies Strategy XXI, StateWatch/Trap Agressor, Razom We Stand, U8 Ukrainian Analytical Center.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On November 19, the Kyiv War Museum will host Light a Fire, a solemn event to mark the 1,000th day of the war. A thousand candles will be lit at the base of the iconic Motherland monument, followed by a unified prayer for Ukraine.
The event aims to honor those who have sacrificed their lives for the country and to extend gratitude to those still defending it.
Journalists planning to attend are required to secure accreditation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The highlight of the day will be the unveiling of the ‘Wall of Resilience and Invincibility’ at National Children’s Specialized Hospital “Okhmatdyt”, Ukraine’s leading paediatric clinic. This artistic installation symbolizes the unyielding spirit and unity of the Ukrainian people and pays tribute to the medical professionals who continue to save lives under the most challenging wartime conditions.
The wall, located at a site damaged by russian attacks, tells the stories of those who have worked tirelessly to rebuild the country since the first days of the war. Created by volunteers and Ukrainian artists, it embodies hope, strength, and a shared belief in ultimate victory.
Accreditation is required for journalists covering the event.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In the nearly 1,000 days since russia launched its all-out invasion, 1,941 medical facilities across Ukraine have been damaged or destroyed, according to official reports. This includes 1,714 facilities that sustained damage and 227 that were completely demolished. Hospitals in Kharkiv, Donetsk, Mykolaiv, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhia regions have borne the brunt of the destruction.
Obtaining a complete assessment of damage in territories still under russian occupation remains impossible. However, the toll on healthcare extends beyond facilities. Since the start of the war, russia has damaged 235 ambulances, destroyed 263, and seized 125.
Despite the challenges, the Ukrainian government has made the restoration of medical infrastructure a priority. The Ministry of Healthcare, in collaboration with its partners, has overseen the repair and reconstruction of 904 facilities. These include hospitals and clinics in de-occupied areas, as well as those that sustained minor damage, such as broken windows or damaged roofs.
The largest recovery efforts have taken place in Mykolaiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Chernihiv regions, ensuring that access to quality healthcare remains available for Ukrainians even amidst the ongoing invasion.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Orange Revolution and the 11th anniversary of the Revolution of Dignity. The program includes exhibitions, thematic tours, public discussions, and a meeting series titled Evolution of Revolutions. A key highlight is the academic forum Revolution of Dignity: Towards History Dates – 2024, hosted by the National Memorial Complex of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes – Museum of the Revolution of Dignity.
On November 21, an interfaith prayer for Ukraine and its freedom fighters will be held, followed by the ringing of the Dignity Bell and a ceremony to honor fallen defenders. Flowers will be laid, and candles will be lit at the portraits of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes.
The events will be broadcast live on the Maidan Museum’s Facebook page.
The initiative is organized by the National Museum of the Revolution of Dignity and Kyiv Three Saints Theological Seminary of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, with support from the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Kyiv City State Administration, and the NGO Families of the Heavenly Hundred.
For reference: The Dignity and Freedom Day commemorates the anniversaries of two pivotal moments in Ukraine’s history: the Orange Revolution of 2004 and the Revolution of Dignity in 2013.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
russia has illicitly abducted more than 20,000 Ukrainian children since the start of its full-blown war, with another 1.5 million at risk of deportation from temporarily occupied territories. Many of these children have had their personal data altered, making it nearly impossible for their families or homeland to locate and reclaim them.
Save Ukraine, a non-governmental organization, has been at the forefront of efforts to bring Ukrainian children home. Through carefully coordinated and regular rescue operations, the organization has successfully returned 538 children to date.
Journalists are invited to reach out to Save Ukraine for comments and further insights into their ongoing efforts.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Valerii Zarubin, Ihor Osetsymskyi, and Bohdan Stankevych founded Bluebird in 2023. The company has grown from a charitable initiative to a manufacturer of military radio electronics. Bluebird initially focused on the development of FPV drones, but over time expanded its range of products for the Ukrainian army.
Today, the company’s advanced devices include the Grets electronic warfare systems and reconnaissance drones.
In addition, Bluebird offers free drone assembly courses open to anyone interested in supporting the army.
It is possible to talk to the founders and the production team both online and offline by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On November 20, the Media Center Ukraine will hold a press conference and presentation of the “Moscow Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War”. The event will present an alternative version of the Geneva Conventions: the “Moscow Conventions,” which are structurally similar to the original, but describe completely different norms, such as killing, torture, electric shocks, beatings, lack of medical care, and inhumane detention conditions.
Participants:
– Dmytro Lubinets, Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights;
– Oleh Hushchyn, representative of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War;
– Yevheniia Synelnyk, representative of the Association of Azovstal Defenders’ Families;
– Tetiana Katrychenko, Executive Director of the Media Initiative for Human Rights;
– Yuliia “Taira” Paievska, liberated paramedic and volunteer (online).
Registration is required for this event.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On November 20, the Media Center Ukraine will hold the event “Childhood in Captivity: How to Protect the Rights of Children in the Occupied Territories”.
Topics for discussion:
– What is the current state of children’s rights in the occupied territories?
– What is it like to grow up under occupation?
– What are the challenges of monitoring violations of children’s rights in the occupied territories?
– What can Ukrainian and international institutions do to protect children’s rights in the occupied territories?
– What are the prospects for bringing to justice those involved in crimes against children under occupation?
Participants:
– Mariia Sulialina, Director of the Almenda Center for Civic Education;
– Ilias Sheikhisliamov, son of a political prisoner, public figure, member of the NGO “Crimean Tatars of Odesa Region”;
– Noel Calhoun, Deputy Head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine;
– Arman Akopian – Deputy Director of the Department and Head of the Unit for Children in Wartime, Department for Monitoring the Observance of Children’s Rights at the Secretariat of the Human Rights Commissioner of the Parliament of Ukraine;
– Yulia Usenko, Head of the Department for the Protection of Children’s Rights and Combating Domestic Violence of the Prosecutor General’s Office;
Background: November 20 marks the 35th anniversary of the signing of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The adoption of this document was an important step in ensuring fundamental rights for every child. In particular, Article 29 states that a child’s education should be aimed at fostering respect for the child’s parents, cultural identity, language and national values of the country in which the child lives and the country of origin.
Despite the fact that the russian federation has ratified the Convention, thus committing itself to comply with its provisions and ensure children’s rights in accordance with international standards, russia systematically violates children’s rights. Children living in the occupied territories are in a particularly vulnerable situation, as they are victims of targeted indoctrination, militarization and erasure of identity.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On November 22-24, Ukrainian communities across Italy will hold rallies, film screenings and conferences dedicated to Holodomor Remembrance Day. The purpose of the events is to honor the memory of the victims of the Holodomor and to draw attention to the tragic 1,000 days of russia’s invasion of Ukraine. They also aim to call on the international community to take decisive action against both russian propaganda and russian aggression in general. The organizers stress the importance of remembering the crimes of the russian authorities in order to prevent their recurrence. The initiative has already received support from the Ukrainian World Congress, the Communities Army of Ukraine, and the International Centre of Ukrainian Victory.
Journalists are welcome to learn more about the events and speak with the organizers.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the full-scale invasion began, Liudmyla Porfilenko lived in Kurakhove, Donetsk oblast, worked as a nurse at a local school, and in her spare time made toys and jewelry in a small workshop she set up in her apartment. Liudmyla’s husband was a doctor, and together they raised three children.
On February 24, 2022, Liudmyla could not believe that a great war had begun. But by the third week of the invasion, her family decided to evacuate. They packed their children, two dogs, and canisters of gasoline into the car. They took only a change of clothes and some of Liudmyla’s craft supplies. The family made their way to the Volyn oblast, choosing it on the advice of acquaintances who had evacuated from Donetsk oblast in 2014.
Later her parents were also evacuated to Volyn. Liudmyla’s husband found a job in a local hospital, and she revived her small studio. She starts working early in the morning, sewing toys and making jewelry from precious stones. She sells her creations on social media or through acquaintances. Some of her handmade dolls have traveled the world, with orders from France, Germany and England. Liudmyla also holds wool felting workshops for children.
You can speak with Liudmyla either online or in person by appointment.
Background: Kurakhove is currently under heavy fighting, and most of the population has fled the city.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The media are invited to participate in the events of the exhibition “We Cannot Be Defeated” dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the Orange Revolution. The exhibition will be opened on November 22 in Kyiv with the participation of the third President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko.
On November 22, there will also be a discussion with key figures of these historic events: the third President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko, the “Voice of Maidan”, the People’s Artist of Ukraine Yevhen Nyshchuk, the historian Oleksandr Zinchenko, the singer Maria Burmaka, and the General Director of the Maidan Museum Ihor Poshyvailo.
The discussion will take place in the main hall of the Ukrainian House, within the thematic exhibition space. Visitors will have the opportunity to relive the most vivid moments of the Orange Revolution, see artifacts from the Maidan Museum collection, and share their own thoughts and memories.
On November 23, journalists are invited to a public interview with Viktor Yushchenko called “A Conversation of Generations”. This event will highlight the perspectives of different generations on one of the key events in Ukraine’s modern history, the Orange Revolution.
Accreditation is required for this event.
Background:
The Orange Revolution was a series of protests by Ukrainian citizens sparked by massive fraud in the 2004 presidential election that favored government-backed candidate Viktor Yanukovych. The events were named after the color used by supporters of presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko and the opposition party Our Ukraine. (The Orange Revolution began in November 2004).
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On November 21 the Media Center Ukraine will hold a press conference: “russia’s Information Warfare Against the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria”.
Topics of focus:
– Mechanisms of influence of russian special services on journalists and bloggers;
– The policy of “denazification” through the media space;
– The role of Chechen and russian opposition journalists and bloggers in addressing the occupation of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria.
Participants:
– Akhmed Zakayev, Prime Minister of the Government-in-Exile of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria’s (online);
– Olena Sydorenko, Honorary Consul of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria in Ukraine;
– Adam Mamut, General Representative of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria in Ukraine;
– Rodion Krasnovyd, Public Relations Service, Ministry of Defense, Chechen Republic of Ichkeria;
– Inna Kurochkina, Special Representative of the Prime Minister of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria for Special Assignments (online).
Background:
For years, the Ministry of Defense of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria has been analyzing the impact of hostile disinformation on media platforms, both in occupied Ichkeria and abroad. This initiative aims to share crucial insights and effective strategies with Ukrainian and international media professionals, fostering resilience against russian propaganda within the Ukrainian information space.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On November 21, the Media Center Ukraine will hold a presentation of the results of the research “Current needs and challenges facing veterans of the russia-Ukraine war”.
This presentation will unveil the findings of an online survey conducted among male and female veterans in October-November 2024. The results highlight the growing urgency for material support and psychological assistance for veterans. Additionally, as employment challenges deepen, an increasing number of veterans are expressing interest in launching their own businesses. A persistent issue remains society’s lack of understanding of veterans’ experiences and needs.
Participants:
– Nina Rogovets, Acting Executive Director of the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation;
– Anastasiia Selianinova, Head of the Educational and Analytical Department of the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation.
Registration for the event is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Mariia Aleksieievych is the wife of Serhii Aleksieievych, a fighter of the Azov Brigade, which defended Mariupol from the beginning of the full-scale russian invasion until 16 May 2022. On that day, Serhii and his comrades left Azovstal on orders from their superiors and were captured by russians.
For more than two years, Mariia worked tirelessly to bring her beloved and other prisoners home. During this time, she traveled to Austria to attend an OSCE meeting on the Olenivka terrorist attack, met with Ukrainian officials, and attended weekly rallies dedicated to the defenders of Azovstal. On 18 October 2024, Serhii Aleksieievych returned to Ukraine as part of a prisoner exchange.
Mariia says she had a strong feeling that her beloved would finally come home that day. At 10.20 pm, she received a call from the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War with the long-awaited news. A few hours later, Serhii himself called her. Mariia says she still cannot believe it is not a dream and that her husband has really returned from captivity.
Serhii is currently undergoing treatment and rehabilitation.
Serhii Aleksieievych is not yet ready for interviews. However, Mariia Aleksieievych is available to talk about her experiences, her work with Olenivka Community NGO and the emotional reunion with her husband after his captivity – online or in person in Kyiv or Vinnytsia by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On November 22, the Media Center of Ukraine will hold a press conference “Map of Valor and Memories: Honoring Ukraine’s Heritage”
Ukraine lacks prominent landmarks of national heroism and memorials marking significant achievements. Moreover, these historical sites remain largely unknown, as the roads leading to them are often not even paved.
The heroization of a nation and its people is an essential part of social development and education of younger generations. To address this need, NGO Ukraine Incognita, in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth and Sports, has created a comprehensive map of valor and memory. The initiative also includes the installation of informative stands at key locations to preserve and celebrate this heritage.
Participants:
– Roman Malenkov, Chairman of the Board, “Ukraine Incognita” NGO;
– Maksym Plakhotnyi, Executive Director of “Ukraine Incognita” NGO;
– Andriy Yarovyi, Technical Director of “Ukraine Incognita” NGO;
– Andrii Kobylianskyi, historian (online)
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On November 29, in Kyiv, the Ukrainian-Israeli volunteer medical mission “FRIDA Ukraine” will hold a blood drive to address various medical needs.
In order to meet the demand for blood, there should be 40 donors per 1,000 people. Currently, this number is less than 20 in Ukraine. The lack of donor blood results in postponed surgeries, deaths of accident victims, and the inability of cancer patients to undergo treatment. By donating blood, donors give these people a chance to live.
For reference: FRIDA Ukraine is a non-governmental, non-profit, charitable mission of volunteer doctors from Ukraine and Israel. Since the beginning of the invasion, the mission has been providing emergency and outpatient medical care to civilians affected by the hostilities.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oleksandr Laptii, a 50-year-old Ukrainian actor known for his roles in films like The Rising Hawk, The Fight Rules, and Cherkasy, has taken on a prominent role in the sequel to the cult video game S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2. A longtime fan of the game series, Laptii was invited by the casting team to contribute as a model for 3D animation, bringing one of the game’s central characters to life. Filming began in early 2022 but was abruptly halted after just a few days due to russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
In the summer of 2023, Laptii joined the 12th Azov Special Forces Brigade, where he earned the call sign “Sei.” Despite his new military role, he received permission from his commanders later that year to resume his work on S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2. Production restarted in November, and Laptii rejoined the team to complete his contributions.
On November 20, after a 15-year wait, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 was finally released to fans worldwide.
Laptii is available for interviews, both online and in person, with prior approval from Azov’s press service.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Peaceful rallies will take place in 26 cities across Ukraine on November 23-24 to raise awareness about the plight of Azovstal defenders and other military personnel still held in enemy captivity. The events aim to remind the nation and the world of the ongoing struggle faced by prisoners of war and the missing.
On November 23, rallies will be held in Okhtyrka, Pivdennoukrainsk, Pavlohrad, Chernihiv, Vinnytsia, Irpin, Dnipro, Zhytomyr, Obukhiv, and Zaporizhia. The following day, November 24, similar actions are planned in Kyiv, Pivdennoukrainsk, Mykolaiv, Uman, Cherkasy, Poltava, Uzhhorod, Korosten, Obukhiv, Brovary, Krolevets, Ovruch, Korostyshiv, Kovel, Kryvyi Rih, Ternopil, Kremenchuk, Odesa, Ostroh, and Chernivtsi.
These events are spearheaded by the families of prisoners of war from the Mariupol garrison, with participation from Ukrainians who have been released from captivity. Their collective message seeks to emphasize the urgent need to secure the freedom of those still detained and highlight the resilience of Ukraine’s defenders.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
From December 2 to 4, Kyiv will host the National Forum on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, serving as a key platform to address pressing challenges and develop collaborative solutions to improve the lives of people with disabilities in Ukraine. This year’s event carries the theme “On the Way to the EU,” highlighting the critical reforms required to align with European standards of inclusivity and human rights.
The forum will focus on major issues such as deinstitutionalization, the overhaul of social and rehabilitation services, and expanding employment opportunities. These initiatives are seen as essential, though challenging, steps for Ukraine to meet European benchmarks for protecting the rights of people with disabilities. Activists, government officials, business leaders, and representatives from the public sector will convene to discuss strategies for advancing these reforms effectively and efficiently.
The program includes panel discussions, keynote speeches, working groups, and presentations, culminating in a set of concrete recommendations. These proposals, aimed at improving inclusivity in education, employment, accessibility, and infrastructure, will be presented to government agencies and local communities for implementation.
Additionally, a human rights action supporting the rights of people with disabilities is scheduled for December 2.
Participants must register by 6 p.m. on November 27. The forum’s exact location, details of the human rights action, and the full agenda will be shared following accreditation.
For reference: The forum is organized by the League of the Strong and Fight For Right NGOs, with support from international partners, and aims to foster meaningful change for people with disabilities in Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Andrii Smyk, a professional military sniper, dedicated many years to service, taking part in combat operations from 2014 to 2020. He rejoined active duty shortly before the full-scale invasion, defending the Kyiv oblast before moving to protect the Kharkiv and Donetsk oblasts. During his service, he suffered several injuries and concussions. In 2023, he returned to his hometown of Irpin for health reasons.
Inspired by childhood memories of his grandfather Mykola, a skilled woodworker, Andrii founded the eco-friendly workshop “Funny Owls” in the summer of 2024.
Together with his team, they create kitchenware, children’s toys, phone stands, candle holders, puzzles, alphabet sets and custom-made items. Discounts are available on all orders for military personnel and their families.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The “Blyzki” initiative provides a space where relatives of service members and veterans can receive career development support: identifying growth directions, completing training, creating updated resumes, and preparing for job interviews. In the process, participants can connect with a community of peers who understand their experiences.
Participants can receive 2-3 months of training in a new profession, learn English, get information on starting their own business, participate in creative workshops, sports classes, and sessions for physical and mental recovery. All activities will take place offline, as the organizers believe this will foster closer relationships and better communication.
The project was launched in early 2024, first in Kyiv and later in Lviv. It welcomes partners, close relatives of military personnel, veterans, and service members in recovery.
Journalists can cover the project in Kyiv or Lviv by prior arrangement.
Background:
The “Blyzki” initiative was created by Maryna Baturynets, founder of the Bazilik School of Communications. It was inspired by a joint project between Bazilik and Veteran Hub — a communication course for military families. This course highlighted the need for education and, more importantly, interaction with people who share similar experiences.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The “Instrument” by Zhanna Kadyrova is a unique installation at the Lviv railway station, featuring a pipe organ crafted from fragments of exploded russian missiles that fell in the Kyiv oblast.
“Instrument” is a series of musical performances by the project’s creator, artist Zhanna Kadyrova. She has invited Ukrainian and international musicians to perform weekly original programs on this unique organ.
Concert schedule:
November 30 / December 1, 2024 – Kateryna Hazho, Uzhhorod
December 6 / 7, 2024 – Bohdan Demianenko, Kyiv
December 13 / 14, 2024 – Insomnia Taxxi (Iryna Novikova), Kyiv-Gothenburg
December 20/21, 2024 – Sandor Schreiner, Olha Chundak, Uzhhorod
December 27-28, 2024 – Ivan Sarajishvili, Georgia-Norway
January 3 / 4, 2025 – Lviv Organ Hall
January 10-11, 2025 – Nils Henrik, Norway
January 17 / 18, 2025 – Oleksii Shmurak (Kyiv), Vitalii Dvorovyi (Lviv)
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ilias Sheikhisliamov, a Crimean Tatar and volunteer from the Odesa oblast, was born and raised in Crimea. After the russian occupation of the peninsula in 2014, he stayed there for another four years. Since 2019, he only visited Crimea in the summer to see his family. Ilias met the beginning of the full-scale invasion abroad: he was studying at a university in Turkey. However, he soon decided to return to Ukraine to volunteer and support the Ukrainian army.
His professors discouraged him from returning, but he insisted and later came to Odesa. He immediately started working there and joined the NGO “Crimean Tatars of Odesa Oblast”. On March 5, 2024, Ilias learned that his father, Ali Mamutov, who was living with his family in occupied Crimea, had been arrested by the russian authorities. He learned the news from his younger brother. The occupiers falsely accused Ali Mamutov of participating in or creating a terrorist organization.
While his father was being held in a detention center in Simferopol, Ilias managed to communicate with him through the russian app Zonatelecom. However, Ali Mamutov was transferred to the russian city of Rostov, and communication with him was cut off. After his father’s arrest, Ilias decided to pursue his teenage dream of becoming a lawyer. He enrolled at the Tavrida National University, which had relocated to Kyiv after Crimea’s occupation. Ilias sees this as one of the ways to keep in touch with Crimea.
Ilias Sheikhisliamov is available for interviews, both online and offline, by prior arrangement.
Background: As of May this year, the Crimean Tatar Resource Center recorded 331 cases of political imprisonment and criminal persecution since the annexation of Crimea. Of these, 217 were against members of the Crimean Tatar community.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, environmentalist and scientist Vladyslav Mykhailenko was dedicated to teaching at a university. But after February 2022, he felt his academic work no longer met the urgency of the moment. Determined to contribute to the war effort, Mykhailenko sought ways to merge his expertise in ecology with the needs of the Ukrainian military. The result was the creation of the Plastic Saves Lives initiative.
The project focuses on collecting plastic bottle caps. Vladyslav rallied a team of volunteers to sort through the donations, ensuring only plastic that could be sold for recycling made the cut. The funds raised are then directed toward purchasing essential equipment for Ukraine’s Armed Forces.
The math is staggering: it takes 1.5 tons of plastic caps to fund a single FPV drone. Yet, the impact has been remarkable. Since its inception, Vladyslav Mykhailenko and his team have purchased a range of equipment, including an ambulance, two Mavic 3T drones, and three FPV drones, among other critical supplies.
The initiative invites everyone to participate. Individuals can drop off caps in Odesa or ship them to the volunteers via mail.
For those who wish to connect with Vladyslav Mykhailenko, appointments can be arranged for online or in-person meetings.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
For 23 years, Viktor Penkovyi served as a military pilot, dedicating his life to protecting Ukraine. When russia launched its all-out invasion, he answered the call to defend his homeland. Tragically, Viktor lost his life during a combat mission.
His wife, Svitlana Penkova, was devastated by the loss. The grief left her struggling to find her footing. At times, the emotional and physical toll was overwhelming—she would spend days confined to her home, unable to even embrace her child due to the sheer weight of her pain.
A year after Viktor’s passing, Svitlana channeled her grief into action. She founded the Reborn NGO, an organization dedicated to supporting the families of fallen heroes. She also began writing, pouring her emotions into a book that would honor her husband’s legacy. The result was Ukrainian Hummingbirds, a heartfelt tribute to Viktor.
Through her work, Svitlana hopes to send a powerful message: even in the aftermath of profound loss, it is possible to find a new purpose while preserving the memory of those we hold dear.
Journalists can arrange to meet Svitlana in Vinnytsia or Kyiv, or communicate with her online.
For reference: The Children of Heroes charity foundation currently supports the Penkova family. The foundation assists children who have lost one or both parents due to russia’s invasion, providing financial aid, psychological and legal support, and fostering their education and development until adulthood.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
From November 29 to December 1, journalists will have the opportunity to participate in HEFAT (Hostile Environment and First Aid Training) using Virtual Reality (VR), offering a cutting-edge approach to preparing for work in hazardous environments and providing emergency medical care under extreme conditions.
The program is tailored for journalists operating in dangerous or unstable regions, equipping them with essential skills such as threat detection, navigating active combat zones, avoiding abductions, administering basic first aid, and orienting themselves in challenging terrain.
By incorporating VR technology, the training immerses participants in highly realistic scenarios, allowing them to practice critical skills in simulated high-risk situations. This hands-on approach enhances learning retention and readiness for real-world challenges.
Registration is required to attend the training.
For reference: The event is hosted by the 2402 Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering a culture of safety in Ukraine. The foundation conducts comprehensive safety training programs for journalists, media professionals, documentary filmmakers, and civic activists.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before joining the Azov Brigade, Svitlana Vorova worked as a senior engineer at Ukrzaliznytsia and raised three children. One of her sons, Oleksandr Kutuzakii, was in the Azov Brigade from the very beginning. On 15 February 2015, the vehicle carrying Svitlana’s son was ambushed by enemy forces. His body was taken by kadyrov’s troops and returned mutilated, but Svitlana chose to bury him in an open coffin to expose the brutality of the enemy.
The loss of Oleksandr was devastating for Svitlana, especially after the deaths of her father and father-in-law and a divorce. Her two younger children helped her to cope with the loss and find the strength to move on.
In 2020, she decided to honour the legacy of her fallen son by joining the Azov Brigade herself.
When the full-scale invasion began, Svitlana was in Mariupol with her comrades and soon found herself in Azovstal. Although her commander offered women the chance to leave through a green corridor, Svitlana stayed. She spent 86 days in the steelworks, was taken prisoner with her comrades and spent 11 months in a russian prison camp. According to Svitlana, the women were not physically tortured, but they were subjected to constant psychological abuse. On her return, Svitlana spent eight months in rehabilitation centres, hospitals and sanatoriums. She then re-joined the army.
Svitlana Vorova is currently serving in the East. Interviews with her can be arranged online or in person by prior arrangement with the Azov Brigade press service.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Olena Hrekova, an ethnic Bulgarian, traces her ancestry to settlers who came to the lands of Bessarabia in the 18th century.
Before the full-scale war, Olena was the director and owner of a successful construction company in Odesa. Today, she is a major and an officer in the Development department of the Naval Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Since 2014, Olena has been actively involved in the volunteer movement in Odesa, supporting the families of servicemen who left Crimea without betraying their oath. Responding to a call to meet a bus carrying belongings for those who fled the peninsula, she connected with other like-minded Odesa residents. Together, they created the “Help the Navy” social media group. The volunteers divided the city’s neighborhoods among themselves and worked to provide military families with everything they needed.
When russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, Olena evacuated her son and volunteered in Romania. However, in May, she decided to mobilize and join the army, which she had been helping since 2014. In the Navy, Olena continues her volunteer work, helping the defenders of Ukraine.
Journalists can arrange interviews with Olena in Odesa or online by prior arrangement.
Background: Bessarabia is a historic region in Eastern Europe located between the Prut and Dniester rivers, the Danube Delta and the Black Sea. Approximately 70% of Bessarabia’s territory is in present-day Moldova, while the rest is in Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On November 28, Kyiv will host a national conference “Sexual and Reproductive Health of Youth in the Context of Humanitarian Crisis”. The event will focus on how to make youth-friendly health services more accessible in times of war, and how to communicate effectively about reproductive health and sexual education while addressing the real needs of young people. Proposals will be developed during the conference.
Participants will present research on adolescent and youth reproductive health, discuss the current situation, and conduct two workshops. One will focus on youth-friendly approaches in medical facilities, while the other will explore comprehensive sexuality education, including for children with intellectual disabilities. The work results and recommendations will be shared with relevant ministries.
The event will be attended by representatives of:
- Ministry of Health of Ukraine;
- Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine;
- United Nations Population Fund / UNFPA in Ukraine;
- Center for Public Health;
- National Health Service of Ukraine;
- scientific and educational community.
Accreditation is required to attend the event.
For reference: The conference is organized by the Women’s Health and Family Planning Charitable Foundation as part of the humanitarian response of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund in Ukraine, with financial support from the Government of Sweden.
According to a study by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the number of girls in Ukraine who gave birth before the age of 14 has increased. The number of girls aged 15-17 who gave birth without prior medical supervision has also increased and now stands at about 7%. The number of illegal abortions — performed outside a medical facility or by a person without a medical degree — has increased as well.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
At just 17, Dmytro Slobodianyk is making a difference far beyond his school in Ukraine’s Vinnytsia region. During his free time, the high school student designs and builds essential devices for the Ukrainian military, including FPV drones, charging stations, and power banks. His volunteer journey began at the outset of russia’s full-scale invasion, starting with periscopes before advancing to more complex technologies like soldering charging stations using online schematics.
Dmytro’s passion for innovation didn’t stop there. He taught himself to build drones and custom batteries, recently delving into inverters—devices that convert car battery power into a stable voltage for operating equipment such as Starlink terminals and walkie-talkies.
To create these devices, Dmytro prints some components on a 3D printer and purchases others through donated funds. His dedication has already resulted in three inverters being sent to the front lines, with three more in production. The young inventor proudly notes the positive feedback he’s received from soldiers.
For those interested in meeting or speaking with Dmytro, he is available both online and in person by appointment in the Vinnytsia Oblast.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In Kyiv, a unique rehabilitation project is helping military personnel recover through archery, including those who have lost limbs. The initiative welcomes veterans, active-duty soldiers, and their families, offering free daily training sessions.
Leading the effort is Dmytro Lvovskyi, an international master of sports and founder and Board Chair of the “Ukrainian Archery Space” NGO. Since 2014, he has funded archery training for wounded soldiers, including veterans of the ATO service, using his own resources. His work expanded with support from the Kyiv City Center for Physical Culture and Sports for Persons with Disabilities “Invasport” and the All-Ukrainian Center for Physical Health “Sport for All,” as part of the Ministry of Youth and Sports’ “Active Parks — Unstoppable” program.
Archery is accessible to all, even those with severe injuries. Participants missing legs train from wheelchairs, while those without arms can draw the bowstring with their teeth. Even individuals who are completely blind can take part, using specialized techniques tailored for visually impaired archers.
Journalists can arrange to visit and cover the training sessions in Kyiv by appointment.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On November 29, the Media Center Ukraine in Kyiv will host a press conference titled “HIV in Ukraine: Challenges, statistics and realities of war.” The event will explore the ongoing HIV/AIDS epidemic in Ukraine, with a focus on how the war has affected access to treatment and care.
Participants:
– Olha Klymova, Specialist of the Department of HIV Control and Prevention at the Public Health Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine;
– Yaroslava Lopatina, Head of AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) Ukraine;
– Anastasiia Kuznetsova, specialist in infectious diseases;
– Liubov Kuzhovkina, representative of the youth movement Teenergizer.
(All in person)
Topics of discussion:
– The HIV/AIDS epidemic in Ukraine: Current statistics;
– Early diagnosis, the importance of regular testing;
– Challenges in the realities of a full-scale invasion;
– Discontinuation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) among HIV-positive people;
For reference: 1 December is World AIDS Day, commemorating a disease that has claimed an estimated 40.4 million lives worldwide. According to the Center for Public Health, the prevalence of HIV infection, taking into account demographic changes, is about 430 per 100 thousand people. In Ukraine, an average of 4 people die every day from AIDS-related diseases.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
An unusual operation called “HUR-CAT” was carried out by fighters of the Tymur special unit of the Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine. The special forces evacuated 15 cats from Snake Island and successfully transported them to the Ukrainian mainland.
The soldiers placed the animals in special carriers and transported them by boat to a safe location. All 15 cats were then delivered to the Sirius shelter in the Kyiv oblast. The animals are now undergoing a period of adjustment and efforts are being made to find them new homes.
Comments from the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence can be arranged by appointment. Journalists are also invited to visit the Sirius sanctuary, meet its founder and see the rescued animals.
Background information: The battle for Snake Island began on 24 February 2022 with a missile attack on the Ukrainian border guard garrison stationed there. The attack destroyed all structures on the island, but the Ukrainian border guards continued to resist. After several hours of fighting, russian forces captured Snake and took its defenders prisoner. The island was liberated on the 30th of June 2022, when powerful attacks by Ukrainian forces forced the russian occupiers to hastily evacuate the remnants of their garrison.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Journalists are invited to attend the 33rd session of sound therapy and a master class on physical and SPA rehabilitation by Serhii Kapralov. The event will be held in Kyiv on 1 December.
This project is free for veterans, military personnel, their families and internally displaced persons. It combines several approaches: physical rehabilitation, sound healing and art therapy.
The project is implemented by Serhii Kapralov (Ph.D. in Physical Education and Sports, author of leading rehabilitation methods for severe injuries, and soldier of the 241st Territorial Defence Brigade) in collaboration with musicians and sound healing specialists – Oleksandr Vlasenko, Artur Nikolenko and Yevhen Rudychev. The initiative was made possible thanks to the patronage of Inessa Kravchenko (founder of the informal educational platform “Liudyna Dyvo Svit”, publisher of the “Wheel of Life” magazine and co-owner of Stan Invest Holding).
Special surprise: The thousandth visitor will receive a gift and all participants will have a chance to participate in a prize draw.
Registration is required to attend the event.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On December 2, during the fourth training camp of the Ukrainian national team for the 2025 Invictus Games, a friendly wheelchair basketball match will take place between this year’s team members and participants from previous years’ teams.
In addition to the basketball game, players from different years will connect, share their experiences, and reflect on their participation in the project. Former team members will once again experience the Invictus spirit and share their stories about being part of the initiative. The day will also feature an informal networking session between the national team members and project partners.
Speeches will be delivered by Ukraine’s Minister for Veterans Affairs, Nataliia Kalmykova, representatives from the Embassy of Canada, and NATO officials.
Media representatives will have the opportunity to interview current and former national team members, as well as guests, partners, and project organizers.
Registration is required for media attendance.
Background Information: The 2025 Invictus Games will be held in Canada from February 8-16, 2025 and will feature winter sports for the first time. The event is expected to attract over 500 participants from more than 20 countries.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On December 2, Kyiv will host the presentation of the book “Prykhystok: A Startup That Saved a Million Lives” by MP Halyna Yanchenko.
The book details the eponymous initiative launched on the first day of the full-scale invasion, which helped over a million Ukrainian refugees find free temporary shelter. It is a poignant collection of the project team’s memories of the resilience, solidarity and innovation that Ukrainians demonstrated during the darkest days of the invasion.
The event will feature real-life heroes from the book – Ukrainians who endured the occupation and managed to relocate and start new lives in other cities, thanks in part to the Prykhystok (Shelter) initiative. They will tell their personal stories.
Program highlights:
– A conversation with the author about the creation of the initiative and the book.
– Stories from the book’s protagonists who were forced to find a new home and found shelter.
– A discussion about the power of social innovation and the ability of Ukrainians to unite for mutual aid.
– A book signing with the author.
Registration is required for this event.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On December 2, within the framework of the National Forum on the Rights of People with Disabilities, an action entitled “Is the Way to the EU Accessible?” will be held at Maidan Nezalezhnosti. This annual event, organized by Fight For Right, is being held for the fourth time. This year, over 100 participants of the National Forum on the Rights of People with Disabilities will take part in the action.
Society is often shocked by reports of appalling living conditions in institutions and the inhumane treatment of their residents. However, only recently, after years of advocacy by civil society organizations, has the state begun to discuss the deinstitutionalization process for adults.
Violations of the rights of persons with disabilities are widespread: from the lack of accessible information for people with visual or hearing impairments to the inability of wheelchair users to enter the nearest clinic or administrative service center. This issue is even more pressing now as communities welcome back veterans with disabilities from the front lines who face overwhelming inaccessibility in their daily lives.
Registration is required to attend the event.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
From December 5 to 8, a hiking trip will take place in the Ukrainian Carpathians for demobilized veterans who either love the mountains or want to try hiking for the first time.
The concept of mountain therapy focuses on healing through hiking and reconnecting with oneself, facilitated by interaction with others. The team includes psychologists from the NGO Metta, as well as guides and Ukrainian army veterans Vitalii Dyachuk and Oleksii Kushnier from Nomad.live, who have experienced the benefits of mountain therapy themselves and are now helping their comrades recover. This time Oleksii Kushnier will be the guide.
Background information: Mountain therapy is organized by the NGO Metta. Participation, accommodation and meals are provided free of charge.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Is humanitarian mine action possible in winter? How do snow and freezing temperatures affect the painstaking work of removing deadly explosives? These are the questions many are asking as winter sets in.
Deminers face extreme challenges in cold weather, but the work doesn’t stop when the first snow falls. Can mines be detected beneath a blanket of snow? How do teams stay warm during long hours in the field? And is it true that some even heat the frozen ground to continue clearing land?
Journalists now have the chance to witness these operations firsthand. Media visits can be arranged to key regions where HALO Ukraine is actively working, including Kyiv, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, and Kherson.
For context: HALO Ukraine is part of The HALO Trust, the world’s largest non-governmental organization dedicated to humanitarian demining. Since russia’s full-scale invasion, they’ve cleared over 6 million square meters of land, ensuring safer ground for thousands of Ukrainians.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
For over two decades, Anna Yaroshenko has been exploring the depths as a diver, firmly believing that diving is an experience everyone can enjoy. She’s guided children, seniors, and individuals with hearing and visual impairments, mental health challenges, and physical injuries into the underwater world. Beneath the surface, gravity fades, and the sensation of weightlessness becomes universal.
When russia’s full-scale invasion began, Anna realized that diving could offer more than adventure—it could be a path to physical and psychological rehabilitation for wounded soldiers. Her first participants, veterans with injuries and amputations, were introduced by her mother, a rehabilitation therapist.
Anna launched her initiative with a bold name: “Gravity? WTF?” The goal is to provide veterans with a challenging and rewarding new hobby—one that demands mastering the full range of skills needed to become independent divers.
Training begins in a shallow, wheelchair-accessible pool free from barriers. Once comfortable, participants advance to a 3.8-meter-deep pool. For those who feel confident after several sessions, the final challenge is open water.
So far, around 40 veterans, including three women, have taken part in the program.
Journalists are invited to witness this unique rehabilitation effort firsthand at a Kyiv pool where the diving lessons take place.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On December 6, the Neopolis amusement park, located in the Respublika Park shopping mall, will host a heartwarming charity event for 200 children impacted by the war. These children, rescued through the efforts of the Save Ukraine charity organization, will experience a day filled with joy, care, and festive cheer.
The event’s program offers:
– Interactive entertainment with animators dedicated to creating a joyful and supportive atmosphere;
– Gift distribution near the mall’s grand Christmas tree, marking the celebration’s bright conclusion.
Each child will receive a personalized gift, made possible by the NGO “Ukraine is a Mother” through its “Bridge of Support” project.
This gathering is more than a festive celebration—it’s an opportunity for children who have endured unimaginable hardships to feel embraced by a community of support and hope, empowering them to dream again.
Journalists wishing to cover the event must obtain accreditation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
As St. Nicholas Day approaches on December 6, branches of the Voices of Children Charity Foundation are preparing a series of engaging events for children across Ukraine. Journalists are invited to cover these festive activities, which include creative workshops, interactive quests, and even stand-up performances filled with Christmas stories.
Here’s a look at the upcoming events:
– Kyiv (December 3): A creative activity session on painting plaster figures;
– Lviv (December 4): A children’s entertainment event, organized in partnership with local groups;
– Dnipro (December 4): Handicraft-making for gifts (ages 6+), including drawing dreams for St. Nicholas;
– December 6: Teen stand-up show featuring Christmas tales, along with a costume contest, drawing session, and quest;
– Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast (December 6): St. Nicholas School of Detectives quest;
– Mykolaiv (December 7): A master class on crafting gingerbread with air clay;
– Truskavets, Lviv Oblast (December 7): Games and lectures on holiday traditions;
– Vysokyi, Kharkiv Oblast (December 6): A special children’s quest;
– Kharkiv (December 6): St. Nicholas’ Magic Workshop focused on creating festive decorations;
– On December 4 mobile teams will host events in Chuhuiv and in nearby villages on December 6;
– Zaporizhia (December 4): St. Nicholas Day Winter Extravaganza featuring dancing and a festive party;
– December 6: Games and activities in “Adventures on St. Nicholas Day”;
– Chernihiv (December 6): “St. Nicholas Bag” charity campaign.
These events offer children an opportunity to experience the magic of the holiday season, creating lasting memories while embracing the spirit of St. Nicholas. Journalists are encouraged to attend and share the joy of these celebrations.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Anastasiia Saksman, 32, took an unconventional path into the military. She prepared for service in the Armed Forces by attending paid military training courses, where she learned first aid and weapons handling. Meanwhile, she sent her resume to various units, determined to find her place.
Unexpectedly, her opportunity came through a dating app. A soldier she connected with reviewed her resume and forwarded it to his unit. After passing the interview, Saksman joined the army as a UAV operator in early 2023.
Tragedy struck in September 2024 when Saksman’s vehicle hit an enemy mine. The doctors had to amputate her left limb, while the battle to save the right one continues. Waking up in intensive care, “Ada” made a remarkable request: she asked not to be discharged, vowing to return to the front lines with a prosthetic leg.
Currently, Saksman is undergoing rehabilitation in the Lviv region as she awaits prosthetics.
Those wishing to speak with Anastasiia Saksman, either online or in person, can do so by arranging approval through the unit’s press officer.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On December 12-13, a two-day training session will be held in the Kyiv region for veterans with disabilities. Participants will be introduced to the GCS-200 remote-controlled mechanical demining platform with dedicated attachments and observe its operation. Additionally, the course includes practical exercises. The knowledge gained during the training will be beneficial for future employment opportunities.
The practical exercises are part of a course conducted by UNDP in Ukraine in partnership with the Ministry of Economy and with financial support from the Government of Sweden. The initiative aims to enhance employment opportunities for veterans with disabilities by promoting their engagement in humanitarian demining activities. This is one of many initiatives supporting Ukraine’s efforts to clear mines and other explosive remnants of war.
Journalists are welcome to cover the training event by prior arrangement. Accreditation is required to attend.
Background Information: The training is organized by GCS Ukraine LLC in collaboration with the Ministry of Economy and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine.
GCS specializes in eliminating explosive threats and restoring safe environments. Combining innovative, proven technologies with field expertise, the company removes landmines and other explosive remnants of war. GCS is an independent company headquartered in Switzerland, with engineering and manufacturing facilities in Germany and regional offices worldwide.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
As part of the “St. Nicholas for Children in Need” campaign, the Maltese Relief Service has received more than 2,000 heartfelt letters from children across Ukraine. The letters come from children with disabilities, those who lost their parents to the war, whose parents are held in captivity, and children facing difficult life circumstances or without parental care.
In many of the letters, children ask St. Nicholas for peace and victory for Ukraine. Some requests are deeply personal—a child wishes for their father to receive a new leg, while another hopes their mother will return from captivity. Others even express concern for the saint’s safety, warning him to be careful amid the missile attacks. Alongside these touching pleas, children also ask for traditional gifts such as toys, scooters, and bicycles.
The letters are sorted by benefactors, who fulfill the children’s wishes by delivering gifts to the Maltese Relief Service’s office, which serves as St. Nicholas’ residence for the campaign’s duration.
Volunteers are now completing the final stages of gift packing. Deliveries have already begun, with gifts sent to locations in the Lviv and Kharkiv regions. The main distribution events will take place from December 2 to 7.
Journalists are invited to cover the gift distribution in Lviv and surrounding areas and can also meet with St. Nicholas’ helpers to learn more about the campaign.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The National Museum of the History of Ukraine in WW2, in collaboration with curator Maryna Lukianova, is unveiling an extraordinary exhibition of Ukrainian Christmas tree decorations spanning various historical periods. The exhibit opens on December 4 in Kyiv, offering visitors a rare glimpse into a rich collection of authentic artifacts.
The tradition of decorating Christmas trees in Ukraine dates back to the 19th century, intertwining European influences with a distinctly Ukrainian character. Early decorations included sweets, nuts, candies, candles, and handmade ornaments crafted from cardboard, paper, and glass.
Following the October Revolution and the establishment of Soviet rule, Christmas celebrations—and the decorated tree itself—were suppressed. Viewed as religious or bourgeois, the holiday was banned until 1935, when the New Year’s holiday was officially introduced. This marked a resurgence in ornament production, with artisanal workshops flourishing across the region.
The exhibition will feature an array of rare decorations, including early 19th- and 20th-century ornaments, toys from World War I, and the first glass figurines. Visitors can also explore diverse materials such as glass, cotton, wire, cardboard, and polyethylene terephthalate film, representing different eras, countries, and continents.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Highlighting the importance of creating a truly inclusive environment for people who have lost limbs due to landmine and explosive injuries, FRIDA Ukraine had the opportunity to meet Nataliia and help her get back on both feet.
Nataliia is a nurse from the town of Bakhmut in the Donetsk oblast. A russian shell hit her house and she lost a limb. In telling her story, she emphasized that in spite of everything, she continues to live life to the fullest and does not want to be pitied. After Nataliia became the face of the FRIDA Ukraine project, their German partners heard about her. A few months of logistical arrangements followed, and Nataliia returned with a prosthesis and an incredible determination to help others.
Her home clinic from Bakhmut has been relocated to Brovary in the Kyiv oblast, where Nataliia continues her lifelong mission.
For reference: FRIDA Ukraine is a non-governmental, non-profit humanitarian mission of volunteer doctors from Ukraine and Israel. It has been providing emergency and outpatient medical care to civilians affected by the hostilities since the beginning of the invasion.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Volunteers with the St. Nicholas Reindeer Project have already received more than 2,000 letters from children all over Ukraine. Among other things, children are asking Saint Nicholas for toys, sweets and the popular “Cat Paw” stress-relief balls. This year, many children are also asking for peace and an end to the war. Some have asked for their fathers to return from the front lines, or for their relatives to be released from captivity. Among those who wrote to St. Nicholas were children whose homes were destroyed by the war.
As part of this charitable initiative, anyone can choose a child’s letter and fulfill a wish. The volunteers will then deliver the gifts, organize a celebration and provide a photo report. They plan to visit de-occupied areas of the Kharkiv oblast, as well as communities in the Kyiv and Donetsk oblasts, working in more than 50 localities across various regions.
Journalists can talk to the organizers in Kharkiv and, if possible, cover the distribution of gifts by volunteers in different regions.
For reference: The St. Nicholas Reindeer project was established in 2016 in Kharkiv to support children in frontline communities.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On International Volunteer Day, the non-governmental organization Dobrobat will host the country’s main ceremony in honor of 250 heroes of Ukraine’s recovery. The event will bring together volunteers who are working tirelessly to rebuild destroyed homes, schools, hospitals and other critical social infrastructure.
The ceremony will take place in Kyiv on December 5. Invited guests include volunteers, partners and representatives of international organizations. The primary goal of the event is to honor people whose contribution to Ukraine’s recovery is becoming an example for the whole world.
The program includes awards for the most active participants in key categories. The ceremony will be hosted by Volodymyr Ostapchuk, an ambassador of Dobrobat.
Accreditation is required for the event.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On December 5 and 6, Kyiv will host the premiere of a unique theatrical production, “Three Fast and Fashionable Hairdressers This Season” – a play that delves into the depths of Ukrainian consciousness and reflects the efforts of Ukrainians of different backgrounds to understand each other. Initiated by the organization “From the Country to Ukraine” in cooperation with director Stanislav Moiseiev (People’s Artist of Ukraine and Honored Artist) and playwright Maksym Kurochkin, the production explores how personal achievements and collective failures shape the moral and ethical foundations of our society.
“Three Fast and Fashionable Hairdressers This Season” offers a distinctive theatrical format where modernity intertwines with allegorical imagery, providing a fresh perspective on Ukrainian reality. The play poses critical questions: Why do Ukrainians aspire to be part of great achievements while simultaneously looking for someone to share responsibility for mistakes and failures? How does society reconcile individual ambition with collective responsibility?
Venue details will be provided upon registration for security reasons.
Additional information: The play is part of the Semantic Shield project supported by the International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX). Following the Kyiv premiere, performances are planned for Dnipro (11 December) and Odesa (12 December).
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ukraine’s National Guard unit, nicknamed “Peaky Blinders,” has received a unique gift from Steven Knight, the scriptwriter and producer of the popular TV series: 30 custom caps crafted by Garrison Tailors, the show’s official costume designer.
At the onset of russia’s full-scale invasion, a group of volunteers armed themselves and took to the streets of Kharkiv, wearing civilian clothes as they defended their city. For Oleksandr, who now leads the unit, the scene was reminiscent of the gritty world depicted in Peaky Blinders. Inspired, the group adopted the name and began donning distinctive camouflage caps embroidered with their motto: “Find and Destroy.”
In the nearly three years since the war began, what started as a group of civilians has evolved into a formidable combat unit within Ukraine’s National Guard. Hardened by intensive training and battlefield experience in the Kharkiv region, the unit now deploys drones to target enemy forces along the front line.
Their story gained international attention in May 2024 when BBC journalists visited the unit to film a report. The soldiers, in a light-hearted yet heartfelt gesture, signed their caps and asked the journalists to deliver them to Cillian Murphy, who plays the iconic lead role in Peaky Blinders.
Murphy kept one cap for himself, then signed the remaining ones and returned them to the unit. Shortly afterward, the soldiers received an unexpected message from Steven Knight. As a show of support, he arranged for Garrison Tailors to send 30 caps to the unit—a symbolic gesture linking the fictional Peaky Blinders with their real-life counterparts in Ukraine.
For those wishing to connect with the “Peaky Blinders” unit, both online and in-person interactions are possible with prior coordination through the unit’s press officer.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
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.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
From December 6 to 8, journalists are invited to witness the final stage of the all-Ukrainian sports competition, Veterans Games. Organized by the Ministry of Veterans Affairs, the event is part of Ukraine’s National Strategy for Creating a Barrier-Free Space, aimed at fostering inclusion and rehabilitation.
Military personnel and veterans who triumphed in regional competitions will compete in the finals, showcasing their skills in CrossFit and eSports. The primary goal of the Veterans Games is to aid in the physical and mental recovery of servicemen and veterans, providing them with an outlet for strength, resilience, and camaraderie.
Key attendees will include:
– Natalia Kalmykova, Minister of Veterans Affairs,
– Tetiana Lomakina, Presidential Commissioner for Accessibility,
– representatives from various organizations focused on veteran support and rehabilitation.
Accreditation is required to attend the event.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Luis, a 19-year-old born in Venezuela, has travelled to different countries since he was a child, including living in Canada. Seven months ago, he arrived in Ukraine and began offering free English lessons to children. Currently, Luis is a volunteer at the Kyiv branch of the Voices of Children Foundation. According to Luis, this project allows him not only to help children learn English, but also to give them opportunities to grow and find joy through play.
Journalists can arrange to meet and speak with Luis in Kyiv, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The NGO Every Animal has teamed up with nutritionist Mark Shpara, Macro-2019 and Eat Me At to develop seven daily plant-based meal plans for military personnel. The aim is to provide a plant-based diet for vegan and vegetarian service members, as well as those who are fasting or avoiding animal products for health reasons.
Ukrainian defenders can order a free ‘Vegan Ration’, which includes 18 plant-based meals (8 starters and 10 main dishes, ready to eat).
The rations are sent by post.
Journalists can learn more about the vegan rations for the military in Kyiv.
For reference: “Every Animal” is an NGO founded in 2019 to promote veganism and advocate for animal rights. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, the organization has sent more than 2,000 free weekly vegan rations to military personnel. They also held nine charity festivals called Vegan Weekend, where they raised and donated 3.5 million UAH for the needs of the defense forces.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On December 8, Kyiv will host the graduation party of the 4th graduating class of NoviMY Inclusive Model School. This special evening will bring 15 incredible Ukrainian women closer to their dreams as they continue to break stereotypes and move forward.
The fashion show will include models with disabilities, as well as mothers of children with disabilities.
The modeling school, founded by Olga Akimova in 2021, was initially intended for women over the age of 40. The project also welcomed mothers of children with disabilities (participation was free for them), with the aim of giving these women, who devote themselves entirely to their children, an opportunity to express themselves. Younger women also joined the initiative, and later the school became an inclusive project. It now welcomes models with and without disabilities, who participate equally in all projects, fashion shows and performances.
The revamped project launched its first sessions in February 2022 in Kyiv and Lviv, but activities were paused due to the full-scale invasion.
A year later, Olga decided to resume classes. Students at the school learn standard modeling skills, such as the basics of modeling, posing for photography, catwalk walking, and more. The school operates in Kyiv and Lviv, offering both online and offline classes.
The mission of this project is to bring Ukrainian society closer to a new tolerant, inclusive, European barrier-free space with equal opportunities for all through the art of modeling.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On December 9, the Media Center Ukraine will host a public discussion on how the aggressor country systematically uses conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) as a weapon of war and a form of torture against civilians and prisoners of war. Testimony from individuals released from captivity reveals that approximately 90% of Ukrainian POWs were subjected to torture, rape, threats of sexual violence, or other forms of cruel treatment. These atrocities have been documented by both national and international institutions.
The response and counteraction to CRSV is under the constant control of the Government of Ukraine. In particular, mechanisms are being sought to hold the russian federation accountable for crimes committed by its armed forces and associated armed groups. One proposed mechanism for accountability is the inclusion of russia on the UN List of Shame.
Participants:
– Kateryna Levchenko, Government Commissioner for Gender Policy;
– Anna Sosonska, representative of the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine (online);
– Oleksandr Osipov, representative of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Equal Rights and Freedoms, Right of National Minorities, Political and Religious Beliefs;
– Yevheniia Lukianchenko, Advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration – Minister of Justice (online);
– Oleksiy Syvak, founder of the NGO “Graduates”;
– Iryna Dovhan, Head of SEMA Ukraine, member of the Board of the Global Survivors Fund for survivors of CRSV (online);
– Olena Lazarieva, member of SEMA Ukraine;
– Liudmyla Huseinova, member of the Supervisory Board of the Urgent Interim Reparations for CRSV survivors pilot project, founder of the NGO “Let’s Go, Sisters”;
– Andrii Kochmuradov, Head of the NGO “29 December”.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Peaceful events are planned in 24 cities across Ukraine to raise awareness of the defenders of Azovstal and other soldiers still in enemy captivity.
On December 7, rallies will be held in Okhtyrka, Pivdenoukrainsk, Pavlohrad, Chernihiv, Vinnytsia, Irpin, Dnipro, and Zaporizhia.
On December 8, peaceful actions are scheduled in Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Cherkasy, Poltava, Kropyvnytskyi, Uzhhorod, Korosten, Obukhiv, Brovary, Krolevets, Ovruch, Kryvyi Rih, Ternopil, Odesa, Ostroh and Chernivtsi.
The events are organized by the families of POWs from the Mariupol garrison. The rallies are often attended by Ukrainians who have been released from captivity.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Yulian Pylypei, a seasoned Ukrainian Marine, endured unimaginable hardships during his more than two years in captivity. A professional soldier since 2013, Pylypei joined the Marines in 2017, serving in Mariupol. When russia launched its full-scale invasion, he was leading a mortar battery in the 36th Marine Brigade of the Ukrainian Navy.
On April 14, 2022, Pylypei and his comrades were captured while attempting to break through to Azovstal. His family learned of his capture through a text sent in russian from his phone. Over the next two years and five months, he was moved through several detention facilities, including Sartana, Olenivka, Taganrog, Novozybkov, Kursk, and Mordovia, before returning to Novozybkov. Each location brought its own trials, which Pylypei recounts in harrowing detail.
Twice accused and tried by his captors, Pylypei suffered relentless abuse. He was beaten for refusing to confess to ordering attacks on civilians, starved, and subjected to torture, including an attempt to burn off his tattoo of the Ukrainian coat of arms with a stun gun. In his prayers, Pylypei asked for the strength to remain sane amid the torment.
When he was taken from his cell with his belongings, Pylypei assumed he was being transferred to another prison. He could hardly believe it when he was informed he was part of a prisoner exchange. On September 13, 2024, after 29 months in captivity, Pylypei finally returned home to Ukraine.
Those wishing to meet or speak with Yulian Pylypei, either online or in person in Kyiv, can arrange it in advance.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Yuliia Dudysheva, a displaced resident from Crimea, has spent the past year and a half transforming the lives of fellow internally displaced persons by repairing and restoring homes. Before russia’s full-scale invasion, Yuliia lived and worked in the Chernihiv region, where she specialized in advertising and occasionally helped friends with home repairs. But after the region’s liberation in spring 2022, she decided to leave her job and embark on a new path.
In June 2023, Yuliia launched her efforts to renovate and decorate homes for those displaced by the war. Her first project was helping friends who allowed her to redecorate their dwelling. Word spread, and soon she met another family in need of assistance. Over the next 18 months, Yuliia established the initiative Comfort for IDPs, completing repairs and restorations on eight homes for families forced to flee due to the invasion. Her most recent project, in Ternopil, involved preparing a house for a family from Enerhodar, a city in the occupied Zaporizhia region.
Yuliia actively shares her renovation journey on social media, where her followers rally behind her mission. Many support the Comfort for IDPs project by contributing funds and materials for her work. Currently based in the Chernihiv region, Yuliia is planning her next renovation for displaced families.
Those wishing to connect with Yuliia Dudysheva can schedule a meeting with her, either online or in person.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
SICH-Ukraine, the country’s largest producer of turnstiles, is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a special event in Kyiv on December 10. The company invites supporters and media representatives to a reporting evening to commemorate a decade of innovation and service.
Amid the ongoing hybrid war against Ukraine, SICH-Ukraine’s primary mission has been to develop a turnstile that meets the critical needs of combat medics. The SICH-Tourniquet was designed to rapidly stop severe limb bleeding while withstanding extreme conditions—be it heat, cold, mud, or snow. Its design is versatile, accommodating limbs of any diameter and even suitable for K9 applications. After extensive development, testing, and years of refinement, the patented SICH turnstile was introduced in 2014. Since 2016, it has been a staple in military first-aid kits for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, earning global recognition for its reliability and effectiveness.
Despite the challenges of russia’s full-scale invasion, the company has maintained uninterrupted operations, delivering over one million high-quality hemostatic turnstiles to the front. Each product has proven itself in the harshest conditions of war.
The anniversary evening will include a detailed program featuring a live crash test demonstration of the SICH-Tourniquet. Journalists and attendees must register in advance, with registration closing at 6:00 p.m. on December 9.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Sarah, a U.S. citizen, has been living and working in Kyiv for the past year. She joined the Voices of Children Charitable Foundation, which assists war-affected children. Sarah mainly focuses on humanitarian issues.
Sarah first visited Ukraine as a teenager with her father. In 2023, during the full-scale war, she decided to relocate to Kyiv. She finds inspiration in exploring new cities, including those near the front lines, where she says one can truly feel the meaning of life.
Sarah has made a significant contribution to the Foundation’s work, helping to register the Foundation’s office in the United States and making important new contacts to enhance fundraising efforts.
Journalists can meet and speak with Sarah in Kyiv by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On December 11, Kyiv will host an event marking the conclusion of the charitable project “Childhood Without War”, which facilitated the largest private evacuation of orphaned children from Ukraine to Turkey.
Participants of the event:
- Oksana Zholnovych, Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine
- Ruslan Shostak, philanthropist, President of TERWIN Corporation and founder of national retail chains EVA and Varus
- Petro Dobromilskyi, Head of the State Service of Ukraine for Children
- Vasyl Bodnar, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Turkey
- Andrii Bobliakh, Member of Parliament of Ukraine
- Nadiia Zadorozhna, Deputy Head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional State Administration
- Participants of the project (orphans and their caregivers)
Accreditation is required to attend the event.
Background: At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Ruslan Shostak, together with partners, organized the largest evacuation of orphaned children and their caregivers from Ukraine to Turkey. This was made possible by an agreement between the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, and the First Lady of Turkey, Emine Erdoğan.
A total of 3,500 children – including orphans, children deprived of parental care, and children from families in difficult circumstances – were provided with shelter in Turkey. For three years, Ruslan Shostak’s charitable foundation, together with partners, provided these children with shelter in hotels on the Mediterranean coast and fully covered the costs of their housing, food, education, and holistic development.
The “Childhood Without War” project has received international recognition and has been included in the World Record Book. The documentary film “Save Generation UA” dedicated to the project has won seven international awards in five countries.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On December 11, Media Center Ukraine will host a press brunch entitled “Healthcare in 2024 highlights: Key failures and achievements”.
Participants:
– Olha Stefanyshyna, MP and member of the Committee on Public Health;
– Inna Ivanenko, Chief Executive Officer, Charitable Foundation “Patients of Ukraine”;
– Anastasia Boichuk, Strategic Lead, War Trauma Rehabilitation Project, Charitable Foundation “Patients of Ukraine”;
– Oleksii Golovin, Chair, Public Control Council at the National Health Service of Ukraine, and Chief Legal Advisor, Charitable Foundation “Healthy Solutions”.
Topics of focus:
– Challenges in reforming medical and social expert commissions;
– Delays in the procurement of innovative medicines;
– Patient treatment needs and funding gaps in the 2025 State Budget;
– Timeline for the availability of cannabis-based medicines in pharmacies;
– Anticipated healthcare reforms in 2025.
Registration is required to attend the event.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On December 13, Kyiv will host an event marking the 50th anniversary of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War. (The event will be held as part of the Third Christmas Gatherings format).
This year, the War Museum is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Throughout its history, the institution has fulfilled an important social mission and remained at the center of Ukraine’s public and cultural life. Today, the Museum actively documents and highlights the ongoing russian-Ukrainian war, and its exhibitions and events have a strong resonance both in Ukraine and internationally.
In addition, the Museum has prepared the exhibition project “Past – Future”, which presents unique original drawings used for the construction of the Memorial Complex.
Accreditation is required to attend the event.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Brothers “Belsk” and “Ryzhyi” traded civilian life for military service when russia’s full-blown war broke out. At the time, Belsk was running a construction business in Poland, while Ryzhyi mobilized in the early days of the war. Just three weeks later, Belsk joined his brother’s unit, committing to the fight alongside him.
The siblings now serve as artillerymen in the 60th Separate Mechanized Inhulets Brigade. Operating a self-propelled artillery system nicknamed “Khortytsia,” the brothers have been inseparable from the machine since the war began. Together, they’ve deployed to critical hotspots, including Zaporizhia, the Kherson region, and most recently, the Donetsk sector.
Beyond their military duties, the brothers have gained attention as TikTok creators, documenting their experiences on the battlefield. Their short videos have attracted over 30,000 followers, offering a unique glimpse into life as artillerymen in Ukraine’s ongoing fight for sovereignty.
Interviews with Ryzhyi and Belsk can be arranged online or in person with prior approval from a press officer. Journalists must also hold accreditation from the Defense Ministry to gain access.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
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.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In the Vinnytsia region, volunteers from the group Soldier’s Kitchen are manufacturing smoke bombs to aid Ukrainian defenders on the front lines. Since the onset of the full-scale invasion, these homemade devices have been used to shield against enemy snipers, obscure the view of drones, assist in evacuating the wounded, simulate damaged equipment, and force adversaries out of their dugouts.
The team initially learned the technique from YouTube videos but refined the process through trial and error to create their own version. Despite using straightforward ingredients—nitrate, paraffin, and powdered sugar—the production process is complex. Each smoke bomb costs approximately 60 hryvnias to make, and the volunteers have crafted over 20,000 since the war began.
To add a personal touch, the volunteers decorate the smoke bomb casings with ornaments and include a unique illustration of a Ukrainian soldier urinating on a caricature of Vladimir Putin.
Soldier’s Kitchen is open to sharing their story, with interviews available in Vinnytsia or by phone upon prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
World Central Kitchen (WCK) has launched a new winter initiative to aid Ukrainian communities impacted by the ongoing war. The organization is distributing vegetable parcels to frontline areas, helping families navigate the challenges of the colder months.
Every week, 8,550 vegetable packages are delivered to regions including Kherson, Mykolaiv, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, and Zaporizhia. Each parcel weighs 9 kilograms and includes staples essential for preparing traditional Ukrainian dishes—beets, cabbage, carrots, onions, potatoes, and garlic.
WCK emphasized that winter presents significant hardships for many Ukrainians, particularly those in areas where food supplies have been disrupted or where access to essential goods is severely restricted.
For reference: World Central Kitchen is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing meals to people affected by disasters and crises. Founded in 2010 by renowned chef José Andrés, WCK gained global recognition for its work in Haiti following the catastrophic earthquake that year. The group continues to support communities in need with on-the-ground food relief efforts.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
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.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Governments, security and military organizations of other countries will study Ukraine’s experience in countering cyber-attacks through the TRYZUB cyber-training platform. This initiative is a cooperation between the American company CYBER RANGES, the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine, and CERT-UA. This was announced by Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s Minister of Digital Transformation.
According to Fedorov, the platform will simulate real cyber attacks on critical infrastructure in a secure environment. It will replicate the actions of major hacker groups that have targeted Ukraine. Military units, government agencies, law enforcement organizations, and critical network operators from around the world will be trained on the TRYZUB platform. A portion of the proceeds from these trainings will be donated to UNITED24 to support Ukraine.
Under preliminary agreements, journalists will have the opportunity to report on the TRYZUB platform, including the ability to:
- Interview project representatives to discuss the value, goals and importance of the project to NATO countries and beyond.
- Speak with representatives of the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine who developed the scenarios based on real cyber-attacks that Ukraine has faced, and who can provide insights into the cyber threats and challenges that Ukraine is overcoming during the war, and how this experience can benefit other nations.
- Connect with representatives from CYBER RANGES, the U.S. company providing the training platform. Known worldwide among cybersecurity professionals, they can discuss their motivation for participating in the project, their observations of global cyberattack trends, the behavior of russian hackers, and the risks posed by their attacks on critical infrastructure in countries supporting Ukraine. (This can be done via video call or in the US)
Background information: russia’s war against Ukraine is considered the first war in history to be fought also in cyberspace. Ukraine currently ranks among the top nations in terms of the number of cyber attacks it faces. However, these threats are not limited to Ukraine – they have escalated to a global scale, affecting the U.S. and European countries. According to this year’s Global Risks Report by the World Economic Forum, cyber vulnerabilities rank fourth among the most serious risks for the next two years and are projected to remain among the top eight risks for the next decade.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
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.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On December 13 the Media Center Ukraine will host the presentation of the art and historical project “Flowers of Victory”. The centerpiece of the project is a sculpture crafted from the remnants of an enemy infantry fighting vehicle destroyed in the Kyiv oblast, and ammunition fragments left behind by russian shelling of civilian targets. The sculpture depicts sunflowers growing through enemy equipment, symbolizing Ukraine’s triumph over the aggressor.
Participants:
– Kostiantyn Cherniavskyi, chairman of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine, Honored Artist of Ukraine;
– Bohdan Mazur, author of the sculptural composition, winner of the Taras Shevchenko National Prize of Ukraine, member of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine;
– Mamuka Mamulashvili, soldier, founder and commander of the Georgian National Legion;
– Oleksandr Kuklyshyn, project manager and head of the NGO “Green Stripe”.
During the event, journalists will have an opportunity to see metal fragments from russian missiles left after the attack on the Ohmatdyt National Children’s Hospital.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, 22-year-old Danylo and his father, Serhii, lived in Kryvyi Rih, working as truck drivers. But their lives changed drastically in June 2022 when Serhii was mobilized into the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Not long after, Danylo began volunteering alongside his father’s unit in the Kherson region.
By March 2023, Danylo decided to officially enlist, choosing to serve in his father’s unit to remain by his side. Now, the two work together as part of an evacuation crew, risking their lives to transport wounded soldiers from the front lines. Serhii says having his son with him provides the strength he needs to stay in the fight until Ukraine secures victory.
Looking ahead, Serhii hopes to return to his life as a truck driver, while Danylo dreams of launching his own business after the war.
Interviews with Danylo and Serhii are available both online and in person, pending prior approval from the press officer. Journalists must hold accreditation from Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before russia’s full-scale invasion, Oleh Bykov and his brother ran a legal firm as advisors. But their lives shifted after February 2022—Oleh paused his legal career to dedicate himself to volunteer efforts, while his brother joined Ukraine’s National Guard.
Oleh went on to establish the Kremenchuk Volunteer Defense Headquarters, delivering humanitarian aid to front-line regions. During one visit to a stabilization center for injured soldiers, he witnessed the challenges medics faced in removing shrapnel from wounds. Determined to help, Oleh collaborated with a technologist to develop magnetic extractors, innovative devices designed to remove shrapnel from hard-to-reach areas.
His team has since produced five types of extractors, each tailored to different parts of the body. Among their most advanced designs is the Hydra—a flexible tool for extracting shrapnel and bullets from the heart, currently undergoing testing at the Heart Institute and the Shalimov National Research Center for Surgery and Transplantation. Oleh provides these devices to civilian and military doctors free of charge, using their feedback to refine the designs further.
To arrange an interview with Oleh Bykov, you can meet him in Kremenchuk or Kyiv, either online or in person, by appointment.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Kyiv Regional State Administration’s Department of Youth and Sports has launched several initiatives to support veterans through sports and recreational programs. A key focus is on adaptive sports clubs designed to aid the rehabilitation of veterans, active-duty military personnel, individuals with disabilities, and their families. Six such clubs, known as “Active Parks — Unstoppable” program, are currently operating across the Kyiv region.
These clubs provide visitors with access to specialized equipment and certified trainers skilled in working with diverse groups. Participants can engage in activities like swimming, fitness, jiu-jitsu, general physical training, and archery.
Over the past year, more than 500 veterans have received rehabilitation services at these adaptive sports clubs in the Kyiv region, highlighting their growing impact on the community.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The presentation of the research “Forecast 2025: What Awaits Ukraine?” will take place on December 16.
Participants:
– Igar Tyshkevich, political scientist, analyst;
– Iliya Kusa, expert on international politics and the Middle East;
– Vadym Denysenko, political scientist;
Moderator: Andriy Shevchenko
The year 2025 brings great hopes and fears for Ukrainians, especially regarding possible peace negotiations. How realistic are these negotiations? What can we expect from them and what are the possible scenarios for 2025? These and other questions are addressed by the authors of the study.
For reference: “Forecast-2025. What Awaits Ukraine?” is a joint project of the analytical network Research Solutions, the publication Dilova Stolytsya (Business Capital) and the Media Center Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
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.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
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.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The book “Workshop of Lies” examines how russian media, social networks and cultural diplomacy have become tools of manipulation on all continents. The publication aims to teach readers how to identify false information and think critically in the context of information warfare.
The authors, Viktor Berezenko and Dmytro Tsarenko, are political strategists and media consultants with 15 years of experience. Written in a popular-science style, the book marks their literary debut and is a culmination of their expertise in political strategy, media wars, and countering Kremlin disinformation. All royalties from book sales will be donated to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The book was launched at the Frankfurt Book Fair.
Among the first recipients of “Workshop of Lies” were Ukraine’s Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov, Chief of the Main Directorate of Intelligence Kyrylo Budanov, and soldiers of the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
In the spring of 2025, the English version of the book will be presented in Brussels, Berlin, Warsaw, London, Paris and Washington, while the Spanish edition will be launched in Madrid.
Journalists can arrange an online interview with Viktor Berezenko by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On December 17 in Kyiv, the Association of Relatives of Political Prisoners of the Kremlin and the Center for Civil Liberties will present an analytical report and hold a public discussion on how civilians who independently escaped from russian captivity can prove their imprisonment by the aggressor state.
According to the Ministry of Reintegration as of November 2023, every third attempt to confirm illegal imprisonment of civilians as a result of russian aggression ends in a refusal. As a result, people who were tortured and detained without rights or documents are left without essential state support.
The presentation will be followed by a discussion with the following participants:
- Kateryna Levchenko, lawyer with the Association of Relatives of Political Prisoners of the Kremlin;
- Mykhailo Savva, Doctor of Political Science and member of the Expert Council of the Center for Civil Rights;
- Yuliia Poliekhina, lawyer with the Human Rights Protection Group “Sich” and the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union (online);
- Oleksandr Panchenko, former prisoner released from unlawful detention (online).
Moderator: Ihor Kotelianets, head of the Association of relatives of Kremlin political prisoners.
Registration is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On December 17, the Media Center Ukraine will present the study “Anatomy of a Systematic Crime: How russia Persecutes Civilians”. In this new report, the Media Initiative for Human Rights reconstructs crimes committed by russians against civilians during the occupation of the northern regions of Ukraine. The findings show that the persecution of civilians is not a series of isolated acts of brutality by russian soldiers, but rather a systematic, deliberate, and targeted policy by russia’s military and political leadership.
The study is based on 143 in-depth interviews with victims and witnesses analyzed using the specialized I-DOC database, which provides links between individual incidents.
Participants:
– Lyubov Smachylo, Head of the Analytics Department at the Media Initiative for Human Rights (MIHR);
– Anna Rassamakhina, Head of the War and Justice Department at MIHR;
– Lene Wetteland, Head of the Documentation and Accountability Center at the Norwegian Helsinki Committee (online);
– Yuliia, wife of a civilian abducted and tortured at the Antonov airport in Hostomel, Kyiv Oblast.
Discussion topics:
– War crimes committed by the russian army against civilians and crimes against humanity in Kyiv, Chernihiv and Sumy oblasts;
– Deportation routes and places of detention of civilians on the territory of the russian federation;
– Individuals involved in crimes against civilians and crimes against humanity.
Prior registration required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the full-blown war outbreak in February 2022, Capital Tours operated across Kyiv, Lviv, and Odesa, offering guided tours of Ukraine’s landmarks. Svitozar Moiseiv, one of the agency’s guides, led sightseeing tours of the capital. However, the business came to a halt when the war escalated.
In 2023, Svitozar received an unusual request—foreigners seeking tours of the recently liberated areas around Kyiv. Responding to the demand, he created a six-hour tour covering the outskirts of the capital. The route includes visits to Bucha, Irpin, Borodianka, Hostomel, and Moshchun—places that bear the scars of russian occupation. Svitozar often conducts private tours, beginning by sharing his personal experience at the onset of the invasion, and then taking visitors to sites where the atrocities of the occupiers unfolded.
Moiseiv notes that most of his clients are foreigners in Kyiv for business or to visit family, and none have traveled to Ukraine solely for the tour. The six-hour tour costs around 150 euros, with a portion of the proceeds donated to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
When russia launched its first attack on Ukraine in 2014, 19-year-old Kostiantyn, call sign “The American”, was living in New Jersey. But instead of staying in the United States, he made the life-changing decision to return to Ukraine and enlist in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, heading straight to the front lines.
At the time, many of Kostiantyn’s friends—Ukrainian football fans—had already joined the early volunteer battalions. Without hesitation, Kostiantyn followed them into the Luhansk region, though his family didn’t learn of his decision until he was already deployed.
Over the course of ten years in service, Kostiantyn has held various positions within the military. He currently serves with the Marines, specializing in FPV drones. According to him, 8 out of 10 of the drones he operates successfully hit their targets. Kostiantyn says his role in the military is both his job and his passion.
Now stationed at the front, Kostiantyn is available for interviews, both online and in person, by prior arrangement and approval from the press officer.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On December 21, the War Museum in Kyiv will host the presentation of Chernihiv During the War – 2022: Voices of Living Witnesses, a bilingual collection of firsthand accounts detailing the russian occupation and siege of Chernihiv and its surrounding region between February and April 2022.
The project was initiated by Kateryna Lytvyn, a historian and candidate of historical sciences. At the outset of russia’s all-out invasion, Lytvyn fled Chernihiv to a nearby settlement that remained under occupation for 36 days. Following the region’s liberation, she sought to document the personal stories of Chernihiv residents. Her efforts were supported by the Chernihiv City Council’s Department of Culture and Tourism, along with a group of researchers who have since formed the Chernihiv Research Center for the Anthropology of War. The project’s archive now contains over 350 interviews, 24 of which are featured in this publication and translated into English.
The event will offer attendees a chance to meet the book’s co-editors, including Kateryna Lytvyn, Oleksandr Shevchuk, Svitlana Makhovska, Olena Boriak, Oleksandr Vasianovych, Olha Vorobiei, Anastasiia Pankova, Olha Berezovska, and translator Andrii Shataliuk.
Prior accreditation is required to attend the presentation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On December 18, a roundtable discussion titled “Supporting the Development of Distributed Power Generation in Ukrainian Communities.” will be held in Kyiv. JSC Energy Company of Ukraine, the Association CIGRE-Ukraine, and the Association of Small Cities of Ukraine will discuss initiatives to promote the implementation of distributed power generation in Ukrainian communities. During the roundtable, a trilateral memorandum of cooperation will be signed to support municipalities in creating and managing new energy capacities to ensure reliable power supply for the priority needs of the population.
Participants:
– Vitaly Butenko, CEO of JSC Energy Company of Ukraine;
– Pavlo Kozyrev, Chairman of the Association of Small Towns of Ukraine;
– Oleksandr Svetelyk, President of the CIGRE-Ukraine Association;
– Yurii Fomichev, Mayor of Slavutych;
– Roman Vybranovskyi, co-founder of the Ukraine Facility Platform.
Prior accreditation is required to attend the event.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Andrii Leinveber has been passionate about horses since childhood, and bought his first horse at the age of 14. In 2022, he founded his own equestrian club in Melitopol, a city in southern Ukraine. The club offered riding lessons for adults and children, and Andrii also taught jigiting – the art of trick riding.
After russia’s full-scale invasion began, Andrii’s stable was in danger. russian shelling damaged one of the buildings, and Andrii and his friends had to round up frightened horses scattered throughout the city. He took five horses to his home, while the others were cared for by friends.
When Melitopol was occupied by russian troops, the horses faced a new threat: hunger. The city lacked fodder, as the occupiers forbade travel to other settlements for supplies and deliberately destroyed the hay meant for the horses. One day, Andrii himself was captured by the russians. He was held in a cell for two weeks without contact with the outside world. After his release, Andrii decided to evacuate. He managed to take three horses with him, although it took three attempts to leave – twice he was turned back at russian checkpoints.
Now, Andrii has established a new equestrian club in the Odesa oblast, where he takes care of five horses and a pony. He also invites soldiers to participate in equine therapy.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
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.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
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.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
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.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The War Museum and the Kyiv Koliada community are inviting residents and visitors of Kyiv to partake in traditional Christmas Eve celebrations on December 22.
Kyivska Koliada, a vibrant community of children and adults, is dedicated to preserving and sharing the rich traditions of caroling in a contemporary urban setting. Since its inception, the group has performed carols for Kyiv audiences twice annually—on December 25 and January 7. Following the Orthodox Church of Ukraine’s adoption of the New Julian calendar, Kyiv Koliada now brings Christmas cheer to Ukrainians on December 25, gathering at central squares and iconic landmarks in the city to proclaim the Savior’s birth.
This year’s festivities will unfold on the Pechersk Hills, beneath the towering Motherland sculpture, where participants will perform carols and showcase traditional Christmas wreaths.
Event attendance requires prior accreditation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The United States recently hosted the debut of “Through the Eyes of Children”, a powerful collection of children’s quotes published by HarperCollins Publishers, one of the world’s most renowned publishing houses.
Originally published in February 2023 by the “Voices of Children” Charitable Foundation, the book aims to draw global attention to the hardships faced by children as a result of russia’s war against Ukraine. Within just three months of its release, HarperCollins Publishers expressed interest and secured the rights to publish the book in the U.S. and worldwide.
The U.S. book tour took place from December 8 to 14, with events in three cities: New York, Washington, D.C., and New Haven. A signed copy of the book by Tania Vovk was also presented to Timothy Snyder, a Yale professor and a devoted friend of Ukraine.
The centerpiece of the tour was the presentation of “War Through the Eyes of Ukrainian Children: An Evening of Stories, Discussion, and Reflection”, held on December 13 in New York at the Ukrainian Institute of America, with support from the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the United Nations.
Among other things, the voices of Ukrainian children, with the support of Rebirth.Ukraine, resonated in the legendary Times Square.
Journalists can access further details about the book launch in the United States, along with accompanying photos and videos.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On December 23, Kyiv will host the festive event “Warmth of Hearts”: A Christmas Celebration of Faith and Hope” organized by the Command of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in cooperation with the Association of Families of Territorial Defenders of Ukrainian cities.
The purpose of the event is to create a special Christmas atmosphere for the children and relatives of servicemen, families of the missing, prisoners and those who gave their lives for Ukraine’s freedom, and to unite all Ukrainians in these difficult times. Organizers hope to remind Ukrainian society of the importance of kindness and support for one another.
Highlights of the event:
- A concert featuring well-known artists and amateur groups;
- A charity fair organized by the families of territorial defense servicemen from all over Ukraine;
- Interactive activities for children;
- Presentations of volunteer formations of territorial communities;
- A video recording of Christmas wishes near the “Dreams for Ukraine” themed Christmas tree;
- Recording of a Christmas video message for the servicemen of the Territorial Armed Forces.
For security reasons, the location of the event will be announced to registered participants two hours before the event begins.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
During the Christmas season a number of events are held in Lviv. On Christmas Eve, December 24, at 12:00, the main Lviv didukh (Christmas decoration) will be installed on Angel Square near the Garrison Church.
From December 25, 2024 to January 12, 2025 the “Great Carol” festival will take place. New this year is the Grand Christmas Tour. Lviv tour guides have prepared a special themed route through the central streets of the city for the holiday season. Residents and visitors are also invited to attend the “Christmas Prayer” performance on the northern side of Rynok Square.
Honoring those who gave their lives for Ukraine: this year a memorial carol will be sung at the Lychakiv cemetery. On the last Saturday of the month (December 28), families of Ukraine’s fallen defenders will gather to pay tribute to those who made it possible to celebrate Christmas at home through their ultimate sacrifice.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
To raise awareness about the defenders of Azovstal and other soldiers still held in enemy captivity, a performance entitled “Third Christmas in Captivity” will be held in Lviv, accompanied by peaceful rallies in 24 cities across Ukraine.
Scheduled events:
December 21: Peaceful rallies in Okhtyrka, Pivdennoukrainsk, Chernihiv, Irpin, Vinnytsia, Kolomyia, Zhytomyr, Obukhiv, Poltava, Pavlohrad, and Zaporizhia.
December 22: Peaceful rallies in Kyiv, Uman, Krolevets, Korosten, Ovruch, Cherkasy, Uzhhorod, Mykolaiv, Korostyshiv, Kovel, Kropyvnytskyi, Odesa, Ostroh, and Lviv.
The events are organized by the families of POWs from the Mariupol garrison. The rallies are often attended by Ukrainians who have been released from captivity.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Dmytro Kanupier, a soldier with the 12th Brigade of the Azov Ukraine’s National Guard, faced the onset of russia’s full-blown invasion in Mariupol. In April 2022, while defending the Azovstal steel plant, Dmytro sustained two shrapnel injuries. As the situation deteriorated, he and his fellow soldiers debated their grim options, including suicide, before ultimately obeying an order to surrender in late May 2022.
Initially detained at a colony in Olenivka, within the russian-occupied Donetsk region, Dmytro endured harrowing conditions until he was transferred to Taganrog, russia, on September 26, 2022. There, he and other prisoners were subjected to relentless beatings and torture, aimed at extracting false confessions to fabricated crimes. While held captive, Dmytro was unjustly sentenced to 29 years in a strict-regime penal colony for a war crime he did not commit.
On October 18, 2024, Dmytro was finally released as part of a prisoner exchange and returned to Ukraine. He is now undergoing rehabilitation and working to recover from his ordeal.
Interviews with Dmytro Kanupier, either in person or online, can be arranged through his press service with prior notice.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Vitalii “Sarmat” Kozhokar, a war veteran from Irpin, has found a remarkable way to transform remnants of conflict into symbols of resilience. Kozhokar crafts one-of-a-kind writing pens from shell casings, with notable recipients including Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the former Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, and prominent journalist Tamar Jacoby.
Kozhokar’s journey began in 2014 when he first took up arms to defend Ukraine during russia’s incursion into eastern Ukraine. In February 2022, he joined the Volunteer Formation of the Irpin Territorial Community, where, as a platoon commander, he led successful efforts to repel enemy advances on his hometown.
Today, alongside fellow veteran Volodymyr, Kozhokar creates pens from shell casings recovered from battlefields of the russian-Ukrainian war, as well as relics from the First and Second World Wars.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On January 8, the Media Initiative for Human Rights and the Association “Marine Corps Strength” will host a major press conference in Kyiv to mark 1,000 days since Ukrainian marines were taken captive. The event aims to draw attention to the conditions faced by marines in russian captivity and the urgent need for international access to detention facilities. Participants will receive the event’s location via email upon registration.
Key topics to be addressed:
– The number of marines detained, their health, and the conditions of their captivity in russia;
– The role of mixed medical commissions, as mandated by the Geneva Convention, in assessing the status of injured and seriously ill prisoners of war;
– Diplomatic avenues to secure access to detention sites in russia, with a focus on the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties;
During the press conference, families of the prisoners of war will unveil a symbolic pin to express solidarity with the marines who defended Mariupol.
Featured speakers:
– Family representatives of the detained marines;
– Olena Belyachkova, coordinator for families of prisoners and missing persons with the Media Initiative for Human Rights;
– A representative from Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
– Dmytro Usov, Secretary of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
Registration is required to attend the event.
For reference: In April and May 2022, following the protracted defense of Mariupol, marine units and other defenders of the city were captured by russian forces. A significant number were taken prisoner on April 12, 2022, during a breakout attempt from the russian-occupied Illich plant as they sought to join forces with the Azov Regiment at Azovstal.
Families report that many of the captured marines are in critical condition, with some suffering from advanced tuberculosis, cancer, or other severe health issues requiring specialized medical equipment. Reports also indicate that some prisoners are permanently connected to artificial lung ventilation systems. Despite their dire state, russia continues to detain these individuals without adequate medical care.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The “Road of Life” lighting installation in Irpin, crafted on the site of the destroyed Romanyiv Bridge, has been recognized at the renowned LIT Lighting Design Awards, an esteemed international competition based in Switzerland. The project earned top honors in the Religious & Spiritual Site Lighting Design category, highlighting its profound impact and creative vision.
The installation features red threads illuminated by pulsating light, symbolically connecting the shattered remnants of the bridge. This poignant design pays tribute to resilience and recovery amid destruction, resonating with audiences worldwide.
Journalists are invited to explore the “Road of Life” installation on-site and obtain commentary to share this remarkable story with a broader audience.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Taras Stolyar was a bandurist in the National Academic Orchestra of Folk Instruments for 20 years. His musical career was put on hold on February 24, 2022, when he joined Kyiv’s territorial defense. By March, he was defending the Kyiv oblast from russian occupiers, earning the nickname “Bandura”. Later, his unit was deployed to the eastern front, where he fought near Kreminna and Bakhmut, first as a rifleman and later as a drone operator.
In November 2023, Taras joined the “Cultural Forces,” a group of Ukrainian artists who perform for soldiers on the front lines, in hospitals, and in liberated cities. His bandura performances are meant to inspire and boost the morale of the military.
In the fall of 2024, Taras and other members of “Cultural Forces” project embarked on a tour of the United States, performing 170 benefit concerts. One of his performances was attended by the English musician Sting. According to Taras, the unique sound of his bandura and a cover of one of Sting’s songs captivated the legendary artist. As a result, Stoliar accompanied Sting at a concert in Los Angeles. The military musicians also recorded a video with Sting, which quickly gained popularity on the Internet.
Taras Stoliar is available for interviews with journalists, both online and in person, by prior arrangement. He is either in Kyiv or deployed to the front lines.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Denys, a defender of Irpin and founder of a furniture production company, has a lifelong passion for woodworking. His journey began in his childhood when he lived in Crimea. After the russian occupation of Crimea, he left his home, joined the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO), and later relocated to Irpin in the Kyiv oblast.
In the Irpin community, Denys turned his dream into reality. He completed business courses, secured a grant, and opened his own furniture workshop in 2021.
In February and March 2022, when russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Denys took up arms to defend Irpin. He participated in the battles for the town and helped evacuate civilians. During this time, the occupiers destroyed and looted his workshop.
Despite these losses, Denys managed to rebuild his business in a new location.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Veterans Foundation operates a 24/7 crisis support hotline offering free psychological assistance. Staffed by 14 trained psychologists, the hotline averages 200-300 calls per week, according to one of its counselors.
The service primarily supports defenders, veterans, and their families, but anyone who needs help is encouraged to call.
The project is run by Oleksandr Chamorsov, a veteran and psychologist.
Journalists interested in covering the work of the hotline can coordinate visits or interviews by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The officer goes by the call sign Kupol (Dome) is a former soldier of the Azov Brigade and a symbol of resilience and determination. When russia mounted its full-scale invasion, Kupol volunteered to defend his country once again. Starting as an infantryman, he worked his way up to become an officer with an impressive record of combat achievements.
In 2022, while fighting in the Donetsk region, tragedy struck. The vehicle carrying Kupol and his comrades hit an anti-tank mine, leaving him severely injured and costing him a leg. Despite the life-altering injury, Kupol refused to give up. After a lengthy period of treatment and rehabilitation, he rejoined his unit, vowing to stand with his comrades until victory.
Recognizing his determination and skill, Kupol’s commanders assigned him to a UAV unit, where he quickly excelled. He now ranks among the brigade’s top specialists, participating in critical combat missions. His contributions have yielded significant results, including the capture of russian tanks, self-propelled artillery systems, and anti-aircraft missile systems.
Kupol’s bravery and service have earned him numerous honors, including the Order of the Knight’s Cross of the Volunteer, the “To the Unbreakable Defender” medal, the “Bravery in Battle” medal, the “Medal for Military Service to Ukraine,” and the “Steel Cross.”
For those seeking an interview, Kupol is available by prior arrangement in the Zaporizhia direction.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Since April 2023, the Cultural Forces—a group of military personnel with backgrounds in creative fields—has spearheaded the “Books to the Frontline” project, bringing a touch of home to soldiers stationed at the front. The initiative invites every Ukrainian to participate. At any bookstore displaying the “Gift a Book to the Front” poster, customers can purchase a book to be sent directly to the front lines. The bookstores then pass the books to the project team, which ensures their delivery. To date, more than 30,000 books have reached Ukrainian soldiers.
Leading this effort is Andrii Ovcharuk, a sergeant in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Before the war, Ovcharuk headed the Kyiv office of the Old Lion Publishing House. On February 24, 2022, he volunteered for military service despite having poor eyesight, joining the 101st Separate Brigade of the General Staff. Ovcharuk served in this role for two years before dedicating his efforts to this cultural initiative.
Journalists interested in covering the project can meet with Ovcharuk and his team either online or in person in Kyiv. With prior arrangement, they can also witness the book sorting and shipment process firsthand.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
World Central Kitchen (WCK) has opened its first community kitchen in Lviv, providing vital cooking facilities for a shelter housing families of internally displaced persons (IDPs). The kitchen was established in a dormitory that previously lacked any cooking infrastructure. To create the space, WCK renovated a former assembly hall, constructing an additional wall to accommodate a fully modern kitchen.
The facility is equipped with electric stoves, ovens, refrigerators, exhaust hoods, workstations, a dishwashing area, and a generator to ensure uninterrupted operation. The shelter can host up to 300 residents, including 100 children, 100 adults, and 100 elderly individuals. Thanks to the new kitchen, residents can now prepare nutritious meals in a safe and comfortable environment.
Before the kitchen’s opening, WCK had provided over 157,000 meals to IDPs at the shelter from June 1, 2022.
For reference: Since the onset of russia’s all-out invasion, WCK has prepared more than 274 million meals, including 68 million hot meals. The organization has also distributed over 10.1 million food parcels, totaling 109,037 tons of aid.
Founded by acclaimed chef José Andrés, WCK has a long history of responding to crises worldwide, from natural disasters to wars, delivering meals and hope to those in need.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Mariia Ksondzyk, the daughter of a fallen ATO veteran, worked as a journalist before the full-scale invasion. Petro Shuklinov also had a media career in civilian life, but joined the Defense Forces in 2023. With the outbreak of the war, Mariia and Petro joined forces as volunteers. Their work involves selecting, purchasing, transporting, repairing, and delivering quality vehicles to military personnel.
In 2023, they founded the non-profit organization Nesemos Fund, later opening a donation shop and eventually a technical service station for military vehicles. Every month, Mariia and Petro attract numerous donors and work with various foundations to cover the cost of vehicle repairs. Today, the Nesemos Veteran Autohub repairs 20 to 30 military vehicles each month.
A year ago, the team began working on opening a civilian vehicle repair shop to secure additional funding. The shop is currently in test mode. Mariia and Petro have successfully hired veterans and displaced persons from Mariupol and Kharkiv to work at the facility.
To connect with the Nesemos team, you can arrange an online or in-person meeting in Kyiv by prior appointment.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ukrainian soldiers are now transferring to other units, accessing services, receiving training, and even reporting enemy attacks — all through a mobile app. What seemed like science fiction not long ago is now a reality. How is the Ministry of Defense and the Ukrainian Army as a whole undergoing digital transformation? What’s working, what’s not, and why? These questions will be addressed on January 14, at the “Defense Talks” event organized by the Independent Anti-Corruption Commission (NAKO), with a focus on “Digital Fronts: Transforming Ukraine’s Defense Sector in Wartime”.
The “Defense Talks” format features keynote speeches and a panel discussion.
Speakers sharing their perspectives on the digitalization of the security and defense sector include
- Kateryna Chernohorenko, Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine for Digital Development, Digital Transformation and Digitalization.
- Aliona Zhuzha, IT Advisor at DOT.
- Taras Doroniak, Deputy Head of the Change Support Office of the Ministry of Defense.
- Vitalii Masiuk, member of the Public Anti-Corruption Council of the Ministry of Defense, expert on social and personnel policy, and defender of the rights of servicemen and veterans.
Registration is required to receive the event address and to attend.
About Defense Talks: Organized by NAKO, these meetings bring together Ukrainian government officials, senior executives, civil society representatives, and members of the diplomatic corps to discuss key trends and challenges in the security and defense sectors, as well as progress in anti-corruption reforms.
About NAKO: Independent Anti-Corruption Commission is a non-governmental organization dedicated to strengthening Ukraine’s resilience against internal and external threats in critical areas of national security through independent research, effective advocacy, and public awareness campaigns.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
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.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On January 17 the photo exhibition “Days of Remembrance of the Heroes of the Battle of Ilovaisk 2014” will be officially opened. Visitors can now view the photographs at the Museum of Kyiv Occupation.
The exhibition commemorates one of the most tragic events in Ukraine’s struggle against russia and honors those who were the first to defend the country in 2014. Visitors will see photographs that have become historical artifacts, taken by photographers who worked in the fiercest combat zones near Ilovaisk in the Donetsk oblast in August 2014. These photographers documented the battlefield positions of the Special Purpose Battalion “Donbas” of the National Guard of Ukraine.
The preservation of this photographic anthology is due to Maksym Dondyuk, Oleksandr Glyadyelov, Markiian Lyseiko, and Maksym Levin, who managed to survive the encirclement of Ilovaisk. Tragically, Maksym Levin was killed during the full-scale invasion in the spring of 2022 in the occupied Kyiv oblast while documenting russian war crimes.
The exhibition features more than 50 photographs – a fraction of the extensive collection depicting the Battle of Ilovaisk, from the events of August 10 to the “humanitarian corridor of death” on August 29, 2014.
For reference: The exhibition is organized by the NGO “‘Sarmat’ Military-Patriotic Association of Combatant”, the NGO “Invincible Mothers of Ukraine”, the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine, and the National Memorial to the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred – Museum of the Revolution of Dignity.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Association of Football (UAF) is set to break new ground in inclusive sports by organizing the country’s first amputee soccer tournament, the Winter Cup. Scheduled for January 11-12 in Kyiv, the event is part of the League of the Mighty initiative, a social project aimed at fostering inclusivity in sports.
The tournament will feature five amateur teams from Kyiv, Lviv, and Cherkasy: AMP FC Kyiv, MSC Dnipro, FC Pokrova AMP, FC Pokrova-2, and Shakhtar Stalevi.
The event is expected to lay the groundwork for a structured competitive framework in amputee football, marking a significant milestone for the sport in Ukraine.
For reference: According to UAF, there are over 100,000 individuals with amputations in Ukraine. For many, football offers more than just recreation—it serves as a powerful tool for rehabilitation, fostering resilience, and encouraging emotional and physical recovery. The League of the Mighty project aims to integrate these individuals into the football community, helping them reconnect with an active and fulfilling lifestyle.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
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.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On January 13, the Media Center Ukraine in Kyiv will host the presentation of the study findings titled “Rada-9. Results.”
The discussion will explore key questions, including:
– How is the smallest parliamentary composition in Ukraine’s history functioning?
– What impact has the war had on the legislative process?
– Have issues such as absenteeism, amendment spam, and MPs disappearing during crucial votes been resolved?
The findings will be presented by:
– Sofiia Lazarova, analyst at the CHESNO Movement;
– Vitaliy Mikula, analyst at the CHESNO Movement.
Panel discussion participants:
– Oleksandr Korniienko, First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine;
– Yaroslav Zhelezniak, MP, First Deputy Chairman of Ukraine’s Parliamentary Committee on Finance, Tax, and Customs Policy;
– Iryna Herashchenko, MP, Member of Ukraine’s Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Policy and Interparliamentary Cooperation;
– Oleksandr Salizhenko, editor-in-chief of the CHESNO Movement.
Accreditation for the event is required and will be open until 7:00 PM on January 12.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
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.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Maryna Zhdan is a 44-year-old Lviv resident and mother of four. Before the beginning of the full-scale war, Maryna was an avid traveler, running her own travel blog and visiting 40 countries. But she says her favorite place is in Ukraine: the village of Stuzhytsia in Zakarpattia, home to a 1,300-year-old oak tree. The majestic tree made a deep impression on her, as she has loved plants since childhood. When Maryna moved into her own home, she began transforming her surroundings into a lush indoor jungle.
In 2022, Maryna decided to sell her plants to raise money for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. She created a social media page called “Khatni Khashchi” (“Home Jungle”). Through her efforts, she managed to raise 380,000 UAH to support the Ukrainian Army.
Later, Maryna and her daughter began to set up a place they named “MAZANKA Space”. Once renovations are complete, it will serve as a potted plant shop and her daughter will offer tattoo services.
You can contact Maryna Zhdan either online or in person in Lviv by appointment.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On January 21, Kyiv will host the opening of the exhibition “Tandem of Victory: Stories of Rescue, Life and Resilience”. The event aims to draw attention to the importance of supporting the mental health of veterans and victims of war through artistic practices and hippotherapy.
Key participants and projects of the exhibition:
Victory Center: A non-profit organization focused on the psycho-emotional recovery of veterans and children affected by war. They use hippovention (a model of therapeutic interaction between humans and horses) and hippotherapy. The center’s story is told through the personal experiences of its executive director, Nastia Popandopulos.
Palette of Courage: Halyna Morar, an artist, ATO veteran, and fighter in a volunteer battalion of the Ukrainian National Guard, explores internal transformations shaped by external influences. Her works are deeply rooted in Ukrainian traditions and wartime symbolism, calling for the preservation of identity and finding strength in difficult times. In Halyna’s paintings, war is portrayed as a challenging path to victory that brings transformation to both Ukraine and the world.
Social ranch “Horse Paradise” (Kseniia and Halyna): Horse Paradise is a social ranch that has become a sanctuary for horses rescued from the war. It combines therapeutic animal interactions with innovative methods of veteran rehabilitation, contributing to their psychological recovery.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oleksandr Miroshnikov, a 62-year-old master jeweler, has spent more than half his life crafting intricate designs. Recognized as an Honored Master of Folk Art of Ukraine and a full recipient of the prestigious Fabergé Memorial Foundation awards, Miroshnikov has taken on a unique challenge since the start of russia’s full-scale invasion—creating jewelry from titanium salvaged from russian missile wreckage.
The titanium, extracted from downed Kalibr and Kh-101 missiles provided by Ukrainian forces, is far more challenging to work with than gold or platinum, Miroshnikov says, making each piece truly one-of-a-kind.
His creations have found homes in museums and private collections across Ukraine, Europe, the United States, and the UAE, and they’re frequently featured at exhibitions. Currently, he is finishing a piece titled “Fleur de Fougère” (Fern Flower).
Those interested in connecting with Oleksandr can meet him in Mykolaiv or the Lviv region, either in person or online, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Veterans, individuals with disabilities, and their families can enjoy free skiing, snowboarding, and adaptive ski chair training at Golosiiv Ski Park in Kyiv, courtesy of the Active Parks initiative. The classes, available through February, feature instruction from experienced trainers and utilize the Tempo Dualski equipment for seated skiing, a professional and secure tool designed to accommodate participants with disabilities.
This initiative is part of the State Institution “Sport for All” program, supported by the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, under the broader presidential project “Active Parks — Locations of Healthy Ukraine” program.
The adaptive sit skiing training also aligns with Ukraine’s effort to create a barrier-free environment and is included in the All-Ukrainian Mental Health Program “Are You OK?” launched by First Lady Olena Zelenska.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On January 16, a newly restored outpatient clinic will officially open in the village of Zdvyzhivka, located in the Bucha district. The facility, which was devastated during the 2022 occupation of the Kyiv region, has been fully renovated and upgraded after being looted and severely damaged by russian forces.
The clinic now boasts modern equipment and expanded diagnostic services, including ultrasound, laboratory testing, and cardiac evaluations for patients with complex needs. It is set to provide primary healthcare to approximately 2,000 residents of Zdvyzhivka, Babyntsi, and neighboring villages.
The opening ceremony will be attended by representatives from the Ministry of Health, regional and local governments, as well as international partners who supported the reconstruction efforts.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Oleksii, known by his military nickname “Yogurt,” was a familiar face at festivals, culinary tours, and even a popular Ukrainian cooking show. But when war came, the former event organizer mobilized, bringing his skills to the battlefield in a unique way: revolutionizing how soldiers are fed.
Now serving with the 47th Magura Brigade’s anti-aircraft missile artillery division, Oleksii took it upon himself to elevate military dining. With community support, he raised funds and outfitted a mobile kitchen—a fully functional food truck capable of moving with the troops. This innovation has already made a tangible impact at the front, delivering meals to Ukrainian soldiers under challenging conditions.
The success of the first food truck has inspired Oleksii to expand. A second vehicle is en route to Kyiv, where it will be equipped with the necessary tools and supplies before heading to the front lines. His vision goes beyond the current conflict: Oleksii hopes these mobile kitchens will eventually replace traditional field kitchens and even dreams of showcasing one at a Victory Day parade in the future.
Currently stationed on the front lines, Oleksii is open to speaking with journalists remotely or, when feasible, in person.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On January 13, Kyiv initiated a series of mental health training sessions aimed at bolstering the well-being of critical infrastructure workers. The program stems from a Memorandum of Cooperation between the Kyiv City State Administration and the Ukrainian-Swiss project Mental Health for Ukraine (MH4U), according to Deputy Head of the Kyiv City State Administration for Self-Government, Maryna Honda, as reported by the project’s press service.
In the first quarter of 2025, MH4U plans to conduct 31 training sessions designed for police officers, social workers, and critical infrastructure personnel. More than 450 professionals are set to receive hands-on instruction in managing stress during crises and emergencies.
About MH4U: Mental Health for Ukraine is an international development initiative supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, focusing on improving mental health systems in Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In 2023, Ukrainian Railways launched a dedicated dog training center to bolster the security of Ukraine’s railway transport infrastructure. These highly trained service dogs will work alongside experienced paramilitary security officers, enhancing the protection of critical infrastructure.
The center focuses on preparing dogs from as young as three months old to detect substances and objects that could pose a threat to public safety. Professional dog handlers employ specialized training techniques to refine the animals’ sense of smell for security tasks.
According to earlier announcements, the Kyiv-based facility aims to train approximately 30 service dogs annually, with plans to grow the four-legged security force to 1,000.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ukraine has launched its first-ever all-women mobile air defense units, known as the “Bucha Witches,” in the Kyiv region’s Bucha community. Formed entirely by volunteers, the units operate as part of the Bucha Territorial Community’s military volunteer force.
The group unites women from varied backgrounds—spanning different ages, professions, and education levels—who juggle civilian responsibilities with combat duties, serving every three days. According to the formation’s headquarters, their mission includes defending Bucha and occasionally the neighboring Hostomel community. The units primarily intercept enemy drones and missiles, with additional counter-sabotage operations as needed.
This version retains all essential details but is slightly more concise and adheres to professional reporting standards.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Maksym Kharkivskyi, a soldier of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, serves on the Zaporizhia front. In the spring of 2023, a bull came to the position of his unit. His comrades reported, “You have visitors,” and Maksym saw the animal approaching them along a mined path.
That same day, Maksym and a fellow soldier led the bull, which they named Martyn, to safety. Maksym began posting videos of the bull on TikTok, and Martyn quickly gained popularity.
Soon after, Maksym’s comrades rescued a wild female boar that had been injured by enemy fire. Maksym took the boar in, named her Mashka, and cared for her until she recovered. She joined Martyn as a social media star.
Thanks to the animals’ popularity, Maksym has been able to support his unit’s needs. He hosts live streams to raise funds, and in just five sessions raised enough money to buy drones worth 100,000 UAH. Maksym affectionately refers to Martyn and Mashka as his “military volunteers”.
You can connect with Maksym Kharkivskyi online or in person by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The national Invictus Games team, which will take part in the international adaptive sports event in Whistler and Vancouver, Canada, this February, has gathered for its fifth training camp.
This time, the team is meeting at a ski resort, allowing participants to practice winter sports in natural conditions. The 2025 Invictus Games will be the first Hybrid Games to include adaptive winter sports. During previous training camps, the Ukrainian team trained on water and on simulators.
Some team members admit this is their first time trying skiing. Others have rediscovered the joy of winter sports after recovering from injuries, while some are skillfully descending slopes on one leg.
The team has also been visited by Olga Kharlan, Ukraine’s most decorated Olympic fencing champion.
The training in Bukovel is coming to an end. Journalists can speak with team members in Kyiv and have access to photo and video materials.
Background: The Invictus Games were founded in 2014 by His Royal Highness The Duke of Sussex. The international competition is for veterans and service personnel who have been wounded or injured in the line of duty.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On January 20, the Media Center Ukraine will host a discussion entitled “Trump 2.0: What Should Ukraine Do?”
Participants:
- Pavlo Sheremeta, Minister of Economic Development and Trade (2014), Founder of the Kyiv-Mohyla Business School (KMBS)
- Volodymyr Havrylov, Deputy Minister of Defense (2022-2023), Defense Attaché to the United States (2015-2018)
- Oleksii Antypovych, Director of the Rating Sociological Group
- Ihor Solovey, Center for Strategic Communications
- Yuliia Zabelina, NV Radio
- Yevhen Mahda, Institute of World Policy
- Representatives of media, diplomatic missions, think tanks and civil society organizations.
Format: The event will include keynote presentations followed by a brainstorming session.
Key questions to be addressed:
– What should Ukrainian politics look like?
– What should Ukraine’s economy look like?
– What should Ukrainian security look like?
Registration is required for the event.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Dina Chmuzh witnessed the beginning of the full-scale invasion in her hometown of Kharkiv. Her father joined the Defense Forces, and Dina and her mother initially refused to leave the city. They eventually evacuated in March 2022, but returned to Kharkiv a few months later.
Since then, the artist has been writing poetry on the plywood used to replace windows and storefronts shattered by explosions. Dina has created about 20 murals with poems by Ukrainian poets. In the future, she hopes to incorporate verses by Lyubov Yakymchuk, Bohdan Kutsenko, and Yaryna Chornoguz into her murals.
You can contact Dina Chmuzh online or by appointment in Kharkiv.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Pylyp Dukhliy is a veteran of the russo-Ukrainian war and the founder of a private school where children study programming, robotics, 2D and 3D modeling in addition to general education subjects.
After February 24, 2022, Pylyp evacuated his family to the West, while he joined the Defense Forces. His mission was to organize communication between positions. Pylyp says that during his service he faced several life-threatening situations and now counts four additional “birthdays”.
After being discharged, Pylyp returned to work at the school in Kyiv. Currently, high school students there are assembling and building FPV drones for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The students enjoy the process as it allows them to put their theoretical knowledge into practice. They have a modern workshop equipped for design, prototyping and soldering. The workshop also has a laser cutter and a 3D printer.
The students’ drones can carry up to two kilograms, travel at least five kilometers, and stay airborne for over twenty minutes.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Peaceful events are planned in 22 cities across Ukraine to raise awareness of the defenders of Azovstal and other soldiers still in enemy captivity.
On January 18, rallies will be held in Ochyrka, Chernihiv, Vinnytsia, Dnipro, Zaporizhia, Bila Tserkva, Kolomyia and Pavlohrad.
On January 19, peaceful actions are scheduled in Kyiv, Pivdenoukrainsk, Krolevets, Ovruch, Korosten, Kremenchuk, Uzhhorod, Mykolaiv, Rivne, Berdychiv, Korostyshiv, Ternopil, Cherkasy and Kropyvnytskyi.
The events are organized by the families of POWs from the Mariupol garrison. The rallies are often attended by Ukrainians who have been released from captivity.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
An event dedicated to the fallen soldier Kostiantyn Yuzviuk will be held in 28 cities of Ukraine. The event is organized by the relatives of the Ukrainian defender and the NGO “Vshanuy” (“Honor”). January 18 marks six months since the death of serviceman Kostiantyn Yuzviuk, who was an activist, vegan, animal rights defender and photographer.
Kostiantyn joined the Revolution of Dignity as a teenager. At 14, he became a volunteer, and at 22, he enlisted as a volunteer in the Defense Forces.
Background: The NGO “Vshanuy” works on the development and implementation of new remembrance practices in Ukraine. One of the organization’s goals is to promote the observance of a moment of silence at the national level. One of their key mottos is: “Remember the fallen — support the living”.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Seventeen-year-old Radomyr Tiutiunnyk is the son of a soldier in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. At the start of the full-scale invasion, his father told him that drones, especially FPV drones, were one of the critical needs for Ukrainian defenders on the front lines. Radomyr decided to help his father and tried to build them himself.
He found all the necessary information on the Internet. His first “birds” successfully passed tests, and Radomyr began assembling drones on a regular basis. At first, he worked on drones in his spare time after school. Now he has formed a team that produces more than 1,000 units a month. Volunteers print the parts for the FPV drones on a 3D printer. Over the course of his work, Radomyr has delivered about 15,000 FPV drones to the front lines.
You can contact Radomyr Tiutiunnyk online or in person in Odesa by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Tetiana Hatsura-Yavorska, a citizen of Belarus, has been a human rights activist since 2006. Later she founded the human rights organization “Zvyano”. After the Belarusian protests in 2020, a criminal case was opened against Tetiana for her activism, which displeased the Belarusian authorities. She was arrested and threatened that her child would be sent to an orphanage. Her husband took the child and fled the country. After spending 10 days in a detention center, Tetiana was released but banned from leaving Belarus.
After russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Tetiana decided to leave Minsk illegally. Upon arriving in Kyiv, she immediately began volunteering and raising funds to purchase vacuum therapy devices for hospitals. During two years of war, she raised more than 100,000 euros for these devices. She later founded the “Lanka” rehabilitation center for wounded soldiers.
At “Lanka”, soldiers recover from injuries to their arms, legs and spine, and can also receive treatment for gastrointestinal and neurological problems. Since its inception, the center has rehabilitated 60 soldiers, including international volunteers.
You can contact Tetiana Hatsura-Yavorska online or in person in Kyiv by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Colonels Monte and Chuck from the USA call themselves “Traveling Colonels”. They are retired U.S. Marine Corps officers and both veterans of the Iraq War. During the full-scale war, the Colonels collected and distributed over 9,000 first aid kits, hundreds of medic bag kits, tons of hospital surgical aid.
Currently, the Colonels are providing basic medical supplies for surgeons, pediatricians, ophthalmologists and others. Each month, medical supplies arrive from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and other European countries.
Since 2022, Monte has made 17 trips to Ukraine, while Chuck has visited 12 times.
Journalists can learn more and speak with “The Traveling Colonels” in Kyiv.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On January 22, a training session using an adaptive sit ski for veterans will be held in Kyiv. Three veterans will take part in the session.
By prior arrangement, journalists are welcome to cover the event.
Background: Veterans, people with disabilities and their families can take advantage of the free “Active Parks” project until the end of February to train in skiing, snowboarding and using an adaptive sit ski at the Golosiyv Ski Park in Kyiv. Tempo Dualski is a safe and professional tool for skiing and snowboarding for people with disabilities. The sessions will be conducted by experienced instructors.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On February 1, Dutch volunteers Franky and Coen, widely recognized for their unwavering support for Ukraine, will embark on their 30th humanitarian mission to the war-torn region. The duo plans to continue their signature effort of distributing fries and Dutch snacks to those affected by the conflict in Donbas, having already served over 200,000 portions. However, their mission extends beyond food aid—they will once again assist in evacuating individuals from frontline areas who are unable to escape on their own. These evacuees will find refuge at “The Holland House,” a shelter run by the volunteers in Dnipro.
Franky and Coen are no strangers to the dangers of their work. In a previous mission, they narrowly survived a deadly rocket attack in Kramatorsk that claimed 13 lives and left both of them with minor injuries.
Journalists interested in speaking with Franky and Coen can arrange interviews with them in Kyiv or Dnipro.
The duo’s volunteer journey began at the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022. Franky, who owns a snack bar in the Netherlands and operates food trucks at events, was struck by images of refugees lining up at the Polish-Ukrainian border. What started as a one-time plan to hand out fries at the border soon turned into a full-scale humanitarian mission, with support from his friend Coen. Their efforts quickly expanded beyond the border. They initially worked in the Lviv region, then moved to areas in the Kyiv region that had just been liberated. Their subsequent missions took them to Kharkiv, Donbas, and eventually to Kherson and Zaporizhia. Over the past two years, Franky and Coen have consistently returned to some of the most dangerous regions in Ukraine, providing both aid and hope to those in need.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Yuliia Buniak, originally from Crimea, has called Kyiv home since her university days. Now a widow raising her 14-year-old son, Tymofii, she is navigating life after her husband was killed in action on August 3, 2023, while serving on the frontlines.
For Yuliia, the russian-Ukrainian conflict began in 2014 with the annexation of her homeland. Her husband joined the military shortly after the invasion, fought for over a year, and then returned to civilian life. But the full-scale russian assault in February 2022 marked a turning point. On the evening of February 23, as the couple shared a quiet moment at home, a call from the territorial recruitment office changed their lives. Her husband reported for duty the next morning, initially serving in Kyiv before being deployed to the eastern front. As a mortar operator, he carried out missions near Bakhmut, one of the most fiercely contested areas of the war. After completing his first rotation in December 2022, he returned home briefly, allowing the family to celebrate the New Year together. But during his second deployment, tragedy struck. On August 3, 2023, he was killed during an artillery strike near Pivnichnyi, in Donetsk’s Bakhmut district.
Yuliia reflects on the close bond her husband shared with Tymofii. From teaching him to drive to bonding over their shared love of boxing, their relationship was filled with cherished moments. Last year, Tymofii had the chance to meet his idol, Oleksandr Usyk, and even attended his fight in Riyadh with his mother.
For reference: The Children of Heroes Foundation is now providing essential support to Yuliia and Tymofii. The organization, dedicated to aiding children who have lost one or both parents due to russia’s invasion, offers financial assistance, psychological counseling, legal aid, and educational resources to help them thrive despite their loss.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On January 22, Kyiv will host a Walk of Remembrance to pay tribute to the first Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred who lost their lives during the Revolution of Dignity. Participants will light candles and lay flowers at memorial plaques along the route, reflecting on the sacrifices made for Ukraine’s freedom.
The annual procession brings together families of the fallen, Maidan activists, and others who wish to honor their memory. The walk follows a solemn path from the Lach Gates to Mykhaila Hrushevskoho Street, retracing the steps of those who stood on the frontlines of the 2014 protests.
On this day in 2014, 20-year-old Serhiy Nigoyan from the Dnipropetrovsk region and 25-year-old Belarusian Mikhail Zhiznevsky were fatally shot. Nearby, the tortured body of Yurii Verbytskyi, a Lviv resident kidnapped a day earlier, was discovered outside Kyiv. Roman Senyk, a 45-year-old from Lviv, succumbed to his injuries days later, while activists Oleksandr Badera and Bohdan Kalyniak also lost their lives during the protests.
3 Sotnia Samooborony Maidanu (Third Hundred of Maidan Self-Defense), which Serhiy Nigoyan belonged to, initiated the event. Nigoyan, the first victim of the Maidan uprising, was stationed at the 3rd barricade checkpoint near the Lach Gates, a poignant location for the gathering.
Accreditation is required to attend.
For reference: The remembrance walk is organized by the NGO “3 Sotnia Samooborony Maidanu” (Third Hundred of Maidan Self-Defense), NGO “Families of the Heavenly Hundred,” the Kyiv Three Saints Theological Seminary of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC), and the National Museum of the Revolution of Dignity.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ivan Babushkin, a former POW and fighter of the 15th Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine “KARA-DAG”, faced the beginning of the full-scale invasion while serving in Mariupol. On March 26, 2022, Ivan and his comrades were captured.
He spent two years in captivity, most of it in colonies in the temporarily occupied Donetsk oblast, including two months in Olenivka. According to Ivan, russians beat and starved Ukrainian soldiers during their captivity. What sustained him through the horrors of captivity was his dream of returning home and opening his own cafe.
Ivan was released in January 2024. After completing his rehabilitation, he began to realize his dream. He opened a cafe in Zaporizhia, where he now works alongside his beloved.
You can contact Ivan Babushkin online or in person in Zaporizhia by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Crimean Tatar Musa is the developer of the “Dracarys” buggies, which he and his team produce for the military. After the occupation of Crimea, Musa left the peninsula and started a business in the capital. After the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion, he designed an all-terrain buggy for front-line use with enhanced off-road capabilities.
The first buggies had four passenger seats, could evacuate one wounded soldier, and ran on either gasoline or diesel fuel. After receiving positive feedback from the military, Musa’s team increased production and improved the vehicles.
Today, only the name “Dracarys” remains from the original buggies. The upgraded all-terrain vehicles have more powerful diesel engines and can carry two to three wounded. Musa’s team has also improved the vehicles’ off-road capabilities.
It takes volunteers up to four weeks to build a buggy, and two can be built at a time. Funding for parts comes from donors or military units.
You can connect with Musa online or in person, and visit the buggy production site in Kyiv by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Stepan Korobkin, 25, is from the town of Myrnohrad in the Donetsk oblast, which is currently on the front line. In November 2020, Stepan joined the Defense Forces on contract and served in an assault mortar battery. He was on active duty when the full-scale invasion began.
In June 2022, Stepan suffered his first injury, but soon returned to the front. In 2023, he lost his right arm in an artillery attack.
The amputation and 32 surgeries did not prevent Stepan from returning to civilian life. During his rehabilitation, the veteran received and mastered a prosthetic right arm and found a new passion – soccer. He also volunteered to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak, to prove that amputation is not the end of life and that there is always a way to move forward. After his successful climb, Stepan was entered into the National Register of Records of Ukraine.
You can speak with Stepan Korobkin online or in person in Kyiv by prior arrangement. The veteran is ready to share photos and videos of his Kilimanjaro climb with journalists.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On January 23, the draw and presentation of the songs of the finalists of the National Selection for Eurovision Song Contest 2025 will take place at the Media Center Ukraine.
Participants:
– Tina Karol, singer, music producer of the National Selection for Eurovision 2025, Suspilne Movlennia (Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine);
– Oksana Skybinska, head of the Ukrainian delegation to Eurovision, Suspilne Movlennia (Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine);
– Herman Nenov, creative producer of the National Selection for Eurovision 2025, STARLIGHT PRODUCTION.
Moderators:
– Timur Miroshnychenko, commentator and presenter of Eurovision National Selections;
– Ann Tulieva, host of Eurovision vlogs.
During the event, the ten songs of the finalists will be presented and a draw will be held to determine the order of performances in the National Selection final.
Registration is required to attend this event.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Mykyta Horniak, a veteran of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, has transformed personal tragedy into a mission to help others. Originally from Kadiivka (formerly Stakhanov) in the Luhansk region—now under russian occupation—Mykyta moved to Odesa in 2015 and joined the Azov civilian corps. A year later, at the age of 20, he was mobilized into Ukraine’s Defense Forces, where he served on the front lines for six years.
In December 2022, while fighting near Avdiivka in the Donetsk region, Mykyta sustained a severe injury that resulted in the loss of his leg. Determined to remain active, he initially explored options for continuing military service with a prosthetic limb. However, he ultimately decided to channel his efforts into a new venture in civilian life.
During his rehabilitation, Mykyta’s fiancée, Kateryna, played a pivotal role in supporting him. She encouraged his idea of creating a limited-edition clothing line honoring wounded soldiers. Starting with patches and printed designs on T-shirts, Mykyta quickly realized the need for adaptive clothing designed specifically for individuals with amputations—clothing that would be both functional and comfortable. Now, Mykyta is preparing to launch his brand, fittingly named “All Inclusive,” and is awaiting test samples of the adaptive apparel.
For those interested, Mykyta and Kateryna are available to meet in person or online in Lviv by appointment.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Researchers in Kyiv have developed an innovative medical dressing, Gidrobint, designed to accelerate the healing of burns and wounds. This pioneering hydrogel dressing, created using silver nanoparticle technology, was developed by Professor Volodymyr Neimash of the Institute of Physics at the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Gidrobint comes in two forms: a wound dressing and a disinfectant spray.
The idea for Gidrobint originated in 2014 after the battle for Ilovaisk in Donetsk Oblast, where hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers were injured. Scientists patented the underlying technology in 2017 and introduced the dressing in 2020. Initially, small batches of Gidrobint were independently produced and delivered to the front lines by volunteers.
When russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the researchers offered their technology to manufacturers free of charge to facilitate mass production. By 2023, entrepreneurs acquired a license for the technology, automating and certifying the production process. In 2024, Gidrobint officially entered large-scale manufacturing.
For reference: This next-generation Gidrobint hydrogel bandage provides instant pain relief, disinfection, and protection from external infections. It is non-toxic, hypoallergenic, and speeds up the healing process without adhering to wounds, ensuring painless removal.
Journalists interested in learning more about Gidrobint can arrange interviews with its developer, Professor Neimash, as well as with manufacturers and doctors experienced in using the product.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Launched in 2024, the “Strong 300” running club was created by wounded military members to support their fellow servicemen and women on a personal, one-to-one level. The club focuses on promoting adaptive sports while offering physical rehabilitation through running for veterans and their families. Beyond fitness, it aims to uplift the psychological well-being of Ukrainians and organizes running events for both veterans and active military personnel.
All members undergo comprehensive evaluations at a diagnostic center before beginning their training, which is held in both an athletics arena and outdoor settings.
Currently, the club consists of 10 members, some of whom are preparing to compete in veteran-specific distances at international races.
Journalists interested in covering the club’s training sessions in Kyiv can do so by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Media Center Ukraine to unveil the investigation “An opportunity for exchange or a trap: What happened to the Il-76 over Belgorod?” on January 24.
A year ago, on January 24, 2024, a military transport aircraft Il-76 crashed in russia’s Belgorod region. russia claimed that 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war, being transported for exchange, were on board and blamed Ukraine for the plane crash.
The Media Initiative for Human Rights conducted an extensive investigation, interviewing some 40 witnesses and experts, using its own sources within the Defense Forces, and reconstructing the events of that day and the aftermath. MIHR representatives gathered facts to create a comprehensive picture of what happened to the plane.
During the presentation, participants will reveal where the plane was actually headed, who is responsible for its downing, and whether russia deliberately directed the aircraft into an active combat zone.
Participants:
– Tetiana Katrychenko, Executive Director of the Media Initiative for Human Rights (MIHR);
– Andriy Yakovlev, MIHR expert on international humanitarian law;
– Olena Tailakova, representative of the families of prisoners of war;
– Oksana Lozytska, representative of the families of prisoners of war.
Event registration is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A groundbreaking initiative to protect Ukraine’s cultural heritage will be showcased as representatives from leading Czech cultural institutions donate a state-of-the-art mobile safeguard vehicle the Ark 1 (Archa 1). This specialized workstation is designed to safeguard and restore library collections impacted by war. The Ark 1 features advanced tools for cleaning documents of dirt, mold, and fungi, as well as equipment for dehumidification, sterilization, and disinfection. It also aids in restoring documents damaged by fire, water, or improper storage.
Coordinated in Ukraine by the Yaroslav Mudryi National Library, this project underscores international efforts to support Ukrainian culture during challenging times.
The event will include a demonstration of Ark 1’s practical applications and unveil future initiatives aimed at protecting Ukraine’s cultural legacy.
Participants:
– Halyna Hryhorenko, First Deputy Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine;
– Radek Pech, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Ukraine;
– Michal Šedivý, Coordinator of the “Support for Ukrainian Culture” program;
– Oleh Serbin, Director General, Yaroslav Mudryi National Library of Ukraine;
– Oksana Brui, President, Ukrainian Library Association.
Event registration is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Fuel oil spilled into the Black Sea after the accident of russian tankers in the Kerch Strait has been detected on the shores of the Odesa oblast.
According to Dr. Ivan Rusiev, Doctor of Biological Sciences and Head of the Research Department of Tuzly Lagoons National Nature Park, the fuel oil was washed onto the sandy spit in the Katranka recreational area, near the Danube Biosphere Reserve and Tuzly Lagoons National Park, after recent storms.
Dr. Rusiev believes that this incident will cause significant damage to the natural ecosystems of the Black Sea. He also noted that the Tuzly Lagoons National Park team is surveying various sections of the spit and will provide updates on the extent of the pollution later.
Those interested in speaking with Ivan Rusiev can arrange online or in-person interviews by prior arrangement..
Background: On December 15, 2024, two russian tankers were damaged near the Kerch Strait in the Black Sea. According to media reports, the tankers were carrying approximately 4,300 tons of fuel oil.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Andriy Stanko lost his eyesight as a child. A year ago, he became a mentor for blind people in an inclusive library in Lviv called Sensoteka. This inclusive space is equipped with everything needed for the visually impaired: the floors have tactile tiles with raised dots to help blind people navigate with a cane. The library also prints books in Braille.
Twice a week, Andriy visits Sensoteka, where he teaches digital literacy to blind people. His mentees include veterans who lost their sight on the front lines.
Using a specialized program called NonVisual Desktop Access (NVDA), Andriy has already added accessibility features to a laptop, desktop computer, and two tablets in the inclusive space.
You can talk to Andriy both online and offline by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
For 16 years, Nataliia and Maksym Shyshkin built their life together. Maksym worked in transportation across Ukraine, and when the full-scale invasion began, it found him on the road. In the early hours of February 24, 2022, he was driving home from Odesa. By the next day, he had already reported to the military registration office. His words to Nataliia were resolute: “I have two sons growing up. I have to defend our land so the occupiers don’t come here.”
Maksym served as a combat medic. Initially, he joined the Border Guard Service of Ukraine before being assigned to the 15th Mobile Border Guard Detachment. He defended the Chernihiv region, later Donetsk, and braved numerous conflict zones.
During one of his missions, Maksym came under heavy artillery fire and suffered a critical injury to his temple. His comrades, risking their own lives, evacuated him and transported him to a hospital in Dnipro. Maksym slipped into a coma, and Nataliia stayed by his side for days. In a moment filled with both hope and heartbreak, Nataliia’s father-in-law brought their eldest son, Tymofii, to the hospital. The boy walked into the ward, took his father’s hand, and softly said, “Hi, Dad, I’m next to you.” The machines monitoring Maksym’s vitals suddenly sounded alarms as his heart gave out. That was his final moment.
The loss of her husband plunged Nataliia into deep grief. But one day, Tymofii approached her, wrapped his arms around her, and said something that changed everything: “Mom, you should dress nicely, put on some makeup, do your hair, and take a walk with me. You are the best one here. Dad is proud of you. He chose a great mom for us.” The unwavering love of her sons, coupled with her dedication to her work, helped her reclaim her life. Nataliia, a passionate cosmetologist, found solace in her profession, which became a source of strength during the darkest days.
Nataliia and her sons are now supported by the Children of Heroes charity foundation. This organization aids children who have lost one or both parents due to Russia’s full-scale invasion. It provides financial assistance, psychological and legal support, and ensures the children’s education and development until they reach adulthood.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In a remarkable blend of art and healing, an organ built using fragments of enemy missiles that struck the Kyiv region is being used to aid the psychological and physical rehabilitation of wounded defenders. Over the next two months, musicians from the Lviv Organ Hall will conduct a series of master classes for patients at the Unbroken Ukraine’s National Rehabilitation Center. These sessions will allow participants to play this extraordinary instrument and learn about its history and mechanics.
The organ, currently installed at the Lviv railway station, is the creation of Ukrainian artist Zhanna Kadyrova. It was developed as part of the Instrument project, a series of performances that brought together Ukrainian and international musicians. Over the course of two months, performers delivered their programs at the station every Friday and Saturday, using the organ as a centerpiece.
For reference: The rehabilitation initiative for Ukraine’s wounded defenders is a joint effort supported by Ukrzaliznytsia, the Lviv Organ Hall, and the Lviv City Council.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Energy Act for Ukraine Foundation, a Ukrainian charitable organization, has outfitted two schools in Kyiv Oblast with hybrid solar power systems equipped with energy storage. These installations are a significant step toward ensuring energy resilience in regions still recovering from the scars of occupation.
Bobryk Gymnasium: Rebuilding after the devastation. Bobryk Gymnasium, part of the Velyka Dymerka Village Council, endured occupation beginning March 8, 2022, lasting until the month’s end. Russian forces used the school as a base, leaving it heavily damaged and stripped of all equipment, including sports supplies. By the time the village was liberated, the gymnasium and the neighboring preschool had sustained 45% structural damage.
Now, the school is taking a step toward energy independence. Specialists have installed 93 photovoltaic panels on its roof, paired with an inverter and batteries offering 29.7 kWh of storage capacity. This hybrid solar power system can keep the school running for up to four hours during blackouts. Additionally, the system is projected to save the school approximately €5,925 annually—a much-needed financial reprieve in challenging times.
Nemishaieve Lyceum No. 2: A shelter turned stronghold. During the early days of the full-scale Russian invasion, Nemishaieve Lyceum №2 became a refuge for residents unable to evacuate. Villagers sought safety in the school’s basement during rocket attacks, while teachers and staff prepared meals for those in need. The 37-day occupation left a trail of destruction—shattered windows, damaged doors, a compromised roof, and multiple missile strikes on the school grounds, some of which resulted in devastating losses.
Today, the lyceum is fortified with a 10 kW hybrid solar station featuring 30 solar panels, an inverter, and a 26 kWh energy storage system. This setup can power the bomb shelter and the school’s first floor for up to four hours during outages, ensuring safety and functionality. The system is expected to save the school roughly €1,985 per year.
For reference: The Energy Act for Ukraine Foundation is leading initiatives like “100 Solar Schools” and “50 Solar Hospitals,” which aim to equip educational and healthcare facilities affected by Russian aggression with renewable energy solutions. These efforts not only restore critical infrastructure but also pave the way for a more sustainable future.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Kyiv to host a briefing at Media Center Ukraine on January 28 titled “From Olenivka to the Hague: Who will be held accountable for the treacherous killing of Ukrainian POWs?”
Participants:
– Roman Martynovskyi, Senior Expert of the Regional Center for Human Rights;
– Tetiana Katrychenko, Executive Director of the Media Initiative for Human Rights;
– Oleksandra Mazur, Head of the NGO “Olenivka Community”;
– Roman Tsyb, Representative of the 18th Department of the General Prosecutor’s Office.
All in person.
Topics of focus:
– What really happened on the night of July 28-29, 2022?
– How did russia itself react to the mass killing of POWs in Olenivka?
– What key facts have been established as a result of investigations by civil society organizations?
– How should russia’s criminal actions be properly classified?
– Who is responsible for the killing and torture of Ukrainian POWs?
– What are the specifics of the national investigation in Ukraine?
– What are the challenges for the return of the Azovstal defenders?
– Are there prospects for an investigation by the International Criminal Court?
The event will also present a joint submission by six civil society organizations to the International Criminal Court aimed at ensuring the principle of inevitability of punishment for war crimes committed by the russian federation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
21-year-old Mariia is from the temporarily occupied town of Lysychansk, Luhansk oblast. In 2020, she enrolled in the National Guard Academy in Kharkiv. In 2022, when the full-scale war began, her parents evacuated to Dnipro. Mariia’s mother, Olha, had worked in the maternity ward of a hospital in Lysychansk for over 20 years. In Dnipro, Olha found work as a nurse in a private clinic, but soon saw an advertisement calling for people to join the military.
Mariia advised her mother to join the 13th Khartiia Brigade of the National Guard. After graduating from the academy, Mariia joined her mother in the military. Today, Olha is a junior sergeant and a nurse in a mobile dental clinic, while Mariia serves as an officer in the personnel department of the Khartiia Brigade.
At home, they are supported by Mariia’s father, who served in the State Emergency Service for over 30 years and is now retired. Mariia also has an older brother who serves as a combat medic in the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
You can communicate with Mariia and Olha, either online or in person, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Lviv State University of Internal Affairs has a driving school for people with disabilities. Since the launch of the “Without Barriers” project, 20 students have received their driving licenses. Among them are seven servicemen who were injured on the front lines.
In September 2024, the driving school began training people with hearing and speech impairments. The students completed the theoretical course with the help of sign language interpreters. Currently, some students have already passed the theoretical exam and are preparing for practical driving lessons. Driving practice is also carried out with the help of interpreters.
You can communicate with the project participants and instructors of the driving school for people with disabilities online or offline by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The war separated Illia and Alina, border guards in Mariupol, in the spring of 2022. Both were captured by the enemy and had no information about each other. Illia even feared that his beloved might no longer be alive.
After five months in captivity, Alina was released in October 2022 and has been waiting for Illia’s return ever since. For almost two years, there was no news of him. But on January 3, 2024, the phone rang, and within seconds she heard the familiar voice say the long-awaited words: “It’s me…” Illia returned home, and the couple had recently been married.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On January 29 a press conference will be held at the Media Center Ukraine: “Interpol and Other Mechanisms to Prosecute War Criminals”.
Participants:
– Vitalii Kasap, Head of the International Police Cooperation Department, National Police of Ukraine;
– Iryna Didenko, Deputy Head of the Department for International Legal Cooperation, Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine;
– Andrii Yakovlev, expert on international humanitarian law at MIHR.
Discussion topics:
– Why are Interpol’s tools currently not being used to pursue russian war criminals?
– What terminological and legal nuances complicate Ukraine’s cooperation with Interpol?
– What are the alternatives to Interpol and how do they work?
Prior registration is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Vilhelm Vitiuk, 22, grew up in Crimea before his family relocated to mainland Ukraine following russia’s occupation of the peninsula in 2014. That same year, his father joined the Defense Forces, and by 2015, his brother had been mobilized. Vilhelm himself enlisted in the military before the full-scale invasion, serving in the 56th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade when russian forces attacked Mariupol.
During the fierce battles for the city, Vitiuk and his unit defended the Illich Iron and Steel Works. In early April 2022, he was wounded by enemy cluster munitions. Soon after, he and his comrades were encircled and taken prisoner by russian forces. Life in captivity was brutal—Vitiuk recalls being beaten at least four times a week, in addition to relentless interrogations. His captors singled him out for particularly harsh treatment because of the Ukrainian coat of arms tattooed on his arm.
Despite the torment, Vitiuk clung to the promise he had made to his mother—to return home. When he was once again given civilian clothes, he feared he was simply being transferred to another detention facility. But a day later, he found himself back in Ukraine—freed in a prisoner exchange.
Now a veteran, Vitiuk is studying psychology with the goal of supporting fellow soldiers. He is available for meetings in Kyiv, both online and in person, by appointment.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On January 31, Ukraine’s national Invictus Games team will depart for the 2025 international adaptive sports competition.
For the past six months, 35 team members have been training in selected sports disciplines to represent Ukraine at the Games, which will take place in Vancouver and Whistler, Canada, from February 8 to 16.
Before their departure, organizers will hold a formal send-off ceremony, during which the athletes will receive their official competition uniforms. The event will also mark the launch of the national campaign Will is My Strength.
Media accreditation for the event is required by 7:00 p.m. on January 30.
For reference: The selection and preparation of Ukraine’s 2025 national team are overseen by the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine, in collaboration with the StratCom Ukraine Centre for Strategic Communications, the Come Back Alive NGO, and the Invictus Games Ukraine NGO. The initiative is part of the National Strategy for Creating a Barrier-Free Environment in Ukraine, spearheaded by First Lady Olena Zelenska.
Founded in 2014 by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, the Invictus Games is an international sporting event for veterans and active-duty military personnel who have been wounded, injured, or fallen ill in the line of duty.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Civilians in Captivity will hold a large-scale peaceful demonstration titled Love Will Break the Bars, on February 8 in Kyiv. More than 100 participants are expected to gather to raise awareness about the urgent need to bring civilian captives home.
The event aims to remind the public of the ongoing fight for the freedom of those still held in captivity and to demonstrate that love and solidarity can break down even the toughest barriers.
Event program:
– Speeches from individuals awaiting the return of their loved ones from captivity;
– A performance by families highlighting the themes of freedom and the fight for justice;
– Recitations of poetry written from captivity;
– Artistic performances;
– Remarks from government officials.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Liudmyla Lystopad is 41 years old and an economist by profession. She and her husband run a small family business in the Poltava oblast. She also has 20 years of driving experience. In the midst of the full-scale invasion, in 2023, Liudmyla enrolled in a driving school to obtain a category D license. She passed her practical bus driving test on the first try – unlike most of the men in her group.
Later, she came across an online job posting from an intercity and international passenger transportation company looking for female bus drivers. After a two-week internship, she was hired. Now she drives routes from Poltava to Kharkiv and Kyiv, operating a 50-passenger bus.
Reactions to a woman behind the wheel of a passenger bus vary. Truck drivers often wave and give her a thumbs up. Some passengers are initially wary of “a woman driver — especially a blonde behind the wheel,” but by the end of the trip they often express their gratitude.
Journalists can speak with Liudmyla online or in person in Kyiv by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Kostiantyn Saposhko, 37, is a multi-genre artist. He started out creating miniature sculptures out of plaster, but since 2018, he has been carving tiny sculptures on the tips of graphite pencils.
He has dozens of miniature sculptures in his portfolio. One of his works depicts the sunken russian cruiser Moskva, carved on a pencil tip. Another is dedicated to the victory of the Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk. He also created a 9.5×14 cm graphite piece about the battle of Berestechko inspired by Artur Orlonov’s painting. For the past five months, Saposhko has also been carving miniatures on graphite brushes from electric motors.
It can take anywhere from a few hours to several months to create a single piece. The artist does not use magnifying optics — just a regular lamp and carving tools.
Journalists can speak with Kostiantyn online or in person in Khmelnytskyi by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A second underground school has opened in Kharkiv, already accommodating 750 students. Once the second phase of construction is completed, the school is expected to host nearly 1,000 students. It currently serves children finishing primary school — many of whom are meeting face-to-face for the first time. The COVID-19 pandemic, followed by russia’s full-scale invasion, deprived them of the opportunity for normal in-person learning.
In addition to classrooms, the underground school has inclusive and resource rooms to support students with different needs.
Background: Due to constant russian shelling, children in Kharkiv began studying in the city’s metro stations in September 2023, when several stations were converted into makeshift classrooms. In May 2024, Kharkiv opened its first underground school, which has 20 classrooms and provides education for 600 students.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On January 31 a press conference “Occupied Crimea: Who Faced Persecution by russia in 2024 and Why” will be held in the Media Center Ukraine. The speakers will provide an overview of human rights violations and war crimes committed by russia in occupied Crimea in 2024. They will also discuss the impact of criminal charges and administrative persecution on residents of the peninsula.
Participants:
– Olha Skrypnyk, Chairperson of the Crimean Human Rights Group Board,
– Iryna Siedova, researcher at the Crimean Human Rights Group,
– Volodymyr Chekryhin, Deputy Chairperson of the Crimean Human Rights Group Board.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Artem Kychko, a war veteran and holder of the Order “For Courage” of the III degree, has dedicated himself to supporting his fellow military personnel and veterans. A 4th Dan Black Belt in taekwondo and a Brazilian jiu-jitsu Purple Belt, Kychko is also a multiple-time Ukrainian champion and vice-world champion in taekwondo.
Thanks to the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation, Kychko received vital support for the reconstruction of a sports club in Kyiv. His vision for the club is clear: to create a space where military personnel, veterans, and individuals with disabilities can benefit from rehabilitation and recovery services through sports.
Currently, Artem is focused on equipping the club with inclusive restrooms, ensuring accessibility for all who come to train and recover.
For context, over the past three years, the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation has backed more than 322 veteran-led business projects, totaling UAH 431.7 million in support. Additionally, around 44,000 individuals have benefited from the services provided by the Foundation’s Crisis and Legal Support Hotline.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
At the Ukrainian Bat Rehabilitation Center in Kharkiv, over three thousand bats are being cared for as part of a critical rescue effort. The center’s team is responsible for rescuing bats from various cities across Ukraine, providing them with much-needed shelter and support.
Specialists at the center focus on helping the animals survive the harsh winter months. During this period, bats are especially vulnerable, requiring special care to ensure their survival. Those in need of additional attention are fed and treated accordingly. Come spring, the center’s team plans to release the rehabilitated bats back into the wild.
Amid the ongoing full-blown war, the center has expanded its operations. The team’s current focus is on bat conservation and scientific research. Looking ahead, the center aims to establish volunteer hubs in other Ukrainian cities to broaden its impact.
Biologist Aliona Shulenko, the coordinator of the Ukrainian Bat Rehabilitation Center, is available for conversations both online and in person in Kharkiv, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Peaceful rallies are set to take place in 27 cities across Ukraine to honor and advocate for the defenders of Azovstal and other military personnel still held in enemy captivity.
On February 1, events will be held in Okhtyrka, Chernihiv, Vinnytsia, Pavlysh, Dnipro, Zaporizhia, Bila Tserkva, Obukhiv, Lviv, and Pavlohrad.
The following day, February 2, actions will unfold in Kyiv, Pivdenoukrainsk, Uman, Krolevets, Ovruch, Korosten, Kremenchuk, Uzhhorod, Mykolaiv, Rivne, Berdychiv, Dolyna, Shostka, Brovary, Odesa, Chernivtsi, and Kropyvnytskyi.
These events are organized by the families of prisoners of war from the Mariupol garrison. Often, Ukrainians who have been released from captivity also join in solidarity.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Razom for Ukraine Charitable Foundation is inviting the public to attend the first open pre-premiere screening of the Porcelain War, a documentary that will represent Ukraine at the 2025 Academy Awards. The event, set for February 4 in Kyiv, will also feature a charity collection to fund a mobile stabilization unit aimed at saving the lives of Ukrainian defenders.
To attend the screening, accreditation is required.
For reference: Porcelain War is a collaborative project between American, Ukrainian, and Australian filmmakers. The documentary chronicles the story of three Ukrainian artists—Slava Leontyev, his wife Anya Stasenko, and Andrey Stefanov—who remained in frontline Kharkiv to create porcelain figurines, including owls, dragons, and other symbolic figures. These figurines were used to adorn buildings destroyed by russian missile strikes, transforming the remnants of war into expressions of resilience.
Directed by American filmmaker Brendan Bellomo and featuring Leontiev as one of the central figures, Porcelain War has garnered widespread attention. With the support of a Razom Cinema grant, the filmmakers have been able to present their work at screenings in the United States as part of the Oscar campaign, sharing the stories of Ukraine’s defense and resistance with a global audience.
As of mid-January 2025, the film has already earned 45 awards and 31 nominations at international film festivals, including recognition from the Directors Guild of America Awards.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A research presentation titled “russia, China, Türkiye, the EU, and Ukraine: Who Will Win Moldova’s Parliamentary Elections?” will take place at the Media Center Ukraine on February 3, exploring how the interests of key regional players may influence Moldova’s upcoming parliamentary elections.
Participants:
– Vadym Denysenko, political scientist;
– Igar Tyshkevich, author of the research;
– Alina Hrytsenko, author of the research;
– Iliya Kusa, author of the research.
Prior accreditation is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Denys was born and raised in Berdiansk, a town in southern Ukraine. When he was 16, he and his mother moved to Moscow. A year and a half ago, he returned to his hometown, where his grandmother lives. At that time, Berdiansk was already occupied by the russian army.
Denys’ parents support the war and putin, while he holds the opposite views. His pro-Ukrainian stance caused him numerous problems, and after the full-scale invasion, he was even summoned for interrogation by the FSB.
Determined to escape the occupation and reach Ukrainian-controlled territory, Denys faced resistance from his parents when he told them of his decision. They put pressure on him and tried to intimidate him. However, he persevered. In December 2024, he successfully crossed the border from Belarus into Ukraine. On the way, he also helped elderly women who were evacuated with him. Now Denys lives in the Ternopil oblast.
He is willing to share his experience of life under occupation and offer insights into how to escape when even your closest family members oppose your decision and Ukraine itself.
Background: The volunteer organization Helping to leave has evacuated over 45,000 Ukrainians from the occupied territories and russia.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Liudmyla and Ihor lived in the Lviv oblast and raised two sons. When the full-scale invasion began, Ihor did not hesitate to join the Ukrainian Armed Forces, even though he had no previous military experience.
A month after Ihor went to war, his father died. A few months later, Liudmyla’s uncle also died, and just three weeks after that, she suffered another devastating loss — her mother died of cancer.
Ihor served in the 80th Separate Air Assault Brigade of Galicia, where he carried out duties as both a soldier and a medic. His unit participated in the liberation of Kherson and Mykolaiv oblasts, as well as in intense battles near Kreminna and Bakhmut. In one of these battles Ihor was killed.
The loss of their father was very hard for the children. Their eldest son, who was six at the time, became withdrawn, he often cried remembering his father, grandmother and grandfather. There were moments when he lost interest in life altogether, answering every question with “I don’t care” or “I want to go to daddy in heaven”.
For Liudmyla, this was the time of her greatest trial. In March 2024, the family suffered another loss: her stepfather, who had been a wonderful grandfather to the children, died. It felt as if she had no strength left. But eventually Liudmyla realized an essential truth: in order to give to others, you must first restore yourself.
She turned to psychologists, doctors, and to God. Thanks to various charitable foundations and NGOs, the family attended psychological and spiritual camps and retreats. This helped Liudmyla and her children to return to life.
Background: The charitable foundation Children of Heroes is currently assisting Liudmyla’s family. The foundation assists children who have lost one or both parents to the full-scale russian invasion. It provides financial assistance, psychological and legal support, and helps with education and personal development until the children reach adulthood.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On February 11, a press conference marking the first year of the new leadership team at the Ukrainian Football Association under the presidency of Andriy Shevchenko will take place in Kyiv.
The event aims to present the outcomes of Andriy Shevchenko’s program, “9 Steps for the Development of Ukrainian Football.” Media representatives will have the opportunity to ask questions during the event.
Prior accreditation is required.
Background: On January 11-12, 2025, as part of the League of the Mighty social project, the Ukrainian Football Association hosted the Winter Cup — Ukraine’s first amateur amputee soccer championship.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Twelve children who endured the horrors of russian occupation were rescued last week through the President’s Bring Kids Back UA initiative, with critical support from Save Ukraine.
Among those brought back from the occupied territories are boys and girls between the ages of 8 and 17. In some cases, children were sent to camps near Moscow under the pretense of a short stay, only to be subjected to indoctrination about the so-called “russian world” and introduced to their so-called “new homeland.” One child narrowly escaped being taken by a neighbor collaborating with the occupation authorities, who attempted to place her in the russian child welfare system. Fearing for their safety, the girl and her father hid in their own home to evade capture. Another rescued boy, despite being underage, had already received a draft notice for military service in the russian army.
russian forces continue to block families from leaving occupied territories, use children as human shields, and turn schools into propaganda tools.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A group of female beekeepers in Poltava Oblast has been running the Own to Own agricultural operative since 2020, producing up to five tons of honey annually and crafting their own honey-based products.
The cooperative was founded by Tetiana Senchuk, a third-generation beekeeper. She says finding like-minded women wasn’t difficult, as Poltava hosted the Ms. Bee Forum in 2016, where she connected with others interested in forming a cooperative.
The full-scale invasion nearly forced the group to disband, with many beekeepers relocating to other cities or even leaving the country. But in 2023, the members reunited and decided to keep going. Their efforts were bolstered by support from the WeProsper project, which helped them purchase and repair essential equipment.
Today, the cooperative consists of seven women and one man. Depending on the season, they harvest between three and five tons of honey. One of their signature products is cream honey, known for its smooth texture while preserving all the natural benefits of raw honey.
Those interested in connecting with Tetiana Senchuk and the cooperative can do so both online and in person by appointment.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Volodymyr Dovhan, a veteran of the ATO, has been working with clay since 1991. Together with his wife, Oksana, he runs an artisan pottery studio in the Kyiv region. In late 2022, the couple received financial support from the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation through the VARTO 2.0 program. With this funding, they expanded their workshop in 2023 to host rehabilitation sessions for wounded soldiers.
At the pottery wheel, veterans craft everything from bowls to sculptures. Beyond the creative process, clay therapy helps them, as one veteran put it, “regain their sense of self.”
Looking ahead, the couple plans to establish an art residency where veterans can not only practice pottery but also stay for a period of time.
Journalists can arrange interviews with Volodymyr and Oksana in advance and, if possible, cover the workshops.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On February 6, Kyiv will host a training session on the use of the advanced ANDE rapid DNA technology mobile laboratory. These laboratories were first introduced in Ukraine following the de-occupation of the Kyiv oblast, when mass graves of civilians killed by russian occupiers were discovered. ANDE allowed authorities to quickly identify victims of war crimes and ensure justice and accountability.
The key advantage of the ANDE system is its exceptionally fast DNA profiling process. While traditional laboratory methods take several months, ANDE can provide results in as little as 90 minutes. This dramatically accelerates human identification, a critical factor in war crimes investigations. Originally developed for U.S. intelligence agencies, this mobile DNA laboratory was first used to identify the DNA of Osama bin Laden.
Media representatives are invited to attend the training, learn about the functionality of the ANDE rapid DNA technology mobile laboratory and speak with specialists who worked in the Kyiv oblast after its liberation.
Accreditation is required to attend the event.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Anastasiia Buhera was with her parents in Izium, Kharkiv oblast, when russia launched its full-scale invasion. She had come home for the holidays as she was studying at a university in Kharkiv at the time.
During the occupation, she witnessed firsthand the devastation russian forces inflicted on the captured city. She counted how many bombs were dropped on Izium every hour and understood the extreme danger of even going out to buy bread, knowing that each trip could be her last.
Anastasiia managed to escape the occupation after five months. When she returned to Ukrainian-controlled territory, she learned that her boyfriend, Kostiantyn, who had been in Mariupol defending Azovstal in February 2022, had been captured by the enemy.
The last time Anastasiia spoke to him was on April 24, 2022 – he sent her photos and videos and promised to return home. Now she waits for Kostiantyn and does everything she can to make sure the world does not forget those still held in russian captivity.
Anastasiia Buhera is available for interviews in the Kharkiv oblast, both online and in person, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On February 11-12, the free military training program for civilians “Active Parks – Nation of the Resilient” will be held in Ivano-Frankivsk.
Trainers will provide participants with essential knowledge and practical skills for self-defense in extreme situations and during war.
Specialized training areas:
– Tactical medicine (first aid, casualty assessment)
– UAV operator (simulator training, flight training)
– Tactical and weapons training (weapons handling, changing shooting positions and stances)
– Bushcraft (wilderness survival), sports navigation, topography (orientation on the ground and coordinate mapping)
– Physical training and close combat (self-defense techniques and skills)
– Mine and explosives safety (classification of explosive devices, safety protocols)
Media must be accredited to attend.
Background: The event is part of the “Active Parks” program initiated by the President of Ukraine and is organized by the All-Ukrainian Center for Physical Health “Sport for All” with the support of the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, the National Guard of Ukraine, Maestro AirBro and Bro Corp.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On February 10, Media Center Ukraine will hold a briefing: “Report on NABU and SAPO activities for the second half of 2024”.
Participants:
– Semen Kryvonos, Director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU);
– Oleksandr Klymenko, Head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO).
During the briefing, the speakers will present a report on the activities of NABU and SAPO for the second half of 2024, discuss key achievements and outline priority areas for 2025.
Please note: Registration for the briefing is required and will be open until February 9, 2025. For security reasons, only accredited participants will be able to attend the briefing. Confirmation of participation will be sent via email.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Kateryna Shkumat once worked as a tester and technical support specialist, but a chance discovery set her on an entirely new path. She first learned about Reskilling Ukraine, a Swedish initiative that trains women to operate vehicles in the C, D, and CE categories, by accident. Noticing how many men are currently defending Ukraine, Kateryna recognized that she too could contribute. The idea of becoming a lorry driver came to her spontaneously, but the more she thought about it, the more it made sense.
Her family, including her parents and grandparents, fully supported her decision to switch careers. Now, Kateryna is already on the road, working as a truck driver. She also has ambitions to try her hand at driving a bus.
Journalists can arrange to speak with Kateryna in Kyiv by appointment.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On February 12, Ukrzaliznytsia and the Sonoma Cats Charitable Foundation will host a large-scale blood donation drive in Kyiv.
The event will feature several key initiatives:
- The Ukrainian Bone Marrow Donor Registry will offer attendees the chance to register as potential donors.
- The Ukrainian Transplant Coordination Center will provide an opportunity to sign consent forms for posthumous organ donation.
Beyond blood collection, the initiative will also raise funds for pre-hospital blood transfusion equipment for the medical service of Ukraine’s 13th Khartiia Brigade of the National Guard.
Journalists planning to cover the event are required to register in advance.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A dog-assisted therapy program to help rehabilitate both military personnel and civilians is currently underway at the Superhumans Center in Lviv. For two weeks, police dogs from the Dog Training Center of the Main Department of the National Police in the Kyiv oblast will work with patients at the center.
The dogs Vanda, Bentley, Ares and Polia worked during the de-occupation of the Kyiv oblast. They were used to search for saboteurs and looters and in demining operations.
Since the start of the full-scale invasion, these trained assistance dogs have been actively working in hospitals across the Kyiv region and other areas, providing emotional support to patients. They have undergone special certification and are trained to assist in rehabilitation. Patients can play with, feed and pet the dogs as part of their therapy. The specialists who run the program use unique methods that combine psychological techniques and canine assisted therapy to help patients recover.
Journalists interested in covering these sessions in Lviv next week can arrange access by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
How can we talk about pain and loss without causing further trauma? How can the media report responsibly on sensitive issues? Which words help the reintegration of veterans? These questions will be the focus of a discussion in Lviv on February 11. The event will take place on the eve of the anniversary of the outbreak of full-scale war and the anniversary of the Revolution of Dignity, two events that have shaped the new Ukrainian reality and made the issue of responsible communication even more relevant.
The discussion will bring together psychologists, media professionals, volunteers, representatives of civil society organizations, and veterans.
Speakers include
- Orest Suvalo, Deputy Head of the Working Group for Program Development, Coordinator of the Swiss-Ukrainian Project “Mental Health for Ukraine”, Executive Director of the UCU Institute of Mental Health, Consultant for the Malteser Relief Service
- Halyna Bordun, Head of the Counseling and Coordination Center for Internally Displaced Persons in the Lviv oblast
- Nataliia Ivanchenko, Coordinator of the “How are you?” program in the Lviv oblast
Registration is required to participate in the event.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Peaceful events are planned in 25 cities across Ukraine to raise awareness of the defenders of Azovstal and other soldiers still in enemy captivity.
On February 8, rallies will be held in Ochyrka, Chernihiv, Vinnytsia, Irpin, Poltava, Dnipro, Zaporizhia and Pavlohrad.
On February 9, peaceful actions are scheduled in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Pivdenoukrainsk, Uman, Krolevets, Korop, Ovruch, Korosten, Kremenchuk, Uzhhorod, Mykolaiv, Ostroh, Obukhiv, Berdychiv, Chernivtsi and Kropyvnytskyi.
The events are organized by the families of POWs from the Mariupol garrison. The rallies are often attended by Ukrainians who have been released from captivity.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Kharkiv-based artist Valentyna Huk, 21, transforms fragments of shattered glass into intricate mosaics, giving new life to the debris left behind by russian airstrikes.
Valentyna works with acrylics, pastels, and, most notably, black watercolor pencil—a medium she describes as offering “no room for mistakes.”
Her first mosaic took shape after an attack damaged the balcony of her apartment, leaving it strewn with broken glass. She gathered the shards and turned them into art. Since then, she has been collecting glass fragments from the aftermath of airstrikes across Kharkiv, using only what she finds on-site. Each finished piece is placed in or near the area where the glass was originally scattered.
Those interested in speaking with Valentyna Huk can arrange a meeting with her in Kharkiv or connect online.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before russia’s full-scale invasion outbreak, 58-year-old Halyna Hlobchasta was a math and physics teacher and served as the village elder of the Krasnorichenske community in Luhansk Oblast. But her life changed dramatically in late February 2022, when russian forces occupied her village, Makiivka.
On March 12, Halyna was abducted. Her captors took her to a local school and demanded to know where she had hidden weapons. When she refused, they beat her and subjected her to electric shocks. Eventually, she was released—but only under the condition that she would gather intelligence on her fellow villagers and report back to the occupiers.
The next day, Halyna and her husband made the difficult decision to flee, leaving behind everything, including money and documents. They managed to reach Dnipro, while her blind mother remained in the occupied territory until a neighbor later helped her escape to Kharkiv.
Now living in Lviv, Halyna has undergone extensive rehabilitation after enduring torture and displacement. Despite everything, she remains hopeful that one day she will return to her home village.
Those wishing to speak with Halyna can arrange a meeting with her in person or online.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
From February 14 to 16, Ukrainian Railways is bringing back its “Train to You” romantic express, offering Ukrainian military personnel and their loved ones a unique railway experience.
This year’s journey promises an unforgettable ride, with vintage steam locomotives setting the scene for a special celebration in both Kyiv and Lviv. The trip will last just over two hours, giving couples time to enjoy a private compartment with romantic music and a themed game designed for two. A charming tea party is also planned, along with special gifts for those traveling on Valentine’s Day, February 14.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On February 11, the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation will present its latest grant competition for non-governmental organizations, “VARTO: Ednannia 2.0,” at an event in Kyiv.
Speakers include:
- Yuliia Kirillova, Deputy Minister of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine;
- Nina Rogovets, Acting Executive Director of the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation;
- Volodymyr Sheyhus, Executive Director of ISAR Ednannia.
During the presentation, the foundation will introduce its new competition program, developed in partnership with Initiative Center to Support Social Action “Ednannia” (ISAR Ednannia). The initiative is open to public associations with legal entity status, including NGOs and public unions.
The program aims to support projects that help veterans develop new professional skills, providing them with opportunities for training and career growth.
Accreditation is required to attend the event.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On February 19, Kyiv will host the opening of “Ukraine’s Path to the EU in Illustrations, Posters, and Artworks,” an exhibition showcasing the country’s journey toward European Union membership.
Through a collection of works by renowned artists, illustrators, and creative professionals, the exhibition highlights key moments in Ukraine’s historic path to EU integration. Each piece reflects a distinct stage of this significant process, offering a visual narrative of the nation’s aspirations and challenges.
The exhibition will also feature artifacts provided by the Museum of the Revolution of Dignity.
For reference: The exposition was initiated by the Office of the Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration and supported by the EU Association4U project.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ihor Shyshko, a resident of Kharkiv, joined the Defense Forces at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, although he had the opportunity to refuse to serve because he is a father of many children.
In March 2022, he was captured by russian forces. During 801 days of captivity, he endured torture, beatings, and starvation. He lost over 50 kilograms. In May 2024, Ihor was finally released in a prisoner exchange and returned home.
After his release, he founded a support center for soldiers returning from captivity or suffering from injuries.
The main goal of the “Shoulder to Shoulder” center is to help veterans reintegrate into civilian life. The center provides psychological and legal assistance, as well as various engagement programs to help veterans find new career paths in civilian life.
You can contact Ihor Shyshko either online or in person by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Tetiana Skyba, a 66-year-old preschool teacher, is a resident of Hostomel and the head of a homeowners’ association that manages two apartment buildings. At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, she opened all the basement shelters in the buildings and placed wooden pallets so that people would have a place to hide. More than a hundred people took refuge there, including a two-month-old baby. Tetiana and her neighbors cooked food in her apartment. When the utilities were cut off, they cooked outside. Her husband was injured by a blast.
On March 5, russian occupiers stormed the buildings and took up residence inside, forcing civilians to remain in the basements. Some residents later decided to evacuate and moved to another neighborhood, but they couldn’t leave the town. The occupiers ordered them to return and tried to deport them to Belarus. However, none of the residents agreed.
A few days later, Tetiana managed to escape. When she returned to Hostomel in April 2022, she saw a horrible scene — her building and the one across the street each had three direct hits. Their roofs were destroyed, and there was no electricity, water, or gas. Tetiana’s own apartment was so badly damaged that she had to stay in someone else’s home when she returned.
Along with other residents, Tetiana began restoring the buildings. She recalls that even her former preschool students came to help. By the end of 2022, the roof of her building had been repaired. Later, a European charity helped restore the roof of the second building and replace broken windows. Just a few days ago, the last broken window in the damaged house was finally replaced with a new glass unit.
By prior arrangement, journalists can meet with Tetiana in Hostomel, Kyiv oblast.
Background: February 24, 2025, marks three years since the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On February 12, Kyiv will host the first retrospective exhibition entitled “The Universe of Lyubov”. This exhibition will serve as a symbolic tribute to the life and artistic legacy of the brilliant Ukrainian artist Lyubov Panchenko, who tragically died as a result of the russian occupation of Bucha in 2022.
The exhibition will feature sketches of clothing designs, garments and accessories, paintings, collages and decorative murals, as well as photographs and personal items of the artist.
The exhibition explores Lyubov Panchenko’s life in the socio-political context of her time, as well as her relationships with influential figures such as Viacheslav Chornovil, Mykola Plakhotniuk, Alla Horska, Liudmyla Semykina, and others.
The curators aim to show how Panchenko’s artistic works are reinterpreted, transformed, and inspire contemporary artists.
Journalists must be accredited for the event. (Presentation to the media on February 12)
Background: Lyubov Panchenko survived the russian occupation in her home in Bucha, Kyiv oblast. After the liberation of the region, she was found in a state of extreme exhaustion. Reports indicate that she was forced to starve during the russian occupation. She was hospitalized but died at the age of 85.
February 24, 2025, marks three years since the start of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the full-scale invasion, 29-year-old Mykola Petrovskyi lived with his father and grandmother in Kherson. Mykola is disabled — after a car accident, part of his left foot was amputated and he now wears a prosthesis.
When Kherson was occupied by russian forces, Mykola became a volunteer, helping people in the city. One day, russian security forces abducted him from his home.
In September 2023, the so-called “Supreme Court of Crimea” sentenced Mykola Petrovskyi to 16 years in a maximum security penal colony, falsely accusing him of “espionage”.
Letters from Mykola reveal that he was tortured in captivity, beaten, denied proper medical care, which is crucial for a person with a disability, and starved.
Read his full story here.
Journalists can arrange interviews with Mykola’s mother (online) and with his lawyer and human rights experts in Kyiv (in person).
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
For the past 15 years, Tetiana Hrek has dedicated herself to teaching karate to children and adults. Before the all-out invasion, she and her husband owned a gym in Bucha, a town in the Kyiv region. But when the war broke out, their lives took a dramatic turn. The family found themselves under occupation, their gym looted by russian forces, and their home shot at. After enduring two weeks of occupation, Tetiana and her family managed to escape to Ukrainian-controlled territory.
A year later, Tetiana decided to return to Bucha. In the interim, other coaches who had remained in the city had restored the gym and resumed teaching local children. Upon her return, Tetiana was welcomed back by eager students. A public martial arts school in Bucha also reopened its doors, inviting her to teach there.
Today, Tetiana offers lessons both online and offline, available by appointment.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Doctors for Heroes charity project is dedicated to helping both military personnel and civilians by performing facial and head reconstructive surgeries following severe injuries. To date, the initiative has enrolled 240 soldiers and two civilians in its program.
Through a collaboration of surgeons and bioengineers, all medical services are provided free of charge to patients. However, the reconstruction of lost skull bones requires the creation of specialized implants. The Doctors for Heroes Charity Foundation funds the production of these implants for each participant. It raises donations from philanthropists, organizes case support throughout treatment, and ensures that funds are used responsibly and effectively.
The project is also expanding into the field of eye prosthetics and ecto prosthetics.
By prior arrangement, journalists are welcome to speak with the project’s organizers, doctors, and patients in Kyiv and other cities across Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On February 23, an international charity race will take place to mark the third anniversary of the full-blown war and raise funds for the children who lost one or both parents due to the russian invasion of Ukraine. The goal is to raise 50,000 EUR to provide psychological support for children who have lost their parents to the war.
The event will be held in several cities, including Kyiv, Amsterdam, Warsaw, Krakow, Porto, Rotterdam, Stockholm, and Funchal.
For reference: The event is organized by the Ukrainian Running Club and the Children of Heroes Foundation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Liudmyla is 77 years old, a trained anesthetist and resuscitator. When russia launched its full-scale invasion, she stepped in to help treat wounded civilians in occupied Hostomel, Kyiv oblast (two people had shrapnel wounds). With no medical instruments available at the local clinic, she had to sew up wounds with an ordinary sewing needle and thread.
Today, Liudmyla continues to support Ukraine’s defense by weaving camouflage nets with a group of local women volunteers known as “Chervona Kalyna”. She dedicates herself to volunteering almost every day.
Journalists can speak with Liudmyla in the Kyiv oblast.
Background: February 24, 2025 will mark the third anniversary of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Viktoriia Synytska-Kutsenko has been behind the wheel for years. Before the full-scale invasion, she participated in rally racing and drifting. In 2024, she graduated from the “Reskilling Ukraine” program, which offered women the opportunity to train as professional truck drivers. Today, Viktoriia is already working in her new field.
She recalls that during one of her trips, Polish border guards were surprised to see a woman driving a truck and asked her if she wasn’t afraid to handle such a massive vehicle.
Journalists can speak with Viktoriia in Kyiv, by prior arrangement.
Background: Reskilling Ukraine is a project of the Swedish non-profit organization Beredskapslyftet, implemented in Ukraine. It focuses on free training programs for women and veterans, helping them to start new careers in different fields.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ivan Soroka joined the ranks of the defense forces at the beginning of the full-scale invasion. On February 24, the military draft office was recruiting soldiers for the 72nd separate mechanized brigade, named after the Black Zaporozhians — and Ivan joined them. He defended the village of Moshchun in the Kyiv oblast, and later his unit was sent to the East. In August 2022, an enemy mine exploded just a few steps away from him.
His comrade was killed instantly, while Ivan lost his sight. “Who would ever need me blind?” was the first thought that crossed his mind when he regained consciousness. His fiancée, Vladyslava, whom he met online in April 2022, answered that question for him. She visited him in the hospital during his recovery, hoping along with Ivan that his sight would return, but it never did. In September 2023, Ivan and Vladyslava got married.
Journalists can arrange to speak with Ivan Soroka online or in person in Kyiv.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Maidan Museum together with its partners has prepared a program for the Day of the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred.
On February 18, a memorial event in honor of those who died on February 18, 2014 will be held in Mariinsky Park. The event will include a memorial service for the Heavenly Hundred and a Memorial March to pay tribute to the fallen heroes.
On February 20, a ceremony will be held to honor the memory of the heroes of the Heavenly Hundred and the participants of the Revolution of Dignity. The annual Angels of Memory event will also take place, a global moment of silence in memory of those who died during the Revolution of Dignity. In Kyiv, it takes place annually on the Alley of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes, where dozens of paper angels are placed on the branches of trees — silent witnesses to the shooting of unarmed protesters.
Opening of the exhibition “Heroes: Maidan, War, Memory…”. The exhibition is dedicated to the Maidan activists who later died in the russian-Ukrainian war. It tells the stories of those who changed Ukraine and the world and later became the first defenders of Ukraine’s freedom, sacrificing their lives.
Journalists can access the full program of events for the Day of the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred.
Background: On February 20, 2014, 48 people lost their lives in the center of Kyiv, the highest number of casualties in a single day during the Revolution of Dignity. Together with 54 other participants of peaceful protests who were killed or fatally wounded in the winter of 2013-2014, and five Maidan activists who died in the spring of 2014 while defending democratic values and territorial integrity of Ukraine, they are called the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Your Support family center for mental health was established last year in Ukraine’s Kyiv region with a mission to help children and their families cope with the psychological effects of war. The center focuses on strengthening emotional resilience and ensuring the healthy development of each child.
A team of psychologists, special education experts, neuropsychologists, lawyers, and employment specialists provides all services free of charge. In just over a year, the center’s experts have offered more than 6,000 consultations. Among those they have helped is a 6-year-old boy who stopped speaking after experiencing shell shock, and a mother raising her 7-year-old son alone, whose child, under immense stress, lost control of his body.
Support is available both online and in person by appointment, allowing families to connect with specialists and others who have benefited from the center’s assistance.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The soldier known by the call sign “Pinky” is just 18 years old. When russia’s full-scale invasion broke out, he was in Chernihiv, only 16 at the time. That was when he first witnessed artillery in action—and experienced the horrors of occupation. He later left for Germany but returned home after just two months.
Pinky had been fascinated by the military since childhood. Growing up, he studied weapons alongside his father, a police officer who has also been mobilized. After finishing high school, he was determined to fight. He waited until he was old enough, then joined the rear guard. Initially, he assured his commanders he would enroll in the Ukraine’s National Guard Military Academy. But when exam time came, he deliberately flunked the tests—his real goal was to transfer to a combat unit. He set his sights on the 13th Khartiia Brigade of the National Guard, known as Now, Pinky is serving on the front lines.
Interviews with him can be arranged both online and in person, with prior coordination through the brigade’s press officer.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Repair Together volunteer community is joining forces with the Gurtum Charitable Foundation’s Save Mala Opera project. On February 16, they will hold a restoration event at Kyiv’s Mala Opera—an initiative known as the “Rave Toloka.”
Built in 1902, the Mala Opera is a historic architectural landmark in Kyiv. The building sustained damage from enemy shelling, with its walls, ceiling, and decorative elements suffering significant harm.
During the cleanup, volunteers will work to the rhythm of music. And, as organizers note, “there will be a little dancing” at the end of the day.
Journalists will have the opportunity to cover the volunteers’ efforts on-site.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Media Center Ukraine to host a briefing on February 17 about russia’s drone attack hitting radiation shelter over the damaged reactor at the Chornobyl NPP
Participants:
– Oleh Korikov, Head of Ukraine’s State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate and Chief State Inspector for Nuclear and Radiation Safety
Topics of focus:
– russian drone attack on the Chornobyl shelter: what is known about the consequences and what is the current situation at the plant?
– Delays in IAEA staff rotation at the Zaporizhia NPP: possible consequences and further action;
– Security situation at Ukraine’s nuclear power plants amid ongoing attacks.
For reference: On the night of February 14, a russian attack drone with an explosive warhead hit a shelter at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant. This occurred near the New Safe Confinement, which protects the destroyed fourth reactor at the Chornobyl NPP. The drone hit the roof of the isolation structure.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On February 18, Media Center Ukraine will host a briefing on military recruitment, focusing on how the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade attracts new enlistee and prepares them for service.
Participants:
– Dmytro Kukharchuk, head of recruitment for the 3rd Assault Brigade;
– Oleksandr Borodin, press officer of the 3rd Assault Brigade;
– Call sign “Student”, chief sergeant of the Test Week project.
Topics of focus:
– The effectiveness of recruitment campaigns and the most successful strategies;
– The role of specialized projects in recruitment—how they work and their benefits;
– Raising public awareness about recruitment initiatives and available opportunities.
Those interested in joining the 3rd Brigade can visit recruitment centers in Odesa, Dnipro, Lviv, and Kyiv.
Recruits undergo intensive training under the guidance of experienced combat instructors. Before taking up arms, they complete a rigorous program covering tactical operations, medical preparedness, and firearms training.
For reference: The 3rd Separate Assault Brigade was established on March 9, 2022, from the Kyiv-based Azov Army’s Territorial Defense Battalion. On January 26, 2023, it was restructured into a separate assault brigade within the Land Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Fedir Samburskyi, a 29-year-old from the Donetsk oblast, was in Irpin, Kyiv Oblast, when russia launched its full-scale invasion. In the early days of the war, he volunteered to help civilians. Later, he managed to escape the occupation with his mother and sister and moved to Prykarpattia. A few weeks later he joined the army.
The veteran fought in the Donetsk and Zaporizhia oblasts and took part in the liberation of the Kherson oblast. During a combat mission in November 2023, he suffered a serious injury: an explosion from an enemy FPV drone cost him his leg, an arm, and partially his sight.
After several surgeries and nine months of rehabilitation, Fedir learned to use his prosthetics and decided to start his own business. Using the funds he received as compensation for his injury, he opened an inclusive café in Kyiv called Tytanovi — after the rehabilitation center where he received his prosthetics. The center’s founder helped him buy some of the equipment. Today, Fedir donates half of the cafe’s profits to support the Tytanovi Rehab Center.
Journalists can arrange an interview with Fedir Samburskyi both online and in person in Kyiv upon prior agreement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before russia’s full-scale invasion, Volodymyr Symanyshyn lived in Poland. But when the war began, he returned home to join the Ukrainian Defense Forces. In July 2023, during a combat mission, he suffered severe injuries that resulted in the amputation of both hands.
Shortly thereafter, Volodymyr’s girlfriend left him — a devastating blow on top of his physical loss. But instead of giving in to despair, he focused on rehabilitation. He started with sports and later discovered a passion for painting. Attaching a brush to his arm stump, he learned to create artwork and embraced a new form of self-expression.
In the summer of 2024, he traveled to the United States, where he received a prosthetic hand. Upon his return to Ukraine, he enrolled in the Theological Academy of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, taking his first steps toward becoming a chaplain. Now, Volodymyr is preparing to dedicate his life to helping soldiers and veterans of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Journalists can arrange an interview with Volodymyr Symanyshyn both online and in person in Ternopil by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
13-year-old Ukrainian Yana Stepanenko, who lost both her legs in a rocket attack on the Kramatorsk railway station in 2022, will run in the Tokyo Marathon on March 1, following her triumph in Boston last year. Media representatives are invited to attend her open training session in Lviv on February 19.
In Japan, Yana will run 5 kilometers on running prostheses to raise funds for two sports prostheses for Ukrainian soldier Oleksandr Zhavnenko, who lost both legs on the front line. Oleksandr dreams of returning to an active lifestyle – playing sports, running and dancing. He was a dancer before the war, and his greatest wish is to return to the dance floor and waltz with his wife again.
Media accreditation is required for this event.
Background: In 2024, Yana completed a 5K run in the Boston Marathon and successfully raised funds for a sports prosthesis for Ukrainian soldier Oleksandr Riasnyi.
On April 8, 2022, Yana Stepanenko lost both her legs as a result of a terrorist attack by russian forces on the railway station in Kramatorsk. A photo of her being carried in the arms of a surgeon from the First Medical Association of St. Nicholas Children’s Hospital in Lviv went around the world.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On February 18, Media Center Ukraine will host a briefing on military recruitment, focusing on how the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade attracts new enlistees and prepares them for service.
Participants:
– Dmytro Kukharchuk, head of recruitment for the 3rd Assault Brigade;
– Oleksandr Borodin, press officer of the 3rd Assault Brigade;
– Call sign “Student”, chief sergeant of the Test Week project.
Topics of focus:
– The effectiveness of recruitment campaigns and the most successful strategies;
– The role of specialized projects in recruitment—how they work and their benefits;
– Raising public awareness about recruitment initiatives and available opportunities.
Those interested in joining the 3rd Brigade can visit recruitment centers in Odesa, Dnipro, Lviv, and Kyiv.
Recruits undergo intensive training under the guidance of experienced combat instructors. Before taking up arms, they complete a rigorous program covering tactical operations, medical preparedness, and firearms training.
Background: The 3rd Separate Assault Brigade was established on March 9, 2022, from the Kyiv-based Azov Army’s Territorial Defense Battalion. On January 26, 2023, it was restructured into a separate assault brigade within the Land Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Petro Krasytskyi from Kyiv has served in Ukraine’s armed forces twice—first in 2015 with the 25th Separate Airborne Brigade and again following the full-scale invasion as part of the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade. During his service, he suffered two strokes, requiring extensive treatment and rehabilitation in both Ukraine and the Czech Republic.
Throughout his recovery, Petro was supported by his family doctor, Yuliia Barbolina. She was the one who called an ambulance when he arrived at her office experiencing his second stroke.
Together, they decided to establish a medical center—a vision that quickly became reality with the launch of the Razom Medical Center in Kyiv, which recently marked its first anniversary.
Yuliia serves as the center’s medical director, providing patient consultations and performing ultrasound diagnostics. A modern ultrasound machine was purchased through a grant from the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation.
The Petro Krasytskyi Clinic offers medical care to both civilians and military personnel. On designated days, military members can receive free medical checkups, while service members, veterans, their families, and families of fallen defenders are eligible for a 20% discount.
Journalists can arrange interviews with Petro and Olha by prior request.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The all-Ukrainian youth organization Building Ukraine Together (BUR) is at risk of shutting down following the loss of USAID funding. The organization has also recently lost financial support from another key donor, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).
BUR warns that without funding, it will be forced to cease operations in March, potentially leaving communities that applied for restoration assistance without support. For now, the organization is focused on fulfilling its remaining commitments.
Journalists can arrange interviews with BUR representatives by prior request.
Background: Building Ukraine Together (BUR) is an NGO that actively engages young people in volunteer work and non-formal education. The organization has a network of 9,725 volunteers, including 211 from abroad. Since the start of the full-scale war, BUR volunteers have helped restore 378 facilities.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Lviv has inaugurated its first social home for severely wounded soldiers undergoing rehabilitation at the UNBROKEN Center. The new housing facility is designed to accommodate up to 60 people at a time, including both patients and their relatives.
The six-story building features 24 fully accessible apartments—20 two-room units and four one-room units. Each apartment is equipped with a kitchen and a bathroom, ensuring a comfortable living environment. The entire facility is barrier-free, designed to meet the needs of residents using crutches, wheelchairs, prosthetics, or those with visual impairments. Each unit is also fitted with a panic button for emergency assistance.
The primary goal of the social housing project is to support patients through the critical adaptation period following their injuries in a comfortable and accommodating environment.
The first residents, along with their families, have already moved in. In the coming months, the building will be further equipped with shared community spaces, and the terrace will serve as a public area for events. This is just the beginning—seven more buildings are planned for social housing to support the UNBROKEN Center’s patients.
Background: The initiative is managed by NEFCO as part of the “Housing for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and Reconstruction of Liberated Cities in Ukraine” project, funded by the European Union.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
“Active Parks” is initiating an adaptive sit ski training session for veterans with lower limb disabilities, set to take place on February 19 in Kyiv.
Training on these specialized bucket seats with two skis underneath is part of a broader effort to create an inclusive environment for veterans injured in the war, enabling them to maintain an active physical and social life.
The session will be conducted in collaboration with professional instructors from Golosiiv Ski Park. Participants will train using Tempo Dualski equipment for seated skiing, a safe and specialized tool designed for adaptive skiing and snowboarding.
Accreditation is required to attend the event.
Background: The training is part of the “Sport for All” initiative under the State Institution, supported by Ukraine’s Ministry of Youth and Sports. It is organized within the framework of the presidential social project “Active Parks – Locations of Healthy Ukraine.”
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Maidan Museum together with its partners has prepared a program dedicated to the Day of the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred.
On February 20, a commemoration ceremony will take place to honor the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred and the participants of the Revolution of Dignity.
On the same day, the annual “Angels of Remembrance” event will take place. This global moment of silence is dedicated to those who died during the Revolution of Dignity. In Kyiv, it is traditionally held on the Alley of Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred, where dozens of paper angels are hung on the branches of trees that once witnessed the killings of unarmed protesters.
Additionally, Kyiv will host the exhibition “Heroes: Maidan, War, Memory…”. It is dedicated to the participants of the Revolution of Dignity who later died in the russian-Ukrainian war. The exhibition tells the stories of Maidan activists who changed Ukraine and the world and later became the first defenders of our country, sacrificing their lives for its freedom.
The program also includes a screening of the documentary-musical film “Ukraine. Maidan. Reloading”, dedicated to the memory of Ruslan Hanushchak. The film is based on the video archive of military reporter Ruslan Hanushchak, a Maidan participant who later became a military reporter and soldier with the call signs “Ostap” and “Photographer”. He was killed in action on January 11, 2025.
Journalists are invited to familiarize themselves with the full schedule of events dedicated to the Day of the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred.
Background: On February 20, 2014, the highest number of casualties occurred in the center of the Ukrainian capital, with 48 people killed. Along with 54 other protesters who were fatally wounded in the winter of 2013-2014 and five Maidan activists who died in the spring of 2014 defending Ukraine’s democratic values and territorial integrity, they are honored as Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Center for Civil Liberties invites you to the performance “People Are Key!”, which will take place as part of the March of Remembrance and Hope on February 20 in Kyiv.
The performance is aimed at supporting all prisoners of the Kremlin: prisoners of war, illegally detained civilians, deported Ukrainian children, and political prisoners. The symbol of the performance is keys, representing both freedom and home. Participants will jingle keys to remind the world of those still held in captivity.
Speakers for comments:
– Oleksandra Romantsova, Executive Director of the Center for Civil Liberties (English-speaking)
– Mykhailo Savva, Doctor of Political Science, expert with the Center for Civil Liberties
– Relatives and friends of Kremlin prisoners
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On February 21, the Kyiv Security Forum will hold a special event dedicated to the third anniversary of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Participants:
– Gen. David Petraeus, member of the KSF Security Council, Commander of the U.S. Central Command (2008-2010), Director of the CIA (2011-2012);
– Katarína Mathernová, European Union Ambassador to Ukraine;
– Patrick Turner, Senior NATO Representative, Head of NATO Representation in Ukraine;
– Natalka Cmoc, Ambassador of Canada to Ukraine (Canada will chair the G7 in 2025);
– Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Chairman of the Kyiv Security Forum, Prime Minister of Ukraine (2014-2016).
Accreditation will close at 12:00 PM on Friday, February 21. The location of the event will be provided via email along with your registration confirmation.
Media Center Ukraine is one of the media partners of the event.
Background: The Kyiv Security Forum, founded by Arseniy Yatsenyuk’s “Open Ukraine” foundation, is Ukraine’s major platform for discussing issues of war and peace, national and global security
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On February 24, the town of Bucha in Kyiv oblast will hold commemorative events to honor the memory of Ukraine’s fallen civilians and defenders.
Bucha, which has become a symbol of Ukrainian resilience and a witness to the horrific war crimes of the russian army, will bring together families of the fallen, local residents, government officials, and the international community to pay tribute to all those who gave their lives for Ukraine’s freedom.
Program of events:
- Memorial Rally, a requiem service and tribute to the fallen heroes
- Memorial Rally, a requiem service and tribute to the innocent victims of russian aggression at the Wall of Remembrance
- Unveiling of a Fallen Defender memorial plaque
- Memorial event “Bells of Remembrance”
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On February 26, the premiere of a film created by 14 teenagers during the “Storytelling in Cinema” course of the Voices of Children Foundation and Ukrainian director Marysia Nikitiuk will take place in Kyiv.
The event will also include a discussion on “Growing up in war: how to help children cope with this difficult experience” with the participation of the children who worked on the movie, the director Marysia Nikitiuk, Olena Rozvadovska, co-founder of the Voices of Children Foundation and human rights activist, Olha Aivazovska, Chairperson of the Board of the Civil Network OPORA, and Oleksandra Matviichuk, Head of the Center for Civil Rights and Nobel Laureate.
The film “Generation” was created by young people from all over Ukraine who have experienced the hardships of war: evacuation, forced displacement within Ukraine and abroad, finding themselves in a new place, losing social ties, living under occupation, and surviving in frontline regions.
As part of Voices of Children’s “Storytelling in Cinema” project, director Marysia Nikitiuk and psychologist Dariia Parshyntseva met with the teens for five months to develop scripts. The course culminated in seven days of filmmaking in the mountains, where the young participants brought their stories to life.
Registration required
Background: Voices of Children Foundation provides psychological, psychosocial and humanitarian support to children and families affected by war. The Foundation helps children cope with the psychological effects of armed conflict and advocates for their rights.
The International Center for Ukrainian Victory (ICUV) is a public diplomacy platform founded in Warsaw by Ukrainian civil society activists to engage global thought leaders in support of Ukraine. The Center’s mission is to mobilize the world for Ukraine’s victory.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Serhii Hrytsiv, a native of Ukraine’s Ivano-Frankivsk region, endured two and a half years in captivity, marked by relentless torture, starvation, and interrogation. A member of the 36th Separate Marine Brigade named after Rear Admiral Mykhailo Bilynskyi, he witnessed the start of russia’s full-scale invasion from the front lines.
Hrytsiv recalls that the fighting in the Mariupol sector, where he was stationed, began on February 17, 2022. Nearly two months later, on April 12, his commander presented a grim choice: either attempt a breakthrough or face capture. Each soldier had to decide for themselves. Hrytsiv and a group of comrades made a desperate bid to escape the russian encirclement but were ultimately unsuccessful. They were soon taken prisoner.
Over the course of his captivity, Hrytsiv was transferred 18 times, enduring detention in 12 different locations. According to him, not a single day passed without torture—Ukrainian prisoners were subjected to brutal beatings, electric shocks, and starvation.
On September 13, 2024, Hrytsiv was freed in a prisoner exchange and returned to Ukrainian territory. Following rehabilitation, he met his future wife, and the two soon married.
Serhii Hrytsiv is available for conversations both online and in person by appointment.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
For more than 10 years, the Ukrainian NGO Dostupno.UA has been working to create inclusive spaces across the country. Now, after losing its American grant funding, the organization is struggling to continue its mission and is searching for new ways to sustain its work.
Dmytro Shchebetiuk, a wheelchair user with firsthand experience of the many accessibility barriers in Ukrainian cities, founded Dostupno.UA in 2015. Nataliia Parkhytko joined the initiative after becoming a mother and realizing how difficult it was to navigate streets with a baby stroller.
Over the past decade, the NGO has promoted inclusivity and accessibility for people with disabilities, the elderly, individuals with temporary injuries, pregnant women, and parents with strollers. Nataliia and Dmytro have helped businesses improve accessibility, facilitated the installation of ramps and lifts, and provided inclusivity training for various institutions.
However, with U.S. grant support now discontinued, Dostupno.UA is facing a financial crisis that threatens the future of its work. The team is actively seeking new partners to keep the project alive.
Nataliia Parkhytko is available by appointment for in-person and online meetings in Kyiv. Dmytro Shchebetiuk can provide comments online.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On February 21, the Kyiv War Museum and the DOCU/CLUB network of the NGO Docudays will hold a screening of the documentary Witnesses. To the North of Kyiv.
The film is based on materials from the Ukraine War Archive project, which was launched by Docudays in cooperation with Infoscope in the early weeks of russia’s full-scale invasion. The initiative aims to document wartime events and firsthand testimonies that could support future investigations into russian war crimes and help bring those responsible to justice.
The documentary follows residents of Pushcha-Vodytsia, a northern suburb of Kyiv, as well as the nearby villages of Moshchun and Horenka. The protagonists recount how they endured the russian occupation, volunteered, supported the Ukrainian military, and resisted the invaders.
Following the screening, a discussion will take place with the film’s director, Tetiana Symon, who also serves as the coordinator of the Ukraine War Archive project’s interviewing department. The conversation will be moderated by Olha Babchuk, a journalist and communications manager at DOCU/CLUB.
Registration is required to attend the event.
Background: From the earliest days of the conflict, Ukrainian documentary filmmakers have been diligently recording eyewitness testimonies. These recordings not only capture the unvarnished truth of the war but also serve to convey its realities to a global audience. Ultimately, they may be employed as crucial evidence in international courts to hold perpetrators accountable.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On February 21, the Media Center Ukraine will present the public opinion survey “russia Ahead of Negotiations: russian Socio-Political Views in January–February 2025.”
Participants:
– Vadym Denysenko, political scientist
The study on public attitudes “russia Ahead of Negotiations. russian’ Socio-Political Views in January–February 2025” is a joint initiative by Dilova Stolytsia (Business Capital) newspaper, Media Center Ukraine, and the New Image Marketing Group research firm. The findings reveal a sharp increase in the number of russians who acknowledge the scale of wartime losses and express a negative outlook on their financial situation. Moreover, social research indicates that half of the russian population no longer aligns with vladimir putin’s claim that russians and Ukrainians are “one people.”
Registration is required to attend the event.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On February 23, the eve of the anniversary of the full-scale invasion, the ceremony “The Bell of Remembrance and Hope: 11 Years of War” will be held. This event is to remind everyone of Ukrainians who are in captivity, missing or victims of forced deportation.
The ceremony will begin with a liturgy at the Refectory Church, led by Bishop Avraamii, Abbot of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. The Bell of Remembrance and Hope will strike 11 times, marking 11 years of war in Ukraine. Families of prisoners of war will also take part in the ceremony.
Program of the event:
– Liturgy in the Refectory
– Ceremony “Bell of Remembrance and Hope: 11 Years of War”.
Accreditation is required to attend the event.
The Bell of Remembrance and Hope will ring daily until victory is achieved and all defenders return home. This initiative was launched in December 2023 at the Lavra with the support of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Peaceful events are planned in 22 cities across Ukraine to raise awareness of the defenders of Azovstal and other soldiers still in enemy captivity.
On February 22, rallies will take place in Okhtyrka, Chernihiv, Arbuzynka, Vinnytsia, Svitlovodsk, Kharkiv, Lviv, Obukhiv, Poltava, Zaporizhia and Pavlohrad.
On February 23, events are scheduled in Kyiv, Pivdenoukrainsk, Uman, Krolevets, Korop, Ovruch, Irpin, Cherkasy, Korosten, Uzhhorod, and Mykolaiv.
The events are organized by the families of POWs from the Mariupol garrison. The rallies are often attended by Ukrainians who have been released from captivity.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In August 2024, russia illegally sentenced Ukrainian activist Iryna Horobtsova to 10 years and 6 months in prison, accusing her of “espionage”.
Iryna Horobtsova, a resident of Kherson, worked for a Ukrainian IT company. In the spring of 2022, when russian forces occupied the city, she became known for her social media posts documenting life under occupation. Iryna shared photos with Ukrainian symbols and even referred to her apartment as the “resistance headquarters.”
On May 13, 2022, russians abducted her from her own home and held her in a detention center in occupied Crimea. She was held in total isolation, with no contact with the outside world.
Journalists can talk to Irina’s parents (online), as well as her lawyer and experts from the Center for Civil Liberties in Kyiv.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On the 3rd anniversary of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the “People Fist!” campaign, supported by the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the russian federation Mariana Katzarova, two Nobel Peace Prize laureates, and over forty leading Ukrainian, russian and international human rights organizations demand the immediate release of the captives of russia’s war against Ukraine. On February 24, an online press conference will be held.
Their call is simple: put people first. As preparations for negotiations to end the war are underway, the key priority of any negotiated agreements must be the release and exchange of the captives.
Among them are:
– at least 20,000 Ukrainian children deported to russia
– thousands of Ukrainian civilians held in russian prisons
– thousands of Ukrainian and russian prisoners of war
– hundreds of russian political prisoners imprisoned for anti-war speech or actions
Speakers:
– Mariana Katzarova, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the russian federation
– Oleksandra Matviichuk, leader of the Center for Civil Liberties, the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize laureate
– Oleg Orlov, Co-Chair of Memorial Human Rights Defense Center, former political prisoner and the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize laureate
– Yevgen Zakharov, Director of the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group
– Dirk Schuebel, Head of division, Relations with the russian federation, European External Action Service, European Commission (TBC)
Accreditation is required to attend the event.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Since 2006, Tymur Pistriuha has taken part in peacekeeping missions across Africa. In Ukraine, he founded the Ukrainian Deminers Association (UDA), launching demining training for both military personnel and civilians in 2018. That same year, the organization began mine clearance operations in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions.
With the full-scale invasion, demand for explosive ordnance disposal specialists surged. In response, Tymur expanded the initiative, increasing the number of trained specialists. However, in January 2025, the NGO lost its grant funding from the U.S. State Department. It wasn’t the first time Canadian organizations stepped in to provide support, but now, the founder is actively seeking new partners to sustain operations.
Tymur Pistriuha and his team are available for interviews both online and in person by prior arrangement. Journalists may also observe demining training sessions upon request.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On February 27, Kyiv will host the opening of the exhibition project “For Freedom,” a tribute to the foreign defenders of Ukraine. The initiative is being carried out in collaboration with the R. T. Weatherman Foundation and the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in World War II (War Museum).
The “For Freedom” project highlights the scale of international support for Ukraine—ranging from humanitarian efforts to the personal decisions of foreign volunteers who joined the country’s armed forces. Through artifacts, personal accounts, photographs, and documentary materials, the exhibition tells the stories of foreign fighters, their journey to Ukraine, and their battle for freedom. Visitors will also learn about the international military units serving within the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the individuals who have become symbols of global solidarity.
The solemn part of the event will feature the following speakers:
– Yurii Savchuk, Director General of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in World War II (War Museum);
– Meaghan Mobbs, President of the R. T. Weatherman Foundation;
– Elizabeth Weatherman, Co-founder of the R. T. Weatherman Foundation;
– Andrew Duncan, Co-founder of the R. T. Weatherman Foundation;
– Colonel Ruslan Myroshnychenko, initiator of the formation and former commander of the Second International Legion of Ukraine;
– Foreign soldiers featured in the exhibition—volunteers who took up arms to defend Ukraine.
Attendance at the event is restricted to accredited guests.
Background: The R. T. Weatherman Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded by Elizabeth H. Weatherman and Andrew P. Duncan that operates in crisis zones, undertaking missions where others cannot.
Since the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine in March 2022, the foundation has:
– Delivered more than 10,000 pallets of humanitarian aid to 70 Ukrainian organizations;
– Partnered with over 20 government agencies;
– Assisted in repatriating American volunteers killed or injured in Ukraine;
– Evacuated children and women from active war zones to Poland.
On February 27, 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on foreign citizens to join the fight for freedom. In the past three years, thousands of volunteers from over 55 countries have answered that call.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On February 25, Media Center Ukraine will hold a presentation of Realna Gazeta’s investigation, followed by a discussion on “How China Invests in russian-Occupied Territories of Ukraine.”
Participants:
– Andrii Dikhtiarenko, editor-in-chief and founder of Realna Gazeta, author of the investigation;
– Maksym Savchuk, journalist and correspondent for the Schemes project of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) Ukrainian Service.
Despite Beijing’s official stance of neutrality, Chinese businesses are playing a key role in large-scale construction projects in russian-occupied regions of Ukraine. An investigation by Realna Gazeta has uncovered evidence that firms from China’s Henan Province have partnered in the development of an industrial complex in the occupied Donetsk region.
Between 2023 and 2024, two factories—one for concrete production and another for grinding—were rapidly built at the Karansky Quarry in the Volnovakha district with Chinese involvement. russian state media have hailed the project as the centerpiece of a so-called “major development” effort, with its materials used for road construction and infrastructure projects not only in the occupied ‘Donetsk People’s Republic’ and ‘Luhansk People’s Republic’ regions but also in Kherson and Zaporizhia. While moscow remains tight-lipped about foreign investment, the findings suggest China’s economic footprint in the region is deeper than publicly acknowledged.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A project by Lviv-based reproductive specialist and four-time Fertility Award winner Liubov Mykhailyshyn, “Preserve Your DNA for the Future,” offers free egg cryopreservation to 20 women in the military who risk their lives every day. The program is open to women between the ages of 21 and 41.
To date, 50 women have applied. Registration and consultations will continue until March 31, and the program will run until the end of 2025.
Journalists can arrange interviews with Liubov Mykhailyshyn in Lviv or online, and, if possible, with program participants.
Background: The “Preserve Your DNA for the Future” project is funded by a grant from L’Oréal Paris and UNFPA Ukraine (the United Nations Population Fund in Ukraine).
Similar programs have been successfully implemented in the United States (Fertility Preservation Program) and Israel. According to American researchers, service members experience a significant decline in reproductive potential compared to control groups, even without physical injury. Chronic stress is a major contributing factor.
While sperm cryopreservation is a relatively quick and simple process for military personnel, egg freezing is more complex and requires an initial consultation with a reproductive specialist; controlled ovarian stimulation with specific medications; egg retrieval from the ovaries; cryopreservation and long-term storage of the oocytes.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Serhii Tumanovskyi joined the defense forces in the first days of the full-scale russian invasion. He served in the 114th Separate Territorial Defense Brigade.
In October 2022, his vehicle hit an anti-tank mine in the Donetsk oblast. As a result, he lost both legs, an eye, and a finger on his hand.
After undergoing several surgeries, rehabilitation, and adapting to prosthetics, Serhii made the decision to return to military service. However, due to his injuries, his requests were initially denied. In 2024, he was finally able to rejoin his unit – the 114th Brigade.
Today, Serhii serves in an attack drone unit in the Kupiansk sector of the front. His duties include assembling, configuring, and repairing FPV drones.
Serhii Tumanovskyi is available for interviews both online and in person, subject to prior arrangement and coordination with the brigade’s press officer.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Lithuanian rower Aurimas Moсkus is rowing solo across the Pacific Ocean to honor Ukrainians who lost their lives in the war and to remind the world that support for Ukraine must not stop.
Aurimas is rowing 12,000 kilometers (6,500 nautical miles) from San Diego, USA to Brisbane, Australia. This journey will make him the first person in history to complete this distance in a single-person rowing boat. If he finishes in less than 159 days and 16 hours, he will also break the Guinness World Record set in 2014.
Currently, the rower is approaching the shores of Australia, with less than 600 nautical miles to go.
His journey began in October 2024 and he is expected to finish in early March. Journalists can speak with Aurimas Moсkus online by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
To mark the third anniversary of the full-scale invasion by russia, Ukrposhta, the Ukrainian postal service, has unveiled a unique set of three stamps featuring works by French street artist James Colomina. His artworks, created in Kyiv in August 2024, condemn the war and honor Ukraine’s resistance. Colomina is now the first French artist to have his works featured in Ukrposhta’s philatelic series.
The “ART vs. WAR” stamp series will be issued in a limited edition of 109,600 copies – a symbolic number representing the 1,096 days between the start of the war and the date of issue. It echoes Ukrposhta’s previous initiative in 2023, which put into circulation a postage stamp featuring a work by graffiti artist Banksy.
With this new philatelic project, Ukrposhta highlights the essential role of art in resistance and the preservation of collective memory. It serves as a reminder that culture and creativity remain powerful weapons in the fight for freedom and human dignity in times of war.
From February 24, 2025, the stamps will be available at Ukrposhta branches and the official online store: www.postmark.ukrposhta.ua, where international buyers can purchase them.
James Colomina is a French artist from Toulouse, known for his striking installations in public spaces. In June 2022, he created a sculpture of Vladimir Putin sitting on a toy tank and placed it in children’s parks in Paris, Barcelona, New York, London, Brussels, and Rome. In August 2024, Colomina visited Kyiv, where he installed six sculptures symbolizing hope, resilience, and international solidarity.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On February 24, 2025, Ukraine.ua, Ukraine’s digital ecosystem for international audiences with over 3 million followers on major social media platforms, launched the global “Voices of Just Peace” campaign. The initiative aims to amplify the voices of Ukrainians to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.
The campaign aims to send a crucial message to the world: Ukrainians deeply desire an end to the war, but true and lasting peace can only be achieved if the world listens to their voices.
The initiative has already been supported by Oleksandr Teren, veteran, activist and Bachelor project contestant, the Ukrainian band TVORCHI, Anna October, designer and founder of the Anna October fashion brand, tennis player Marta Kostyuk, Zhan Beleniuk, wrestler and a three-time Olympic medalist, Viacheslav Yalov, guardian of four orphaned brothers and sisters, Khrystia Hranovska, founder of the project “War Diaries: Unheard Voices of Ukrainian Children”, scientists from Inscience, including marine microbiologist Mariia Pavlovska and astrophysicist Olena Kompaniiets, entrepreneurs, and military personnel.
Watch the campaign’s video manifesto: link
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Unstoppable Adaptive Clubs were established to support veterans, their families, and individuals with disabilities affected by the war, offering them a path to recovery through physical activity. The clubs are fully equipped and staffed with experienced instructors.
Veterans, in particular, have the opportunity to participate in wheelchair basketball and sitting volleyball.
Journalists can attend and report on wheelchair basketball or sitting volleyball training sessions in Kyiv upon prior arrangement.
Background: The Unstoppable Adaptive Clubs were founded by the state institution “Sport for All.”
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On February 26, 2022, Vasyl Vyrozub, rector of the Holy Trinity Church of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine in Odesa, was taken prisoner by russian forces. He was part of a mission to Zmiinyi (Snake) Island to recover the bodies of border guards who were initially presumed dead.
The Ukrainian vessel transporting Vasyl was seized by the russian cruiser Moskva, and he, along with two other military chaplains and a doctor, was captured. Vasyl spent 70 days in russian captivity, enduring torture. His captors subjected him and his fellow prisoners to relentless interrogations, struggling to comprehend why they had come to retrieve the fallen soldiers. The detainees were forced to sing the aggressor country’s anthem, kneel, and endure solitary confinement.
After his release, Vasyl was honored with the Memory of the Nation Award by Post Bellum, a Czech nonprofit dedicated to preserving the testimonies of war veterans and political prisoners.
Vasyl Vyrozub is available for interviews in Odesa, both online and in person, by prior arrangement.
Background: Fighting for Snake Island began on February 24, 2022, when russian forces seized the territory. Initially, reports stated that all 13 Ukrainian border guards defending the island had been killed. Later, Ukraine’s Border Guard Service indicated that the defenders might have been taken prisoner. On July 4, 2022, Snake Island returned to Ukrainian control.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In 2019, Yevheniia Vyrych became the head of Kavun.City, a Kherson-based media outlet, that covered local news. She worked on developing the platform, securing grants, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, launched a project to debunk myths about the disease and vaccination.
After the russians occupied Kherson, Kavun.City continued its work, covering everything that happened in the city, from russian raids to the distribution of bread to the residents. The occupiers searched for Yevheniia, forcing her to constantly go into hiding — changing her residence, dyeing her hair, and taking extra precautions. She remained in occupied Kherson for four months before finally deciding to escape under a false name.
After reaching Kyiv, Yevheniia began working to revive Kavun.City. The media team launched projects focused on local governance, documenting russian war crimes, and, most recently, debunking fake news about the Kherson oblast and its still-occupied territories.
To support Kavun.City, the team launched an online store selling branded merchandise and handmade items from Kherson artisans.
Yevheniia Vyrych is available for interviews both online and in person in Kyiv, upon prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Kyiv Hippodrome, in collaboration with the Kyiv Military Hub, invites combat veterans and service members to participate in free horseback riding lessons. The lessons take place outdoors or in an indoor arena and last 40 minutes. The initiative was launched last November. 74 veterans have already participated in the program.
Journalists can cover the session scheduled for March 4 in Kyiv, upon prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On March 4, the Media Center Ukraine will host the presentation of the Amnesty International’s report: “Deafening Silence – Enforced Disappearances, Incommunicado Detention, and Torture of Ukrainian Prisoners by russia”.
Participants:
– Veronika Velch, Director of Amnesty International Ukraine;
– Olena Kozachenko, Research Project Assistant at Amnesty International Ukraine;
– Lera Burlakova, Media and Communications Officer at Amnesty International Ukraine;
– Nataliia Yepifanova, Head of the NGO Warriors Liberation;
– Maksym Kolesnikov, Veteran and Former Prisoner of War.
Amnesty International’s report, “Deafening Silence – Enforced Disappearances, Incommunicado Detention, and Torture of Ukrainian Prisoners by russia,” draws on interviews with 104 individuals, including former prisoners of war, to document crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in russian captivity.
According to Amnesty International’s latest report, Ukrainian prisoners are deliberately kept in isolation, enabling ongoing torture and systematic human rights violations. Many detainees are officially classified as missing in action due to the complete absence of information regarding their whereabouts. russia’s consistent failure to confirm the detention of certain Ukrainian prisoners – despite credible evidence of their captivity – constitutes enforced disappearance under international law. Furthermore, the report indicates that russia has likely withheld information from the International Committee of the Red Cross regarding the status of hundreds, possibly thousands, of prisoners of war. russia’s treatment of both Ukrainian military personnel and civilians in detention flagrantly violates the full spectrum of international legal standards.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Vladyslav Stotskyi, 25, was studying to become a dentist when the russia war on Ukraine broke out. But instead of continuing his studies, he found himself on the frontlines as a cadet with the National Guard in Kharkiv. Just days after the russian offensive reached the Kharkiv region, Stotskyi was stationed near the village of Mala Rohan. After a month of intense fighting, he returned to training, determined to gain the knowledge necessary to become an officer.
Upon completing his training, Stotskyi joined the Rubizh Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine. On July 10, 2024, he and three comrades were assigned to the Adolf position in the Donetsk region, where they were tasked with holding their ground against overwhelming enemy forces. Just days later, two of Stotskyi’s fellow soldiers were wounded and evacuated. Over the next 37 days, the position changed hands eight times, but Stotskyi remained at his post throughout, enduring extreme heat, a constant shortage of food and water, and the crushing weight of responsibility for his comrades’ safety.
On August 18, Stotskyi and his unit were forced to abandon the Adolf position and relocate to another area, Pincher, as it was the only means of escape. There, he continued his fight, eliminating enemies for another 30 days.
By mid-September, Stotskyi reported that Oleksandr Khomiak had been killed and Roman Rym wounded in an enemy assault. Soon after, the command devised a withdrawal plan. With their escape route blocked by mines and enemy drones, the soldiers were forced to retreat on foot under the cover of night, leaving their fallen comrades behind.
In February 2025, in recognition of his extraordinary bravery, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy awarded Stotskyi the title of Hero of Ukraine.
Stotskyi remains on the frontlines, where he continues to serve with courage. He is available for interviews, both online and offline, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On March 1, the Stations of the Cross, a religious processional will take place in Bucha, Kyiv Oblast, along Yablunska Street, to honor the memory of the victims tortured during the russian occupation. The procession will feature 14 stations, each marking a site where civilians were tragically killed. Among the stops, participants will pause to pray for and remember those who suffered at 144 Yablunska St., including the first boys to fall victim to the russians: Andrii Verbovyi, Andrii Matviichuk, Andrii Dvornikov, Vitalii Karpenko, Sviatoslav Turovskyi, Anatolii Prykhidko, Valerii Kotenko, and Denys Rudenko.
The procession will conclude at the chapel of St. Luke Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.
For context: The Stations of the Cross is a prayer tradition centered on meditations about the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ for humanity’s salvation. Originating in Jerusalem, it is observed within the liturgical practices of both the Catholic and Greek Catholic Churches.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On March 4, the Media Center Ukraine will host a press conference titled “Volodymyr Ananiev – Ukrainian Political Prisoner of Crimea: Illicit Actions of the Aggressor Country.”
On February 5, 2024, the russian Federal Security Service claimed to have foiled a “terrorist plot” against Sergey Aksyonov, the pro-russian head of Crimea’s government serving as “Chairman of the Council of Ministers.” However, the reality is that 75-year-old Volodymyr Ananiev, a well-known Ukrainian public figure from Crimea, along with two other Ukrainian nationals, was detained as part of a fabricated case.
Ananiev is currently facing transportation to russia under guard and is at risk of a lengthy prison sentence for refusing to cooperate with the russian “investigation.”
The press conference will address the details of Ananiev’s imprisonment, the conditions of his detention, and his deteriorating health.
Speakers:
– Anna Sviatnenko, Wife of kremlin Political Prisoner Volodymyr Ananiev;
– Andriy Shchekun, Representative of the Regional Council of Ukrainians of Crimea;
– Olha Skrypnyk, Board Chairwoman of the Crimean Human Rights Group.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
35-year-old Jason Hercula is from Jacksonville, North Carolina, USA. Back home, he tried many different jobs — he worked as a barber, a pizza delivery driver, and also has experience in construction. He had long dreamed of traveling and even started learning French to feel more confident in French-speaking countries.
However, his plans changed drastically in 2022 when he learned of russia’s aggression against Ukraine. Resolving to help those affected by the invasion, Jason shifted his focus from French to learning Ukrainian.
During his time in Ukraine, Jason has worked on rebuilding numerous sites — mostly residential homes in war-torn towns and villages in the Kyiv oblast — and even helped clear rubble in Kyiv after missile attacks. His favorite task is roof repair, where he has become an expert.
Background information: Dobrobat (short for “Dobrovolchyi Budivelnyi Batalion” — “Volunteer Construction Battalion”) is a volunteer construction initiative that helps war-affected communities with the urgent reconstruction of homes and social infrastructure in de-occupied areas.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On the night of March 3, a russian drone strike hit the Feldman Ecopark in the Kharkiv oblast, causing animal casualties and damage to park facilities. According to park staff, there were three direct hits, two of which hit the central area of the park.
Five domestic animals in the petting zoo area were injured. Two goats, previously evacuated from a combat zone, were killed — one of them pregnant.
Windows were shattered in several park buildings and enclosures were damaged.
Journalists can receive comments from Ecopark representatives both online and offline upon request.
Background information: Before the russian invasion, Feldman Ecopark was home to about 5,000 animals. When the war broke out, the park came under heavy bombardment, resulting in the deaths of over 300 animals, while some escaped into the wild. Many animals had to be evacuated in order to survive. The park’s infrastructure was severely damaged, and six people involved in evacuating the animals lost their lives.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On March 5, a renovated bomb shelter in one of the gymnasiums in Mykolaiv will be opened. The shelter was restored by “Dobrobat” volunteers, who carried out demolition work, wall reinforcement, and floor and ceiling replacement. The three-month renovation was funded by the international organization “Nova Ukraine”.
The shelter will serve as a safe space for 400 children and staff. This is the second shelter restored at the gymnasium, helping to ease the transition to face-to-face learning.
Speakers:
– Mykhailo Bryzhko, Head of Regional Development, NGO “Dobrobat”
– Yurii Osipov, Coordinator of the Mykolaiv branch, NGO “Dobrobat”
– Representatives of “Nova Ukraine”
– School administration
Accreditation is required to participate in the event.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On March 4, the Media Center Ukraine will host a press conference titled “Volodymyr Ananiev – Ukrainian Political Prisoner of Crimea: Illicit Actions of the Aggressor Country.”
On February 5, 2024, the russian Federal Security Service claimed to have foiled a “terrorist plot” against Sergey Aksyonov, the pro-russian head of Crimea’s government serving as “Chairman of the Council of Ministers.” However, the reality is that 75-year-old Volodymyr Ananiev, a well-known Ukrainian public figure from Crimea, along with two other Ukrainian nationals, was detained as part of a fabricated case.
Ananiev is currently facing transportation to russia under guard and is at risk of a lengthy prison sentence for refusing to cooperate with the russian “investigation.”
The press conference will address the details of Ananiev’s imprisonment, the conditions of his detention, and his deteriorating health.
Speakers:
– Anna Sviatnenko, Wife of kremlin Political Prisoner Volodymyr Ananiev;
– Andriy Shchekun, Representative of the Regional Council of Ukrainians of Crimea;
– Olha Skrypnyk, Board Chairwoman of the Crimean Human Rights Group.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the russia’s full-scale invasion on Ukraine, Volodymyr Bilenkyi opened his own veterinary clinic, Vet House, in Vinnytsia. However, when war broke out, he was quickly mobilized and joined the airborne assault troops. For the next two and a half years, he fought on the front lines, while his wife took over the clinic’s operations, even opening a second branch during his absence.
In July 2024, after returning to civilian life, Volodymyr set his sights on expanding his business. He applied for and received a grant from the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation, using the funds to purchase essential equipment for the second clinic. Volodymyr firmly believes that military personnel transitioning to civilian life need to find something they are passionate about to guide them forward.
All those interested can connect with Volodymyr Bilenkyi, both online and in person, by appointment.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Launched in the summer of 2023, the rehabilitation program at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra Historical and Cultural Reserve has already welcomed 1,438 military personnel. Starting in 2025, the program has been expanded to include the families of fallen soldiers, families of prisoners of war, and former prisoners themselves. The rehabilitation takes place within the expansive grounds of the Kyiv Cave Monastery, aiming to restore participants by immersing them in Ukraine’s rich cultural and spiritual heritage.
The program unfolds in two stages. The first, a 10-day initiative, includes activities such as archaeological digs at ancient walls, a glassmaking workshop from the 11th and 12th centuries, and visits to the National Museum of History’s Treasury and the Museum of Books and Printing. Participants also engage in an icon painting workshop, explore the Upper and Lower Lavra territories, and take part in worship services. The second stage, “A Day at the Lavra for Military,” allows groups of veterans, led by a lecturer-guide, to experience a full day at the monastery. During their visit, they explore the site, attend guided tours, join in the Reserve’s activities, and visit local shrines.
To enhance the program’s scope, the team partners with independent cultural institutions, public initiatives, and individual artists. Contemporary artists, restorers, musicians, and folk artisans lead master classes and interactive sessions, offering the military not just a chance to observe but also to participate in the creative process.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Georgiy Gongadze Prize team invites you to an engaging event where speakers and attendees will explore the unique challenges faced by war correspondents, investigators, documentary filmmakers, fixers, foreign agency journalists, and press officers. The evening will also feature the launch of the new Gongadze Prize video podcast series, Synchronicities of War.
Event program:
- A public conversation with Vladyslav Zinkevych, Program Director of the Georgiy Gongadze Prize and Editor-in-Chief of Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine (Suspilne), and Fedir Skrypnyk, Director of the Content Monitoring and Broadcasting Standards Department at Suspilne. They will delve into the standards guiding the work of media professionals during the war.
- A panel discussion moderated by Yevheniia Podobna, host of the Synchronicities of War video podcast, Ukrainian journalist, war documentary filmmaker, and writer.
- Presentation of the Synchronicities of War video podcast series, highlighting the work of media professionals who document the war, share its truths with the world and preserve the memory of this pivotal time in history.
Panelists:
- Yevheniia Motorevska, Head of the War Crimes Investigations Unit at the Kyiv Independent;
- Olha Kyrylenko, War Correspondent at Ukrainska Pravda;
- Serhii Cherevatyi, Director General of the Ukrinform.
Synchronicities of War is a series of video podcasts by the Georgiy Gongadze Prize team, shedding light on those who work tirelessly to document the war, convey its reality to the world, and preserve its historical memory. Each episode features the story of a different hero and their experience at the front. The series includes war correspondents, investigators, documentary filmmakers, fixers, journalists from foreign agencies, and press officers.
Pre-registration is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On March 6, a crucial roundtable discussion titled “Media of Occupied Territories: How to Stay Connected with the People” will take place. The media outlets relocated from temporarily occupied areas serve as one of the few reliable, trusted, and open communication channels for those who have been displaced across the front lines, in different countries, and on different continents due to the ongoing war.
However, these newsrooms are facing a perfect storm of challenges: cuts to grant programs, the ongoing war, and economic difficulties. According to a study by the Institute of Mass Information (IMI) in Kyiv, over half of regional media have experienced significant funding losses.
This roundtable, hosted at the Media Center Ukraine, will bring together editors, journalists, media experts, and government officials to discuss potential solutions and steps to help Ukrainian regional media emerge from this crisis.
Speakers:
– Oksana Romaniuk, Director of the Institute of Mass Information (IMI);
– Andrii Dikhtiarenko, Co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of Realna Gazeta;
– Anna Murlykina, Editor of Mariupol local news outlet 0629.com.ua, Project Manager of the Relocated Media Cluster;
– Yevheniia Virlych, Editor-in-Chief of Kherson online media Kavun.city;
– Hanna Bokova, Editor-in-Chief of Bakhmut IN.UA;
– Valeriia Melnyk, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Tribun publication;
– Valeriia Krupoderia, Coordinator of the Eastern Variant hotline.
This event promises to be a pivotal conversation about preserving the voice of Ukrainian regional media during these challenging times.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Lithuanian rower Aurimas Mockus was in danger from the impact of Tropical Cyclone Alfred as he attempted to cross the Pacific Ocean alone. His journey was to honor Ukrainians who lost their lives in the war and to remind the world that support for Ukraine must not stop.
Aurimas had planned to row from San Diego, USA to Brisbane, Australia. However, the tropical cyclone disrupted his plans as he approached the Australian coast. On March 2, he was rescued by an Australian military vessel. Doctors on board examined him and found no serious injuries.
Journalists will have the opportunity to speak with Aurimas Mockus once he reaches shore. He is expected to arrive on March 7th.
Background information: Aurimas Mockus began his journey in October 2024 with the goal of rowing 6,500 nautical miles (12,000 km) from the United States to Australia. If successful, he would have been the first person in history to row the distance alone in a rowing boat. In addition, if he had completed the journey in less than 159 days and 16 hours, he would have broken the Guinness World Record set in 2014.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Sarah, a U.S. citizen, has been living and working in Kyiv for the past year and a half. She joined the Voices of Children Charitable Foundation, which assists war-affected children. Sarah mainly focuses on humanitarian issues.
Sarah first visited Ukraine as a teenager, both as a tourist and as a humanitarian worker. During the full-scale war in 2022, she volunteered for two months across Ukraine, providing aid on the ground. After earning her university degree in 2023, she returned and chose to settle in Kyiv. She finds inspiration in exploring new cities, especially near the front lines, where she feels life’s meaning most deeply.
Journalists can meet and speak with Sarah in Kyiv by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Participants:
– Kateryna Levchenko, Government Commissioner for Gender Policy;
– Yaroslava Lopatina, Country Program Director, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) Ukraine;
– Olena Stryzhak, Chair of the Board, Charitable Organization “Positive women”;
– Yuliia Kalancha, Executive Director, TB Europe Coalition;
Discussion topics:
– Obstacles women face in accessing quality healthcare services amid the ongoing realities of the third year of full-blown war;
– Findings from the Positive Women NGO study on healthcare access for HIV-positive women;
– Insights from the TB European Coalition study on gender-sensitive healthcare services;
– Gender-specific challenges in combating tuberculosis—addressing the needs of women with TB and promoting gender equality among healthcare professionals.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Eight months ago, Luna made the decision to leave Venezuela and travel to Ukraine to join the country’s Defense Forces. She admits that her friends and family were less than thrilled when they heard the news, unhappy with her choice to serve in a foreign military.
Luna enlisted with the 13th Khratiia Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine, a unit recommended to her by a friend. After completing her training, she began serving as an artillery officer. Today, she continues to carry out her duties on the front lines.
Interviews with Luna can be arranged both online and in person with approval from the brigade’s press officer. Luna communicates exclusively in Spanish.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Back in 2020, while still a student, Alina Streltsova saw bomb disposal experts from The HALO Trust Ukraine training on the outskirts of her hometown of Kramatorsk. That moment sparked her interest, and she decided to see if this line of work was right for her.
Alina went on to join HALO’s team in the Kharkiv region—first as an explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) specialist, then as an explosive hazard awareness instructor, and later as a quality control specialist. Today, both her father and husband serve in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, while Alina remains fully committed to clearing explosive hazards from Ukrainian soil. Her primary responsibility now is ensuring that all landmines clearance operations comply with strict safety protocols, protecting her colleagues from potential dangers.
Journalists can interview Alina in the Kharkiv region by prior arrangement.
Background: The HALO Trust is the largest international nonprofit organization dedicated to clearing landmines and unexploded ordnance. For the past 35 years, it has been operating in 30 countries and territories around the world.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ideological pressure, torture, and politically motivated prosecutions—these are the realities Ukrainians face in russian detention facilities today. Yet these repressive tactics are far from new. They trace back more than a century to the Soviet Union and are now being revived by modern-day russia.
In its latest analytical report, the Media Initiative for Human Rights compares archival cases from Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) with testimonies from today’s detainees. The document highlights the direct link between Soviet-era repression and current practices, demonstrating that russia’s actions are not isolated incidents but rather part of a deliberate, systemic policy by the aggressor state.
The presentation will explore which groups of Ukrainians have been targeted by russia for more than a century; the ideological indoctrination methods used both in the Soviet era and today; how the machinery of torture and coercion operates; and why these combined practices amount to crimes against humanity.
Advance registration is required to attend the event.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Valeriia Vershynina was born and raised in Donetsk. In 2014, when russia launched its first assault on Ukraine and occupied her hometown, she and her family fled to Kyiv.
After settling in the capital, Valeriia joined Stabilization Support Services, a charitable foundation focused on assisting internally displaced persons (IDPs). She became part of a working group responsible for developing legislation related to displaced populations. In 2024, Valeriia stepped into the role of executive director of the foundation.
“Stabilization Support Services received funding from American donors, with one of the foundation’s key programs dedicated to helping IDPs rebuild their homes. However, that funding was recently cut, putting several projects at risk,” Valeriia explained. Now, she is working to secure support from donors in other countries to keep the foundation’s initiatives moving forward.
Interviews with Valeriia Vershynina can be arranged both online and in person in Kyiv by appointment.
Background: Stabilization Support Services is a Ukrainian charitable foundation that has been operating since 2016, working to address the social impacts of the war and provide comprehensive support for internally displaced persons. The foundation offers humanitarian and legal assistance, helps repair damaged homes, strengthens Ukraine’s social protection system, and has built a national network of IDP Councils, launched between 2019 and 2020. Its programs span the entire country, with a focus on restoring war-affected communities and improving access to social services for Ukraine’s most vulnerable populations.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A veteran of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and instructor of the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade, known by the call sign “Student,” joined the military in February 2022. Initially, as part of a territorial defense unit, he was involved in the evacuation of civilians from Irpin, Kyiv oblast. Later he was transferred to another unit and sent to Donetsk, where he was wounded and survived two clinical deaths.
His rehabilitation lasted a year. Realizing that he could no longer serve on the front lines, “Student” decided to use his combat experience to train those preparing to join the military. He joined the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade as an instructor, believing that proper training is the key to saving lives on the battlefield.
Journalists wishing to speak with “Student” can do so online or in person in Kyiv by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Drivers Project is open to veterans with musculoskeletal injuries or amputations. The goal of the initiative is to provide disabled veterans with the opportunity to learn driving skills so that they can be mobile. It also gives them the opportunity to find a job or use these skills in their own business or social activities.
The project was launched in June 2024 and is implemented by the NGO “Free People Employment Center”. A total of 51 veterans have joined so far, with 21 currently taking the theoretical course and 17 undergoing practical driving training.
Journalists can cover the project’s work in Kyiv and the Kyiv oblast by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Peaceful rallies will be held in 24 cities to remind the world of the defenders of Azovstal and other soldiers still held in enemy captivity.
On March 8, rallies will be held in Okhtyrka, Chernihiv, Arbuzynka, Vinnytsia, Irpin, Zaporizhia, Zhytomyr, Pavlohrad and Obukhiv.
On March 9, events are planned in Kyiv, Pivdennoukrainsk, Uman, Krolevets, Korop, Ovruch, Kremenchuk, Cherkasy, Korosten, Uzhhorod, Kharkiv, Lozova, Poltava, Berdychiv, and Kropyvnytskyi.
The rallies are organized by families of POWs from the Mariupol garrison, with former POWs often attending to share their experiences.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Since the start of the full-scale war, russian aviation has dropped over 51,000 guided bombs on Ukraine – 40,000 of them in 2024 alone, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.
These bombs are primarily modernized Soviet munitions weighing 500 to 3,000 kg, equipped with a unified gliding and correction module (UMPK kit). This module includes folding wings that extend range and GPS navigation for accuracy.
In its new study, NAKO examined the remnants of UMPC kits. The researchers found that 71% of the microelectronics in UMPK kits are from Western-oriented manufacturers. Of the 22 manufacturers identified, 10 are in the U.S., six are in China, four are in Switzerland, and two are in Ireland and Japan.
On March 11 in Kyiv, during the presentation of the thematic report, we will discuss how Western components end up in russian weapons. Can this supply chain be disrupted? What are our options for countering guided bombs?
Participants:
– Vladyslav Vlasiuk, Presidential Advisor on Sanctions Policy
– Heorhii Tykhyi, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine
– Viktoriia Vyshnivska, Senior Researcher, Independent Anti-Corruption Commission (NAKO)
– Illia Kukharenko, Advisor on EW/ELINT, Ministry of Strategic Industries of Ukraine
Accreditation required. Deadline: March 10, 5:00 PM
Since the start of the full-scale invasion, NAKO researchers have analyzed over 2,500 components from 30 russian weapons, including fighter jets, Ka-52 “Alligator” helicopters, Kalibr missiles, Iranian drones, and North Korean KN-23/24 missiles.
Background information: The Independent Anti-Corruption Commission (NAKO) is a civil society organization focused on reducing corruption risks in Ukraine’s defense sector through research, advocacy, and public awareness. Since the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion, NAKO has launched a project to monitor and strengthen sanctions against russia’s defense industry.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
At the UNBROKEN Center in Lviv, defenders recovering from serious injuries are exploring a new form of rehabilitation—golf.
Participants have already completed three training sessions under the guidance of Volodymyr Shevchun, a certified trainer and rehabilitation specialist. Shevchun is actively developing this approach as a method of both physical and psychological recovery in Ukraine. He explains that golf engages various muscle groups while also helping to relieve stress, promote relaxation, and provide a mental escape.
The coach sees significant potential in golf as a rehabilitation tool for veterans. To expand the program, he is currently training three specialists at the UNBROKEN Center, preparing them to lead similar sessions for patients in the future.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On March 11, the Media Center Ukraine in Kyiv will host a briefing titled “Ukraine’s energy system after winter: Recovery, challenges, and next steps”
Participants:
– Oleksandr Kharchenko, Director of the Energy Industry Research Center
Discussion topics:
– The current state of electricity production, including nuclear power output;
– The impact of USAID’s funding halt on energy infrastructure restoration;
– Plans for further rebuilding efforts in the energy sector;
– An assessment of how the heating season affected the country’s power grid;
– Lessons learned and necessary improvements ahead of next winter.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On March 14, the Ukrainian Volunteer Day, the First Chernihiv Veterans Theatre will perform the play “Hospital Rhapsody”. The author of the play is Yurii Vietkin, a veteran of the russian-Ukrainian war who lost his leg during an enemy shelling. The play is based on real events that took place in a ward of the Chernihiv military hospital in March 2022.
The premiere of “Hospital Rhapsody”, staged by the Chernihiv Veterans Theatre “Sercevir”, took place at the end of February. The cast consists entirely of veterans and military personnel — three of the actors are amputees, while two others have experienced post-traumatic stress disorder. Widows of fallen soldiers and director Anastasiia Kuzyk, the wife of a serving soldier, also took part in the performance.
The lead role is played by veteran Ruslan Ivanov, who has an amputated arm. Before the full-scale invasion, he worked as a production designer in a movie studio. He volunteered to defend Ukraine, fought in the Kyiv oblast and was wounded near Bakhmut in October 2023.
Guests from Poltava — partners involved in supporting veterans through the “Shoulder to Shoulder: United Communities” project — attended the performance alongside Chernihiv residents. Poltava and Chernihiv had previously launched a joint initiative, the “Veteran Spaces Opportunity Map”, which helps returning soldiers find the psychological, legal, and social support they need.
Journalists will have the opportunity to interview the cast, attend the dress rehearsal, and cover the performance of “Hospital Rhapsody” on March 14.
Background: On April 6, 2022, the Ukrainian Defense Forces completely liberated the Chernihiv oblast from the russian occupiers.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Charitable Foundation “Volunteer Union PORUCH”, in collaboration with partners, has launched a project to install automatic feeders for cats and dogs near the front lines. The initiative aims to ensure a continuous food supply for animals in areas where people have been forced to flee due to shelling.
The feeders are specially designed structures that automatically dispense dry food while protecting it from moisture. Volunteers have already installed 100 automatic feeders in the Donetsk oblast, providing a lifeline for more than 500 stray animals.
Unfortunately, as russian forces advanced, some of the feeders ended up in occupied territory.
By prior arrangement, journalists can interview Foundation volunteers in Kyiv, observe the feeders in action, receive photo and video material, and, if possible, speak online with residents of the Donetsk oblast who are monitoring the feeders.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Serhii Pryschepa considers March 14, 2022, his second birthday. That day, he and his family attempted to escape from russian-occupied territory in Chernihiv Oblast but were caught in an attack. Their car was engulfed in flames, burning to the ground. Miraculously, he survived.
Serhii has been undergoing rehabilitation for over a year. The recovery process has been grueling and slow, yet he remains resolute. Not only has he regained his strength, but he has also grown even stronger—thanks to relentless training, he can now lift more weight than he could before his injury.
Background: Serhii Pryschepa is a participant in the Neopalymi (Unburnt) program, a national initiative providing free external rehabilitation and treatment for war-related injuries, burns, and scars. By April 6, 2022, Ukrainian defense forces had fully liberated Chernihiv Oblast from russian occupation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Ivona Kostyna has been working with military personnel and veterans since 2015. Initially, she and the Pobratymy Foundation organized trips for psychologists to the front lines to provide mental health support to Ukrainian defenders. Over time, Ivona realized that soldiers would need continued care long after leaving the service.
Determined to address this, she collaborated with specialists to develop psychosocial adaptation programs. Soon after, she and her partners launched the first Veteran Hub in Kyiv—a space where service members and their families can access legal assistance, psychological counseling, and guidance on employment, education, and grant opportunities.
Within two years, the team expanded, opening another Veteran Hub location in Vinnytsia. To ensure equal access to services regardless of a veteran’s location or mobility, the organization also launched mobile offices in Kyiv, Vinnytsia, and Dnipro in 2020, bringing support directly to those in need.
Since 2018, Ukraine’s Veteran Hub has operated without public fundraising. However, in January 2025, after the U.S. Department of State suspended funding for international assistance programs, the organization was forced to close its Vinnytsia branch and its Support Helpline. For the first time, the team publicly appealed for donations from the community and businesses.
Thanks to the support of Ukrainian businesses and the community in Vinnytsia, the team has raised over UAH 9 million, ensuring the continued operation of the organization’s services for at least three months.
The Veteran Hub team is now seeking regular donors to sustain their support for soldiers and their families.
Ivona Kostyna is available for meetings in Kyiv, both online and offline, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In the Lviv Oblast, mountain hiking trips are being organized for defenders undergoing rehabilitation, including veterans with prosthetic limbs. These therapeutic hikes are arranged by the charity foundation With an Angel on a Shoulder.
Recently, the defenders climbed Mount Makovytsia and Mount Smerichok in the Ivano-Frankivsk region. The next hike is planned for mid-April.
Journalists can cover the mountain therapy by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oksana Starodub, a mother of two from Chernihiv, faced unthinkable challenges after deciding to stay in her hometown when the war began. Her husband, Mykola, joined the territorial defense forces on the second day of the all-out invasion, determined to protect his family and city. On March 6, 2022, russian mortars struck Oksana’s home, leaving her severely injured and unable to move. Her teenage son bandaged her wounds as they awaited help, but continued shelling prevented an ambulance from reaching them. Eventually, Mykola and his unit managed to return home, where a military medic applied a tactical tourniquet to Oksana’s leg before she was taken to a hospital. The hospital, overwhelmed with wounded, was operating under dire conditions. Power was down due to nearby shelling, staff was stretched thin, and resources were scarce. Drinking water arrived only once daily, and food for both patients and doctors was cooked outdoors over an open flame. Oksana later traveled to Vinnytsia for multiple surgeries and, by September 2022, was able to walk on her own again.
Meanwhile, Mykola continued defending the Chernihiv region until his battalion was deployed to Donetsk. On June 17, 2024, during a combat mission, Mykola sustained fatal wounds, leaving Oksana a widow.
The Children of Heroes charity foundation is currently supporting the family. Dedicated to aiding children who have lost one or both parents due to russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the foundation offers financial assistance, psychological counseling, legal aid, and educational support to help these children grow and thrive until adulthood.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Maryna Kotlobai is a dermatologist who began her journey as a volunteer doctor with FRIDA, the Ukrainian-Israeli mission of medical volunteers. Today she is one of the captains of its field missions.
Maryna is from the town of Khrustalnyi in the Luhansk oblast (occupied since spring 2014). After 2014, she was forced to move to Kharkiv, and later to Siverskodonetsk, Luhansk oblast (occupied since June 2022). When the full-scale invasion began, she had to leave her home again – this time she and her parents fled abroad. But just a few months later, she returned to Ukraine to start a new life in the capital.
Journalists can speak with Maryna in Kyiv, online or during FRIDA’s field missions.
Background: FRIDA Ukraine is a Ukrainian-Israeli mission of medical volunteers dedicated to helping civilians. Volunteer doctors provide quality medical care to Ukrainians affected by the war.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Researchers from the Chernihiv historical museum named after V. Tarnovskyi travel to the village of Yahidne, Chernihiv oblast, to collect eyewitness testimony. (In the spring of 2022, russian occupiers detained over 300 local residents in inhumane conditions in the basement of the school for almost a month).
Since September 2023, historians have been documenting historical artifacts in Yahidne. They have examined and described over 1,000 objects, including clothing, shoes, personal items, backpacks, books, empty russian military ration boxes, antiseptic tubes, russian newspapers, wooden pallets used for sitting and sleeping, plastic water bottles used as makeshift toilets. Experts recorded descriptions of all basement rooms and photographed artifacts found throughout the village, including remnants of enemy equipment, uniforms and ammunition boxes.
At the request of the regional authorities, copies of occupation documents found in Yahidne have been turned over to the museum.
All documented artifacts will remain in place. There are plans to create a memorial complex in Yahidne, including the school basement where civilians were imprisoned.
Journalists can learn more, join researchers on the ground, and see the historical artifacts firsthand.
Background: Yahidne is a village near Chernihiv. At the beginning of the full-scale russian invasion, the occupying forces set up their headquarters in the local school. In its basement they imprisoned 299 adults and 67 children – almost the entire population of the village. The basement was only 197 square meters, forcing people to sleep sitting up, with limited oxygen. Ten people died as a result of the horrific conditions.
In February 2023, a photograph of the Yahidne basement appeared on the cover of TIME magazine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
With the start of the full-scale invasion, Anna Paikina left Odesa for abroad, fearing the possibility of enemy occupation. While in Spain, she switched from russian to Ukrainian and decided to return home in the spring of 2023. Anna wanted to promote Ukrainian culture in her hometown of Odesa.
First, she gathered like-minded people on social media who wanted to participate in traditional Ukrainian caroling. She then arranged with local restaurants and cafes to perform traditional Ukrainian songs.
This initiative soon grew into the “Legit” Ethnic Union. Many of its members are wives of soldiers waiting for their husbands to return from the front. In addition to promoting Ukrainian culture, “Legit” serves another purpose – helping its singers cope with their emotions and fears.
The band is now planning new performances in Odesa. Journalists can speak with Anna Paikina and the band members online or in person by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On March 17, the Media Center Ukraine will host a discussion on “Ukraine’s internal challenges and global geopolitical trends: Information wars, russia, Trump, China and the EU”.
Participants:
– Vadym Denysenko, Political Expert;
– Ihar Tyshkevich, Political Analyst;
– Iliya Kusa, Analyst at the Ukrainian Institute for the Future.
Key topics:
– Will putin agree to a ceasefire and what factors will influence his decision?
– Trump, China and the Global South: Who will influence the negotiations and how?
– How could russia exploit a potential ceasefire for its own purposes?
– The Kremlin’s information wars: How is russia manipulating public opinion about the negotiations?
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On March 16, Ukraine will hold an annual event to honor the victims of the Mariupol Drama Theater tragedy. Mariupol residents and all those who remember are invited to light candles near theater buildings across the country in a tribute to those lost.
Commemorative gatherings will take place in Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Dnipro, Zaporizhia (March 15), Ivano-Frankivsk, Kalush, Lviv, Kyiv, Kamianske, Kremenchuk, Rivne, Ternopil, Uzhhorod, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy, Chernivtsi, Kropyvnytskyi, Poltava, Kryvyi Rih, and Odesa.
Background: On March 16, 2022, russian forces dropped bombs on the Mariupol Drama Theater, despite the russian word for “children,” “ДЕТИ”(DETY), written in large, clearly visible white letters on the pavement outside the building. At the time, hundreds of Mariupol families were sheltering there, seeking refuge from relentless russian shelling. The attack claimed the lives of hundreds of innocent civilians, including children.
The Mariupol Drama Theater has since become a harrowing symbol—of brutality and destruction, of Mariupol’s suffering, of Ukraine’s pain. It remains an enduring testament to a russian war crime the world must never forget.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On March 19, FRIDA Ukraine will lead a one-day medical mission to an orphanage in Tarascha, Kyiv Oblast—their second visit to the facility. The orphanage houses approximately 70 school-age children, some of whom have parents deprived of parental rights, while others have medical conditions such as autism or Down syndrome.
The volunteer medical team includes specialists in pediatrics, dermatovenerology, pediatric neurology, ophthalmology, pediatric endocrinology, ultrasound diagnostics, surgery/urology, psychology, and otolaryngology.
Photo and Video Guidelines: Close-up images of children’s faces are strictly prohibited in photo and video materials. Only general shots or images capturing children from behind or in profile are permitted.
Background: FRIDA Ukraine is a Ukrainian-Israeli medical volunteer mission dedicated to assisting civilians. Its volunteer doctors provide specialized medical care to Ukrainians affected by the war.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On March 20, Kyiv will host the inaugural Reform Platform organized by the 3rd Assault Brigade. The event will focus on sharing a decade of experience in building combat-ready units, developing an effective management system, and enhancing motivation and recruitment strategies.
Colonel Andrii Biletskyi is set to speak at the event. The program will also include two introductory sessions, discussions, and the launch of a lecture series featuring speakers from the brigade.
Registration is required to attend.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Larysa Zahryva has devoted 25 years to education. She worked as a teacher, and in 2022 she became the head of the Center for the Provision of Social Services in Chernihiv Oblast. When the full-scale war broke out, the village of Mykhailo-Kotsiubynske, where Larysa lived and worked, was under occupation. For 37 days, she continued to go to work and take care of the elderly people who remained in the village. Larysa hid documents from the russians and was shot at five times. The occupiers came to her house in the middle of the night and interrogated Larysa’s husband.
After Ukraine retook Mykhailo-Kotsiubynskyi from russian occupation, Larysa successfully founded the University of the Third Age (U3A) with support from the United Nations Development Program. Today, several areas of study are already available for lifelong learners, including the Healthy Lifestyles Program, the Philosophy Program, and the Arts and Crafts Program Larysa also created a mobile social assistance project: A car with volunteers who help residents with household chores runs around Chernihiv. The University has also recently opened a resilience space where women, children, IDPs, and war victims can work individually with a psychologist or attend support groups.
For reference: By April 6, 2022, the Defense Forces had completely liberated Chernihiv Oblast.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine, Mykola Hradnyi-Savytskyi worked in theater and film. He calls meeting his wife, Kateryna—also part of the arts community—a gift of fate. In April 2022, he decided to enlist, visiting multiple recruitment offices before finally joining a National Guard unit in Chernihiv.
Determined to serve in a combat role, Mykola soon transferred to the National Guard of Ukraine’s 12th Special Forces Brigade Azov, where he became a UAV operator. In March 2024, while operating near the Serebrianskyi Forest in Luhansk Oblast, he and his unit were caught under a collapsing concrete slab.
For four hours, his comrades worked to pull him from the rubble under enemy fire. Once freed, they waited another two hours for evacuation. Doctors had no choice but to amputate both of his legs. Throughout his treatment, rehabilitation, and prosthetic fitting, Kateryna remained by his side. She says the injury was not a tragedy for them—they always understood the risks of military service.
Mykola is now undergoing rehabilitation at the Superhumans Center in Lviv Oblast.
The Hradnov-Savytskyi family is available for interviews both online and in person by appointment through their press officer.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before russia’s large-scale aggression against Ukraine broke out, 38-year-old Artem Kostiuk worked as a gas boiler operator and ran a power tool sales and repair shop in Sloviansk. Even as the front line drew dangerously close, he remained at his post, ensuring people had heat until the very last moment. But when a russian missile leveled his store, he knew it was time for a drastic change.
In November 2024, Artem became the head of HALO Ukraine’s mine clearance team in the Kyiv region. His wife, Maryna, also joined the effort. Today, he continues his work in the Chernihiv region, clearing explosives left behind by the war.
Artem says his years in the boiler room prepared him for this high-stakes responsibility. “One mistake could have left 20,000 to 30,000 people without heat. Explosive ordnance disposal is different, but the core responsibility is the same—people’s lives and well-being depend on me. Every day, I’m responsible for the safety of my team and Ukrainians as a whole.”
For reference: Journalists can interview Artem in the Chernihiv region by prior arrangement.
The HALO Trust is the world’s largest international nonprofit dedicated to clearing landmines and unexploded ordnance. For 35 years, it has operated in 30 countries and territories.
By April 6, 2022, Ukrainian forces had fully liberated the Chernihiv region from russian occupation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Twelve years ago, Ihor Tsyba and his family turned their backyard into an ostrich farm. Over time, their farm in the village of Verkhnia Syrovatka, Sumy Oblast, grew to house more than 50 species of birds.
When russia launched its all-out war against Ukraine, the village was occupied, putting the animals in grave danger. In early March 2022, heavy shelling shook the area, injuring many birds in their enclosures. Three ostriches suffered wounds so severe that they had to be euthanized.
Following the village’s liberation, the farm took on a new role—rehabilitating injured wild animals. Among its rescues was a roe deer that lost a leg after being struck by a combine harvester and a swan found trapped in the ice with its wings severed. Tsyba funds the farm’s operations himself, dedicating his resources to caring for the animals.
For reference: Ihor Tsyba, based in Sumy Oblast, is available for interviews with journalists both online and in person by prior arrangement.
By April 11, 2022, Ukrainian forces had liberated Sumy and restored control over the state border in Sumy Oblast.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Olena Herhel’s beloved Vasyl was Belarusian. Back home, he fought against the regime of self-proclaimed President Aleksandr Lukashenko—a struggle that led to his imprisonment. In 2015, he joined Ukraine’s fight, believing that by defending Ukraine, he was also taking a step toward freeing his own country.
In the summer of 2022, Olena received word that Vasyl was missing. But she says she knows for certain that he is dead—his comrades witnessed his death in battle. Later, she found footage on an enemy propaganda channel that showed Vasyl’s body, along with the chevron and belt she had given him.
Now raising three children alone, Olena made the decision to mobilize when her eldest son came of age. She was offered a role in the patronage service of the 93rd Separate Mechanized Brigade Kholodnyi Yar, where she now leads efforts to locate missing soldiers. Having lived through the anguish of uncertainty, she says she deeply understands what these families endure—and she is committed to doing everything she can to support those who receive the dreaded news that a loved one is missing.
Olena Herhel is available for interviews both online and in person by appointment.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
For more than 32 years, Valentyna Hantseva has worked at the library in the village of Soldatske, Sumy Oblast. Just months before russia’s full-scale invasion, the library underwent a modern renovation and received new equipment. But when a russian airstrike hit the village center during the occupation, the library building was left in ruins. Only the roof and walls remained intact, while the blast wave devastated the interior.
Despite the occupation and the constant threat of russian aircraft overhead, Valentyna and her husband began salvaging books, hiding them in grain sacks to keep them safe. In total, she managed to rescue more than 1,000 volumes.
In April 2022, Ukrainian forces liberated the village. With support from a benefactor in Germany, the library was restored, and by the fall of 2022, Valentyna was able to reopen its doors to readers.
For reference: By April 11, 2022, then-Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi announced that Ukraine had fully regained control of its state border in the Sumy region.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On March 19, the Media Center Ukraine will host a press conference titled: “The future of space technology in Ukraine: The way to the first student-built space instrument and the development of engineering initiatives.”
Participants:
– Dmytro Khmara, Founder of the startups MySat and AeroBavovna;
– Ivan Syniavskyi, Head of the Department for Atmospheric Optics and Instrumentation, Main Astronomical Observatory, Ph.D. in Technical Sciences;
– Olena Kompaniiets, Junior Researcher, Press Secretary of the Main Astronomical Observatory of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (NASU), Head of the Young Scientists Council of the Main Astronomical Observatory, NASU;
– Ruslana Tulupova, Head of the NGO “Agency of After-School Education”.
During the press conference, participants will present a unique project that combines science, education, and engineering, paving the way for the creation of the first student spacecraft, and discuss how this initiative is fostering a new generation of engineers, supporting the development of the space industry in Ukraine, and how interested individuals can join the initiative.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
“Auto Mechanic” is a free training course for women within the OnTrack program of the Reskilling Ukraine project.
The course is designed to train future specialists in vehicle maintenance and repair. The curriculum includes basic knowledge about the structure, working principles and technical characteristics of modern automobiles.
The course will begin in Kyiv on April 7, with 15 women participating.
Background: Reskilling Ukraine is a project of the Swedish non-profit organization Beredskapslyftet, implemented in Ukraine. It focuses on free training programs for women and veterans to help them start careers in new fields.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
World Central Kitchen (WCK) continues to support Ukrainian communities through its annual Seeds of Hope program. This initiative helps people grow their own vegetables, improving access to food during times of war. This year, the organization will distribute 50,000 seed kits to the most affected regions of Ukraine to help people secure fresh produce and strengthen food security.
The seed kits will be delivered to ten oblasts: Donetsk, Zaporizhia, Mykolaiv, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, Kyiv and Khmelnytskyi.
Each kit contains seeds for cabbage, zucchini, dill, radishes, tomatoes, beets, parsley, peppers, cucumbers, and carrots. This will enable families to grow fresh vegetables and become partially self-sufficient. In addition to private households, the program will also support internally displaced persons living in modular housing settlements.
This initiative is already underway. Journalists are welcome to cover the seed distribution process by appointment.
The Seeds of Hope program was launched in 2022 in response to food supply disruptions caused by active hostilities.
Background: World Central Kitchen is a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization that provides food aid to people affected by natural disasters and crises. WCK was founded in 2010 by renowned chef José Andrés, who, along with his team, prepared meals in Haiti after the devastating earthquake.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In frontline communities, even daily routines become a challenge. The lack of a centralized water supply in Sviatohirsk means that something as simple as doing laundry or taking a shower is a struggle. However, the local community has come up with a solution.
In early 2023, the town’s first sanitation module was installed. The facility includes a 1,200-liter water tank, a toilet, two washing machines, and three shower stalls. The module can operate without electricity thanks to a generator, and it also has the option of using firewood for heating.
There are currently two such sanitation modules in the community, with a third planned for this year. In addition, a social laundry service is operating in the town with the support of the Shoulder to Shoulder: United Communities project.
Journalists can pre-arrange to cover the work of the sanitation modules and the social laundry. Online commentary is also available upon request.
Background: On June 5, 2022, russian forces occupied part of Sviatohirsk in the Donetsk oblast. In September of the same year, Ukrainian forces liberated the town. After the liberation, Sviatohirsk was left without a centralized water supply, as the system had been damaged during the fighting.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
What could a tribunal for russia’s aggression against Ukraine look like, and will it happen? How does the changing geopolitical landscape affect the prosecution of war criminals? Is Ukraine’s national justice system prepared to investigate war crimes?
The global initiative “Tribunal for putin” (T4P) invites media representatives, international organizations, and members of government and civil society to present its work and discuss the future of justice. The event will take place in Kyiv on 25 March.
Over the past three years, the initiative — which includes some 40 civil society organizations — has been documenting incidents in all regions of Ukraine that bear the hallmarks of crimes under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. To date, nearly 85,000 such cases have been documented.
Speakers:
– Yevhen Zakharov, Director, Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group;
– Vladlena Padun, Analyst, Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union;
– Zera Kozlyieva, Legal Director, Truth Hounds;
– Yuliia Bohdan, Director, Centre of Law Enforcement Activities Research (CLEAR);
– Ihor Kotelianets, Head of the Board, Association of Relatives of Political Prisoners of the Kremlin.
Moderator: Oleksandra Romantsova, Executive Director, Center for Civil Liberties.
Registration is required to attend.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The sledge hockey team consists of 11 veterans with lower limb amputations. They practice four times a week at an ice rink in the Lviv oblast. This summer, the team will decide whether to compete in the 2026 World Championship.
Journalists can cover the team’s training sessions by prior arrangement.
Background: Sledge hockey, also known as Sled hockey, was developed in Sweden in the early 1960s specifically for people with physical disabilities. It became a Paralympic sport in 1994.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the full-scale invasion, Maryna Sadykova, the founder of the “Repower” charitable foundation, worked in event management. After 24 February, she and her team shifted their focus to supporting Ukrainian soldiers. However, the intense volunteer work took a toll on her mental health, leading to burnout and anxiety. In search of recovery, she traveled to the Carpathian Mountains, an experience that inspired her to create a psychological support program. Initially, the project aimed to help fellow military volunteers, but due to limited funding, the team decided to focus on combat medics — those on the front lines saving soldiers’ lives.
This led to the creation of the “Repower” project in Kyiv, which provides mental health recovery programs for Ukrainian combat medics. The organization has developed a sustainable psychological rehabilitation program — a 10-day retreat in Sweden, Denmark and Spain. Ukrainian psychologists accompany the medics on each trip. The program includes therapeutic exercises, individual counseling, group sessions, art therapy and music therapy. To date, “Repower” has organized 12 trips for 847 participants.
Following the retreat, journalists will have the opportunity to interview Maryna Sadykova and program participants, either online or in person, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Hennadii Stukalo is an anesthesiologist and head of the anesthesiology department at the Chernihiv regional hospital. From the very beginning of the full-scale russian invasion, he stayed at the hospital around the clock.
During the most intense days of the encirclement, more than 50 wounded patients arrived within an hour, all requiring urgent surgery. With no electricity, heating or water, and under constant shelling and airstrikes, Stukalo and his team worked tirelessly to save lives, even performing complex surgical procedures under extreme conditions.
Due to frequent power outages, the doctors had to illuminate the operating room with headlamps, flashlights and cell phones. To keep patients warm, they used plastic bottles filled with hot water.
Journalists have the opportunity to interview Dr. Stukalo both online and in person.
Background: On April 6, 2022, the Ukrainian Defense Forces completely liberated Chernihiv oblast from russian occupation
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Dr. Serhii Baksheiev is a gynecologist, obstetrician, reproductive specialist, general practitioner, and a medical volunteer with a PhD in medicine. Since the early days of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he has been treating women and assisting with deliveries, all while under fire.
In late 2022, Baksheiev launched his own initiative, which he named the ‘Feminine Shuttle’. This specialized mobile unit is designed for gynecological exams in de-occupied and frontline regions. The vehicle is outfitted with a gynecological chair and all the necessary equipment for thorough examinations.
In a challenging turn of events, Baksheiev was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He underwent surgery and chemotherapy in September 2024. Despite his health battle, he has continued his mission to help those in need. Even while recovering from surgery, he joined FRIDA Ukraine’s volunteer medics on a mission to the Sumy region.
Journalists wishing to speak with Dr. Baksheiev can arrange interviews with him either in Kyiv or during his field missions.
For reference: FRIDA Ukraine is a Ukrainian-Israeli medical volunteer mission focused on providing high-quality care to war-affected civilians.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Haj Ali Shadi moved to Ukraine in 2009. Two years later, war erupted in his homeland, Syria. Choosing to stay in the Sumy region, he eventually launched his own business—a fast-food restaurant in the city. He started out working alone, but as the business grew, he began hiring local employees. Before long, Sumy had two Khazh restaurants.
By February 2022, his restaurants were at risk of shutting down, and the site where he had planned to open a third location fell under Russian occupation. Yet in April, after Ukrainian forces drove the occupiers back, Shadi pressed forward with his plans and opened his third restaurant. He says his decision was driven by a desire to support the local community after all they had endured.
Today, Haj Ali Shadi’s restaurants remain in operation across the Sumy region. He is available for interviews with journalists, both online and in person, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Peaceful gatherings will take place in 24 cities to draw attention to the defenders of Azovstal and other military personnel still held in enemy captivity.
On March 22, rallies will be held in Okhtyrka, Chernihiv, Arbuzynka, Vinnytsia, Irpin, Svitlovodsk, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Pavlohrad, and Obukhiv.
On March 23, events are planned in Kyiv, Pivdennoukrainsk, Uman, Krolevets, Korop, Ovruch, Kremenchuk, Cherkasy, Mykolaiv, Pryluky, Dolynske, Ostroh, Shostka, Odesa, Brovary, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi, Korosten, Uzhhorod, Kharkiv, Lozova, Poltava, Berdychiv, and Kropyvnytskyi.
The rallies are organized by the families of prisoners of war from the Mariupol garrison, with former captives often taking part in the events.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Olha Tolsta and her mother have been caring for cats abandoned by their owners in the northern Saltivka district of Kharkiv. To pay for the care of such a large number of animals, Olha began making traditional Ukrainian jewelry. Over the past three years, she has earned and spent more than 250,000 hryvnia on the animals.
In addition to feeding the cats, Olha and her mother try to take care of their health and find them new homes. Since the beginning of the full-scale war, they have managed to sterilize 30 cats and rehome another 30.
You can talk to Olha Tolsta either online or in person by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The team of the Bat Rehabilitation Center in Kharkiv, together with volunteers caring for bats in various cities of Ukraine, will dedicate the month of March to releasing these endangered animals back into their natural habitat. These are bats that have been rescued and cared for by volunteers throughout the winter.
The release events will take place in Kyiv on March 29 and in Vinnytsia, Lviv, Rivne and Chernivtsi on March 30.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On March 25, Kyiv will host the forum “Gender Equality in Defenсe – On the Way to Justice and Human Dignity”. The forum aims to strengthen equality and justice in the Security and Defence sector, improve military service conditions, and analyze barriers to implementing inclusive and gender equality policies.
Additionally, it seeks to lay the foundation for an effective strategy that integrates a human-centred, gender-sensitive, and inclusive approach into the defence system at all levels. The event is part of the UK Special Defence Advisor’s Program.
Featured speakers include
- Kyle Sargon, Deputy National Security Adviser of the United Kingdom
- Olha Reshetylova (Kobylynska), Presidential Commissioner for the Protection of the Rights of Servicemen and their Families
- Colonel Petro Fivkin, Head of the Central Department for the Protection of the Rights of Military Personnel
- Members of the Ukrainian Parliament, representatives of civil society and active servicemen (both women and men)
The Forum program includes panel discussions on the following topics:
- Institutionalizing gender equality in the Security and Defense sector;
- Protecting the rights of service members and combating gender-based violence;
- Material support in the Armed Forces of Ukraine;
- Inclusion and diversity in the Security and Defense sector.
Kateryna Pryimak, head of the VETERANKA movement, will moderate the panel “Protecting the rights of service members and combating gender-based violence”.
Accreditation is required to participate in the event.
Note: The Forum is organized with the support of the following partners: British Embassy in Ukraine, Special Defense Advisor Program, VETERANKA Movement, StateWatch, and UK International Development.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On March 25, the Media Center Ukraine will host a presentation of the Business Ombudsman Council’s investigation: “Tax Incentives: How Can Ukrainians Protect Their Defense Industry Market?”
Participants:
– Roman Waschuk, Business Ombudsman
– Yuliia Andrusiv, Deputy Business Ombudsman
– Maryna Pavlenchyk, Senior Investigator, BOC
– Vladyslav Kaluha, Junior Investigator, BOC
Over the past years, individual complaints, followed by consultations with industry businesses and experts, have highlighted concerns: defence companies have questions about the state’s tax policy, particularly the preferential VAT taxation regime. Due to unbalanced tax benefits, domestically produced defence-related products are more expensive than imported counterparts. At the same time, the taxation regime for the repair and modernization of military equipment creates a mechanism for financial outflows from one state to another, which may also negatively impact national defence capabilities.
Against this background, the Council has initiated an investigation on its own initiative to examine the balance and administration challenges of the preferential VAT regime in Ukraine’s defence market.
During the event, the Council’s team will present the findings of the study and provide recommendations on improving business conditions in the defence industry – essential for the development and strengthening of domestic production.
Registration is required for this event.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Halyna Hrytseniak, a medical doctor and Marine Corps veteran, spent 1 year, 7 months, and 12 days in captivity following the defense of Mariupol. Today, she volunteers with the Stalevi charitable organization and is an active member of the Stalevi veterans’ movement.
Her husband, Mykola Hrytseniak, is also a soldier—a Marine who fought in the defense of Mariupol. He endured four months in captivity before returning to military service as an instructor at the Marine Training Center.
Halyna recalls receiving her first marriage proposal on April 1, 2022, in a bunker at the Ilyich plant, where the hospital was located. Mykola, wounded with a gunshot to his leg, was lying there when he asked her to marry him.
More details on Halyna’s story are available here.
Journalists can arrange an online interview with her by prior agreement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Viktoriia Didovets, a charge nurse in the Intensive and Efferent Therapy Department for Acute Intoxication at the National Children’s Hospital Okhmatdyt, was injured during a missile strike on the hospital on July 8, 2024. As the attack unfolded, she was evacuating children on dialysis to a shelter when a missile struck the building.
By the time Viktoriia was rushed to the operating room, her pulse was barely detectable. She was diagnosed with a fractured pelvis, an open hip fracture, a ruptured liver, and injuries to her face and ear. For more than eight months, she has been undergoing treatment, determined to regain a full life.
By prior arrangement, Viktoriia is available for interviews in Kyiv or online.
Background: On July 8, 2024, a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile struck Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital. At the time of the attack, 627 children were inside.
The strike killed two people—a doctor and a patient’s relative—while injuring 35 others, including nine children. On July 10, a boy who had been in critical condition in intensive care at the time of the attack succumbed to his injuries in a Kyiv hospital.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Vitalii Lykhobytskyi, 38 is originally from Volyn, but has been living in the capital for the past 13 years. Before the full-scale invasion, he was running his own business related to construction equipment.
On February 24, 2022, Vitalii took his family to Volyn and soon mobilized for territorial defense. He fought in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, in particular, near Serebryansky Forest and Kreminna.
On May 2, 2023, Vitalii was seriously wounded—an enemy sniper hit the thermal imager the soldier was holding. The soldier lost his eye and was most worried about how his family would react to the injury and whether his little girl would be scared.
Vitalii was enrolled in the Neopalymi rehabilitation program. The veteran underwent eye surgery, was fitted with a prosthesis, and underwent laser grinding of the sutures. The man says that now people do not immediately notice his injury.
You can talk to Vitalii Lykhobytskyi both online and offline by appointment.
For reference: Neopalymi (Unburnt) is a national program for the external rehabilitation of war-affected individuals. As part of the project, anyone who needs it can receive free treatment for burns or scars of a non-domestic nature.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In the Lviv Oblast, soldiers with amputations are taking part in a specialized cycling rehabilitation program. This initiative offers the defenders a unique opportunity to reintegrate into active life, regain their physical fitness, and experience the freedom of movement once again.
The sessions are led by a physical therapist, and the bicycles used in the program were generously donated by benefactors from the Netherlands. The inaugural class saw 10 participants, including veterans with both upper and lower limb amputations, many of whom use prosthetics.
The next cycling rehabilitation session is scheduled for Saturday, March 29, in Lviv.
Journalists interested in covering the sessions are invited to attend by prior arrangement.
The program is being carried out through a collaboration between the “With an Angel on A Shoulder” Charitable Fund, the NGO “Sports Club Power of the Nation,” the State Noncommercial Enterprise “Center of Complex Rehabilitation ‘Halychyna’,” and the Lviv Municipal Art Center.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Viktor Shemediuk is a veteran of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from Lutsk. He was mobilized in the first days of the full-scale invasion. Viktor fought in the Luhansk, Donetsk and Kharkiv oblasts. During the Kharkiv counteroffensive in September 2022, he was wounded and lost his left leg above the knee.
After treatment, Viktor underwent rehabilitation and got used to using a prosthesis. He cites his wife and daughters as his greatest support, as they have been with him throughout his journey. Viktor decided to start a business that would not only generate income, but also benefit the community. He began installing solar-powered electric vehicle charging stations.
With the support of the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation, Viktor launched the project “Eco Power: Charging Electric Cars with the Sun”. He used the grant to purchase high-capacity, fast-charging stations and solar panels. His stations are currently available in a village in the Volyn oblast, but he plans to expand the project soon and install panels in Lutsk.
You can speak with Viktor Shemediuk either online or in person by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The only pediatric burn center in western Ukraine that accepts the most critical cases will now be able to treat children at home – in Ukraine – instead of sending them abroad, as was previously the case. St. Nicholas Children’s Hospital in Lviv now has everything it needs to save young patients with severe burns. The grand opening of the updated pediatric burn center will take place on March 28.
Approximately 12,000 children in Ukraine suffer from burns every year. The war has exacerbated the situation, as any mine or explosion injury is often accompanied by severe thermal trauma.
St. Nicholas Hospital is now fully equipped to care for pediatric burn patients, with advanced and expensive intensive care equipment, a specialized burn bed, a dedicated treatment room, and a laser for post-burn scar resurfacing.
Patients will attend the opening, including Robert, a fifth-grader who tried to replicate a popular TikTok trend by making a homemade firecracker. As a result, he suffered severe chemical burns to his face.
At the opening, members of the media will have the opportunity to speak with Robert and other children who have suffered burns in a variety of circumstances – as well as their parents, doctors, and representatives from socially responsible companies. Prior to the official opening, journalists will also have the opportunity to attend a training session led by the hospital’s burn surgeons for Lviv schoolchildren. The training will teach first aid for burns and raise awareness about the dangers of TikTok trends.
Registration is required for the event.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On March 27, the Media Center Ukraine will host a briefing “Demining-2025: Challenges and Achievements”.
Participants:
– Ihor Bezkaravainyi, Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine
Key topics:
– Ukraine’s demining achievements by 2025;
– Compensation program for farmers: progress and updates;
– Land prioritization: pilot project update;
– State capabilities and innovations in demining.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On March 24, state inspectors examined the coastline near the 16th station of the Big Fountain (Velykoho Fontanu) in Odesa. They discovered areas of pollution in the form of lumps of fuel oil ranging from 2 to 15 cm in size. The oil slicks stretched for approximately 500 meters and in some places formed dense accumulations.
To ensure a rapid response, environmental specialists collected seawater samples for petroleum product analysis at the inspection laboratory. In addition, samples of the contaminant mixed with sand were sent to the Ukrainian Scientific Center of Marine Ecology for detailed laboratory research.
The pollution is likely to be the result of a large-scale environmental disaster caused by the sinking of the russian oil tankers Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239 in the Kerch Strait on December 15, 2024. At that time, over 4,000 tons of fuel oil spilled into the Black Sea, causing an estimated $14 billion in damage – the largest accident of its kind in the history of the Black Sea.
Earlier, similar fuel oil spills were recorded on the coast of the Lyman community, where more than 400 kg of petroleum products were collected, and in the village of Fontanka near Odesa.
Yulia Markhel, head of Let’s Do It Ukraine, commented: “This environmental disaster caused by russian tankers has already reached the Ukrainian coast. The pollution of our sea is a direct threat to the ecosystem, public health and tourism potential of the region”.
Journalists can interview representatives of Let’s Do It Ukraine (the largest youth eco-movement in Ukraine) in Kyiv, as well as environmental experts in Odesa, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Mykola Shot joined Ukraine’s Defense Forces in March 2022, serving with the Kholodnyi Yar Brigade. In February last year, he suffered severe injuries near Chasiv Yar in the Donetsk region, resulting in the loss of both his arms and legs.
For several months, Mykola has been adapting to prosthetic limbs with the support of specialists at the UNBROKEN National Rehabilitation Center in Lviv.
Despite his injuries, he remains active and focused on competing in the Paralympic Games. He is now awaiting specialized running prosthetics to begin training for the competition.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Vladyslav Stepanchuk enlisted in the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine when he turned 18. Just a few months later, in the spring of 2024, he gained his first combat experience. While setting up firing positions along the Ukrainian-russian border, Vladyslav and his brothers-in-arms were detected by enemy drones, and their positions came under intense fire.
As the soldiers moved to a reserve position, they were hit by mortar fire, leaving the crew leader and the gunner critically wounded. Amid the chaos, Vladyslav stepped up, assuming command. He quickly altered their route and guided his comrades to the safety of a nearby forest belt. There, he readied the soldiers for evacuation, partially restored communication with the command post, and successfully organized the withdrawal of all personnel.
The rescue mission lasted four hours. Through his decisive actions, Vladyslav managed to evacuate 21 soldiers from a nearly encircled position, ensuring their safe escape.
At just 19, Vladyslav Stepanchuk became the youngest recipient of the prestigious Hero of Ukraine title and the Order of the Golden Star.
Along with his recognition, Vladyslav continues his service on the front lines. Conversations with the border guard can be arranged both online and offline, with the approval of the press officer and by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On March 30, as the third anniversary of Bucha’s liberation from russian occupiers approaches, the Kyiv region city will host a series of events to commemorate the victims of russian aggression.
The program of events includes:
– A requiem ceremony to honor the fallen heroes,
– The “Prayer for Peace” action, a memorial service for the civilian victims in Bucha, featuring a performance of the spiritual hymn “Prayer for Ukraine,”
– The presentation of the book Voices of Memory: Bucha – The City of Heroes.
Bucha, now a symbol of the unyielding spirit of the Ukrainian people and a stark reminder of the horrific war crimes committed by the russian army, will unite the families of the victims, local residents, government officials, and the international community. Together, they will pay tribute to those who sacrificed their lives for Ukraine’s freedom.
For reference: During the fighting and russian occupation of Bucha in February and March 2022, hundreds of people lost their lives. Since then, the name of this town near Kyiv has become forever associated with the war crimes perpetrated by the russian army in Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On March 28, Media Center Ukraine will host a briefing titled “The return of Ukrainian children abducted by russia as a step toward peace: How the International community can accelerate the process”
Participants:
– Kateryna Rashevska, PhD in International Law, Expert at the Regional Center for Human Rights.
Key topics:
– How can peace negotiations influence the process of returning abducted children?
– The current status of efforts to return Ukrainian children abducted by russia: statistics and progress;
– How has the process of returning children changed recently?
– Who is currently involved in the return of Ukrainian children from russia and how?
Why is this important?
The return of Ukrainian children illegally abducted to russian territory has become a pressing international issue and one of the key elements in the peace talks. Recently, U.S. National Security Advisor Michael Waltz stated that Washington considers the return of deported Ukrainian children by russia as a potential confidence-building measure.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On March 28, Media Center Ukraine will host a briefing titled “Civilian safety during enemy attacks: How to act in case of strikes, fires and evacuation”
Participants:
– Anatolii Shkarbuta, Emergency Prevention Department, State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SES);
– Oleksandr Khorunzhyi, SES Spokesman.
Key topics:
– Maintaining evacuation routes: key requirements and responsibilities of residents and property managers;
– Emergency vehicle access: rules for maintaining building perimeters and ensuring passage for emergency responders;
– Water supply for firefighting: how hydrant systems should function and who is responsible for their maintenance;
– Home fire extinguishers: why they are essential and maintenance requirements;
– What to do if you are trapped under debris: how to survive and save lives;
– What to do during a fire: critical survival rules and working with rescuers.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
A commemorative race honoring Maksym Kahal, a Hero of Ukraine and soldier with the Azov Special Forces detachment, is scheduled for March 30.
Known by the call sign “Piston” (Percussion Cap) Kahal was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine. He served as a senior lieutenant with the Azov Special Forces, commanding a fire support platoon within the 1st Company of the 1st Battalion. Beyond his military service, Kahal was a decorated athlete, crowned ISKA World Kickboxing Champion among adults and earning numerous other sports accolades.
Kahal was killed on March 25, 2022, while defending Mariupol. He was just 30 years old.
The race is being organized by the Association of Azovstal Defenders’ Families.
Registration for the event is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The study, titled “Reprivatization in russia and Sanctions Relief: putin’s New Gamble Pay Off?” will be unveiled in Kyiv on March 31 at the Media Center Ukraine.
Participants:
– Olha Ivaniuk, Ph.D. in Economics;
– Vadym Denysenko, Political Scientist.
Key topics:
– Who benefited from reprivatization, and how did 6-7 politically connected businessmen consolidate control over key enterprises?
– Why do russian authorities remain skeptical that lifting sanctions will trigger an economic boom?
– What are the implications of reprivatization and the potential removal or relaxation of sanctions for power dynamics at the highest levels of the kremlin?
Registration for the event is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Lviv will officially launch its year as the European Youth Capital 2025 with a grand opening ceremony on April 5. The city earned this prestigious title after competing against dozens of European contenders, marking the first time in Ukraine’s history that a Ukrainian city has achieved such recognition.
The event is expected to draw young people from across the country, along with speakers from various sectors, influential opinion leaders, and prominent Ukrainian musicians.
For reference: The European Youth Capital title is granted annually to one European city through a competitive process aimed at empowering youth engagement and participation. Lviv secured the designation on its fourth attempt, having reached the finals twice before ultimately claiming the honor in 2022.
Holding this title offers Lviv valuable opportunities, including enhanced international recognition, the establishment of new partnerships, and a stronger platform for young voices in local governance. As the 17th city to receive this distinction, Lviv will welcome guests from across Europe throughout 2025.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
By day, Ihor Polishchuk is a project manager in the game development industry. Two years ago, he learned how many needs of the Ukrainian military could be met by modern 3D printers. So he immediately bought his first machine. He began printing drone dropping mechanisms, magazine charging devices, medical eye patches, cases for power banks and other devices, legs for drones, and more.
Currently, Ihor is focused on manufacturing casings for anti-personnel mines. In February alone, he sent nearly 1,500 explosive device casings to the front lines. To scale up the project, he co-founded the “Syndicate” community where volunteers share knowledge and train newcomers. Ihor says anyone can join – all you need is to get a 3D printer, as requests from soldiers always outpace volunteers’ production capacity.
Over the past two years, he has purchased five 3D printers that run around the clock. His wife Anna helps him with printing components for the army.
You can communicate with Ihor Polishchuk both online and offline in Kyiv, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On April 12, Kyiv will host a unique event – the “Steel Guard” festival. Combining a medieval combat sports tournament, veteran inclusivity, and family-friendly cultural activities, the festival aims to support veterans and promote the historical and sports movement.
As part of the festival, two medieval combat tournaments will be held:
- The tournament for novice veterans, “Knights of the New Era”, where anyone interested – regardless of experience, physical condition or level of preparation – can enter the arena. Men and women can participate, including those with amputations or in wheelchairs. All participants will receive the necessary equipment and support from instructors. There is a rule of equal opportunity – the fights will take place in a safe format focused on rehabilitation and community building.
- The professional “KyivGrad Cup” tournament in full steel armor will be the spectacular part of the event, where experienced fighters will show their skills.
Additional Activities during the festival will include workshops (calligraphy, chainmail weaving, and more) and medieval board games (entertainment for the whole family in the style of ancient strategies).
Background: The organizers of the event are Kyiv Military Hub, BuhurtSich and the NGO Historical Patriotic Society Kyivgrad. The festival is supported by the Kyiv City State Administration and the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
“Solar power plant installer” is a course for veterans under the UNIT 6.0 program of the Reskilling Ukraine project. During the course the participants will get acquainted with the main elements and principles of operation of autonomous, grid-connected and hybrid solar power plants, as well as learn how to select the necessary equipment for each type of system. They will study the process of installing solar panels, configuring inverters, and connecting solar power plants.
The training will take place in Kyiv from April 14 to May 2.
Background: The UNIT 6.0 program is designed for veterans to provide them with more opportunities for professional development as they transition back to civilian life.
Reskilling Ukraine is a project of the Swedish non-profit organization Beredskapslyftet, implemented in Ukraine. The initiative focuses on free training programs for women and veterans to help them start a career in a new field.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Larysa Hurova, owner of the OgOgO Kozi-Kozi home farm in the Volnovakha district of Donetsk region, is racing against time to secure a haven for her livestock. When russia launched its all-out invasion, Hurova managed the farm with four employees and around a hundred goats.
The relentless shelling and the farm’s proximity to the front line have made operations increasingly untenable. Nearby villages have been reduced to ruins, and the farm has been without electricity since December 2024. As conditions continue to deteriorate, Hurova has begun searching for a safer location to preserve her livestock and rebuild her farm’s operations.
The OgOgO Kozi-Kozi home farm is now urgently seeking a secure place to resume its work.
Larysa Hurova is available for online discussions by appointment.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On April 3, Kyiv will host the Ukrainian premiere of Tommy Gun: On the Road to Kupyansk, a powerful documentary offering an unfiltered glimpse into the war in Ukraine through the lens of a foreign volunteer. The R. T. Weatherman Foundation and the War Museum in Kyiv are behind this exclusive screening.
The film is the work of Mark ‘Gino’ Jannetta, a foreign volunteer who joined the International Legion of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine in 2022, participating in three major military operations. Among them was a daring crossing of the Dnipro River aimed at recapturing the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant. Gino also fought near Kupiansk, where he sustained severe injuries. His life was saved by Thomas ‘Tommy Gun’ Harris, a fellow soldier whose bravery inspired Gino to create this documentary. After undergoing rehabilitation, Gino returned to Ukraine to document the war’s harsh realities from the perspective of those fighting for freedom and independence.
Tommy Gun: On the Road to Kupyansk has already garnered international acclaim, earning multiple awards and accolades at prestigious film festivals.
Following the screening, viewers will have the opportunity to engage in a discussion with director Mark ‘Gino’ Jannetta and Thomas Harris’s father, who will join the conversation online.
Journalists are required to obtain accreditation to cover the event.
For reference: The R. T. Weatherman Foundation, recognized globally for its support of Ukraine, is organizing the screening as part of its extensive FOR FREEDOM project. This initiative, featuring a documentary exhibition running until the end of May at the Motherland Monument, seeks to highlight the struggle of foreign volunteers fighting for freedom. The film’s premiere marks a crucial effort to share the truth about the war and underscore the vital role international volunteers continue to play.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On April 2, the Media Center Ukraine in Kyiv will hold a briefing titled “Four-legged rescuers and fighters: How the war has transformed the role of canine units.”
Participants:
– Oleksandr Khorunzhyi, Press Officer of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SESU);
– Yuliia Secheiko, Instructor for Rescue Units, who works with a beagle named Toto at the Interregional Center for Humanitarian Demining and Rapid Response, SESU;
– Yevhen Sholudko, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Specialist and Canine Handler, who works with a Belgian Malinois named Alf at the Interregional Center for Humanitarian Demining and Rapid Response, SESU.
Key topics:
– The evolving role of service dogs in frontline operations and combat zones;
– The unique challenges faced by handlers and search dogs in the aftermath of russian shelling;
– Training practices for canine units in the context of wartime demands;
– The rehabilitation and reintegration process for service dogs following combat missions;
– Assessing the current availability of canine specialists and service dogs in Ukraine.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The company “Skeiron” was founded in 2016 by a team of like-minded people in Lviv. The main goal of the project is to preserve and promote cultural heritage through digitization. The team digitizes significant Ukrainian monuments, both preserved and lost. They believe that this will help to restore these landmarks in the future.
During their work, the specialists have managed to digitize and recreate over 200 structures, including monuments destroyed during the war. In particular, the company has digitized in 3D format the Mariupol Drama Theater, which was destroyed by russia.
You can communicate with representatives of the “Skeiron” team both online and offline, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
The Olympic Reserve Sports School in Chernihiv, although damaged during the occupation, continues to operate today: about 200 students train here, and athletes compete in World Cups and European Championships.
The ski base was destroyed by the russians during the beginning of the full-scale invasion in March 2022. Despite the destruction, children’s biathlon training resumed at the base in May 2022. They practiced on a small section of the course that survived. The trainees were also warned not to stray from the training area, as there were concerns that unexploded ordnance might remain on the ski base grounds.
Currently, the ski track and shooting range have been restored, but the facilities remain in ruins.
Background: By April 6, 2022, the Defense Forces had completely liberated the Chernihiv oblast.
The Specialized Olympic Reserve Sports School for Children and Youth (ski base) was established in 1977 and later expanded. Before the outbreak of the full-scale war, biathletes and skiers trained at the base, and Ukrainian championships were held there.
As part of the national project “Shoulder to Shoulder: United Communities,” plans are being developed for cooperation with the partner municipalities of Oskil and Chernihiv.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On April 3, the Media Center Ukraine will host the presentation of the analytical report: “The russian federation’s Policy on the Eradication of Children’s Identity in the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine: 2024 Overview”
Participants:
– Anastasiia Vorobiova, Report Author, Contributing Expert with the Center of Civil Education Almenda NGO, and Research Assistant at the Institute of Law Sciences, Polish Academy of Sciences;
– Mariia Sulialina, Head of the Center of Civil Education Almenda NGO;
– Valentina Potapova, Head of the Direction of National Advocacy at the Center of Civil Education Almenda NGO.
Key topics:
– An analysis of changes in russian federal legislation throughout 2024, highlighting trends in russification, militarization, and the indoctrination of Ukrainian children and youth;
– Comparative statistics: Evaluation of 2024 data juxtaposed with figures from previous years to illustrate evolving patterns;
– Examination of recurring infringements already shaping plans and activities scheduled for 2025;
– Key measures aimed at protecting the rights of children from occupied territories.
Background: For more than 11 years, russia has pursued a systematic effort to erode Ukrainian identity among children and youth in occupied territories, employing methods of political indoctrination, militarization, and heightened pressure within both formal and informal education systems. Notably, the number of cadet classes in Crimea surged from 197 to 260 within the past year alone.
The Center of Civil Education Almenda NGO conducts comprehensive monitoring of children’s rights across occupied territories. Drawing on data gathered throughout 2024, Almenda’s analytical report offers a detailed assessment of key trends, legislative changes, patterns of violations, and the international community’s response.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Andrii Bakun, a native of Kherson, had a life that seemed far removed from the enemy invasion that would soon engulf his country. Before russia’s all-out aggression, he made his living on the seas, earning a degree as a third-rate mechanic. On February 23, 2022, while returning to his hometown, Andrii learned of the outbreak of the full-blown war while aboard a train. Although he could not immediately enlist due to a disability, he joined the municipal guard. However, after just one patrol, the team disbanded.
By March 1, Andrii crossed paths with a territorial defense unit. He assisted them in finding shelter, leaving their weapons behind, and entering the city disguised as civilians. One of the soldiers, Oleh Leshchyna, refused to relinquish his arms, prompting Andrii to make the brave decision to hide him in his family’s home. For four months, Oleh remained hidden until Andrii’s sister managed to safely retrieve him.
After Kherson had returned to Ukrainian control, Andrii, determined to serve, concealed his disability documents and joined the territorial defense. Not long after, during a fierce battle, a shell exploded nearby, inflicting severe damage to Andrii’s spinal cord and thoracic spine. For his bravery and service, he was awarded the Golden Cross by the Commander-in-Chief.
Now, two years later, Andrii continues his journey of recovery, undergoing extensive treatment and rehabilitation. He remains hopeful about the possibility of surgery and the implantation of an American neurostimulator, which would help alleviate his pain, restore sensation, and potentially allow him to walk again.
Currently undergoing rehabilitation abroad, Andrii Bakun plans to return to Ukraine on April 25. He is available for meetings both online and in person, by prior arrangement.
For reference: Kherson fell under russian occupation at the onset of the full-scale invasion on March 1, 2022. It wasn’t until November 11, 2022, that the Ukrainian Armed Forces liberated the city from russian control. Despite this liberation, the occupiers persist in regularly shelling the city.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
In 2022, the Oskil school in the Kharkiv region endured six months under occupation by russian forces, resulting in significant damage. The school’s premises were heavily affected: the roof was compromised, windows shattered, and even the heating systems were ripped out.
Today, the school is in the process of being restored. Some classrooms and shelters have already been rebuilt, providing much-needed stability. Additionally, Save the Children has established a digital space within the school, offering a safe environment for children to learn, socialize, and regain a sense of security.
For reference: As part of the national initiative “Shoulder to Shoulder: Cohesive Communities,” the Oskil and Chernihiv communities are planning to collaborate with partner communities to further strengthen their bonds.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oleksandr Androshchuk and Oleksii Tiunin, members of Ukraine’s national team for the 2025 Invictus Games, are launching wheelchair rugby training sessions for military personnel and army veterans in Kyiv.
This marks the first time such training has been offered in Ukraine, presenting a unique opportunity for soldiers to engage in an adaptive sport that promotes both physical and emotional recovery. Participants can experience the thrill of team play, feel the support of their fellow soldiers, and enjoy the camaraderie of friends in a supportive environment.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Oleh Leliakin took up arms to defend Ukraine in 2014. He joined the volunteer battalion “Aidar”. At the front, he saw how important it is to be able to provide medical assistance in combat conditions.
After returning to Kyiv, Oleh continued to study tactical medicine. Eventually, he became an instructor at a training center, and over time, he became a lecturer in tactical medicine at the National Academy of Internal Affairs.
On February 25, 2022, Oleh returned to military service. He participated in the liberation of the Kyiv oblast and fought in the Mykolaiv, Kherson and Donetsk sectors. Initially, he worked as a platoon medic and later became the senior medic of a company. In Bakhmut, Donetsk oblast, Oleh was injured and gradually began to lose his hearing. Eventually, the veteran was discharged from service due to health reasons.
Oleh mastered the skill of lip-reading, learned to manage his own voice, and soon became a tactical medicine instructor at SICH, the largest Ukrainian tourniquet manufacturing company.
You can interview Oleh Leliakin both online and offline in Kyiv, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Anna’s husband, Illia, was half Ukrainian and half Georgian. His mother’s family was forced to flee the war in Abkhazia, so his childhood was spent in Ukraine.
In 2014, Illia began his compulsory military service, and when russia occupied Crimea and attacked Ukraine in the east, he voluntarily went to fight in the Donetsk oblast. Illia was demobilized in 2015. He met Anna, they got married, and later had a daughter, Polina.
On February 24, 2022, the family woke up to explosions. From the first days of the full-scale invasion, Illia defended the Kyiv oblast, participated in the liberation of Chernihiv and Sumy oblasts. His comrades tell how he shot down enemy helicopters, assisted reconnaissance groups, defended positions even in the most dangerous conditions.
During one of those missions he was seriously wounded and could not be evacuated from the battlefield. Illia’s family is convinced that his merits should be recognized at the highest level. His wife is making every effort to secure for him the title of Hero of Ukraine, as his deeds are examples of courage and self-sacrifice for the sake of the country.
Background: Currently, the family is supported by the charitable foundation “Children of Heroes”. It helps children who have lost one or both parents as a result of the full-scale invasion of the russian federation. The foundation provides financial assistance, psychological and legal support, and promotes education and development for children until they reach adulthood.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
To remind about the defenders of “Azovstal” and other servicemen still in enemy captivity, peaceful events are planned in 28 cities.
On April 5, events will be held in Okhtyrka, Chernihiv, Arbuzynka, Pavlysh village, Vinnytsia, Irpin, Pavlohrad and Obukhiv.
On April 6, activities are scheduled in Kyiv, Pivdenoukrainsk, Uman, Krolevec, Ovruch, Korosten, Pryluky, Uzhhorod, Kharkiv, Lozova, Berdychiv, Mykolaiv, Poltava, Dolynska, Kropyvnytskyi, Kovel, Shostka, Ostroh, Odesa, and Chernivtsi.
The events are organized by the families of prisoners of war from the Mariupol garrison. Often those who have been liberated from captivity take part in the actions.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On April 7, at the Media Center Ukraine, the Media Initiative for Human Rights will present the research “Interaction with military units and support for families of fallen and missing service members”.
The event will address the most common problems faced by families of fallen and missing servicemen in their interactions with military units and territorial recruitment centers; as well as how the state can improve its interaction with families and make it less traumatic.
Speakers:
- Olena Kopina, Author of the Analysis, Expert, MIHR;
- Olena Bieliachkova, Coordinator for Groups of Families of Prisoners of War and Missing Soldiers, MIHR;
- Yulia Sharapaniuk, Head of the Association of Families of Missing Soldiers and Prisoners of War;
- Dmytro Bohatiuk, Head of the Department for Persons Missing Under Special Circumstances of the Secretariat of the Ombudsman;
- Oleh Neshchadim, Head of the Search Department of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Registration for the event is required.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before russia’s full-scale invasion, the man who now goes by the call sign “Leshy,” named after a forest spirit from Slavic pagan mythology, worked as a forester and crafted wooden furniture. He had no ties to the military and never imagined himself in uniform.
That changed in Mariupol, where “Leshy” found himself at the outbreak of war. When the first shells hit, he joined the territorial defense forces, helping to evacuate the wounded and administer first aid.
In March 2022, a 120-millimeter russian mortar exploded just three meters away from him. The blast cost him his arm—but not his life.
Even while hospitalized, “Leshy” was determined to support his fellow soldiers. Just days after his injury, he launched a fundraiser to help his unit.
A year of rehabilitation followed. Fitted with a prosthetic arm, “Leshy” eventually rejoined the army.
He is available for conversations both online and in person, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On April 9, the Kyiv History Museum will host the unveiling of ORIGAMI for UKRAINE, a expansive art exhibition featuring a striking display of 5,000 origami birds adorning the museum’s facade. The work was created by Belgian designer Charles Kaisin, known for his collaborations with global brands such as Hermès, Rolls-Royce, Cartier, and Ice-Watch.
Each bird is crafted from metallized paper that reflects sunlight, symbolizing the resilience of the Ukrainian people and their enduring hope for peace.
The grand opening will take place with the participation of Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko and Brussels Mayor Philippe Close. The installation will remain on display in Kyiv for 90 days.
The project was initially launched in Brussels as a charitable initiative aimed at raising funds for the treatment of wounded Ukrainian soldiers at the Kyiv’s Medical Rehabilitation and Palliative Care Center. So far, the initiative has raised approximately 50,000 euros, which will go toward purchasing vital medical equipment and supplies.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
From April 9 to 20, the Kyiv History Museum will host In Memoriam: Reality Through Art, an exposition by French artist Fanny Lechevalier. The project brings together art, documentary storytelling, and charitable outreach.
Using the technique of photomontage, Lechevalier overlays images captured by war correspondents onto reproductions of classic European paintings. The resulting compositions are visually arresting and prompt viewers to reconsider the ongoing tragedy unfolding on Europe’s borders.
The exhibition serves several purposes:
– To create a newsworthy event to draw international attention to the war in Ukraine and mobilize additional support;
– To share the personal stories of those affected by the conflict, offering European audiences a more accurate understanding of life during wartime in Ukraine;
– To highlight the European Union’s support and solidarity with Ukraine;
– To raise funds for the development of an educational and rehabilitation hub.
A special media preview will take place on April 8, where journalists will have the opportunity to speak with the artist.
Accreditation is required to attend.
For reference: The exhibition is organized by Ukraine’s Solidarity Charitable Foundation, which is dedicated to rebuilding the country and assisting those impacted by the war.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Anna and Andrii met four years before russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The couple had planned to marry in 2022, but the war upended their plans. After the invasion began, Andrii joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces, serving in the 47th Magura Brigade as a senior mechanic and driver of a Bradley fighting vehicle.
The couple finally wed in March 2023. That summer, Andrii was wounded in combat. He was fortunate: shrapnel missed his carotid artery by mere millimeters. After recovering, he returned to the front lines. Anna saw him for the last time in the fall of 2023. On October 19, 2023, Andrii Lukivskyi was killed in action in the Donetsk region.
Anna was notified of his death the following day. She was told the bodies of the fallen had been brought to Kyiv, but she received no further updates. Desperate for answers, she launched her own search. For ten months, she looked for any trace of her husband. Eventually, she found him—his body was listed among the unidentified in the Ministry of Internal Affairs database.
What led to the breakthrough was a handwritten note Anna had given Andrii the day before his final mission. He had taken it with him, and it was found with his remains. That note became the key to confirming his identity.
Later, Anna learned that a DNA match between the “unidentified soldier” and Andrii’s family—his mother and sister—had already been established. But the relatives were never informed.
Anna Lukivska is available for interviews both online and in person, by prior arrangement.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On April 11, Kyiv will host the opening of BODY/FRAGILITY, a contemporary art exhibition that stands as a statement of resilience following the destruction of part of the Mykhailo Boichuk Kyiv State Academy of Decorative Applied Arts and Design by a russian missile last year.
Media representatives are invited to attend the exhibition’s launch at the Academy’s gallery. The project explores the vulnerability of human existence in times of war and emerges as a symbolic act of endurance in the face of devastation.
The opening ceremony will include a symbolic performance held on the very grounds of the academy’s destroyed building.
The exhibition features works by prominent Ukrainian artists, leading faculty members, talented students of the Academy, and alumni of the Contemporary Art Practices course. All proceeds from the sale of the artworks will be directed toward the restoration of the section of the Academy damaged in the missile strike.
For reference: On March 25, 2024, a russian missile hit the Mykhailo Boichuk Kyiv State Academy of Decorative Applied Arts and Design, destroying part of the institution.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On April 10, Media Center Ukraine will hold a panel discussion “New U.S. Tariffs: Economic Impact on Ukraine and Strategic Responses”.
Participants:
– Illia Neskhodovskyi, Head of the Analytical Department of the National Interests Advocacy Network “ANTS”;
– Oleksiy Herashchenko, Economist, Lecturer in Finance, Adjunct Professor at Kyiv-Mohyla Business School (KMBS);
– Igor Burakovsky, Head of the Board of the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting.
Key topics:
– How will the new U.S. tariffs affect Ukraine’s major export sectors?
– What are the risks for Ukrainian businesses of losing markets or partnerships in the US, and which industries are most vulnerable?
– How can Ukraine adjust its economic policies in response to shifts in global trade dynamics?
For reference: On April 2, U.S. President Donald Trump imposed a 10% “baseline” tariff on all imports from most trade partners as part of a broader strategy to stimulate domestic investment. For certain countries, higher tariffs replacing the base rate will take effect on April 9.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Vladyslava Romaniuk is a general practitioner and gastroenterologist. She leads the medical volunteer mission FRIDA Ukraine and also serves as the head of the infection control department and project manager at the treatment and rehabilitation center for military personnel at the Oberig Multidisciplinary Clinic.
Originally from the village of Mykilske near Mariupol, Vladyslava moved to Kyiv in 2012 to pursue her studies.
Just days before the full-scale invasion began, she and her family had gone on vacation. On the first day of the war, her husband was in Mariupol but managed to reach the Zaporizhia region. After returning from their trip, her parents remained in the capital. Her grandparents, however, are currently living under occupation. Vladyslava is also a mother.
She was among the first volunteers to join FRIDA Ukraine. Since then, she has taken part in approximately 50 medical missions to areas that were previously under occupation. Vladyslava provides care to patients both in bomb shelters in Donetsk Oblast and in a Kyiv-based clinic.
She has repeatedly taken part in highly dangeros U.S. missions. For instance, volunteer doctors, including Vladyslava, operated in Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast, while intense street fighting raged through the city.
Interviews with Vladyslava can be arranged in Kyiv or during one of the field missions conducted by the team of medical volunteers.
For reference: FRIDA Ukraine is a non-governmental, non-profit medical mission consisting of volunteer doctors from Ukraine and Israel. Since the onset of the invasion, the mission has provided emergency and outpatient medical care to civilians affected by the hostilities.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
Before the full-scale invasion, Andrii was a musician, played bass guitar, ran his own auto repair shop, and repaired cars for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. With the start of the full-scale war, he was mobilized into the military and became a sapper.
In the summer of 2023, Andrii and his comrade were assigned to demine a road. Before completing the task, the soldier suffered a concussion, but continued working and stepped on a mine. He applied a tourniquet while his comrades evacuated him to safety.
Doctors were unable to save his leg. Despite the loss of his limb, Andrii was determined to return to the military. For eight months, he underwent treatment and rehabilitation, and learned to use a prosthetic limb. Now, the soldier has returned to duty and has become a sapper instructor for infantry soldiers. Between combat missions, Andrii performs at concerts, including for soldiers undergoing rehabilitation.
You can communicate with Andrii both online and offline, by prior arrangement and with the permission of the press officer.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On April 12, a peaceful rally “From captivity — home” dedicated to the release of Ukrainian civilian prisoners who are illegally held by russia will take place in Kyiv. The goal of the event is to draw public and international attention to the issue of illegal detention of Ukrainian civilians by russia and to demand their immediate release.
During the rally “From captivity — home” there will be:
- Speeches by representatives of the “Civilians in Captivity” organization, who will tell about life in captivity and the experiences of people illegally detained by russia;
- performances by artists;
- a joint prayer for the release of prisoners;
- addresses by government officials;
- a moment of silence for the fallen.
Background: According to official figures, russia is illegally holding thousands of Ukrainian civilians. They are doctors, teachers, volunteers, journalists, ordinary citizens who have become victims of russian aggression.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
How can we ensure that the destruction of Ukrainian monuments, museums and artifacts by the russian federation does not go unpunished? How can we collect evidence of crimes against cultural heritage so that it becomes part of the indictments in international tribunals?
These topics were addressed by participants of a four-day training in Kyiv: museum workers, investigators, prosecutors, military personnel, scientists, representatives of the public sector and journalists. Among the trainers were representatives from 7 countries (USA, UK, Sweden, France, Mauritius, Netherlands and Ukraine), including prosecutors who have worked with the International Criminal Court to prosecute those responsible for crimes against cultural heritage in Mali, Bosnia and other countries.
The press conference, which will be held in Kyiv on April 11, will summarize the results of the training, outline the main challenges and the steps necessary to achieve justice.
Participants of the press conference:
- Nataraj Muneesamy, Assistant Attorney General of Mauritius, expert in international criminal law;
- Andrea Cayley, Coordinator of the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group (ACA) in Ukraine, Head of the Cultural Heritage Group;
- Ankie Petersen, Staff Officer for Cultural Property Protection, NL Armed Forces, member of the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group (ACA) in Ukraine;
- Anna Neistat, Legal Director of The Docket initiative (Clooney Foundation for Justice’s initiative to hold perpetrators of international crimes accountable);
- Ihor Poshyvailo, Co-founder of the Agency for Cultural Resilience (ACURE), Director General of the National Museum of the Revolution of Dignity.
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.
On April 10, the Media Center Ukraine will host a briefing “Energy stability: Gas, nuclear and critical infrastructure in wartime”.
Participants:
– Yuriy Boyko, Advisor to the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Member of the Supervisory Board of Ukrenergo.
Key topics:
– Gas procurement: Will resources be sufficient and where will they come from?
– Restoration of damaged critical infrastructure: What has been done and what is planned?
– The role of nuclear power in ensuring the resilience of the energy system;
– How did the last heating season go, and where should preparations for the next one begin?
If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.