According to Andrii Besedin the head of the Kupiansk military administration Russians fired 1870 shells on the Kupiansk community in two weeks of April They’re using various types of weapons: artillery multiple rocket launchers (MRL) in different modifications During April 14, the Russian army shelled Kupiansk from artillery, killing a woman and a man and injuring another woman On the same day, a 77-year-old woman and a 52-year-old man were killed by Russian MRL attack in Shevchenkove village in Kupiansk district a woman was also injured after Russian artillery attack while driving a car In Slatyne village, located in the Derhachi urban community, a Russian glide bomb damaged 22 houses. A 63-year-old man and a 58-year-old woman were injured In early April, Russia also intensified air attacks on the Kharkiv axis, located in the north of the region. Subscribe to news from Kharkiv, UkraineMost important stories from the frontline region Google Facebook Or Register from Google Register from Facebook Or Website materials are permitted only with an active link to “GWARA MEDIA,” not lower than the third paragraph The use of digital platform content is allowed with textual attribution Content for documentary films and integrated products is permitted The site was modernized with the support of the European Endowment for Democracy in 2023 ' + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.webview_notification_text + ' " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_title + " " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_text + " This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page On September 6th Ukraine announced a surprise offensive in north-eastern Kharkiv province throwing Mr Putin’s creaking army into turmoil This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “A breakthrough” Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents George Simion will face Nicusor Dan, a mainstream candidate, in a run-off There are five luxuries it can no longer feasibly afford Friedrich Merz’s career is one of unforced errors and puzzling missteps. But he is serious about Europe Both Donald Trump and Ukraine’s diplomats will consider it a success Registered in England and Wales. No. 236383 | Registered office: The Adelphi, 1-11 John Adam Street, London, WC2N 6HT | VAT Reg No: GB 340 436 876 Print SHEVCHENKOVE Ukraine — Before war came to his village had many of the usual tween preoccupations He loved the video game “Minecraft” and the family’s half-wild cats He grumbled occasionally about his mischievous 6-year-old half brother who did not always live up to his angelic moniker Those boyhood musings were interrupted by a terrible noise in the sky on Feb. 24. Tens of thousands of Russian troops rolled across Ukraine’s borders, and suburbs of the capital, Kyiv — including Tymophiy’s farming village some 30 miles to the northeast — were quickly overrun or menaced as the fighting drew near “Yesterday in the morning there was an air raid alert. You could hear in our village how planes were dropping bombs,” Tymophiy wrote in a journal entry dated March 3 The parents began talking about trying to leave On the morning of March 8, less than two weeks into the war the couple slipped out without waking the boys and they needed the extra money they made by selling tea and other dry goods there and Olena Streelets in their home with their nephew Tymophiy (Kyrylo Svietashov / For The Times) After a few hours Russian armored vehicles were rumbling through the village’s narrow lanes She told him to grab Seraphim and hide in the bathroom Tymophiy’s aunt and uncle — Olena Streelets 63 — arrived and hurried the boys to their nearby house They told the brothers that their parents had been called away to Kyiv but that fighting made it impossible for them to return just now whose full name is being withheld because he is a minor The rush of events — the thunder of artillery settling into their aunt and uncle’s cramped home — kept him distracted “I have gotten used to shells flying over my head,” he wrote on March 13 The diary of Tymophiy sits on a table at his family’s home in Shevchenkove (Kyrylo Svietashov / For The Times) More days went by and Lena and Serihy made excuses over Yulia and Serozha’s absence It was Seraphim — the unnoticed little eavesdropper anguished adult conversations — who blurted out the truth he drew a horned devil with angry darts shooting from its eyes “I found out what happened to my mom and Serozha,” reads a March 14 entry His aunt and uncle had held back yet more unbearable news The bodies of the couple — who died from large-caliber fire aimed nearly point-blank at their car by a Russian tank — lay mutilated unretrieved and alone inside their silver Opel Vectra for three days while Tymophiy’s uncle tried to negotiate safe passage to collect the remains Like hundreds of other civilians killed by Russian troops in the once-placid Kyiv suburbs — many people slain execution-style some corpses bearing signs of torture — Yulia and Serozha had to be buried temporarily in makeshift graves Shelling shook the village for nearly three more weeks before the Russians pulled back as abruptly as they had come abandoning their bid to seize the capital and regathering in the east among more than a dozen other fresh graves the two were buried side by side in the village churchyard on April 12 its blue cover now decorated with drawings of a pair of ghosts and a boy’s sad face Tymophiy wrote: “Dreams do not come true.” It’s as if childhood itself has been scoured away and something terrible has taken its place. “I would say that every single child in Ukraine, their lives have been touched by this war,” Afshan Khan, the regional director of UNICEF, the United Nations children’s agency, told reporters at the world body in June. “They’ve either lost a family member, or they have ... witnessed trauma themselves.” In a brutal conflict heavily documented on social media and in news photographs, there was some reticence at first over circulating images of tiny corpses. Sometimes, relatives who are exposed again and again to the sight of dead and maimed loved ones, especially the youngest victims, beg for a respite from the graphic images. But they keep coming. Before the Russian invasion, Ukraine already had at least 100,000 orphans, many living in grim conditions in state care. Now their still-uncounted ranks have swelled. Family separations abound: fathers deployed to the battlefront while mothers and children seek shelter elsewhere. Whole families have been sent to “filtration” centers in occupied Russian territories, with hundreds of children ending up inside Russia proper and put up for adoption, according to Ukrainian officials. Every day at 8 a.m., Daria Herasymchuk, an advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on children’s affairs, receives a recap of the previous day’s events, including the latest on children killed, wounded, missing or believed deported. Or left motherless or fatherless, or both. “It’s the worst moment of the day,” she said. “It’s every day.” Seraphim talks with aunt Olena Streelets in the family’s garden. (Kyrylo Svietashov / For The Times) Lena said there was never any question that she and her common-law husband, Serihy — each on their second marriage, with adult children who long since left home — would take in Tymophiy and Seraphim. But it’s an overwhelming task. Their run-down house consists of three tiny rooms: the bedroom, kitted out with new bunk beds for the boys; a living room with peeling paint where the couple now sleep on a double bed that also serves as the only sofa; a smoke-stained kitchen with a shower crammed behind a plastic curtain. Serihy is working on a cinder-block addition, but for now, the yard is strewn with construction debris, and just outside the entryway, a hole in the ground is covered over with rickety boards. Seraphim is in perpetual motion. He leaps onto the sofa bed demanding to be tickled, drags around a watering can nearly as big as him, rolls around on the floor, waving his feet in the air. He giggles and shrieks, but though seemingly thirsty for attention, he is far less verbal than most children his age. Seraphim plays in the family’s yard. (Kyrylo Svietashov / For The Times) “We have to take shifts with him,” said Lena, a former kindergarten teacher, ruffling his hair. Tymophiy, towheaded like his brother, has a sloping visage that foretells a blunt-faced manhood. He can appear simultaneously childlike and old, with pale eyes often either downcast or fixed in an unsettlingly intense stare. His main hobby these days is collecting “frags” from village lanes and yards — heavy, jagged bits of shell casings and rockets, which he likes to thrust into visitors’ hands. The family is receiving some government support, including regular sessions with a counselor for both boys. But Tymophiy scowled when asked about his sessions with the therapist. “There are plenty of things I don’t tell him,” he said, looking away. Tymophiy holds a kitten while his uncle Serihy Provornov looks at family photos. (Kyrylo Svietashov / For The Times) He doesn’t sleep well, he said. Sometimes he thinks he sees eyes watching him in the dark. The early summer light bothers him. He wakes up tired; at night, he must comfort Seraphim when he cries out. This is the boys’ home now — but perhaps only for now. The sisters of Tymophiy’s stepfather, now estranged from Lena and Serihy, have moved into the family home a few streets away. They want to adopt Seraphim, their blood relative, his aunt and uncle said. Lena and Serihy are adamant the boys should not be separated, and want to keep both of them. But the situation is complicated by family acrimony, missing documents and the unknown fate of Tymophiy’s father, who has not been heard from in years. Tymophiy picks up his diary only sporadically now, he said. He sometimes writes in what he describes as a private code, and makes other entries in invisible ink. He willingly shows off the volumes but also declares angrily that the journals have brought him too much attention. Once a constant and a comfort, the diary-keeping has turned as strange as the upside-down world around him. “Sometimes I just want to burn them!” he said. In the village, some aspects of normal life are beginning to resume. Flowers poke up through rubble. There is talk of school starting at some point. The market near where Yulia and Serozha died is open again. Some of the family cats disappeared during the fighting, but others made their way home or were born weeks later. Tymophiy scooped up a limp-looking gray kitten, nuzzling it. That helps him sleep, he said. Lena, a decade older than her dead sister, tears up when she reminisces about Tymophiy’s mother, although she does so only if she is out of his sight and hearing. Yulia’s turbulent relationship with Tymophiy’s father nearly broke her, in the elder sister’s telling. He abandoned her when the boy was still a baby. Seraphim plays in the family’s yard. (Kyrylo Svietashov / For The Times) But as a single mother still in her 20s, Yulia rallied and finished her education in Kyiv, Lena said. She got together nearly a decade ago with Seraphim’s father and moved back to the village, and the pair rejoiced six years ago over the birth of a baby, Seraphim. Lena was godmother to both boys. Years ago, she would take Tymophiy to school on the back of her bicycle or, when he was small enough, snuggle him right into the front basket, where the breeze on his face made him laugh. In her sister’s place, she said, she would do her best to mother them. “We were family, even before this war,” she said. “Now we will try to be a new kind of family.” Laura King is a former reporter with the Los Angeles Times who primarily covered foreign affairs. She previously served as bureau chief in Jerusalem, Kabul and Cairo. World & Nation Subscribe for unlimited accessSite Map Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Until last week, a portrait of Vladimir Putin hung on the wall of the mayor’s office in the town of Shevchenkove. There was a Russian flag. Around a cabinet table, a pro-Kremlin “leader”, Andrey Strezhko, held meetings with colleagues. There was a lot to discuss Another: a new autumn curriculum for Shevchenkove’s two schools Strezhko’s ambitious plans were never realised Ukraine’s armed forces launched a surprise counteroffensive They swiftly recaptured a swathe of territory in the north-eastern Kharkiv region Most residents greeted the soldiers with hugs and kisses He is believed to have fled across the Russian border Shevchenkove’s acting military administrator pointed to the chair where the pseudo-mayor had sat in the council building On the wall was a portrait of Taras Shevchenko Ukraine’s national poet who gives his name to the town Why was there no picture of President Zelenskiy A memorial to Ukrainian soldiers who in 2014 fought against Russia in Donetsk was also demolished The Russians promised residents they would stay in the town for ever They also told them – falsely – the city of Kharkiv had fallen A couple of young soldiers patrolled the park sometimes sleeping drunkenly on its benches A propaganda newspaper was given out along with humanitarian supplies labelled as aid from Moscow There were pro-Kremlin Telegram channels and a radio station named after the letter that came to symbolise Putin’s Ukraine takeover It was difficult to gauge what constituted support for occupation Sukhomlyn said the Russians checked all residents for Ukrainian patriotic tattoos, and came round twice to inspect his garage. If owners were away, they broke down the doors. They also examined computers and flash drives. Putin’s FSB spy agency arrested several people, he said. Those detained were interrogated in Kupiansk, the regional centre 35km away, now the scene of fierce fighting. Twelve days ago, Sukhomlyn said he saw a Russian soldier in the street wearing civilian clothes. He had thrown away his weapon in panic and was carrying his possessions in a knapsack. The soldier squeezed into a civilian car with six others and raced off in a northerly direction. Hours later, the pensioner cheered liberating Ukrainian servicemen. “This is my country. I was born here and will die here,” he said. Read moreThe retreating occupiers took a few prisoners with them He was arrested two weeks ago with several others when he went to take a photograph of a burning oil refinery “They put a sack on his head and took him away,” his son Misha said “There are rumours he is being held somewhere in the Donetsk region investigators were busy trying to track down residents accused of treason More than 100 policemen in the region defected Those who committed serious crimes against the state could expect long custodial sentences under article 111 of Ukraine’s criminal code View image in fullscreenA room where Russian military police slept at the Shevchenkove prosecutor’s office Photograph: Daniel Carde/The GuardianYerokhin showed off a room next to his office where Russian military police had lived They left behind mattresses and a sleeping bag; his staff had dumped green Russian ration packs and an army jacket in a courtyard bin Yerokhin said he had originally worked as a prosecutor in Luhansk now the capital of the self-proclaimed republic in Luhansk In the boarded-up conscription office down the road Do not enter.” Ammunition crates had been stacked outside and fashioned into a makeshift control barrier Yerokhin entered the building through a back gate and descended down brick steps into a cool basement Visible in the gloom were a suite of white metal cages welded together by Russian guards and installed during occupation View image in fullscreenDeputy prosecutor Roman Yerokhin at his desk in the Shevchenkove prosecutor’s office Photograph: Daniel Carde/The GuardianThere were narrow wooden benches The occupiers rigged up a surveillance camera We think they locked up their own deserters here,” Yerokhin said adding: “There may have been Ukrainian prisoners.” was determined to impose its own harsh rules and punishments on territories it occupied Similar chambers have been found in other newly liberated cities including Izium Survivors have described how their interrogators tortured them using a military field telephone connected to a crocodile clip refugees from Kupiansk arrived in buses in Shevchenkove’s central square They queued outside its police station to register Officials checked their documents against a list of wanted collaborators It was quickly occupied and is now just out of the range of Russian guns which are set up at a new position on the east bank of the Oskil River The road to the frontline passes fields and verges littered with destroyed Russian military equipment A depression showed where the tank’s gun had gouged the earth at the moment of impact There were burned-out infantry fighting vehicles and a trashed orange-painted Lada car marked with a Z The letter had also been daubed on several bus-stops View image in fullscreenA destroyed Russian amphibious infantry fighting vehicle lays in ruin along a road between Kupiansk and Shevchenkove Photograph: Daniel Carde/The GuardianOn the outskirts of Kupiansk occupying soldiers had repainted the regional sign in Russian colours They had also removed the soft sign – “ь” – which distinguishes Ukrainian from Russian spelling Ukrainian soldiers had repainted the sign in blue and yellow The 2ft-high soft sign letter was propped next to a checkpoint and a sandbagged fighting pit someone had abandoned a pair of Russian army boots Konashavych said he was confident Ukraine’s armed forces would grab back further territory from Russia made up of the neighbouring Luhansk and Donetsk provinces Konashavych said his small town had witnessed invasion and liberation in just a few extraordinary months Invasion by Luke Harding (Guardian Faber, £20). To support The Guardian and Observer, order your copy at guardianbookshop.com Water is essential to every aspect of life and that is never clearer than in times of crisis we’ve seen how access to safe water is foundational for recovering from disasters and building resilient communities “I think World Water Day is a great opportunity for us to reflect on the importance of water in our lives,” says Simon Mostafa “I think one of the most valuable things that we in IsraAID are doing is really putting communities at the center of access to water.”  we want to acknowledge all that water is and does for communities facing crisis Water access is not an individual challenge – it’s a key element of community here are a few ways that IsraAID is using water and hygiene to empower and strengthen communities A school in Alta VerapazIn the largely indigenous communities of Alta Verapaz IsraAID consciously chose to place water systems in local schools and many children don’t finish elementary school IsraAID worked to make the school a center of community life By ensuring access to safe water at school but the school becomes a natural gathering point for community events – widening our reach to include children ongoing attacks and destruction of civilian infrastructure has forced millions to flee their homes and broken up communities With 3.7 million people still internally displaced and nearly 7 million more as refugees worldwide building community is more important than ever the return of water access means the chance to stay in or return to their homes IsraAID’s mobile water treatment stations serve small villages like Shevchenkove on the border between Mykolaiv and Kherson regions many fled as the village was near the front lines and sustained massive damage safe water access means that the community of Shevchenkove is back in their homes IsraAID is not only restoring access to safe water but building the structures necessary to ensure community ownership over those resources IsraAID helped establish local water management committees and equipped them with the tools and skills they need to ensure long-term sustainability Committee members are leaders in their communities ensuring that water sources are maintained Happy World Water Day 2025 from our entire global team we’ve seen how access to safe water is foundational for recovering from.. We can all agree that 2024 was not an easy year for many of us it can feel overwhelming and like nothing we do matters But here at IsraAID we know that our work.. we honor the people who devote their lives to the service of others Supporting vulnerable communities requires so many people in different roles What binds them all together is their commitment to helping communities rebuild,.. The future is immediate and there’s no time to lose Support resilient communities worldwide as they rebuild from crisis On April 14, the Kyiv District Court of Kharkiv sentenced the woman to 9 years in prison. In addition, she was banned from holding positions in Ukraine’s government and law enforcement agencies for 14 years with confiscation of all property. Last summer, the woman was suspected of collaborating with the Russians in absentia: in May 2022, she headed the information department of the occupation administration at Shevchenkove. In particular, her responsibilities included: The suspect pleaded not guilty to choosing a preventive measure at the court hearing. She said she was trying to “help people.” However, at least four witnesses confirmed that she held a position in the self-proclaimed pro-Kremlin authorities. Vita Stryzhko, a native of Groza village at Shevchenkove community, is the wife of the self-proclaimed mayor of Shevchenkove in the Kupiansk district, Andriy Stryzhko. She is accused of treason (part 5 of Article 111-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). While serving as the mayor of Shevchenkove village, Andriy Stryzhko dismantled a monument to anti-terrorist operation veterans and removed the Ukrainian coat of arms from the local administration. The man also met with the head of the self-proclaimed pro-Kremlin Kharkiv Military Civil Administration, Vitaliy Ganchev. A native of Samarkand (Uzbekistan), Andriy Stryzhko has already faced three suspicions in absentia. The man is currently hiding in Russia. His wife was sentenced, and his 25-year-old son, Mykhailo Stryzhko, was accused of collaboration in December 2022. In particular, he placed billboards with Kremlin propaganda. Mykhailo is now waiting for the judgment. The court hearing is scheduled for April 25 at 10:30 a.m. in the Kyiv District Court of Kharkiv. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this on Telegram there have been 140 combat engagements on the frontlines the enemy forces have carried out artillery shelling on the settlements of Vysoke and Porozok in Sumy region as well as Tymonovychi in Chernihiv region," the statement reads the Ukrainian forces repelled four attempts by Russian troops to advance near Hlyboke the enemy launched 11 attacks attempting to advance in the areas such as Zapadne a total of 21 clashes occurred near Tverdokhlibove five combat engagements are still ongoing in this area the Russian forces launched one assault near Verkhniokamianske but were repelled two clashes near Chasiv Yar and Stupochky were successfully fended off by the Ukrainian defenders Additionally; the enemy dropped three guided aerial bombs on Krymske and Petrivka the enemy's activity is highly intense in the Pokrovsk sector where 28 clashes were reported today fighting continues in the areas of Shevchenkove The Ukrainian defenders are steadfastly fighting off nine more clashes that are still ongoing the Russian forces launched 26 attacks near Trudove the enemy conducted airstrikes with ten guided bombs on the settlements of Komar and Rozliv one enemy attack was repelled near Novodanylivka The Ukrainian forces also intercepted a guided missile near Svitlohirske the Ukrainian troops repelled one attack near Kozatsky Island the Ukrainian forces repelled 15 enemy assaults The enemy also conducted 182 artillery strikes in the region The General Staff noted that the Ukrainian forces are effectively exhausting the enemy across the entire frontline and behind enemy lines Russian combat losses in Ukraine have reached approximately 757,340 personnel with 1,400 casualties reported in the past day While citing and using any materials on the Internet links to the website ukrinform.net not lower than the first paragraph are mandatory citing the translated materials of foreign media outlets is possible only if there is a link to the website ukrinform.net and the website of a foreign media outlet Materials marked as "Advertisement" or with a disclaimer reading "The material has been posted in accordance with Part 3 of Article 9 of the Law of Ukraine "On Advertising" No 1996 and the Law of Ukraine "On the Media" No 2023 and on the basis of an agreement/invoice Online media entity; Media identifier - R40-01421 Kharkiv Oblast / t.me/tymoshenko_kyrylo On the morning of Jan the Russian military shelled the village of Shevchenkove in the Kupiansk district in Kharkiv Oblast According to the head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration Oleh Syniehubov, the occupiers hit the local market and the windows in the nearby houses have been broken “In Shevchenkove village of Kupiansk district a missile strike (preliminarily from the S-300 air defense system) was recorded on the local market [S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems are used for air defense but the Russian occupiers use them to attack ground targets – ed.] All emergency services are working at the place,” reported Syniehubov According to the Regional Center of Emergency Medical Assistance two people were killed as a result of the Russian attack on Shevchenkove The rocket fragment hit the 15-year-old girl in the neck The girl has been transported to Kharkiv for surgery reports Suspilne referring to the director of the Shevchenkove Hospital Svitlana Perepadia Currently, all Kharkiv hospitals are equipped with generators and ready to provide help under any conditions. Soldiers expect Moscow to launch summer offensive and dismiss US efforts to bring peace as ‘pretty disappointing’ We like this’: on the frontline with a Ukrainian artillery unitSoldiers expect Moscow to launch summer offensive and dismiss US efforts to bring peace as ‘pretty disappointing’ loaded a 152mm shell into an old Soviet-made howitzer which was hidden beneath camouflage nets and cut pine branches Nearby, in the north-east of Ukraine, Russian troops were trying to advance. In February 2022 they rolled in to the town of Dvorichna at the beginning of Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion Six months later Ukraine’s armed forces pushed them out as part of a successful counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region the Russians came back and occupied Dvorichna for a second time The battle is taking place on either side of the picturesque Oskil River Visitors would grill kebabs on its sandy beaches or go kayaking past a ridge of low chalk hills and a small national park The Russians are trying to expand a slender bridgehead on the river’s right bank Their goal is to seize the R79 highway leading to the railway hub of Kupiansk 0:37Ukrainian soldiers fire shells from a Soviet-made howitzer – video “Our task is to stop them from crossing the river We do this by firing at their logistics in the rear,” explained Serhii an artillery captain with the 1st or “Burevii” brigade of Ukraine’s national guard Over the past two months, the Russians had scaled back their attempt to bring reinforcements across the Oskil, Serhii said, because of heavy losses. As soon as Russian engineering teams build pontoon bridges his battery destroys them, he added. Video shows how three Russian armoured personnel carriers were hit Others got stuck on the bank and were finished off by kamikaze drones The corpses of Russians soldiers lay around Dogs eat their remains,” Yurii – the artilleryman – said matter-of-factly He added: “A lot of Russians have been killed Fighting takes place across a landscape of fields and broken copses Green foliage and blossom makes it easier for both sides to conceal their technical equipment The Russians had abandoned big military columns and were sending groups of infantry to the frontline on innovative forms of transport These included armoured fighting vehicles – “three or four at a time” – motorcycles View image in fullscreenTechnicians work on drones deployed by the 1st ‘Burevii’ brigade said drones were everywhere along the front Photograph: Julia Kochetova/The GuardianDespite US attempts to negotiate an end to hostilities the Kremlin is still trying to grab more territory Putin announced a ceasefire to coincide with Victory Day and a parade in Red Square celebrating the Soviet Union’s defeat in the second world war of Nazi Germany Ukrainian commentators pointed out he had announced a similar truce over Easter only to massively violate it The US president’s solution to the conflict includes giving Crimea and four eastern Ukrainian regions to Moscow Ukrainian soldiers said this would create a disastrous geopolitical precedent One observed: “It would legitimise the redistribution of territory by force and open a Pandora’s box around the world It’s not up to Trump to decide where our borders lie.” Russia’s latest assault has brought fresh misery to a population that had already experienced occupation In 2022 Russian troops entered Dvorichna quickly After intense recent fighting it has become a wasteland Russian soldiers arrived just after new year They opened fire on the handful of civilians who were still living in the ruined town and sheltering in basements said his neighbour Volodymyr was badly injured Yevhen said he and two neighbours carried Volodymyr’s body up from a cellar but did not have time to dig a grave The trio waited until the soldiers disappeared and escaped walking 4 miles to the Ukrainian-controlled village of Kutkivka View image in fullscreenSerhii shows a letter from his son. The artillery commander said the fighting was ‘back and forth’. Photograph: Julia Kochetova/The GuardianAndriy Besedin, the mayor of Kupiansk said the district was under continual fire This month there have been 1,500 attacks from shells Five people have been killed and 35 injured On Saturday a surgeon was wounded when a Russian drone targeted his car The same day a bomb dropped by a plane killed an 88-year-old man and damaged several houses About 750 residents were still living on the left bank of the Oskil Besedin was optimistic Kupiansk could hang on “We believe in our armed forces,” he declared On Sunday Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged the situation was difficult across the frontline The occupier continues its offensive attempts,” the president wrote on social media Global pressure on Russia to bring the war to an end was “not sufficient” Moscow had snubbed a proposal by Washington for a “full and comprehensive ceasefire” confirmed that the Russians were not letting up “As soon as they see a weakness they take what they can get,” he said “The dynamic we see now is that Russia’s advance is rather slow If we don’t do something to counteract it they will inch forward Our plan on a local level is to kill as many of them as possible until they have nobody to throw at us.” View image in fullscreenAlex in the drone workshop of the 1st ‘Burevii’ brigade He says the aim is to kill as many Russians as possible Photograph: Julia Kochetova/The GuardianOne serviceman called the US’s peace efforts “pretty disappointing” “It’s easy to put pressure on a Ukraine that’s on the back foot He could agree to Trump’s Moscow-friendly deal knowing that Putin would soon “try again” with another attack on Ukraine and see himself blamed by the Americans and Russian propaganda Nearby, other soldiers were customising drones in a workshop. They included surveillance models fitted with thermal cameras and mine-dropping “bombers”. Both sides are using fibre-optic drones which are immune to electronic warfare counter-measures In 2022 there were very few of them,” said one soldier Roman with the call-sign “Cedar” People in the town of Shevchenkove said they didn’t want to live under Russian rule again We had to ask permission to fetch water,” Luda Yermolenko said sitting with her neighbours on a bench next to her cottage under a cherry tree but they killed a mother and her son.” She added: “We hope our army can hold this place.” refused to say what would happen to anyone suspected of working with Russian troops which reported that Ukrainian officials have threatened criminal sanctions for those who have collaborated with the occupiers.  A woman from the town, which had been occupied by Russian forces since the beginning of the nearly seven-month-long war said she was racked with guilt over how she had to take food given out by the Russians.  "We couldn't buy anything in the shops," 73-year-old Larisa Kharkivska told CNN "And we couldn't get money because the banks were closed so we had to stand there like beggars."  Kharkivska said she and her daughter were "terrified to go outside" their home to the sights of Russian soldiers parading around with automatic weapons.  We just hope they never come back," said Kharkivska.  Ukrainian forces reclaimed territory in the Kharkiv region from Russian occupation in a lightning-fast counteroffensive Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that "stabilization measures" were being carried out in the reclaimed land.  "Remnants of occupiers and sabotage groups are being detected collaborators are being detained and full security is being restored," said Zelenskyy Home page » Topics » War » How Mykolaiv is being restored As part of the “Restoration” project, Ukraїner tells how settlements that have been driven out of the enemy’s hands are recovering and being restored. Our first story was dedicated to Kharkiv, Slobozhanshchyna region, the second one — to Chernihiv This one is dedicated to Mykolaiv in the Prychornomoria region a port city located upon two rivers: Inhul and Pivdennyi Buh that flows into the Black Sea The first explosions were heard in Mykolaiv on 24 February The Russian troops were seeking to occupy the city up until November 2022 the invaders shelled Mykolaiv almost every day with artillery and missiles several city districts were left without water supply as a water main that supplied water from the Dnipro river was hit Oleh Pylypenko is the Head of the Shevchenkove village which was occupied by the Russians at the beginning of the full-scale invasion and was later liberated on 10 November As early as the next day after the start of the full-scale phase of the war the community found itself in the “grey zone” Local partisans transmitted data on the enemy’s maneuvres to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and engaged in sabotage Oleh suggests that after Ukraine’s victory a book should be written about how the community resisted the enemy: — They say Mykolaiv became a shield for Odesa and [the village of] Shevchenkove became a shield for Mykolaiv The Head of the community believes that if the occupiers captured Mykolaiv The locals knew that in the event of a Russian advance possibly receiving reinforcements from the occupied part of Moldova — Pridnestrovie (Transnistria) the locals did everything they could to support the Armed Forces they helped with ammunition found in abandoned enemy armed vehicles pulled out abandoned enemy vehicles with the ammunition inside They would load this ammo into their trunks and deliver it to Ukrainian soldiers at the front lines as they were extremely short on shells And when they bring you all of this and say We want to meet [the occupiers] not with flowers The symbiosis of the army and just ordinary people produced significant results there were 16,500 people in the community before the full-scale invasion During the fiercest battles in the autumn of 2022 It was not easy to evacuate since the occupiers often used people as human shields to constrain the manoeuvres of the Ukrainian troops Oleh is convinced: the people felt support from the fact that the authorities of Mykolaiv and surrounding communities did not leave and continued to resist — The [full-scale] war became the filter for showing who was capable of what If the Head of the community was staying in the community it was a clear signal to all the locals that we are going to fight for this land he evacuated his family and returned to the village He is a graduate of the Ivan Kozhedub Kharkiv National Air Force University and an officer of the Armed Forces of Ukraine he had undergone force integration training within the units of the Territorial Defence Forces so he knew a lot of people among the military leading to Oleh being held captive from March to June 2022 He shares that he is one of the few for whom the Chornobaiivka memes are not funny The reason being that the Russian military detained him there during the first week and he witnessed how the Armed Forces attacked the enemy The man says that after being released from captivity he could have left abroad since he is the father of three children he has many acquaintances there as he used to organise internships for Ukrainian students from agricultural universities in other countries prior to becoming the Head of the community — Never once did the thought cross my mind that I could move away from here and be somewhere else Due to intense hostilities in the Shevchenkove community its residents understand the cause-and-effect relationship: if it were not for the Russian army And if it were not for the Ukrainian military the village of Shevchenkove could still be occupied local people financially support the Armed Forces of Ukraine as much as they can — Despite the fact that the government recognised us as a subsidised community in 2023 we managed to transfer about three million hryvnias to the Armed Forces Having experienced what the war is like firsthand,we were aware of the challenges we understand that there will be a positive impact only when everyone supports the Armed Forces According to the community’s calculations the losses due to damaged and destroyed objects were more than UAH 2 billion The local budget before the invasion was 150 million hryvnias This amount is only sufficient for paying wages the community managed to attract around 100 million hryvnias of additional income These funds are being used for the gradual reconstruction process The community was able to purchase utility equipment as part of it was lost during the hostilities and the Czech Republic supported this procurement Oleh claims that most people from the community who were forced to evacuate want to return And donors are more willing to help rebuild the homes of those already residing in the village local authorities are looking for temporary accommodation for those who want to rebuild their own homes and other professionals invited to the community will have an opportunity to live in these shelters — Rooms with quality renovations are always in high demand Reconstruction in the community was launched immediately after the liberation from the invaders medical and educational institutions that were damaged during hostilities were being restored: repairs have been completed in four medical institutions and three institutions of general school education Each repair work comes with its own features and so we have moved on to internal repair work the roof and the walls are under reconstruction they started repairing its windows and roof — We decided to restore everything according to the principle of “better than it used to be” The community currently has about 70% of the number of residents it had before the full-scale invasion Many of them are older people with health problems who receive various government benefits the local authorities decided to combine the outpatient clinic and the administrative service centre in one building so that everything would be in one place they provide temporary housing for people whose houses were destroyed The work was thoroughly approached: the power grid — We conducted these repairs to address this problem for the next 30 years and About 12 million hryvnias have already been spent on the restoration of the building it was a co-financing model: part of the money was provided by donors particularly organisations such as “Doctors Without Borders” and “The Tenth of April,” whereas another part was obtained from the local budget Oleh observed that international partners are more inclined to help communities when they see those are interested and united in implementing the planned project all donors “scan” the community to see how it positions itself and whether there is solidarity between the community residents and the leadership If these individuals share a common vision and strategy for the development of the community then the donor knows they will reach the finish line One of the educational institutions that is currently being restored is the Shevchenkove Lyceum It suffered severely from Russian shelling: the ceilings between the floors About 60 million hryvnias are required in order to restore it Twelve million have already been invested in reconstruction One crucial point in this process is establishing the shelter where all the workers and students will be able to fit the community is revising its development strategy and aims to establish itself as the largest logistics hub in the Black Sea region The location plays a crucial role in this endeavor the Head of the community is working on a project to create a plant that would recycle the construction debris left after shelling: — We have the technologies and the investors’ vision The Belgians and French know how to produce building materials from elements and structures of destroyed buildings that can be reused It will be much cheaper and would require minimal logistics since Mykolaiv is 20 kilometres and Kherson is 30 kilometres [away from us] Three large enterprises within the community used to employ the locals before the full-scale invasion people would even move or commute from cities to work in the village the locals are considering making one of the lyceums specialised in processing raw materials so that young people would have the prospect of local employment the business will be able to find employees faster and will not have to relocate The community’s location is also advantageous making it possible to export products more efficiently — I am sure that after the end of hostilities the Mykolaiv ports will operate even better than before Everyone saw what role Ukraine plays in the global food chain They had some kind of idea about it and yet didn’t really put too much thought into it Oleh realises that there is a lot of hard work ahead he believes that the community will cope as it does not tolerate corruption and is ready to work: — I believe the Shevchenkove community has a promising we need to support the Armed Forces in order to bring our victory closer as fast as possible Ukraine and Ukrainian communities will have a great opportunity to do things differently only those who acknowledge that things will no longer be the way they used to be will be able to take advantage of this Oksana Hnedko is the Head of the Zelenyi Hai village district an administrative subdivision that belongs to the Shevchenkove community She says that only a few buildings in the villages of her district are intact the groundwater comes close to the surface they went to the shelter that used to be situated in the school the Russians destroyed the school with a direct airstrike The rubble is being cleared away and there are plans to build a new school on this spot — Some projects have already been developed for this site and some donors are undertaking this mission It is essential for the village as everyone knows: if there is a school The destroyed school was a learning space for 140 children There is no cultural centre in Zelenyi Hai — The heart of almost everyone who lived in the village belonged here however people are submitting applications within the “eRecovery” state program framework and we are going to be fine since the people are so determined to move on and live here The Russian military also shelled a local kindergarten and hit the corner of the building the community restored everything and plans to build a bomb shelter near the kindergarten a new water tower was installed with the help of foreign partners — People lined up to refuel the generators to get water from the tower so we sent project applications to numerous institutions and charity funds the Mutual Resilience Fund provided its response The water supply remains uninterrupted thanks to the solar panels installed near the water tower the system switches automatically to be powered by the generators Oksana says that the villagers of her district are quite active they began sorting waste and organised the transportation of recyclables They also held fairs and raised money to develop their villages they could co-finance installing solar panels even after the full-scale invasion where each member donates UAH 50 each to maintain public spaces Some graves are abandoned or don’t have a cross what distinguishes us from other villages is that there is not a single fake flower in our cemetery And even all of the old graves look neat since our people are so great and know how to organise themselves and work together Maksym Nefyodov is the director of innovative solutions at the Kyiv School of Economics and a member of the Kyiv City Council. In addition, he is engaged in projects aimed at registering the war-caused losses and planning the country’s reconstruction. “Russia Will Pay” is one of the projects where Maksym is the co-founder and co-head they analyse the impact of Russia’s military aggression on Ukraine The project is financially supported by the Americans About a hundred people work on the technical core and about 30 analysts work on processing the data the “Russia Will Pay” project has calculated $150 billion in direct damage The damage caused to them reaches $56 billion The third category are assets of enterprises (both public and private) destroyed equipment) — $8.7 billion in losses And the final category are educational institutions This includes the expenses of the Ukrainian budget for evacuating and accommodating people this is more of an abstract and vague figure since it is challenging to calculate indirect losses and lost profit and it is always much easier to dispute than direct The “Russia Will Pay” project assesses the war-caused damage throughout Ukraine except for the territories that were occupied before the start of the full-scale invasion since there is not enough information about the current situation there — I believe everyone has heard the stories about Ukrainian factories being completely looted and about seized property from both state-owned companies and private businesses this is still out of the scope of assessing the destruction caused by hostilities The project team uses satellite images to learn about the territories occupied since February 2022 Maksym notes that what was seized but not damaged is not included in the calculations of losses as it will return to Ukraine after the deoccupation Settlements planning reconstruction projects and seeking international partners’ support can apply to the “Russia Will Pay” project and leave an application on their website one must be aware that their team’s capability is not limitless and processing requests may not be as fast as one would like because there is a lot of destruction The information collected within this project will be helpful as an evidence base in future legal proceedings against Russia — You can’t just say that your house was destroyed You have to prove that it was destroyed precisely as a result of hostilities You have to indicate and provide independent proof of the losses claimed the project team collected information from people whose homes were damaged as a result of Russian aggression we quickly encountered that the array of such information and the scale of the damage began to increase in geometric progression The nature of these destructions also rapidly became more complex It was no longer about a single missile hitting a residential building but about carpet bombing and the destruction of infrastructure they began to work with drone and satellite images — analysing what a house looked like before the destruction and what it looks like after Maksym notes that using drone and satellite images reduces the time of obtaining data It is also safer to take such pictures since many of the researched settlements are still under fire Maksym emphasises that their project works independently of the Ukrainian government The data collected by “Russia Will Pay” are also used by Western analysts as well as funds that support Ukraine as the information provided is a direct confirmation that the Russian Federation is shelling civilian objects — We became the primary data source for many international media and organisations The loss assessment methodology was something we had to pay great attention to It had to be developed based on foreign experience but taking the Ukrainian economy and infrastructure distinctive features into account Each sector of the city’s functioning and each direction requires its own methodology it is challenging to calculate the losses of private entrepreneurs since their reporting differs from the reporting of large factories whose assets can be viewed publicly there is the risk of double counting when evaluating the losses of the owner of the premises and the business that rented the premises Maksym notes that they are trying to figure out the reasonable limit of damages detailing because it is impossible to cover all the nuances — It is impossible to evaluate the state of renovations in each particular apartment The time and effort invested in that should probably be directed to something more useful for helping the country during such times we are looking where the limit can lie in many sectors Maksym says that what makes the “Russia Will Pay” project so valuable is the fact that it helps Ukraine to attract international resources for reconstruction and receive weapons from partners Local authorities or foundations seeking to learn the scale of destruction in certain settlements submit their requests to the team our orthoimagery is sometimes the first aerial photography in their history the assessment of the damage caused in Mykolaiv was launched because Denmark requested this information after deciding to help with the reconstruction The collected data were compared with those in the city government (these are the reports of utility companies and the State Emergency Service) All this information has been compiled into an online analysis module that the city and its partners in restoration can use — The damages of Mykolaiv’s infrastructure were estimated at approximately €850 million at that time (at the end of last year) damages from housing destruction amount to €386 million Damage to the water supply system is estimated at €41 million This is the result of not only shelling but also damage to the pipes because Mykolaiv residents had to use salt water since they didn’t have access to fresh water The damage to the heating system accounts for €14 million The damages of enterprises reached €300 million Maksym believes that by shelling educational institutions the Russians are trying to affect the locals’ decision on whether to return after evacuation whether there is a school or not remains a key aspect For parents of children of preschool and elementary school age this is also an economic factor: if their children cannot go to kindergarten or school Ukraine must restore critical facilities that will affect whether people will return or not the Irpin Bridge or access to drinking water in the settlements affected by the destruction of the Kakhovska HPP dam by the Russians — It is wrong to say that we should wait [for victory] and will not volunteer or support the army Maksym says that the “Russia Will Pay” project and Dream a digital restoration ecosystem for accountable management are developing a toolkit to assess reconstruction progress 200 children studied at a school that was designed for 500 pupils even before the full-scale invasion And if there is now a plan to build a school for 1000 children They also plan to monitor the construction priority so that It is also extremely important for society that new projects are inclusive Liubov Patlata is the acting principal of the Mykola Arkas Lyceum in Mykolaiv This 160-year-old building is an architectural landmark of local importance and was severely damaged during Russian shelling in September and October 2022 as in all educational institutions in Mykolaiv The first missile hit the Lyceum on 4 September and the city authorities jointly cleaned up the debris and covered the broken windows with building materials to prevent moisture from entering the premises it is hard to pass by every morning and see a destroyed institution Especially when you know that only a year and a half ago children were running around and celebrations were being held here Denmark undertook the restoration of the lyceum Professional delegations have already visited the city which will be implemented when the safety situation is more stable Since the lyceum is an architectural landmark it is planned to be rebuilt the way it used to be before the destruction and it is essential for her to restore not only the building but also its atmosphere I imagine our lyceum just as it used to be As if I closed my eyes and forgot everything filled with the warmth of children’s hearts Viktoriia Danylenko is the vice-rector of the Administrative and Economic Department at the V.О Sukhomlynskyi National University of Mykolaiv the buildings of the university and the dormitory were significantly damaged by Russian shelling The most significant episode of destruction occurred on 15 July when one of the missiles hit the main building Part of the university building will have to be dismantled. The intention is to rebuild it to its original form. Viktoriia says they recorded all the destruction and prepared the documents required by the state instructions the building was included in the register of damage caused by Russian aggression the teachers did not lose heart and planted a viburnum garden there This specific plant was chosen specifically because the song about the red guelder-rose [Chervona kalyna] became one of the resistance symbols from the first days of the full-scale invasion no one died during the shelling of the university because people were staying inside the building one colleague went away to take some time off Viktoriia herself once came 15 minutes late part of the building was in a state of disrepair Many university work or the professors and student research papers were left there Viktoriia decided to ask the emergency workers for help — The State Emergency Service responded to our request We had guys using their special equipment to climb into this very window and take out numerous items required for the further education process they developed a project to renovate the dormitory it cannot be restored after the missile strike an even better one than we initially wanted the documents for this building have been prepared for write-off and sent to the Ministry of Education and Science despite challenges posed by the destruction the university is waiting for its students as soon as the safety situation improves — We have other premises where we can study even if it is announced that the education must be offline We have enough space for all our students in order to work in comfortable and safe conditions Yevhen Poliakov is the Chief Architect of Mykolaiv the Head of the Architecture and Urban Planning Department of the Mykolaiv City Council and one of those working on the city’s recovery plan Mykolaiv suffered greatly during the first year of the full-scale invasion since battles were being fought near the city starting from February to the end of October The enemy has been shelling the city with various types of weapons about 3,000 objects have been damaged or destroyed Most of them are multi-apartment and private residential buildings including the Admiral Makarov National University of Shipbuilding Petro Mohyla Black Sea National University Sukhomlynskyi National University of Mykolaiv: — You cannot say that the strikes were accidental since the missiles hit the buildings directly the city’s recovery is a timely mission but he believes it is essential to act by prioritising tasks The first priority is to provide people with housing and restore critical networks: water A successful case of a single-site reconstruction is an emergency hospital it was reconstructed according to modern requirements a Russian missile attack destroyed almost half of the premises the hospital was reconstructed with the help of foreign partners They tackled this object with a matter of urgency because it is vital for the citizens To plan more long-term and global reconstruction projects for the city the city authorities asked the residents what their needs were one of the most common answers were bomb shelters Yevhen is sure that it is essential to approach the reconstruction considering the region’s local context and specifics: proximity to the aggressor country its location above the Pivdennyi Buh river — Mykolaiv ports transferred more grain than any other port in Ukraine Yevhen believes that even before the full-scale invasion the city’s water resources were not used adequately This should be changed by setting up the riverwalk establishing passenger and freight transportation Mykolaiv residents are researching how to reconstruct their city with international partner companies — One Works (Italy) and the COWI (Denmark) and COWI is working on water systems and waste processing projects Denmark supports not only Mykolaiv but also the entire region global and not single-site reconstruction has several stages: analytical research (which lasted more than six months) developing preliminary strategies (currently ongoing) and then shaping the overall structure of the city This will be implemented after the end of the war when the safety situation will allow it it is crucial to analyse the city’s problems that existed before the caused destruction Yevhen admits that there were many issues with the heating systems — We are a post-Soviet city that was built not for people to live here but for them to work in factories He adds that this approach is apparent in urban planning: residential areas and roads leading from them to the workplaces One also needs to understand what the city consists of The achievements of 2021 were of great use Mykolaiv established a base of educational housing and communal services institutions — [At that time,] we had data on the current situation in our city in digital form we assessed the damage caused by the aggressor’s shelling The “Russia Will Pay” project was extremely helpful with this It is a joint initiative of the KSE Institute — an analytical centre at the Kyiv School of Economics They particularly worked with satellite data — We verified numerous cases of destruction because apart from a point on the map each destruction has many more features like address [which in its turn provides information on] the number of floors The detailed description of the destruction is valuable for two aspects: it is an evidence base of Russia’s crimes and a list of what must be restored it is essential to record in a timely manner when certain damage was caused by which weapon Studying the experience of foreign colleagues Yevhen realised that it is economically reasonable not to dismantle outdated or damaged buildings but to reconstruct them with improvements we are talking about housing stock built during the Soviet Union which was not adapted to modern requirements (energy efficiency This approach to reconstruction has its advantages: — An increase in the cost of such housing and its living quality Yevhen shares that one of the emotionally complex cases is the reconstruction of the city centre since the Russian military hit the State Administration but the question that arises is how to preserve the memory of the tragedy Yevhen supports the concept of establishing a commemoration site he acknowledges that the professionals should work on this case but it is also important to hear the opinions of the locals — This will be a discussion within our society One Works is an Italian company that develops innovative urban projects Ana Paez is an architect who manages their project to restore Mykolaiv said that the city needs help with reconstruction planning once the hostilities end The British architect Norman Foster responded to this and the UN considered extending this project to several cities — The initiative aimed to develop a methodology for comprehensive urban planning that could be applied to other regions They were actively looking for cities that needed a recovery plan and those capable of formulating such a document joined the initiative and started working on Mykolaiv’s recovery plan the One Works team met with the city authorities studied the documents related to the city plan the company presented its vision of the first steps towards the reconstruction of Mykolaiv to the city authorities the company invites individual professionals to solve specific problems — We have also established partnerships with Italian universities and the Polytechnic Institute of Milan assembled a task force of 17 professors who deal with six different aspects of the Masterplan Employees of the Danish company COWI are engaged in developing communal services (heating systems Professionals from Italian companies are committed the landscape architecture studio “Land” works on public spaces The GISdevio company develops tools to present the Masterplan in digital form “Systematica” takes care of public transport Ana points out that understanding the current situation in the city enables effective reconstruction planning repairing the damaged structure will be sufficient — We don’t need to start from scratch but we can start by directing the resources that come to the city to what is worth restoring first and set our priorities more efficiently It is crucial for the One Works team not only to familiarise Mykolaiv municipality with their developments to receive their feedback but also to help them in utilising these developments for future reconstruction Another element of cooperation involves engaging the public through public interviews — We launched the first interviews last year (2022 We realised that the people of Mykolaiv are incredibly active and react to everything we publish related to the Masterplan Mykolaiv residents were asked how they perceive their city and their district This data provides insight into what needs to be improved only 24.5% of people can reach a public transport stop from their home within a 5-minute walk 81 % of residents expect an improvement in the water supply system and 52% of young people need employment opportunities to stay or return to the city Many people expressed that they would like the riverside to be an accessible public space 92 % of residents and 80% of temporarily internally displaced persons are ready to join the reconstruction A survey of citizens shows that Korabelnyi is the most inconvenient district in the city a group of Ukrainian and Italian architects is working on the Korabel kultural park project Its purpose is to rethink the use of the territory of the City Palace of Culture «Korabelnyi» in the Korabelnyi district of Mykolaiv The project aims to turn this part of the city’s industrial district into a pleasant public space that can be used not only for events but also for walks They will start developing the city’s Masterplan substantively in January 2024 although they are aware that the war is going on and the situation in the city can change Ana adds that smaller architectural forms are also being developed along with the Masterplan — We have five pilot projects on various subjects: innovation Their idea is to figure out what challenges will be faced the fact that Ukrainian legislation currently does not regulate all aspects of reconstruction Ana is convinced that it is the right time to develop a recovery plan because it is a long-term multi-vector work a stream of aid will flow to Ukraine to try to help it recover we risk resources not being directed towards a goal shared by all Jesper Karup Pedersen is an economist who has been working on infrastructure projects at the Danish company COWI for 32 years she stopped working in Russia but continued to launch projects in Ukraine the Danish government invited the company to cooperate in restoring the infrastructure of Mykolaiv — I think that all Ukrainian cities are special to Europe Denmark pays a lot of attention to Mykolaiv and will continue to do so for many years to come that Denmark takes care of Mykolaiv and becomes its patron This request was taken seriously by the Danish government COWI is working on a roadmap on how to improve the current state of infrastructure Their findings will be integrated into the Masterplan of Mykolaiv The company also deals with water and heat supply — We have an investment project aimed at creating an enterprise for sorting and processing [construction] waste so that it can be used for various purposes especially from the Balkan wars and post-natural disasters Jesper emphasises that there is also a need to prepare for this project legally including developing a model for the owners of the destroyed buildings to collaborate with the city in collecting this waste and bringing it to the recycling plant including representatives of the city and the Danish Energy Agency as well as international financial organisations and donors who will co-finance the project and provide loans or grants for recovery Jesper is sure that Ukraine will achieve victory it will immediately begin the restoration process — What we are doing in Mykolaiv is mainly aimed at preparing the city for the day when the war ends The idea is to prepare everything in advance so that tenders can be issued immediately so that the contractors can commence excavation Coordinator of the partnerships department: Editor-in-Chief of Ukraїner International: Involved in the preparation of the material 48 volunteers Project support: Fundacja Euromaidan-Warszawa Use of materials is only permitted upon providing the source: Ukrainer.net Дизайн — Артем Зубкевич Розробка — Deluxcode Khaleda Rahman is Newsweek's National Correspondent based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on education and national news. Khaleda joined Newsweek in 2019 and had previously worked at the MailOnline in London, New York and Sydney. She is a graduate of University College London. Languages: English. You can get in touch with Khaleda by emailing k.rahman@newsweek.com either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content A Ukrainian woman has told media sources how Russian soldiers shot her husband dead before repeatedly raping her as her young son sobbed "I heard a single shot, the sounds of the gate opening and then the sound of footsteps in the house," the 33-year-old woman, who remained anonymous but used the pseudonym Natalya, told The Times newspaper then I looked outside and I saw him on the ground by the gate This younger guy pulled gun to my head and said: 'I shot your husband because he's a Nazi.'" Natalya told her 4-year-old son to hide in a boiler room where they had been sheltering from the shelling in their home in a small hamlet near Shevchenkove village in the Brovary district The men repeatedly raped her over the course of several hours on March 9 while her young son cried in the boiler room "He said 'you'd better shut up or I'll get your child and show him his mother's brains spread around the house'," she recalled to the newspaper Then they both raped me one after the other They didn't care that my son was in the boiler room crying They told me to go shut him up and come back All the time they held the gun by my head and taunted me Multiple reports of rape have emerged since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24 but Natalya's allegations are the first to be officially investigated by Ukraine's prosecutor general "Kyiv prosecutors have identified a Russian serviceman who killed an unarmed man and repeatedly raped his wife," Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova said in a statement last week "This villain broke into a private house and shot the owner the drunken occupier and his colleague repeatedly raped the wife of the killed civilian Earlier this month, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba accused Russian soldiers of raping women in Ukraine and vowed to seek justice through the International Criminal Court Natalya said after the soldiers fell asleep going past her husband's body in the yard where he was killed "While I was opening the gate my son was standing next to his father's body but it was dark and he did not understand it was his father," she said "He said 'will we get shot the same as this man here?'" She said she has yet to tell her son that his father is dead where her husband's sister urged her to report her rape and his killing to authorities Russian authorities did not immediately respond to Newsweek's requests for comment ET: This article has been updated to add a picture Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground Newsletters in your inbox See all You will also start receiving the Star's free morning newsletter Ukrainian Eugenia Moiseeva and her son Ilya in 2022 Russian violence severely traumatized both but Moiseeva has passed up a chance to flee to Canada in order to help others with no place to go The remains of Eugenia Moiseeva’s family home in Balakliya a village near Kharkiv where the Russians rampaged in a wave of torture and killing that became synonymous in the world’s media with some of the war’s most shocking atrocities A medic gently checks the blood pressure of 98-year-old Maria Movchan at the Peaceful Future shelter in Shevchenkove community and independence to Putin’s invasion three years ago a local resident whose house was destroyed stands next to a crater following a strike on the village of Sknyliv Russia launched dozens of missiles and drones at the Ukrainian energy sector ramping up a months-long bombing campaign at a precarious moment of the war for Ukraine The Ukrainian air force said Russia had deployed 43 cruise and ballistic missiles and 74 attack drones in the overnight barrage that appeared to have targeted sites mainly in western Ukraine (Photo by YURIY DYACHYSHYN / AFP) (Photo by YURIY DYACHYSHYN/AFP via Getty Images) a local resident whose house was destroyed stands next to a crater following a missile strike on the village of Sknyliv children of Ukrainian humanitarian worker Eugenia Moiseeva welcome chicks that the family will raise as a source of food Ukrainian Eugenia Moiseeva recovering from chemotherapy in 2020 Moiseeva was diagnosed with Stage 3 lung cancer in 2018 A Peaceful Future shelter resident in Shevchenkove This young mother once struggled to survive Now she’s a lifeline for Ukraine’s most vulnerable Maria Movchan’s face glows with something rare in this third year of war: hope Movchan, a 98-year-old Ukrainian wearing a weathered head scarf and donated dress, has lost everything to Putin’s invasion — her home she feared she would die in the cold of a bombed-out building as shelter after shelter turned her and her daughter Then another victim of war opened her doors The woman who gave refuge to Movchan and her daughter was Eugenia Moiseeva She has poured her family’s savings into creating a home for two dozen disabled people in the village of Shevchenkove helping them rebuild their lives from the ruins of war  “She gave us everything ,” Valentina said in Ukrainian in a video interview from Moiseeva’s shelter help her mother move her walker between narrow twin beds draped with hand-crocheted blankets  “She gave us protection and peace.”   Last fall Moiseeva set up her own non-profit, Peaceful Future and revamped a building to welcome Ukraine’s most vulnerable survivors — those too disabled for conventional shelters she had suffered a terminal cancer diagnosis her father’s disappearance and her children’s nightmares she has found her own salvation in the wreckage of war even while battling her own deadly disease The Star first met Eugenia Moiseeva in December 2022, at a retreat for victims of Russian violence in Chernivtsi, Ukraine, sponsored by the Masha Foundation a Ukrainian organization that helps mother and child victims of war Moiseeva was identified as one of the most traumatized program participants by psychologists leading the program because she had lost a home and family members while in treatment for terminal cancer When Russian forces invaded in February 2022 world leaders rallied to prop up Kyiv’s defence president Joe Biden’s administration allocated more than $100 billion in military and humanitarian aid Moiseeva said she could have told anyone who asked then that it wouldn’t be enough  With their country’s security so uncertain like Moiseeva fear the stakes of their work have never been higher  The Star first interviewed Moiseeva while she was in therapy for post-traumatic stress in 2022 but she has been a refugee of Russia’s war for more than a decade during Russia’s first incursions into Ukraine Russian-backed forces streamed through Myronivs’kyi — Moiseeva’s village in the Donetsk region — hunting down civilians loyal to Ukraine The whip-crack of gunfire blasted through walls She heard the sounds of soldiers in the apartment upstairs sobbing silently while her husband huddled on their balcony  “I heard how my neighbour upstairs lay on the floor and begged” before he was shot Moiseeva and her husband clung to life that night She remembers later fleeing through streets echoing with explosions and Russian bullets  Moiseeva and her husband fled to Balakliya a village near Kharkiv where Moiseeva’s grandmother offered them safety and a new home But the weight of grief and financial ruin shattered their marriage leaving Moiseeva to raise their young daughter Ivanka alone the world largely ignored the forced displacement of Moiseeva and nearly two million other Ukrainians as Russian aggression threatened their lives With Trump now co-operating directly with Putin Moiseeva fears a renewal of that indifference especially the quiet ways he encouraged little Ivanka A few months later they welcomed their son What started as a diagnosis of tuberculosis for Moiseeva soon revealed itself as something worse — Stage 3 lung cancer For three years she submitted herself to a ruthless cycle of surgeries took shelter in the relative safety of western Ukraine where Igor continued working as a bus driver and Ivanka attended school online  But Moiseeva’s father and ex-husband left for the front line she did not know if they were dead or alive who Moiseeva said survived in basement shelters as Russian bombs turned the city into a landscape of craters and mass graves Moiseeva was haunted by accounts of her mother and grandmother’s life in Balakliya where the Russians rampaged in a wave of torture and killing she endured several surgeries as the war raged around her  Then her grandmother was killed by a stray piece of shrapnel from an airstrike while tending her garden  Eleven-year-old Ivanka suffered from the trauma of her grandmother’s death and the loss of their former home hands pressed over his ears as other children played nearby in a daycare observed by the Star in 2022 They will kill us soon,”  he repeatedly muttered the memory of explosions lingering with him with Moiseeva’s cancer prognosis uncertain and her father and former husband still missing crushing anxiety pushed her toward thoughts of ending her life Supporting Ivanka and Ilya was the only thing that brought her strength she would be marshalling this strength to help many more people She made plans to flee to Canada to ensure her children would be sheltered and protected after her death She said she was determined that her last act would be creating a sanctuary for them even as she prepared to release her own grip on life  But as Canadian authorities reviewed Moiseeva’s application  Her father returned from Russian-occupied Bakhmut All four of his limbs were shattered by torture His sudden reappearance consumed her and filled her with purpose Then something happened that would delay her plans for Canada again: Ivanka’s father was found alive at the front line She rushed to the military hospital to care for him “It’s very scary in Ukraine,” Moiseeva texted in March 2023 Moiseeva said she discovered surprising reserves of strength within her New tests showed her cancer was in remission  Her unexpected recovery gave her new choices to consider gathering her family for an appointment at the Canadian consulate where officials collected biometric data for immigration  Then someone asked Moiseeva to volunteer at a shelter for displaced Ukrainians and their window of opportunity to depart for Canada approached  But as she listened to survivors from Kherson Kramatorsk and Bakhmut share stories of bombardment’s hell — of huddling in freezing basements of children who lost their parents — something shifted within her became a second family she couldn’t abandon She worked hard distributing donated clothes and bedding co-ordinating with doctors and trauma therapists and helping residents process their losses This despite renewed hospital visits for her cancer Each week brought new survivors from bombarded cities arriving with little but the clothes they wore while Moiseeva struggled to scrape together resources to meet their basic needs she barely registered that her chance for sanctuary in Canada had slipped away The deadline for Canada’s emergency travel program passed unnoticed while she tended to others  “The war is continuing with increased strength and my work has become even more necessary,” she wrote over Telegram in December 2024  As Russian missiles battered Ukrainian cities this winter and Trump threatened to end support life in Moiseeva’s Peaceful Future shelter settled into a rhythm of survival and solace who once feared dying alone in a bombed-out building passing out toiletries and clothes with the same tenderness she received in her hospital room  Her children no longer hide from loud noises or mutter about death Ivanka’s silence has given way to laughter as she helps cook and clean at the shelter after school while little Ilya delights in delivering food to the residents  “I am helping more and more people,” Moiseeva said as she watched Movchan guide her walker with assurance she found sanctuary in a renovated old building where two dozen wounded souls have created their own kind of peace among people who understand both survival and sacrifice she discovered that healing isn’t always about escaping to safer shores it’s about staying put and helping others who share your pain With Russia’s war moving into its fourth year she and her Peaceful Future residents are wrestling with new pain: Trump’s one-on-one deals with Putin could keep them from ever going back to their homes Yet Moiseeva remains optimistic about their return  She has seen the odds beaten before — in her own recovery and in the unlikely survival of family under Russian occupation Moiseeva’s mother ventured back to their devastated home in newly liberated Balakliya She wept among the crumbling walls and scattered debris until a familiar bark pierced the silence and an old friend came bounding through the wreckage our little Bug,” Moiseeva wrote over Telegram Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Account processing issue - the email address may already exist Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account the Russian army attacked Mykolaiv region with drones Three communities were affected — Kutsurub According to the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration Russians attacked the Kutsurub community with FPV drones six times As a result of one of the strikes on the village of Dniprovske, a 72-year-old woman was injured She was taken to hospital in a satisfactory condition the drone attack left more than 400 subscribers in the community without electricity The damage was quickly repaired and the power was restored an attack drone hit the Shevchenkove community The attack damaged a residential building and a power line A fire broke out and was quickly extinguished More than 250 subscribers were left without electricity restoration work is scheduled for the morning the Russian army attacked the waters of the Ochakiv community with an FPV drone As a reminder, on Wednesday, 23 April, Russian troops attacked the Kutsurub community in Mykolaiv region twice with FPV drones A leading Catholic charity has revealed a second big injection of help for Ukrainians hit by the war – totalling more than £1 million As part of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN)’s latest aid package more than £570,000 will be going to support Church projects helping those who fled their homes – with a further £169,000 in the pipeline more than £484,000 in Mass stipends will provide vital support for priests ministering to IDPs (internally displaced persons) ACN’s Ukraine projects coordinator Magda Kaczmarek – who is in the country – said this second phase will shore up the Church’s crucial emergency efforts Not only will the fresh injection of help support monasteries and parishes sheltering IDPs but it will provide vehicles and electricity generators Ms Kaczmarek said: “Many donations are reaching the bordering countries but there is now a need for vehicles to transport the goods to those who need them in the country often in locations that have been heavily damaged medicine and clothes are being ferried throughout the area where Sisters have been distributing food to women and children sheltering at the main railway station new vehicles will enable the Church’s work to expand including Caritas in Kyiv and the Diocese of Odessa-Simferpol Among those receiving generators is the seminary in Sambir-Drohobych Diocese With parts of the country increasingly cut off from the electricity supply And support going to dioceses and monasteries to help feed and house internal refugees includes the Archeparchy of Ivano-Frankivsk which is caring for hundreds of the region’s 40,000 IDPs Around 100 people are being cared for in the classrooms in St Basil’s High School alone These have been turned into dormitories for those who were forced to flee their homes because of the war Ms Kaczmarek said that the charity’s support for Ukraine during the Russian invasion builds on its long-term support for the Church in the country – which dates back to the Communist period She said: “ACN was one of the first organisations to pledge emergency support for Ukraine a country where we have been funding projects for decades “It is important that the Ukrainians realise that even as this war drags on their fellow believers around the world will not forget them and ACN will continue to look for ways to help effectively By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. more information Accept The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this ANY DONATIONS AND MASS OFFERINGS YOU KINDLY GIVE THROUGH THIS WEBSITE WILL BE COLLECTED BY ACN TRADING LTD ON BEHALF OF AID TO THE CHURCH IN NEED (UK) Copyright © 2025 Aid to the Church in Need. All Rights Reserved.Aid to the Church in Need is a Pontifical Foundation of the Catholic Church and a registered charity in England and Wales (1097984) and in Scotland (SC040748) | Charity web design by Fat Beehive In the past 24 hours, on January 4, 179 combat clashes occurred on the frontlines in Ukraine. The occupiers continue to focus their efforts on the Pokrovsk direction, according to the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Ukrainian defenders stopped 45 enemy offensive actions," the report states The Russians have continued attempts to storm the areas of Myrne 179 combat clashes were recorded in the past 24 hours two enemy attacks occurred near the settlements of Starytsia and Vovchansk with the enemy also actively using bomber aircraft four attacks by the occupiers were repelled Defense forces resisted enemy assaults near Zahryzove and Petropavlivka the Ukrainian Armed Forces repelled nine attacks in the areas of Chasiv Yar the enemy carried out 11 attacks near Toretsk the Defense Forces repelled 28 enemy assaults The enemy also carried out airstrikes on settlements The main enemy efforts were focused on areas near Sribne the enemy conducted 17 assaults on Ukrainian positions near Dachne and Yantarne Ukrainian defenders successfully repelled an attempt by the enemy to advance near Novodanylivka Russian invaders attacked positions three times but faced tough resistance and suffered losses near the Zabich and Kozatsky islands the enemy launched 33 assaults on positions the enemy did not carry out any active operations no signs of enemy offensive groupings were detected Along the border with Chernihiv and Sumy regions the enemy from Russian territory actively used artillery and aviation to target Ukrainian settlements On January 4, Russia’s losses amounted to 1,730 military personnel Ukrainian forces also destroyed seven tanks missile troops and artillery of the Defense Forces struck two locations where enemy personnel The press service of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said this on Facebook, Ukrinform reports. According to the statement, the enemy continues to launch missile strikes on civilian targets across Ukraine. Ukrinform reported earlier that Russia lost about 19,100 soldiers in Ukraine from February 24 to April 9. The enemy also lost 705 tanks, 1,895 armored fighting vehicles, 335 artillery systems, 108 multiple launch rocket systems, 55 anti-aircraft warfare systems, 151 aircraft, 136 helicopters, 1,363 motor vehicles, seven boats/cutters, 76 fuel tankers, 112 unmanned aerial vehicles, 25 special equipment units and four mobile SRBM systems. Online media entity; Media identifier - R40-01421. © 2015-2025 Ukrinform. All rights reserved. [email protected] It was only in April that journalist and blogger Oksana Haidar (pseudonym Ruda Pani) who died along with her mother Lydia Haidar on March 15 Her son Andriy Korkin spoke about this in his interview with IMI the Russians did not allow them to be buried in a cemetery so their friends buried them in the garden of their house but I said that it couldn't get any worse even if I saw them dead I said: 'Send me the photos so I can see what they've done.' But they refused to send me these photos," Andriy said After the Russians retreated from Shevchenkove SBU officers and investigators came to the village and started recording the crimes committed by the Russians exhumed the bodies and brought the bodies of Andriy Korkin's mother and grandmother to the Brovary morgue but I was given one day to make all the arrangements The problem was that neither my mother nor grandmother wanted to be cremated one day you will have to bury us.' I wouldn't say that they were all that religious but they wanted to adhere to this aspect – to be buried without cremation," the man recalls only cremation was available in Kyiv at that time "And no one wanted to deal with burials – unless there were graves ready In theory (I never found the papers) I had a plot at the Lisovyi Cemetery We have a kind of pantheon there: almost all of my relatives are buried there And there was a spot for my grandmother next to my uncle but I never managed to find the papers," Andriy adds he found out that his mother and grandmother as the village's residents who fell victims to the war could be buried in the village cemetery for free As IMI reported, on April 8, 2022, law enforcers opened an investigation into the deaths of journalist blogger Oksana Haidar (Ruda Pani) and her mother Lydia Haidar the bodies of both women were found on April 7 in a garden in one of the yards of Shevchenkove village The criminal case was opened under Article 438 p 2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (Violation of the laws or customs of war) Oksana Haidar was known under the pseudonym Ruda Pani, and published history-related posts on her Twitter account She wrote her last tweet on March 11 where she reported on the situation in the Russian-occupied Kyiv oblast Russians aren't letting anyone leave – they fire at cars and even bicycles People can only sit quietly in their homes The humanitarian catastrophe is a matter of a month Everything will be Ukraine!" Ruda Pani wrote [email protected] (050) 447-70-63 Ідентифікатор медіа: R40-01250 Reprinting and disseminating our information is allowed but under strictly condition of reference to the source Since the beginning of the day on February 10, there have been 83 combat engagements on the front line. The enemy is applying the most pressure in the Pokrovsk direction, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine enemy aviation activity resulted in strikes on Velykyi Burluk and Shevchenkove The enemy attempted to advance near Vovchansk but was repelled Russian troops attacked Defense Forces positions six times in the areas of Kindrashivka the invading army launched nine attacks on Ukrainian positions near Kopanky Ukrainian defenders are repelling five assault actions by Russian forces with the enemy attempting to break through near Vasiukivka and Chasiv Yar our defenders repelled three enemy attacks near Toretsk and Shcherbynivka with six combat engagements still underway Russian forces made 28 attempts to dislodge our defenders from their positions near Baranivka The Defense Forces are holding their ground the enemy attempted to break through our defenses ten times near Zelenivka the enemy struck the settlement of Sichneve with a guided aerial bomb and hit Huliaipole three times with unguided rockets there have been 15 combat engagements since the start of the day since the start of the full-scale invasion Russia has lost over 850,000 military personnel In particular, over the past day, the total losses of Russian invaders amounted to 1,170 personnel Additionally, Ukrainian forces destroyed 9 tanks, 16 armored combat vehicles, 35 artillery systems, 3 air defense systems, 137 operational-tactical UAVs, 109 vehicles, and 1 unit of special equipment. [email protected] blogger Oksana Haidar (pseudonym Ruda Pani) died on March 15 The Russians hit the house where she stayed with her elderly mother with mortar fire Her son Andriy Korkin shared this story in his interview with IMI He noted that he last spoke with her three hours before her death it is still unclear whether the occupiers targeted their house deliberately "Somebody could have told them that my mother was a well-known pro-Ukrainian journalist or that I was in the army That could also have happened," Andriy said because they will shoot you down and move on.' Fortunately There were a couple of times when their search groups and squads visited the house At first they were searching for men in the village Mom recognized that there were some guys from the Wagner group he learned about the death of his relatives from a friend who was in the village's self-defense unit He got to the house after the shelling and was the first to discover the bodies of the deceased Oksana Haidar and her mother As IMI reported, on April 8, 2022, law enforcers opened an investigation into the deaths of journalist Oksana Haidar was known under the pseudonym Ruda Pani, and published history-related posts on her Twitter account She wrote her last tweet on March 11 [email protected] Russian boasts that there are no more women left in Lyman and Torske A Russian invader boasted how the invasion army committed genocide of Ukrainians in Lyman Donetsk Region in a conversation with his friend intercepted by the Security Service of Ukraine The Russian killer says that when they were leaving Lyman and Torske Russians shot people right in the middle of the street saying that after them "there were no young women have left in the city" We took all the young men away with us and then raped cut and shot their girls and women," the invaders confessed of war crimes The Security Service of Ukraine is working to identify Russian criminals and punish the inavders "The Security Service of Ukraine has opened over 21 thousand criminal proceedings to investigate violation of the laws and customs of war by the Russian army," the statement reads "They Attempt to Bury Our Forces under Dead Bodies": Yermak about Bakhmut and Soledar Battle Russians Continue to Kill Civilians: Regional Military Administration Showed Consequences of Artillery Strike in Residential Neighborhood of Kherson   Russia Offers for Sale Seized Ukrainian Aircraft Repair Plant  Missile Strike in Kharkiv Region: All Details about the Tragedy in Shevchenkove (Photo) 21 December 2012 - A train carrying 380 tonnes of a toxic rocket fuel component which had been stored in deteriorating containers left Ukraine today for Russia as part of a project supported by the OSCE will be safely disposed of at a specialized chemical plant in Russia The Shevchenkove site is one of six mélange stockpiles left in Ukraine following the Cold War and the fifth to be cleaned up under the OSCE project Mélange was widely used by the armies of the former Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact to propel short- and medium-range rockets The removal of the fourth batch of mélange from the military depot near Shevchenkove marks the resumption of the removal process which had to be temporarily suspended due to lack of funding A financial contribution of more than 10 million euro from the U.S Government last month will enable the OSCE is to complete removal of all remaining stocks of mélange in Ukraine The removal of the remaining stocks is expected to be completed by the end of 2013 9,000 tonnes of mélange have been removed from four military storage sites: Kalynivka Chemical plants in Dzerzhinsk and Biysk in the Russian Federation have disposed of this hazard in a process that produces chemical products for civilian use is the largest OSCE donor-financed project to date Financial support has been provided by the following OSCE participating States: the Czech Republic Sweden (Swedish International Development and Co-operation Agency) and the United States of America During the second phase of the project “Sense of Security and Dialogue Practices: Searching for Optimal Tools at the Community Level” tools aimed at enhancing the sense of security were applied in the Kolomyia Community of Ivano-Frankivsk Region and Shevchenkove Community of Mykolaiv Region This article outlines the tools used and their effectiveness Kolomyia Community of Ivano-Frankivsk Region  Justification for Selecting Intervention Tools A sociological survey of Kolomyia Community residents revealed significant concerns regarding job loss and Over 60% of respondents stated they could not sustain themselves for more than one month without employment or social benefits 80% of respondents reported having savings sufficient for only one month The survey also highlighted other major concerns including threats to life and health due to military actions and insufficient funds for medical treatment project experts identified three key areas contributing to the residents’ sense of insecurity and selected targeted tools to improve their sense of safety The local team initiated a partnership with the Kolomyia District Employment Center to explore current employment programs “We decided to promote these programs which are underused or completely unknown to many people Our goal was to broaden the audience of employers by presenting in an easily accessible format such as a video information about compensation opportunities for hiring people with disabilities as well as for hiring young people under 25 for their first job or under 35 for their second job job seekers will find employment opportunities and employers will be less concerned about their businesses or about being unable to hire different categories of individuals such as internally displaced persons” Head of the NGO Trykutnyk and Coordinator of the Local Team the Employment Center offers various compensation conditions for the public-benefit community and other temporary work which is often done by retirees and those who have not yet found other employment” The project team outlined the detailed compensation conditions in a thematic informational brochure Another brochure addresses retraining opportunities and grant programs for starting a business for veterans and their families “We prepared this brochure so people were aware of the fact that if they cannot find a job in their field in our region they can gain a new profession at various technical schools and colleges across Ukraine Accommodation in dormitories is provided during training and the list of professions for retraining is quite extensive“ In order to improve the sense of security in terms of health and life care the project team conducted an informational campaign on the Medical Guarantee Program by the National Health Service of Ukraine (NHSU) “The program essentially provides a wide range of medical services free of charge the National Health Service of Ukraine (NHISU) pays the institutions for these services often the residents of our community are not informed which leads to a widespread fear of falling ill and not being able to afford treatment” a series of posts were distributed about the Medical Guarantee Program free services at local healthcare institutions for all citizens as well as for internally displaced persons and military personnel the local team secured support from local law enforcement agencies despite respondents expressing concerns about the spread of crime during the survey the actual crime rate in recent years has not increased but rather decreased a type of crime known as online fraud — cybercrime — has proliferated conducted for this group of citizens the training on How To Prevent Online And Phone Fraud Another educational event focused on crime in the Kolomyia Community in general and included an important practical component — first aid training Turbiv Community of Vinnytsia Region  The concerns of the residents of the Turbiv Community are similar to those observed in Kolomyia According to the results of the sociological survey among the factors that cause the greatest sense of insecurity in the community are as follows: lack of funds for seeking medical care amid the cost of medical services the prevalence of financial fraud with bank cards and the threat to life and health posed by enemy drones the local project team decided to apply intervention tools to improve the sense of security in the following three areas: In light of the concerns expressed by the respondents the local project team conducted informational meetings in the community on the accessibility of medical services under the State Guarantees Program The target groups included local government employees “We provided a laptop to equip the registry workplace at the Turbiv Village Hospital and conducted training on how to search for relevant specialists at the regional center and book an appointment through the electronic queue system” and Head of the Podilskyi Center for Human Rights NGO The search for a specialist and booking an appointment via the electronic queue is a new service at the Turbiv Hospital which was introduced as part of the project “We also distributed informational brochures about medical services at healthcare facilities in the Turbiv Community including contact information for remote communication we provided the hospital with promotional video materials People waiting in the doctor’s office queue simultaneously receive information about the availability of medical services under the State Guarantees Program” To address the growing anxiety caused by a lack of accurate information and the threat of losing savings the local team developed informational materials and held meetings on the topic “Information Security: How to Avoid Becoming a Victim of Card Fraud.” According to Oksana Yatsyuk the topic turned out to be highly relevant as some attendees had recently fallen victim to fraudsters “When we held an informational event for senior students of Lyceum No approached Oksana Yatsyuk and asked her to conduct the same informational event for the teachers of the Lyceum The level of interest in the topic is still very high” after a collision with a “Shahed” drone a plane crashed and damaged one of the households This incident significantly alarmed the residents of the Turbiv Community In their responses to the sociological survey they indicated a high level of anxiety due to the risks to life and property posed by the arrival of cruise missiles and drones local teenagers and young people enjoy riding mopeds and motorcycles on the streets of the community and the sounds they make resemble the noise of “Shahed” drones the vehicle drivers do not have the proper licenses often violating traffic rules and exceeding the speed limit “We assumed that the teenagers express themselves by riding motorcycles and mopeds because they lack quality leisure activities We decided to engage the young people with board games that would allow them to develop and acquire additional communication skills This is how the idea of a youth space with board games came about” two youth spaces were established: one in the village of Vakhnivka at the local cultural center and the other in Turbiv at a pizzeria Each space has already hosted three to four events “It seems to me that the functioning of such youth centers is promising from a security perspective especially because they allow parents to worry less about their children: whether they are safe and whether they have opportunities for intellectual development they became interested and started coming on their own” the local project team handed over a set of four board games to the Head of the Vakhnivka Cultural Center for use in the Village Youth Space Shevchenkove Community of Mykolaiv Region  which we refer to as rear areas during the war the Shevchenkove Community is located in a front-line region with some of villages occupied during the first nine months of 2022 and suffering significant damage to both administrative and residential buildings The residents’ sense of safety and insecurity is influenced not only by the traumatic experiences of the past few years but also by the current tension and uncertainty community members identified several factors that have the greatest impact on their sense of security including the lack of timely access to information the inability of children to access quality and safe and ensuring the safety of life and health from military threats the local project team chose the following intervention tools: the local team in the Shevchenkove Community conducted a series of training sessions for social protection and cultural sector workers After gaining firsthand experience with various art therapy techniques and psychological relaxation practices the specialists now independently spread psychological awareness among the residents of their settlements According to Project Expert Iryna Shaptala as caring for mental health is a basic need in our time and addressing such areas helps to reduce anxiety levels and improve overall life safety “The most positive feedback from the community members came from the media literacy training cultural workers continue to collaborate with community police officers conveying information to people on how to avoid falling victim to online fraudsters’ manipulations we can say that we have increased residents’ awareness and somewhat reduced their anxiety levels caused by online safety threats” The community also continues training on mine safety and first aid as the risk of emergencies in the community remains high only a portion of local government employees and interested community residents have been able to undergo certified first aid training people in the settlements know who these individuals are and that they can turn to them if necessary This provides a sense of reassurance” the pilot phase of the tools proved the residents’ demand for “clean” as well as for informal communication with local government representatives to feel prepared for challenges Project Expert Sociologist Marina Shpyker believes that the interventions conducted during the project in the communities were targeted as they did not immediately allow for reaching a broad audience the positive aspect is that the local teams achieved their set goals by doing not what might have been ideal and which is already bringing about certain changes” “We managed to trial various solutions to improve the sense of security in the communities Feedback from the participants shows that these solutions turned out to be correct The result of applying each specific intervention tool was positive We took several important steps toward strengthening the capacity of key local players to develop effective security policies based on current data with realistic implementation plans” Strategic Development Director at the Legal Development Network The selected intervention tools have proven effective making life in these areas different from before Planned steps for 2025 will focus on implementing the acquired experience into specific decisions and scaling up the intervention tools turning them into systemic actions of local government and other institutional players in the security sector The material has been prepared with the support of the European Union and the International Renaissance Foundation within the framework of the joint initiative “European Renaissance of Ukraine” The material represents the position of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the position of the European Union or the International Renaissance Foundation If you have notices an error on the web-site Print and place the Network's poster on a notice board in your entrance hall Become a volunteer and assist others in finding problem solutions https://ldn.org.ua/en/event/the-sense-of-security-and-tools-for-improvement-results-oftrialing-in-three-communities/ i один з експертiв Мережi надасть вiдповiдь Графік роботи чату: з 10:00 до 16:00 щодня(обідня перерва з 13:00 до 14:00) Поставте питання через LawLink Bot в будь-який зручний спосіб LawLink Bot — це розумний та цифровий юридичний помічник Web-site development — demch.co