Kirtoka Violetta

Stas Stovban, call sign Waltz: "In first year without my leg, I wore three prostheses. I broke first one when I jumped out of APC, another one was shot off" In 2015, this paratrooper took part in fierce battles at Donetsk Airport, but even after losing his leg, he did not leave the army and continued to defend his country. 18.12.25 15:40 5 853 5

Same is happening in Myrnohrad as in Pokrovsk month ago Another town where the same developments are unfolding and should have been dealt with a month ago is Huliaipole in the Zaporizhzhia region 08.12.25 17:51 14 058 60

Pokrovsk: guys are fighting, but first enemy tank has already rolled into city "The war won’t reach here, will it?" a young woman asks in a Pavlohrad café as she makes coffee for soldiers of the 68th Brigade. Her anxiety is easy to understand: in 2022 she was forced to leave her home in Mariinka; a little over a year ago she realized Pokrovsk was becoming increasingly dangerous and moved to Pavlohrad. Now Shahed drones buzz overhead here every night — just two months ago, this city was not seeing anything like this volume of attacks. 20.11.25 17:12 11 756 15 Previously in trend: Situation in the Pokrovsk direction

"Enemy has begun to infiltrate Pokrovsk because our units are short of manpower and we cannot maintain tight defensive line." Colonel Serhii Tretiak, commander of the 68th Brigade, holds this view; his infantry are positioned not in the city but to its south. To enable pilots to drop water and ammunition onto the positions, they are provided security, as over the past month the brigade’s pilots have repeatedly been drawn into small-arms firefights, and the signals troops captured a prisoner in recent days. 11.11.25 20:00 10 362 40

Aerial reconnaissance officer of "Khyzhak" Brigade Mykola Tkachuk, call sign Street: "I’m tired of war. Very. But I’m not even considering taking leave" The 32-year-old Zhytomyr resident fought with the 95th Air Assault Brigade in 2015. After leaving the airborne, he joined the Patrol Police. He has stayed true to that service, since 2022, he has been eliminating the aggressor with a brigade formed from volunteer patrol police officers determined to defend the country. 16.10.25 21:32 3 796 5

Iryna Dovhan: People are somehow horrified when they hear about raped female pensioners. But there are dozens of them. The same civilian woman who was arrested by the occupiers in 2014 for assisting the Ukrainian army, wrapped in the Ukrainian flag, and tied to a pole in Donetsk, now leads SEMA Ukraine – an association of women who have survived captivity and conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV). 09.10.25 20:44 18 782 28

Head of Kharkiv Region Patrol Police Viktor Levchenko: Explosions in Luhansk region began on February 24 immediately after Putin’s speech ended For personally evacuating bedridden and ill civilians from Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk under shelling from the semi-encircled cities, the patrol officer received the highest non-state award, the "People’s Hero of Ukraine." After receiving the award, the police lieutenant colonel repeatedly proved that he fully deserved this title, as he organized the combat unit "Robocops," which has been effectively taking out the occupiers. 24.09.25 22:10 6 365 8

"We fight enemy with Russian equipment" Volodymyr Lutsyk leads only tank company composed solely of captured equipment In the spring of 2022, the unit commanded by Dmytro Kotsiubailo captured its first trophy tanks. The fighters pulled them out from the Bilohorivka crossing. Later, they secured "a few more" tanks following the liberation of Izium, Borova, and Kupiansk. Most importantly, all of these Russian tanks are still operational, delivering painful blows to their former owners. 08.09.25 22:16 10 452 18 Previously in trend: Fighting with captured equipment

Viktoriia, wife of legendary paratrooper Pavlo Chaika: I always said he could be example for guys who are in depression after combat and injuries Pavlo’s beloved is fulfilling the dream of her husband, who died in a motorcycle crash nearly a year ago, by organizing a large-scale marathon involving civilians, war veterans, and people with disabilities. On September 28, a 10-kilometer run will be held in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka. 04.09.25 19:40 9 225 5

"Harsher penalties won’t restore discipline in army. It will only lead to more going AWOL" The Verkhovna Rada’s Committee on Law Enforcement recommends passing at first reading draft bill No. 13452, setting a five-to-ten-year prison term for service members who disobey a commander’s order, with no option for courts to hand down a lesser punishment or grant probation. 01.09.25 19:22 7 864 32

Helicopter pilot Viacheslav Voronyi did not hesitate to help downed board behind front line. No one else did that anymore The army aviation officer was among the few helicopter crews that broke through to "Azovstal" in Mariupol and delivered the necessary supplies there, taking away the seriously wounded. Most of the helicopter pilots who carried out this mission were awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine. Viacheslav Voronyi is still not honoured posthumously ... 29.08.25 14:16 18 446 10 Previously in trend: Russia’s attack at Mariupol

For three years, we’ve been unable to prove that we sustained severe injuries while defending Motherland – AFU volunteer fighters The volunteer fighters were severely wounded near the village of Novozvanivka in Luhansk region before they had a chance to be officially enrolled in a unit. Since then, they have been unable to obtain documents confirming that the injuries occurred on the front line. Yet after treatment and recovery, the men returned to the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and continue to defend the Motherland. 31.07.25 20:03 12 811 18

"Question is not what you are afraid of. Question is what you can do," – Maksym Kazban, commander of Joint Assault Brigade of National Police of Ukraine "Liut" Forty-year-old Maksym Kazban, call sign "Ahat," commander of the Joint Assault Brigade of the National Police of Ukraine "Liut" (Fury) and a police colonel, was killed in an accident in Kramatorsk. His comrades and senior commanders believe he deserves to be awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine posthumously. 25.07.25 19:02 13 097 29 Previously in trend: Commander of the Liut Brigade Kazban has died

Pensioner from Kyiv region Halyna Tyshchenko: Last Russian tank was retreating and shooting everything around Ten years ago, the woman and her family relocated from Kramatorsk, which was under occupation for several months in 2014, to the Kyiv region. They believed there would never be war here... What Halyna endured in her own home in March 2022 is something one could only wish upon the enemy — that the same be done to each of them for the rest of their lives. 10.07.25 21:31 15 373 4

"When people ask me what I do for living, I say I’m waitress. Why should everyone know I’m helicopter pilot?" Kateryna is the only female pilot in the army aviation. For now, as professionals say, she occupies the right "seat." In time, she will move to the pilot-in-command’s seat. 03.07.25 21:07 59 251 29 Previously in trend: AFU aviation

People’s Hero of Ukraine Oleh Davydenko, call sign Chub: "People pay to leave army. And I want to go back!" It feels as if this man had been restoring his severely injured arm, wounded back in 2014, specifically for the full-scale invasion, just to face the enemy in battle once again. During the fighting for Bakhmut and Kreminna in 2022, the volunteer fighter-paratrooper was wounded again. Although he has been officially deemed unfit for military service, he now works as an instructor and is determined to return to the army. 17.06.25 15:52 5 335 8 Previously in trend: Interview with Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers

Liudmyla, mother of Hero of Ukraine Andrii Subotin, killed at Azovstal: "When say ’generals’ sons don’t fight,’ I say: ’Look in my eyes. My husband is general. And our son fought until his last breath. The body of Border Guard serviceman Andrii Subotin, who refused to leave the nearly-occupied city of Mariupol despite an order from command, has yet to be recovered. Its whereabouts and condition remain unknown… 03.06.25 23:16 20 761 62

People’s Hero of Ukraine, Sniper Andrii Lahutin: "I took out between 15 and 20 katsaps in Moshchun on February 27" After a missile hit the neighboring building, the man ran to help the wounded, despite having shrapnel-induced lacerations on his legs. Andrii now has nowhere to live. His savings and a foreign passport with a U.S. visa were blown out of the damaged apartment. But what matters most is that he survived. 09.05.25 22:22 25 499 10 Previously in trend: Missile attack on Kyiv

Paratrooper Oleksandr Nykolaiko: "War will be won by "nerds", IT specialists. They are ones who can turn tide of events" This man has served in the Armed Forces of Ukraine since 2008 and has been with the 80th Brigade since 2013. He took part in the formation of the 3rd Battalion Tactical Group in 2014, which, following the launch of the full-scale invasion, expanded into the now-legendary 82nd Brigade. Oleksandr left the unit several times, but whenever there was a need for him, he returned — despite suffering severe concussions and spinal problems. 29.04.25 23:00 9 363 31

Da Vinci’s Mother, Oksana Kotsiubailo: "In May 2022, doctors gave me three to four months to live. It was Dmytro who insisted that I undergo treatment" Almost three years ago, she was given a devastating diagnosis: stage IV cervical cancer... Upon learning about it, Dmytro did everything he could to ensure his mother received treatment. Two weeks ago, doctors confirmed: the disease has receded. 14.04.25 21:51 16 590 3

Oksana, Aerial Reconnaissance Officer of Predator Patrol Police Brigade: "They said women were weaker. But it turned out there’s no difference on job" A native of Bila Tserkva volunteered to join a combat unit and now regularly travels to Toretsk to locate enemy infantry from the air. 08.04.25 20:00 9 072 37

Svitlana, Psychologist of 61st Brigade: "Year ago, Iskander missile struck building in Pokrovsk. My face was so lacerated that I told my comrades-in-arms: I don’t have face anymore" A 40-year-old woman, a mother of two who joined a combat unit, is undergoing treatment to remove multiple scars as part of the Zagrava program. This initiative unites cosmetic clinics across the country, and all treatment is provided to the wounded free of charge. 07.04.25 23:17 10 237 2

Ruslan Maryshev, Commander of 95th Airborne Brigade: "Deputy gave me pack of M&M’s and said: "Commander, stay in cover today so you don’t get killed on your birthday." In February–March 2022, this officer served as a battalion commander in another airborne brigade and was deployed to Izium with part of his unit. In an interview, Ruslan spoke about the week when the Russians destroyed the city—and how it is still being battered to this day. 12.03.25 17:19 12 111 6

Company commanders of 66th Brigade, Nazarii and Nazar: With attitude of ’I will not go’, enemy will come to where you live After early graduation from the Lviv Ground Forces Academy in 2023, both friends chose to serve in the 66th Brigade. In January, Nazar was severely wounded. Nazar continues to defend the country and take revenge for his comrade. 21.02.25 23:13 108 274 38

Hero of Ukraine Tymofii Orel, Kyiv resident: "Until 2022, I was civilian, making music videos and films. Now, I destroy Russian equipment using UAVs" The junior sergeant became the first soldier in the 47th Brigade to receive the highest state award for his crew’s destruction of 148 enemy vehicles from the beginning of 2024 until the end of May. 12.02.25 13:05 3 211 2

Paratrooper from 95th Brigade, Serhii, call sign Sirko: "When wounded DPRK soldier realized he had been captured, he slammed his head... into pole with all his strength" A 44-year-old man from the Ternopil region, who joined the army in July 2024, was awarded the Order of Courage, along with two of his comrades-in-arms, for capturing a live North Korean soldier—proof that a third country’s military is involved in the war against Ukraine. 07.02.25 18:18 17 828 15

Petro, brother of Ihor Zinych, who died ten years ago at Donetsk Airport, is now living with his third heart. In early January, he underwent his second donor organ transplant After his first heart transplant, the Hero of Ukraine’s younger brother followed in his footsteps, receiving a paramedic’s education and even working at the same hospital where Ihor once worked. 03.02.25 19:02 7 457 11

Serhii Tretiak, Commander of 68th Brigade: "For as long as I have been in Pokrovsk direction, there hasn’t been single day without assaults. Five or six per day—never less." In 2014, Serhii served as a platoon commander in the 24th Brigade and lost his battalion commander in his very first battle, personally evacuating him. At the time of the full-scale invasion, he was no longer in the Armed Forces, but he rejoined the army despite having a disability. 30.01.25 21:05 13 495 9

Commander of airborne battalion, People’s Hero of Ukraine Serhii Kuzheliuk: "Many positions were lost because we were unable to station personnel there – not single soldier was available to secure position" Prior to the full-scale invasion, Serhii served as an onboard technician on a Mi-8 helicopter. In 2014, he participated in combat missions as part of a crew that successfully evaded an enemy missile. In 2022, fate led Kuzheliuk to join an airborne unit, where he has served ever since. Currently, the battalion, as part of the 46th Brigade, is engaged in combat near Kurakhove. 13.01.25 15:53 20 192 75

Roman Stehura, Battalion Commander of 128th Brigade: Over time, commanders who shake hands with their combat soldiers only after successful assault lose trust. What truly matters is coming to infantry after defeat and losses The 29-year-old officer provided a detailed account of the liberation of the Kherson region in 2022, the loss of his apartment in Irpin, coordinating breakthroughs from frontline command posts, and successful operations in the Zaporizhzhia direction that resulted in the liberation of settlements. 08.01.25 22:24 10 409 6

Volunteer fighter Simianyn: "If Myf hadn’t died, we would have occupied checkpoint, and then we would have all been killed there." There is still no street in Dnipro named after the volunteer Simianyn (Family Man), Andrii Shyrokov, a father of three siblings and two adopted children who was killed in 2016 at the Svitlodarsk salient. 23.12.24 23:00 9 982 0

Drone operator Vasyl, call sign Boroda: Katsaps were coming at us. So I have just dropped "F", dropped Mavic and ran. I was 23 metres high and hit orc right in head! It was so beautiful! The 23-year-old soldier of the 14th Brigade signed a contract with the training centre in Starychi exactly three weeks before the full-scale offensive. On 1 March, he was already in the brigade where he has been serving ever since, destroying the enemy with unmanned aerial vehicles. 04.12.24 14:16 6 555 2

"Bradley" combat vehicle driver Slavik, call sign Salty: "Vehicle hits chain of 12 TM mines. Front end smashes, but everyone is alive, even not single seriously injured one" Two cooks and a construction worker, having joined the 47th Magura Brigade, became fearless fighters and took an active part in the counter-offensive in Zaporizhzhia region, evacuated their comrades in arms from the encirclement near Avdiivka, and are now performing missions in the Kursk direction 04.11.24 22:01 36 536 6 Previously in trend: War

"Ten years ago we were tortured in Donetsk RSA, and in 2017 I identified our kidnapper when he was receiving... award in Verkhovna Rada" The kidnapper was finally arrested for treason and terrorism in 2021. But the case has not yet been brought to court. 09.09.24 23:00 63 800 130

"We were digging our positions when "Lancet" hit, and in moment excavator was burning like candle, And they started to finish us off with SPGs." Who and how makes dugouts and trenches for our soldiers Well, the guy who was operating the bucket survived, although he was wounded. A year ago, almost two million was raised for this excavator for the engineer platoon of the 3rd Battalion of the 72nd Brigade. The machine has done a lot of work, dug dozens of dugouts and trenches, saving the lives of our infantry. And then it "died" while performing another task. The guys were left without a faithful assistant, and now they are digging positions with shovels and picks at night. 30.08.24 17:52 34 113 51 Previously in trend: War

Tetiana Koval, reformer of patient meals in hospitals: "Only 160 hospitals in Ukraine have switched to meals delivered to each patient’s room" The founder of a company that has been operating in this market for nine years and currently feeds more than 8,000 patients across the country talks about reforming hospital food. She continues to do this despite the fact that her husband, with whom she started the business, has been at war since 2022. 28.08.24 18:35 4 466 13

Company Commander of 126th Territorial Defense Brigade Denys Hranchak, call sign Artist: "On left bank, even birds are shell-shocked: tit can land on head and sit. Whole nature is distorted." The theater and film actor, who played Sotnyk in the TV series Guard, joined the Ukrainian army as a volunteer soldier in 2022. Initially, he was supposed to be recruited as a psychologist, but he became a company commander and has been regularly visiting the left bank of the Dnipro River for a year and a half. So far, the actor has no intention of returning to the profession 20.08.24 17:23 61 804 6 Previously in trend: War

Pavlo Yakymchuk, war veteran of SOF, call sign Nimble: "Lot of people work for president – and they can’t figure out how to encourage people to fight for Ukraine" A soldier of the 73rd Marine Center wounded in Kherson region has recently returned from the United States, where he studied the experience of communicating with veterans. According to him, it is the treatment of soldiers after service, benefits and social incentives that encourage Americans to join the military. 14.08.24 22:38 16 624 95

People’s hero, Police Officer, Sergeant of AFU Oleksandr Panchenko: "Survivors were ordered to take off their pants to calves so that they could not run, because there was nothing to tie them up with. And I realized by underpants that something was wrong. Two of them turned out to be women." Ten years ago, on July 5, 2014, Girkin’s convoy was breaking through from Sloviansk to Donetsk. They were not allowed to pass through the Ukrainian checkpoint near the stele with the name of the city. A direct participant in that fierce historic battle tells us about it. 17.07.24 22:56 33 764 18

Police Officer Volodymyr Nikulin: "First time I was surrounded in Donetsk ten years ago, and in 2022 - in Mariupol..." The man who helped to bring the unique footage out of occupied Mariupol ten years ago was in his native Donetsk, which was captured by the enemy. During the war, he lost everything twice. And last summer in Pokrovsk, he was wounded in a missile attack when Russia struck the same place for the second time, realizing that they were providing aid to wounded civilians... The policeman continues to defend Ukraine and believes that he will see a football match at the Donetsk stadium one day. 04.07.24 22:29 5 815 3

93rd Brigade Medic Maryna Vedkal: "Every day I realize that this may be my last visit" In 2014, an intensive care unit nurse from Myrnohrad forced the military enlistment office to remove her reservation in order to go to war and help the wounded. For two and a half years of the full-scale invasion, the woman has literally been living in an armored car to stay as close to the positions as possible. 02.07.24 18:30 6 331 4 Previously in trend: War

Tymur Veklych, assaultman of Rage Brigade, call sign Vermouth: "Ten years ago, when war in Ukraine had just begun, I was drawing pictures at school to send to army..." A 22-year-old resident of Mykolaiv consciously chose the National Police unit and is now fighting in Kharkiv region, assaulting Vovchansk. 28.06.24 21:08 7 963 27 Previously in trend: War

Vasyl Stefurak: "We were addressed in Ukrainian language, and I thought that reinforcements had finally arrived. But it turned out to be paratroopers-traitors from Crimea..." The commander of the 3rd Mechanized Company of the 28th Brigade spent a year and three and a half months in captivity. His comrades in arms are still in captivity. 10.06.24 18:34 36 454 22 Previously in trend: War

Wounds treated for 5 hours and put for more than 150 stitches: how to erase "marks of war" The 34-year-old dentist was at work and was severely injured during the missile attack on Kyiv on January 2. Now he is undergoing treatment at a dermatology clinic - doctors are making his rough scars softer, relieving itching and redness. As part of the Zahrava program, the victims receive such treatment free of charge. 04.06.24 13:41 9 078 2 Society

Yana Zinkevich, founder of "Hospitallers" volunteer medical service: "Our unit has evacuated 23,000 wounded throughout war" Yana is a legend of this war. And this is no exaggeration. Perhaps even this word is not enough to convey the depth of what Yana has done for the country and continues to do for our Victory. Talking and remembering those who went to war from Maidan as children, we noted with great sadness that there are very few of them left. And Yana is one of them. 30.05.24 11:28 14 294 15 War in Ukraine

"Everyone said it was "Operation 200". Vito chose guys and went to Left Bank - all of them returned, even without wounded": in memory of scout Vitalii Nesterenko (Vito) Vito was a ship’s captain, but in 2022, he joined the AFU as a volunteer fighter and became a scout, the first to enter the enemy’s rear on Dnipro’s left bank, creating the preconditions for a bridgehead on the left bank of Kherson region. The soldiers of the 222nd Battalion of the 126th Brigade ask to consider their application and posthumously award the title of "Hero of Ukraine" to scout Vitalii Nesterenko, who never received any awards from the state during his lifetime. 30.04.24 23:00 17 941 7 Previously in trend: War

"In Israel, everyone knows what they will do in war. In Ukraine, it is not clear. Whole country has to fight" - People’s Hero of Ukraine, volunteer Oleh Abramychev (Pyrotechnician) First and foremost, Oleh Abramychev is a volunteer: he has been helping the army since 2014. He is also the head of the Commission on Culture, Education, Youth, Sports and Spirituality and the European Solidarity faction in the Kharkiv City Council. Pyrotechnics is what Oleh used to do before the Russian-Ukrainian war. 24.04.24 22:13 13 515 81 Previously in trend: War

Actor, junior sergeant Roman Semysal: "The army is not my thing. But I am law-abiding citizen, so I understand that I have to fight" The commander of the ship "Cherkasy" from the film "Cyborgs" has been serving in the Ukrainian Armed Forces since the beginning of the full-scale offensive and has no intention of returning to civilian life until we win, although he misses his job and profession terribly. 03.04.24 13:40 11 216 8 Previously in trend: War