Our Stories
Autor: Svitlana Mialyk
Title: "Releasing my mother from captivity is my dream", - Isabella Pekh
Description: For more than five and a half years, Isabella Pekh has been fighting for the release of her dearest person, her mother Olena Pech, from Russian captivity. The daughter ‘knocks on all doors’, speaks at international conferences, and addresses the ambassadors of foreign countries. However, so far, these efforts have not brought any results. And the woman is still in captivity. As are hundreds of other civilian Ukrainians who are not included in the exchange lists as actively as military personnel.
Partner: Hromadske radio
Date of publication: March 26, 2024
Autor: Yuliya Voinar
Title: "We can't give everything away for free all the time". How the attitude of Poles towards Ukrainians has changed over the course of a year
Description: Most of the Ukrainians who were forced to temporarily leave their homes in search of a safe place have now settled in Poland. According to various estimates, there are up to 2.3 million of our citizens in the country, including those who arrived there before 2022. According to the EWL migration platform, about 1.3-1.5 million Ukrainians lived and worked in Poland before the full-scale invasion. According to UN estimates, 1.56 million Ukrainian citizens have been granted temporary asylum since February 2022.
Partner: Hromadske
Date of publication: March 3, 2023
Autor: Yuliya Voinar
Title: Not "cheap" labor: how the war destroyed the stereotype of Ukrainian workers in Poland
Description: Before the start of the full-scale invasion, many Ukrainians went to earn money abroad, in particular to Poland - to pick strawberries, clean, and work in the service sector or in warehouses and factories. However, the war changed the portrait of a Ukrainian who goes abroad to work. The stereotype of "cheap labor" from Ukraine, which is characteristic of Poland, also began to crumble. How have the working conditions for Ukrainians in Poland changed, and why are Ukrainian entrepreneurs increasingly choosing a Western neighbor to develop their business?
Partner: Zaborona
Date of publication: February 27, 2023
Autor: Olga Hembik
Title: "Nordic Stream" and not only: who and how helps Ukrainians to get out of the Russian occupation.
Description: Ukrainians who dare to flee from the occupied territories have to go through a challenging path: decide to leave, find money, a carrier or a way to leave for free, endure humiliating "filtering" by the Russian special services and interrogations by border guards of the aggressor country, overcome a long journey through several countries to Europe The international organization Rubikus helps Ukrainians leave the occupied territories through Russia. The direction is ironically called the "Nordic Stream". Rubikus has already processed 10,000 applications. For each of them, approximately 30,000 people were taken to safe places.
Partner: Hromadske
Date of publication: January 14, 2023
Autor: Olga Hembik
Title: "There are still many children in Bakhmut and Avdiivka. They are hiding." How the Polish fund UA Future helps residents of front-line towns and villages
Description: Piotr Kashuwara, the founder of the Polish foundation Przyszłość dla Ukrainy—UA Future ("Future for Ukraine"), is a journalist of the leading Polish mass media and a war correspondent with eight years of experience covering military conflicts. He delivers humanitarian aid to settlements on the contact line in eastern Ukraine. Taking a risk, he brings gifts for children to Donbas and collects terrible evidence of Russian crimes in Ukraine.
Partner: Novynarnya
Date of publication: April 6, 2023
Autor: Olga Hembik
Title: "I don't plan anything beyond this war." Polish photographer Patrick Jarach traveled across Ukraine from Bucha to Kherson. Look at the people he will never forget
Description: Polish documentary photographer Patrick Jarac calls Ukraine his new home and visits the hottest spots of full-scale war to document the occupiers' crimes. A few months before the start of the full-scale invasion of Russia, he settled in Kyiv to shoot a documentary about the war in Donbas.
Partner: Zaborona
Date of publication: March 27, 2023
Autor: Olga Hembik
Title: Poles vs Ukrainians, or Who would survive on the Titanic: A subjective look at the difference in mentalities
Description: Over the last two years of the Great War, Poland sheltered more than one million Ukrainians. During this time, both people tried to get to know each other better. Sometimes, this resulted in interesting reflections and dialogues, where everyone looked for points that united us. Sometimes, it even turned out not to be bad.
Partner: Zaborona
Date of publication: February 6, 2024
Autor: Olga Hembik
Title: Transit across the Bug: why Ukrainian refugees leave Poland and move to Germany
Description: Ukrainians who went abroad because of the war are actively leaving Poland, the country of "first contact", to settle in neighboring Germany. Departures became massive and reflected in statistical data, so Polish migration experts are already calculating losses on the labor market caused by the outflow of our compatriots. The trend will continue because our fellow citizens are motivated not only by higher remuneration for work and payments. Family and social ties are among the main reasons.
Partner: Zaborona
Date of publication: February 13, 2024
Autor: Svitlana Mialyk
Title: Together We Will Win — the story of Polish volunteer doctor Damian Duda (how Polish doctors help Ukraine)
Description: Poland is one of Ukraine's closest allies and has been helping Ukrainians to fight since the beginning of the war. Side by side in this struggle with Ukrainians are Polish citizens, in particular, Polish paramedics and volunteers who save Ukrainian defenders. This, in particular, is Damian Duda, a Polish medical volunteer, founder and chairman of the "W międzyczasie" foundation. Medical volunteers of this fund work at the front in Ukraine.
Partner: Hromadske radio
Date of publication: November 15, 2023
Autor: Svitlana Mialyk
Title: Marko Bezruchko: the Ukrainian-Polish history of the struggle for independence. How does Poland honor the memory of the soldiers of the Ukrainian People's Republic?
Description: Poland celebrated the 140th anniversary of the birth of Marko Bezruchka, the corporal general of the Ukrainian People's Republic. About the legendary figure of the general of the Ukrainian People's Republic, the commemoration, reconstruction, and restoration of the graves of Ukrainian soldiers in the Polish state - in an interview with an activist of the Ukrainian minority, the first head of the Association of Ukrainians in Poland, the leader of the Public Initiative for the Care of the Graves of the Soldiers of the Ukrainian People's Republic in Warsaw Yuri Rait.
Partner: Hromadske radio
Date of publication: November 29, 2023
Autor: Svitlana Mialyk
Title: To the 100th anniversary of Yuri Novosilskyi, the artist's works show how war and God can be seen differently
Description: To mark the 100th anniversary of Yuriy Nowosilski (Polish: Jerzy Nowosielski), the exhibition "The Art of Seeing" was opened in the Royal Palace of Warsaw. Nowosilski and others". This exhibition attempts to fit the work of Ukrainian and Polish artists, icon painters, and graphic artists into the broader context of Polish art of the second half of the 20th century and invites the audience to a joint act of vision and creation.
Partner: Zaborona
Date of publication: January 10, 2024
Autor: Svitlana Mialyk
Title: The January Uprising is one of many historical examples that shows what unites us - Robert Chyzhevsky
Description: To mark the 100th anniversary of Yuriy Nowosilski (Polish: Jerzy Nowosielski), the exhibition "The Art of Seeing" was opened in the Royal Palace of Warsaw. Nowosilski and others". This exhibition attempts to fit the work of Ukrainian and Polish artists, icon painters, and graphic artists into the broader context of Polish art of the second half of the 20th century and invites the audience to a joint act of vision and creation.
Partner: Hromadske radio
Date of publication: February 2, 2024
Autor: Svitlana Mialyk
Title: "Agrarians should 'turn on their brains'" — Marek Sierant on the protests of Polish farmers and Polish-Ukrainian relations
Description: Protests by Polish farmers continue in Poland. Among the demands is a ban on the import of Ukrainian agricultural products. About the reasons for the protests and their impact on Polish-Ukrainian relations, particularly on Poland's support for Ukraine during the war with Russia, in an interview with Polish journalist and political scientist Marek Sierant, who specializes in analyzing relations between Warsaw and Kyiv.
Partner: Hromadske
Date of publication: March 19, 2024
Autor: Yuliya Voinar
Title: Heal the Heart with a Drawing: a Japanese psychologist conducts art therapy classes for Ukrainians
Description: The famous Japanese psychologist Mariko Ukiyo started a large-scale project to teach art therapy to Ukrainians. Ukrainian refugees in Japan and from anywhere in the world can participate. Classes take place in Tokyo and are broadcast online. The training will last several months. After completing the course, everyone can get a certificate and conduct such classes independently.
Partner: Zmist tyzhnya
Date of publication: March 23, 2024
Autor: Yuliya Voinar
Title: Meet Ours: Ukrainian women opened a beauty salon in Warsaw
Description: To provide decent work for Ukrainian women who were forced to leave their homeland because of the war. With this goal, Polish volunteer Adriana Porowska opened a co-working space for beauty artists in Warsaw. What makes the Harna salon unique, and who works there is in the story?
Partner: 12 channel
Date of publication: March 8, 2024
Autor: Yuliya Voinar
Title: How Ukrainian business conquers Poland
Description: Ukrainian brands conquer the Polish market: "Galya Baluvana", "Chernomorka", "Lviv Croissants", "Drunken Cherry", and "Nova Poshta". These are far from the list of domestic companies that have successfully developed abroad. The story tells whether it was easy to open a business outside of Ukraine, what difficulties had to be faced, and whether Europeans fell in love with Ukrainian goods.
Partner: 12 channel
Date of publication: April 25, 2023
Autor: Yuliya Voinar
Title: Unrealistically high salaries and deceptive conditions. How can one avoid falling into the trap of labor exploitation abroad?
Description: Ukrainians who came abroad because of the war often become victims of fraudsters and unscrupulous employers. When they are not paid extra money, forced to work in terrible conditions, overtime and without an employment contract, against their will or by deception, this may indicate the presence of labor exploitation. How not to fall into the trap, and if you have already fallen into it, how to get out of the trap, Iryna Mydlovets, the national protection manager of the Representation of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Ukraine, told.
Partner: Novyny Donbasu
Date of publication: May 31, 2023
Autor: Albina Trubenkova
Title: "Scenarios for 2024: between bad, worse and worst"
Description: This is an analytical article based on the positions of international experts and political scientists regarding scenarios for the development of the situation in Ukraine in 2024, depending on the amount of Western aid, elections in the USA and other countries, and the behavior of confident European "leaders", such as Orban. We are discussing three potential scenarios - optimistic, moderate, and skeptical. The article contains the arguments of experts regarding the risks and "window of opportunity" for our country.
Partner: Zaborona
Date of publication: January 4, 2024
Autor: Albina Trubenkova
Title: "Why Pilsudski not Bandera?"
Description: This journalistic material draws historical parallels in the personal perception of historical figures of two countries that fought for independence. There are many examples of distortion of history from both sides, which were contributed by Soviet and Russian propaganda. Many paradoxes. Why is Polish nationalism led by Roman Dmovsky better than Ukrainian nationalism led by Stepan Bandera, whom the Poles are so afraid of? The material makes it clear that the historical doctrine at the state level is number one in the fight against any propaganda. Ukraine as a state underestimated this, and, in part, it is precisely this gap that Russia uses best in brainwashing Europeans about the "Nazis".
Partner: Hromadske
Date of publication: January 1, 2024
Autor: Albina Trubenkova
Title: "Border blockade by Polish carriers as a threat of economic confrontation"
Description: In the fall of 2023, a confrontation began on the border between Poland and Ukraine—initially between carriers. The article discusses the situation itself, which developed rapidly, the root causes, and possible solutions. Even then, experts warned about a "Russian footprint" in this blockade and warned against economic, military, and humanitarian cargo risks. Unfortunately, their predictions came true.
Partner: Hromadske
Date of publication: November 8, 2023
Autor: Albina Trubenkova
Title: "New or newest instead of the fallen ones: what should be the monuments to modern Ukrainian heroes?"
Description: Report from the Art Academy in Poznan, a workshop of sculptors where Ukrainian students study. Is the monument to the hero Oleksandr Matsievsky correct? Is it bad taste? The topic is more serious than just the impression of one monument. There is no concept of "right" or "wrong" in modern European sculpture. Ukrainian sculpture students who started their studies at the University in Poznan were surprised to learn about this: they constantly ask their Polish teachers how to do it "correctly". In parallel, our students study at the university in Kharkiv. They are among the best students of Professor Veslav Koronovsky. This is a discussion in a university workshop, where new ideas and meanings will be born. This is an attempt to understand how we should immortalize our heroes, how to move away from "Sovietism" and sour taste, and at the same time, create new essential monuments that will become symbols of modern Ukraine for the coming decades and centuries.
Partner: Bahmut.in.ua
Date of publication: January 29, 2024
Autor: Albina Trubenkova
Title: "What has changed for Ukrainian business in Poland and what to expect next"
Description: According to consulting and analytics experts, conducting business in Poland for Ukrainians has changed significantly over the past two years. The publication compares business conditions until February 24, 2022, and after. This material tells how Ukrainian entrepreneurs can enter European markets. In the context of negotiations on joining the EU, this is all the more interesting because our current "lawyers in the EU", the same Poles, will fight us with all possible methods. We must be ready for this.
Partner: Hromadske
Date of publication: January 10, 2024
Autor: Tetyana Ivanska
Title: A teacher from a village in Volyn creates in Poland cars for the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Description: Besides weapons and ammunition, cars are essential at the front. Volunteers collect money and buy old and used cars to bring them to Donbas. The former labor teacher from near Kovel actively helps the army. He looks for cars and buys them, and afterward, he modernizes and prepares them for battles.
Partner: 12 channel
Date of publication: March 2023
Autor: Tetyana Ivanska
Title: Relationship during a war: how distance affects feelings
Description: This is an interview with a psychologist about the impact of distance and war on couples. How does war affect relationships, how can we preserve them, and is it worth it? What makes a couple who have lived together for many years break up? How does living long-distance affect relationships?
Partner: Novyny Donbasu
Date of publication: May 2023
Autor: Tetyana Ivanska
Title: Don’t tell a soldier that you understand him: how to talk to those who have returned from the frontline
Description: There’s an interview with a psychologist about adequately talking to the military about the war and what they saw at the front. Almost every fourth woman veteran of the ATO encountered manifestations of aggression on the part of their husbands - cursing, obscene expressions, and even the use of physical force. How do we properly talk to the military about the war so as not to offend and not feel embarrassed, how do we thank the defenders?
Partner: Novyny Donbasu
Date of publication: April 2023
Autor: Tetyana Ivanska
Title: "Hitler's criminals didn't seem afraid of anything either." The Polish Center for the Study of International Crimes studies the acts of genocide and Russian aggression.
Description: There’s an interview with Andriy Kosylo, a lawyer and head of the International Crimes Research Center. In November 2022, the Center for the Study of International Crimes was created at the University of Warsaw - the initiator of its creation was Andrzej Zheplinski, a member of the Helsinki Group and a long-time employee of the UN and the OSCE. The center studies and documents the crimes of the Russian Federation
Partner: Zaborona
Date of publication: January, 2023
Autor: Kateryna Bandus
Title: You can't leave, save: what to do with a long-distance relationship
Description: The problem of preserving relationships when the wife is forced to go abroad and the husband remains in Ukraine is relevant for hundreds of thousands of our fellow citizens. An experienced psychotherapist gives advice on how to save families in difficult times and what to focus on during separation.
Partner: Bahmut.in.ua
Date of publication: March 19, 2024
Autor: Kateryna Bandus
Title: Crosses, flags and fireworks: what do the Polish farmers participating in the actions want
Description: On February 27, farmers from all over Poland plan to gather in Warsaw for a big protest. According to unofficial data, the distribution centers of large retail chains - "Auchan", "Carrefour", "Bedronka" and "Lidl" will also be the target of blockades. "If they force us, we will stand under distribution warehouses. "A few days will be enough, and they will not deliver the goods to the stores," the farmers say.
Partner: Zaborona
Date of publication: February 28, 2024
Autor: Kateryna Bandus
Title: "Ukraine. Stories of resistance". What was shown at the photo exhibition about the most significant war in Europe
Description: On the second anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, the private gallery of the Fort Warsaw Institute of Photography has prepared an exhibition of photo works entitled Ukraine. Stories of Resistance / "Ukraine. History of resistance". The presentation will take place on January 25. The works of four photographers from Ukraine and beyond will be presented.
Partner: Novyny Donbasu
Date of publication: February 2, 2024
Autor: Kateryna Bandus
Title: Fights at the protest in Warsaw: there were injured, several dozen people were detained
Description: On March 6, farmers, foresters, fishermen, and hunters from all over Poland gathered in Warsaw for a large-scale protest. About 150 thousand caring people will attend.
Partner: Hromadske
Date of publication: March 6, 2024
Autor: Kateryna Bandus
Title: Holidays that unite: how Ukrainians celebrated Christmas in Poland
Description: The shift in the date of Christmas in Ukraine became a unifying factor for Poles and Ukrainians. A study by the University of Warsaw proved that every year more and more people stay to celebrate in Poland and according to Polish traditions (which, after all, are very similar to Ukrainian ones). We write about new trends and traditions, which are now united by the date of the celebration
Partner: Novyny Donbasu
Date of publication: January 7, 2024
