Join the Harriman Institute for an event with Ukrainian activists discussing how their organisations have responded to the 2022 escalation of Russia’s war on Ukraine. We will be joined virtually by activists representing two organisations: Truth Hounds, and TAPS Ukraine. Both organisations were in operation prior to 2022, but their work was significantly impacted by the challenges associated with the full-scale invasion. Maryna Slobodyanuk will discuss the work of Truth Hounds, where she is the Head of the Analytical Department. Truth Hounds has been documenting war crimes and other serious human rights violations in Ukraine since 2014. Lyudmila Cherkez will share the work of TAPS Ukraine, where she is head of communication. TAPS Ukraine is based in Dnipro, 100km from the front lines, and has been supporting those affected by military loss since 2018. TAPS Ukraine was also involved in the creation of the Coordinating Headquarters of Dnipro Volunteers, one of the largest volunteer hubs established in Eastern Ukraine following 24 February 2022.  This hybrid event is open to the public and you are welcome to join us online or in person. The event will be moderated by Emma Mateo.

Liudmyla Cherkez is a volunteer and Head of communication of the TAPS Ukraine charitable foundation. The foundation has been working with a military loss since 2018, and is based in Dnipro, Ukraine. Dnipro is 100 kilometers from the front line.TAPS Ukraine unites more than 1,500 family members of the families of the fallen heroes of the war, providing a variety of assistance: humanitarian, dental, medical, psychological. It creates a community of families who understand each other. Every month TAPS organizes dozens of events for the families of the fallen heroes. They also hold recreational camps in the Ukrainian Carpathian mountains. TAPs attracts a large amount of funding, with partners including large NGOs, companies and corporations: TAPS USA, Boeing, Direct Relief, Blue Check Ukraine, Noosphere and others.

Maryna Slobodyanuk is Head of Analytical Department at Truth Hounds. Maryna joined the team in 2018 and since then she is an active member of field missions. She leads investigations of war crimes at Truth Hounds, and also is responsible for sharing Truth Hounds’ expertise among official investigators. The investigation department of Truth Hounds has filed more than 50 submissions to the Ukrainian law enforcement agencies and prepared 3 submissions jointly with its European partners to the GPO offices in Switzerland and Germany. Maryna has conducted more than 40 training sessions on methodology of investigations and OSINT for prosecutors and representatives of other investigative bodies as well as for the students of professional academic classes in European universities.