On May 29, Lviv hosted the second UAnimals Media Club — a gathering centered around UAnimals Media, a publication focused on compassion toward animals and nature. This time, participants discussed Viktoriia Topol’s article on russia’s environmental crimes: “Kyianytsia, Dzharylhach, Kinburn: The Beloved Ukrainian Places Being Destroyed by russia.”
“It was a warm conversation in a close-knit circle,” says Katya Nikishova, editor of UAnimals Media and the moderator of the meeting. The youngest participant was just 5 years old.
Readers from different regions came together. Some had never been to the now-occupied areas; others used to live near or frequently visit the beautiful natural sites in the south and east of Ukraine — and now deeply miss them.
Katya, originally from Kramatorsk, often reminisces about Sviatohirsk, the pine forests near Shchurove and Lyman, and her hiking trips through Crimea with a backpack and a tent.
“It was comforting to meet like-minded people who also long for the places we can no longer visit. These are not just beautiful spots — they’re part of our lives and hold cherished memories,” Katya shares.
One participant from Belarus also joined the meeting. Due to the repressive regime in her home country, she now lives in Ukraine, working in media and reporting — among other things — on environmental losses caused by the war. She had visited Crimea and Kinburn in the past and used to live in Polissia. Now, all these places are out of reach — and that causes her real pain.
Among the most-loved parts of the article, many attendees mentioned the story by Natalia Zhizhchenko about the Chernobyl Radiation and Ecological Biosphere Reserve. They also discussed Sasha Tab’s piece on Crimea, Anton Ptushkin’s account of the Tuzly Lagoons, and stories about Kinburn and Kyianytsia.
UAnimals plans to continue hosting media meetups with readers. So stay tuned here and on our social media for updates!
