One Mountain — Three Anniversaries
Journalists from Ukraine’s national news agency Ukrinform, together with servicemen of the 49th Separate Assault Battalion “Carpathian Sich” named after Hero of Ukraine Oleh Kutsyn, climbed Mount Hymba in western Ukraine to mark several important historical and contemporary milestones.
The ascent took place on March 14 in the Zakarpattia region, in the Polonyna Borzhava mountain range. The symbolic climb coincided with three significant dates.
The first is Ukraine’s Day of the Volunteer, observed on March 14. The day was established in 2017 to commemorate the first 500 volunteers from the Maidan Self-Defense units who arrived at a training ground near Kyiv in 2014 to form the country’s first volunteer battalion during the early stages of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
The following day, March 15, marks the 87th anniversary of the proclamation of Carpathian Ukraine, a short-lived independent state declared in 1939 by the Sejm of Carpathian Ukraine. The republic existed for only three days before Hungarian troops occupied the territory. Members of the Carpathian Sich, along with many intellectuals and political leaders of the young state, later faced persecution.
The anniversary holds particular meaning for the 49th Separate Assault Battalion “Carpathian Sich.” The Ukrainian Armed Forces unit is named after the historic Carpathian Sich organization, which served as the national army of Carpathian Ukraine following the declaration of independence.
Each year, veterans of the battalion gather in Zakarpattia to honor those who fought for the region’s independence and died resisting Hungarian forces at Krasne Pole near Khust.
The memory of those events feels particularly relevant today, as relations between Kyiv and Budapest remain strained. Hungary’s government under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has repeatedly blocked or delayed certain EU and NATO initiatives related to Ukraine, prompting criticism from Kyiv.
The ascent of Mount Hymba (1,491 meters) was also dedicated to the 108th anniversary of Ukrinform, which the agency marks on March 16.
The symbolic climb was initiated by Ukrinform’s community of regional correspondents and supported by colleagues from across the newsroom, including photojournalists, social media editors, news editors, and administrative staff. Together they represent the teams that work around the clock to ensure that news reports, interviews, features, photographs, and video reach audiences in Ukraine and abroad.
Ukrinform publishes content in six foreign-language editions, and its reporting is widely read internationally—especially since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Much of the agency’s coverage focuses on documenting the war, exposing Russian war crimes, and telling the stories of Ukrainian defenders.
To mark its anniversary, Ukrinform is preparing a photo album titled “Victory Commanders,” dedicated to Ukrainian military leaders.
During the full-scale war, many employees of the agency have received state and military honors for their work. The Order of Merit was awarded to regional correspondents Iryna Staroselets, who reported from occupied Kherson, as well as Yuliia Bairachna and Olha Zvonaryova, who covered developments in the Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia regions.
Zvonaryova was seriously wounded while reporting from the site of a missile strike. After a long recovery, she has returned to training and is preparing to run a half marathon.
The Order of Merit was also recently awarded to Takashi Hirano, editor of Ukrinform’s Japanese-language service. For many years he has worked to inform Japanese audiences about Ukraine and Russia’s war against it, helping sustain public support for Ukraine in Japan.
Photojournalists Dmytro Smolienko and Viacheslav Madiievskyi have also received the award. Both have repeatedly worked in dangerous conditions—often near the front line—to document combat operations and record evidence of Russian attacks on civilian areas, including in Kharkiv.
The war has deeply affected the agency’s journalists. One Ukrinform colleague from the Donetsk region survived captivity in the notorious Izolyatsia prison, where detainees were subjected to severe torture after Russia-backed forces seized the facility in 2014. His release required international intervention. At the time, before formal prisoner exchanges were established, colleagues were advised not to publicize the case.
Another high-profile case was that of Ukrinform journalist Roman Sushchenko, who was arrested in Moscow in 2016 and accused by Russian authorities of espionage. A Russian court sentenced him to 12 years in a high-security penal colony. After three years in detention, Sushchenko was freed on September 7, 2019, as part of a prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia.
Another 27 Ukrinform employees have served in Ukraine’s defense forces, including Oleksandr Svynarenko, Pavlo Nehrei, Oleksandr Zhyhun, Olena Khudiakova, Vitalii Holod, Markiian Lyseiko, and Serhii Kuzmin. Some were wounded during the fighting, while others continue to serve at the front. Their stories, colleagues say, deserve to be told in greater detail in the future.
Among the agency’s staff is also a veteran of the battle for Donetsk Airport, one of the most symbolic battles of the war in eastern Ukraine. Oleksandr Skyba held positions there together with fellow Ukrainian defenders—fighters who became widely known as the “cyborgs” for their resilience.
Not all colleagues returned from the war. Oleh Zadoianchuk, who joined the fight during the conflict in eastern Ukraine, died while serving in the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) zone. Despite serious health issues that should have prevented him from enlisting, he repeatedly visited the military recruitment office until he was finally accepted. Colleagues remember him as a true volunteer. His name was also honored during the ascent of Mount Hymba.
The war has also taken lives far from the front line. Tetiana Kulyk, head of Ukrinform’s multimedia editorial office, was killed together with her husband, a well-known doctor, when a Russian drone struck their home near Kyiv.
Participants in the climb also remembered Hero of Ukraine Oleh Kutsyn, after whom the 49th Separate Assault Battalion “Carpathian Sich” is named. A volunteer who helped create the original Carpathian Sich volunteer unit, Kutsyn later commanded the Separate Consolidated Assault Company “Carpathian Sich.”
Together with his comrades, he took part in the defense of Donetsk Airport and in battles for Pisky, the Butivka mine, Vodiane, and Opytne. He was wounded during the fighting for Pisky and was killed on June 19, 2022, in combat near Izium in northeastern Ukraine.
His death came just a month after part of his volunteer formation joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ Ground Forces as the 49th Separate Infantry Battalion “Carpathian Sich.” The unit was later named in his honor.
When Ukrinform journalists planned the ascent of Mount Hymba, it was soldiers of this battalion who offered their support. At the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Serhii Kuzmin, who now works at Ukrinform, served in its ranks.
For the participants of the climb, the joint ascent symbolized solidarity between journalists and soldiers. As they put it: two friendly flags on Mount Hymba look better than one.
Happy triple anniversary, friends!
Olha Korostelyova, Kyiv–Zakarpattia
Photos: Volodymyr Tarasov, Yevhen Kotenko
