Ukrainska Pravda holds second UP100. Power of Women award ceremony
On 25 March, Ukrainska Pravda held the second award ceremony at the National Philharmonic in Kyiv for hundreds of leaders as part of the UP100. Power of Women award, which recognises public figures who are changing Ukraine during the war.
The winners represented the following categories: Defenders, Society, Politics and Public Administration, Business, Creative Industries and Fashion, Culture, Sports, Science, and Education. Here is a full list of the winners.
This year's award was dedicated to the fallen defender Iryna Tsybukh, who evacuated wounded soldiers from the hottest spots and tried to introduce a culture of remembrance in Ukrainian society. It was Iryna who inspired this year's UP 100. Power of Women award.
The event's general partner was UKRSIBBANK BNP Paribas Group. Premium partners were KORMOTECH and Heneral Chereshnia (General Cherry) FPV drones. EVA, Lady Di Atelier, La Famiglia Catering, LoraShen, Gamondi, and Galicia supported the event.
The gala evening began with a performance by the Kyiv Chamber Orchestra conducted by Nataliia Ponomarchuk.
The ceremony was opened by Sevgil Musaieva, Ukrainska Pravda's editor-in-chief. Her personal speech reminded everyone of the value of women's friendship, sisterhood, and joint work.
"I know that every woman in this room has paid her own price for these three years of full-scale invasion. Each of us will have a lifelong memory of this war that cannot be erased from our minds. During one of the most difficult personal weeks of the war, I realised the importance of sisterhood. In a difficult period, I was helped, supported and given the strength to go on by several incredible women from my entourage, and today I want to talk not only about the power of women, but also about the power of sisterhood from this stage," she said.
"There are still many patriarchal stereotypes in our society, but the war is destroying these outdated ideas. Every day, Ukrainian women prove that this is a lie... they save each other. I want all women here to understand how strong we are when we fight for common values. My dear sisters, I am inspired by you when I read your incredible stories. I am healing with you and thanks to your strength," she added.
Afterwards, Sevgil spoke to the EU Ambassador to Ukraine, Katarína Mathernová, who stressed the importance of women supporting each other. The diplomat noted that women used to rarely hold leadership positions, but now they are actively fighting for them. She also stressed that today it is important to talk about aspects of women's lives that were previously ignored.
"Women's leadership is about encouraging other women to use their strengths and support others. It's important to give a hand to women in a sensitive position, to help them become more confident and start shining... I am in awe of Ukrainian women. They are everywhere: in the economy, at the front line, in journalism and fighting disinformation. There are so many opportunities to talk about women's leadership... It is important to loudly remind everyone that domestic and sexual violence continues during the war... Ukrainian women are so strong and deserve support," Mathernová said.
After the speech, the winners of the UP100. Power of Women rating were announced. The winners of the awards in different categories came on stage for a joint photo and received symbolic gifts and flowers.
The most emotional moment of the ceremony was the tribute to the deceased paramedic and last year's UP100. Power of Women award winner, Iryna Tsybukh. A video with memories of the soldier – her work at the front, her fight for the lives of the wounded, and her warm communication with her brothers-in-arms – was shown on the screen.
A dedication song performed by singer Maryna Krut, a friend of Iryna's, brought tears to the audience's eyes.
At the end of the song, Iryna Tsybukh's mother, Oksana Tsybukh, came on stage. With a trembling voice, she spoke about her daughter’s strength, dedication, and humanity. She added that Iryna did not just help others, but changed the world around her.
"Irynka is an example of courage, honesty, professionalism, great strength and love. And we can see this in her service as a paramedic, her work as a media personality, her educational projects... She always strived for the best, so her evacuations from the battlefield were thought out to the smallest detail," Iryna's mother shared.
The audience also had the opportunity to listen to a panel dedicated to women in war, women's perspective on service and the real problems of the military. Female defenders and volunteers joined the conversation: Kateryna Zarembo, a member of PEN Ukraine, an organisation protecting freedom of speech and authors' rights; Viktoriia "Tori" Honcharuk, a paramedic within the Hospitallers volunteer medic battalion; volunteer Tata Kepler; Tetiana "Khreshchena" Tepliuk, a medic of the 12th Special Operations Brigade Azov; and Khrystyna Kudriava, a major in the National Guard of Ukraine.
"I'm tired of people asking me where I get my nails done... When there are active hostilities, you don't have time to think about stereotypes. But when it's over, we come back to what it's like to be a woman at war, we come back to the stereotypes from the commanders. There is no gender in combat operations... We have to fight," said Khrystyna Kudriava, a major in the National Guard of Ukraine.
"There is this idea about the place of gender in world society. I would really like people to understand each other so that there is no denigration. I do not consider women to be overly vulnerable, they are as strong as men... I will remember this war as a terrible, cruel, dirty war, which should not have happened at all. From this war, I will take names, human stories, and I will remember and say [the names of the fallen heroes] to the last," added Tata Kepler, a public figure and volunteer.
As always at UP events, a charity auction was held, which raised UAH 1,395 million, or about US$33,000.
Also during the ceremony, the Unmanned Systems Research Centre, the manufacturer of Heneral Chereshnia drones, donated 85 large 10-inch FPV drones worth a total of UAH 2 million (about US$48,000) to be shared among the 17 award winners.
During the final panel, moderated by Diia.City United CEO Nataliia Mykolska, the business representatives answered questions about what each of them had done during the war in their respective positions.
"Three years ago, I joined Ukrnafta. Our team has really helped the state-owned company get a new impetus. All Ukrnafta employees, both managers and specialists, both men and women, clearly understand their involvement in strengthening the rear front and meeting the needs of the front line. We have to be reliable, resilient and strong, and we are doing our best to hold our own," said Olena Artazei, Ukrnafta’s HR Director.
"My colleague and I attended the Global Women's Forum in Paris for the first time. We were part of a group representing Ukrsibbank BNP Paribas Group. I was the one who took part in interviews for 63 countries of the BNP Paribas Group and talked about you, our dear women, and how strong we are, how inspired we are and how we are ready to develop further," said Yanina Olkhovska, Director of Communications, Corporate Social Responsibility and Engagement at Ukrsibbank BNP Paribas Group.
"Two years ago, I had a conversation with the CEO and co-owner of our company. At that time, I told him that we needed to open a company in Europe. Why should we do it? To work out the risks of possible interruptions in supplies abroad and customs blockages. I was ready to lead this project. But if it wasn't for the war, I wouldn't have convinced our CEO. Still, it's a lot of extra money. But two years ago, during our conversation, he agreed.
As a result, my team and I have implemented this project. And this is my personal victory," said Mariia Stefanyshyn, Director of Kormotech LLC.
The UP100. Power of Women event was closed with a performance by the Kyiv Chamber Orchestra.
Background: Last year, the first-ever UP100.Power of Women award ceremony was held. 100 women from various fields of activity gathered and celebrated each other.
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