THE NATIONAL UNION OF
JOURNALISTS OF UKRAINE
A meeting with Valentyna Vinnychenko took place at the Zaporizhzhia Journalists’ Solidarity Center (JSC) of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU).
Zaporizhzhia residents interested in the history of their native city know it well as the Under the Umbrella tour guide. Since 2014, she has been engaged in another very useful business – weaving camouflage nets. It is noteworthy that the volunteer group in which she works also has the brand Under the Umbrella.
Valentyna Vinnychenko told journalists at the NUJU JSC about how tireless women’s hands make camouflage nets for the needs of our military, from fishing nets and scraps of fabric. She remembered that the first nets measuring 42 square meters were heavy – 32 kg. Now their weight is only 6.5 kg. Materials and manufacturing technology have changed. The nets are being tested with the participation of the military. Camouflage must satisfy the requirements of fighters as their lives and the preservation of equipment depend on it. Depending on the season, the nets are green, yellow, or white. The nets of the volunteer group Under the Umbrella are also real works of art. These are grid pictures: Angry Vyshyvanka, Ukraine, and Scouts in Flowers. By the way, the Ukraine grid was sold at an auction. The funds for it were directed to the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).
Fabrics of 18-32 colors and shades are used in weaving grid pictures. You will be able to admire the works of Zaporizhzhia volunteers at the Disguise Art exhibition, which is currently being prepared.
Thanks to Liudmyla Pryimachuk, a journalist from Lutsk, the Volyn Region also learned about the unusual grid-paintings of the Zaporizhzhia volunteer group Under the Umbrella. Liudmyla is involved in the excursion business. During one of her visits to Zaporizhzhia, she met Valentyna Vinnychenko and her daughter Kateryna. By profession, Kateryna is a technology engineer in the light industry. The method of cutting fabric for camouflage nets proposed by her is recognized as the most effective.
Liudmyla Pryimachuk was impressed by the nets of Zaporizhzhia craftspeople. The journalist writes about their work, creative approach to the case, and desire to help our defenders in various Volyn and foreign publications. At her invitation, Valentyna Vinnychenko visited Lutsk, where she presented Zaporizhzhia excursion routes. Women have new creative ideas. They are ready to implement them.
“The Zaporizhzhia JSC gave us a chance to communicate with the famous Zaporizhzhia guide and volunteer Valentyna Vinnychenko,” says Nataliya Stina. “The scale of their work is simply amazing: during the ten years of the war, volunteers from the Under the Umbrella association wove half a million square meters of camouflage nets for the military.”
Call the Zaporizhzhia JSC at 096 277 5352 (Nataliya Kuzmenko and Valentyna Manzhura, the Zaporizhzhia JSC coordinators). The Center’s address is 152 Sobornyi Avenue.
ABOUT JSC
The Journalists’ Solidarity Centers is an initiative of the NUJU implemented with the support of the International and European Federations of Journalists and UNESCO. The initiative is designated to help media representatives working in Ukraine during the war. The Centers operate in Kyiv, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipro and provide journalists with organizational, technical, legal, psychological, and other types of assistance.
ABOUT UNESCO
UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. It contributes to peace and security by promoting international cooperation in education, sciences, culture, communication, and information. UNESCO promotes knowledge sharing and the free flow of ideas to accelerate mutual understanding. It is the coordinator of the UN Action Plan on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, which aims to create a free and safe environment for journalists and media workers, thus strengthening peace, democracy, and sustainable development worldwide. UNESCO is working closely with its partner organizations in Ukraine to provide support to journalists on the ground.
The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this digest do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city, or area or its authorities or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.
The authors are responsible for the choice and the presentation of the facts contained in this digest and for the opinions expressed therein, which are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit to the organization.
Nina Derkach
Photo by Dariya Zyrianova
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