The Kyiv National Academic Theatre of Operetta hosted the third UP100: Power of Women by LOVARE awards ceremony under the slogan "When one blooms, we all bloom" on 24 March. Around 700 guests attended the event, where 100 women leaders of Ukraine were honoured across various fields.
The winners were selected in six categories: Defenders, Society, Education and Science, Business, Politics and Public Administration, Creative Industries, and Culture and Sport. The full list of the 100 women leaders can be found in the Ukrainska Pravda feature.
The event's co-sponsor was the LOVARE brand. General sponsors included UKRSIBBANK BNP Paribas Group, General Cherry and PrivatBank. The ceremony was also supported by EVA, L'Oréal Ukraine, AGA.TE, Nadiia World, Flo.lux, La Famiglia, Aznauri, AVANGARDEN gallery, food&wine and the National Theatre of Operetta. The award's promotional partners were the Masha Foundation and VETERANKA.
The evening opened with a performance by singer Olena Topolia, who performed two of her solo hits – Planety ("Planets") and Kashtan ("Chestnut"). She was later joined on stage by Vlad Darwin to perform Ty Naikrashcha ("You Are The Best"). An unexpected highlight was the appearance of a serviceman known as Balzam, who wrote and sang a touching third verse of the song on behalf of Ukraine's defenders.
"Thank you to our women for being an inspiration for songs like these – without you, such songs would not exist," Balzam said from the stage.
Following the musical opening, Ukrainska Pravda Editor-in-Chief Sevğil Musaieva welcomed the audience with a symbolic speech. She spoke about the chosen theme of the event and reminded guests that every woman is part of a vast garden whose blooming supports and sustains others.
"This year we chose a theme that at first glance may seem simple, almost obvious. And indeed, if we only stay on the surface, it may feel as though there is nothing complex behind this phrase. What could be more familiar and almost instinctive than comparing a woman to a flower – an image we carry with us from childhood without reflecting on its depth," Musaieva said.
"There is a children's book called The Secret Garden. It also begins with a story that promises nothing grand or dramatic, yet gradually unfolds into a very precise metaphor for how a person returns to life after loss. The earth seems dead, the branches dry, and everything appears meaningless. But day by day, through care, the garden begins to come back to life. Even the very space that had long seemed frozen in its grief starts to change.
We very often hear the phrase that behind every strong and successful man stands a strong woman. Recently, I caught myself thinking that we almost never ask another, equally important question – who stands behind a strong woman?… Very often, other women stand behind her – those who support, who step in, who sometimes quietly but very precisely help us become who we are. And often these women do not simply walk beside us, they help us shape ourselves," Sevğil concluded.
After her speech, 89-year-old Nadiia Znakharenko, a volunteer from Kherson known for saving roses in a city suffering from bombardments, took to the stage to share her story and wish everyone victory.
"My teachers instilled in me an understanding of what land is – what connection it has to life and what a person must do for this land to be useful and to give something back. So that it can bloom and bear fruit. And Kherson is truly a place that blossoms," Nadiia said.
The audience also watched an energetic performance by world ballroom dancing champion in the under-8 category, Zlata Veres, who is the youngest award winner among this year's hundred women leaders. What's more, the girl's father had travelled from the front to support her.
Afterwards, the evening's host, Andrii Cherepushchak, announced the names of the first 50 winners of this year's award in the categories Defenders, Society, and Education and Science.
"Blooming means dignity that flourishes even in the darkness. It is an inner freedom that cannot be taken away, a light that does not fade, even under the greatest pressure," the ceremony's host noted.
The list of winners opened with the name of Yuliia Keleberda, a police officer from the special unit White Angels, who, sadly, was killed on 20 February this year as a result of a drone strike on a vehicle. Yuliia was helping evacuate people from occupied territories.
The entire audience honoured Yuliia and other fallen defenders with a minute's silence.
Each winner received symbolic prizes: a boutonnière brooch by AGA.TE designed to hold a flower, a traditional wax wreath by Nadiia World created especially for the award, as well as gifts from partner LOVARE. In addition, the GASANOVA brand and PrivatBank created a velvet fancy handbag in the shape of a trendy tasselled pouch for every laureate.
Kateryna Shavanova – radiobiologist, scientist, science advocate and servicemember with the National Guard of Ukraine's 13th Khartiia Brigade
After the first winners received their awards, the audience watched a video greeting from Hamnet director and Oscar winner Chloé Zhao.
"I feel very honoured to be able to share this moment with you. I know as women, we have always survived and persevered through community and also through our capacity to feel and to stay in our hearts. Even though they're aching. I know you're hurting. And I know every one of you knows the unimaginable pain of losing someone that you love. I know the world that you will build together from the depth of your feelings is the medicine that we need today. My heart is with you," Chloé Zhao said.
Immediately afterwards, Bohdan Barabash, co-founder of the Monomakh company and a representative of the LOVARE brand, appeared on stage and addressed the audience with a speech.
"Ukrainian women today are leaders, volunteers, soldiers, entrepreneurs and mentors. Each of them is making a contribution to ensure that our country endures and prevails. Character is tested in difficult times. I also want to speak about the beauty of dignity and courage, the beauty of intellect and professionalism, the beauty of creativity and inspiration. It is precisely this kind of beauty that has power," Bohdan said.
On behalf of his brand, Barabash also presented UAH 50,000 (about US$1,100) to award winner Iryna Kondratova and her Kharkiv Regional Perinatal Centre.
"It is very moving and unsettling, because in fact… we did nothing special. We simply did our job and saved babies who were born prematurely. And my entire team should be here. Our faith, hope and love are alive. They are even stronger now than ever before," Iryna said in her thanks.
For the first discussion panel of the evening, dedicated to women in the military, the organisers invited Tetiana Chornovol, an officer and operator of the Stugna-P anti-tank system; Yevа "Yunha" Smyrnova, an FPV drone operator from the National Guard's Rubizh Brigade; Kateryna Rotarenko, a servicemember and search specialist from the On the Shield mission; and Rina Reznyk, head of the support service of the National Guard's 12th Special Operations Brigade Azov.
The discussion was moderated by journalist and documentary filmmaker Nataliia Humeniuk, who is also among this year's hundred women leaders.
The defenders spoke about what they are proud of in their work and where they find the strength to continue fighting for Ukraine. Yevа, 21, admitted that she had made the decision to go to war rationally and thoughtfully, and also explained why motivation alone is not enough for military service.
"There is always room to grow, there are always people who are better – but it is precisely because of this perception that I do not stand still. Since the age of 18, my crew and I have been actively developing FPV capabilities and, to some extent, bomb disposal skills. That is why we've already destroyed more than 200 targets this year… I very often see people who take on any task purely driven by motivation. Then they burn out. And when you burn out in war, you will have slightly bigger problems. It may cost you your life or your health.
When I went [to war], I understood that my motivation would run out after the first two strikes – I simply had to do what I could. Without expectations, because war does not stand still. It requires quick decisions. You won't have any motivation if you lose everything that was holding you together," Smyrnova noted.
Kateryna Rotarenko raised the issue of her work searching for missing servicemen, the number of whom in Ukraine is currently estimated to be around 90,000. She pointed out that she has no plans to stop developing strategies for successful search and identification.
"This is the scale we have faced as a country. We have no template from which we can draw up an action algorithm. We are now building systems for search, identification and return. A very long road lies ahead of us in this. I have decided for myself that I will stay in this field for as long as I can. I will put forward proposals – I am not afraid, I have a certain vision of how the search process will develop. I keep trying to reach the top levels… They are not 'unknown', we know the name of every person who went to defend us," Kateryna said.
In her speech, Rina Reznyk reminded the audience of the contribution of combat medics who risk their lives every day. She also added that working conditions for medics have changed "tremendously" in recent years, as has the evacuation procedure.
Former MP Tetiana Chornovol also shared her experience on the front line:
"I am proud that for four years I have been a platoon commander – a junior officer who is at the line of contact. An officer who leads by personal example. I will say honestly, I intend to go through the entire war like this. Without a promotion… It feels to me that if you took my hand, you would feel something pulling me. I am sitting here, but I am being pulled back. Back to my platoon on the front line, to my tasks, to my work."
After the discussion panel, Viktoriia Paliievets, head of the General Cherry Pilots Academy, appeared on stage. She announced that each award winner in the Defenders category would receive certificates for five 10-inch drones and two days of intensive training on interceptor drones.
The next theme of the evening was presented by Masha Yefrosynina, founder of the Masha Foundation and a public figure. In her poignant and important speech, she spoke about the types of violence faced by women and girls in Ukraine and around the world.
"I will start with myself. As a woman, I was shaped and formed by the fact that at the beginning of my career I was subjected to harassment; in my private life I could be told that I was 'fat'; I have been discriminated against my whole life; I am sexualised… We are not used to talking about this, as people keep quiet about it. Because you feel guilty," Mariia noted.
She also stressed that violence against women is not just about a broken jaw. Sometimes violence can wear "an expensive suit". Mariia gave other examples of abuse that women experience without even realising it – including restrictions on professional activity and access to family finances, being forbidden to work by a partner, lower pay, systemic humiliation and intimidation.
"If you were pressured into sexual intercourse without your desire or consent, if you understand that you need to fake an orgasm so as not to offend your partner – unfortunately, you have experienced sexual violence," the speaker noted.
"Violence has many faces, yet it remains ignored. Every 10 minutes a woman in the world is killed by her partner. The number of women and girls who have suffered sexual violence since the start of the full-scale invasion is staggering – 2.91 million. That is the figure for Ukraine… For every report there will be thousands of accusations: 'It's your fault', 'You provoked it'. Nobody cares," Yefrosynina said.
"And the war has also introduced us to a form of violence known as conflict-related sexual violence. Imagine a woman – she is 26, in the prime of her life – spending it in captivity, where she is raped every day. Simply because she is Ukrainian," Masha said.
After her emotional speech, Masha, together with Ksanа Nechyporenko, co-founder of the Masha Foundation, presented a special award entitled Brave to prize winner Oksana Pasichko, a rugby player and servicemember.
After that, Ukrainska Pravda editor-in-chief Sevğil Musaieva and political journalist Roman Kravets held a charity auction in support of the VETERANKA Foundation. Two lots – porcelain seeds by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei and a photographic work by Kostiantyn Liberov and Vladyslava Liberova – were sold to an anonymous buyer for UAH 500,000 each (about US$11,300).
After the break, the second part of the evening began with singer LAUD, who performed several of his songs – Moie Sertse ("My heart"), Maiak ("Lighthouse") and LIGHTKEEPER.
The next part of the event was the UP Chat hosted by Sevğil Musaieva. The invited speakers included Ksana Nechyporenko, Chair of the Board of the GoGlobal educational foundation and co-founder of the Masha Foundation; Nataliia Savchuk, Deputy Chair of the Management Board of PrivatBank and their Chief Operations Officer; Nataliia Kolomatska, Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Chair of the Management Board of UKRSIBBANK BNP Paribas Group; and Kateryna Bezsudna, Director of drone manufacturer Tekever.
Together they discussed how women will rebuild Ukraine, whether the number of female entrepreneurs has increased since the start of the full-scale war, and women's role in business more broadly.
"A total of 65% of the bank's employees are women. Today, if we look at engineers or cash-in-transit staff, about 10% are women – and this number is growing. This reflects a change in approach when staffing shortages emerged. We realised that we had simply never offered these jobs to women. They were invisible. We began using feminine forms of job titles so that women could see themselves in these professions," Nataliia Savchuk noted.
"Gender equality is a priority for us. We believe that women are a powerful and undervalued driver of the economy. Despite stereotypes – which are largely patriarchal – we at the bank have taken responsibility for strengthening the role of women," Nataliia Kolomatska said.
"As for reconstruction, we believe Ukraine will become an interesting case study, and our international partners will invest. We see these incredible figures being promised… Human capital will be crucial here. Women are half of that capital. Therefore, rebuilding without women means rebuilding only halfway," Ksana Nechyporenko said.
"At Mil-Tec, we are seeing a trend where operational roles are increasingly held by women. These are positions that require adaptability and flexibility. Women make projects less linear. Women do not think in a linear way. In the military sphere, you need to understand the language of the environment – we work with servicemen who may be in very different states. Women can take responsibility, women want to operate drones… I am working to create an environment in which it is easy for women to work and develop," Kateryna Bezsudna noted.
Next, the special Power of Sisterhood award was presented by Kateryna Pryimak, head of the VETERANKA movement. It was awarded to Emma Antoniuk and Yana Brenzei.
Afterwards, the remaining 50 award winners in the categories Business, Politics and Public Administration, Creative Industries and Culture and Sport were invited onto the stage.
The audience also watched Nadiia Shapoval's visual meditation Lebediia, about memory, the body and generational trauma, in which the image of the swan becomes a symbol of purity and a return to one's true self.
To conclude the gala evening, mountaineer Tetiana Yalovchak took to the stage to share her story. She became one of the first Ukrainian women to climb Mount Everest.
"I have conquered the seven highest peaks, six of the largest volcanoes, and the three highest summits in the UK within a single day. I have written a book, and most importantly, I go hiking in the mountains with veterans who have amputations. Climbing with our guys is necessary to create our own stars. We set records, we make films."
"My manifesto was the following: you feel sick, you have a headache, but you have to be on top of Everest. And now I walk alongside men who have lost limbs and have returned from captivity. Our men are the strongest in the world. They've never been in the mountains on two legs and yet here they reached the top on prosthetics," Tetiana shared.
The evening concluded with a performance by the soloists from the National Operetta of Ukraine.
We also covered last year's UP100: Power of Women, dedicated to the fallen defender Iryna Tsybukh.
Photos: Oleksandr Chekmenov, Emma Soldatova and Oleksandr Ratushniak
Translated by Myroslava Zavadska and Tetiana Buchkovska
Edited by Susan McDonald