OchiMedia

09/17/2026

Reporting for duty.

Bunny and I spent the past several days in Washington, D.C., where I was photographing the 9th Ukraine Action Summit.

This fall, the Summit’s advocacy priorities included sanctions against Russia, U.S.–Ukraine cooperation on unmanned systems and defense innovation, and investment in Ukraine’s defense production.

And there was some news from Capitol Hill: Congress passed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, one of the measures advocated for during the Summit.

More photos from Washington to come.

08/28/2026

08/26/2026

This week, we met with Deionte Harvey from the City of Dallas Office of Government Affairs as he presented the Special Recognition signed by Mayor Eric Johnson to the Ukrainian community.

Chrystya Geremesz, a founding member of the Ukrainian American Society of Texas, and Tamara Velsher, president of the U.S.–Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce, represented the Dallas Ukrainian diaspora at the meeting. The original document will remain with the Ukrainian American Society of Texas, the oldest Ukrainian community organization in Dallas.

What Dallas chose to put on the record about Ukraine and Ukrainians matters because it reflects how our community is seen by the city we live in.

I wrote more about the recognition for Vilni Media.

Link to the article in the comments.

08/14/2026

“I always wanted to find ways to interconnect the two worlds.”

That is how Daryna Zaitseva described her decision to join a reconstructive surgical mission in May 2026. Daryna is a Ukrainian student studying healthcare in the United States.

Her double mission was to help and to gain experience she could one day bring home. During the week in Lviv, she served as a student observer and medical interpreter with an international surgical team.

After the last surgery, I asked Daryna about her journey and what she took away from the mission.

I'll be sharing her story soon.

07/28/2026

Today is Medical Workers’ Day in Ukraine.

I want to recognize Dr. Khrystyna Pohranichna, a pediatric maxillofacial surgeon at Ohmatdyt Children’s Hospital in Lviv and one of the Ukrainian doctors I’ve had the privilege of working alongside during international surgical missions.

During a mission in April 2026, Dr. Pohranichna drove two of her young patients to Zhytomyr, where our team had stopped for the night, so they could be evaluated by American surgeons in the hotel dining room after a long day of travel. She wanted them to have access to specialists they otherwise might never meet. The team discussed treatment options, including the possibility of bringing one of the children to the United States for care.

That’s not in any job description.

“When I look at these children, I don’t see a diagnosis—I see future talented people who will find their place in the world,” she told ZAXID.NET.

Happy Medical Workers’ Day, Dr. Pohranichna. Thank you.

07/27/2026

OchiMedia covered a community meeting between representatives of the Ukrainian community from across the Dallas–Fort Worth area and Ukraine's newly appointed Consul General in Houston, Vitalii Moshkivskyi.

The discussion focused on cooperation between local organizations, the Dallas–Kharkiv Friendship Agreement, consular services, immigration issues, and preserving Ukrainian language and culture.

The reporting was published by Vilni Media and later cited by Ukrinform.

Links to both articles are in the comments.