On March 29, 2026, a landmark event took place for the Ternopil region — the awarding of the laureates of the regional competition “Person of the Year 2025”. The event gathered about a hundred guests at the Zbarazhsky Castle, where those present had the opportunity to see people who, with their inspired work and achievements, proved that they really make the world a better place and deserve this high title. Among them are military personnel, volunteers, cultural workers, agricultural sector workers, and representatives of the clergy. It is worth noting that this year 11 participants were nominated — military personnel, volunteers, agricultural workers, and cultural figures.
Among the laureates are people whose stories are deeply moving. And one of them is the story of volunteer Oksana Muravlyova.
A volunteer from Donetsk Oblast, coordinator of the Ukrainian Conversation Club “Faino”, and chairwoman of the board of the VGO Union of Ukrainian Women, she was twice forced to leave her home because of the war. The first time was in 2014, when she moved to Kramatorsk. It was there that her active volunteer work began: Oksana sewed flags and amulets for the Ukrainian military, taught people the Ukrainian language, and embroidered shirts for babies. The second time she left her native land after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Today, Ms. Oksana lives in Berezhany in Ternopil Oblast, where she continues her important mission of helping people. For Ms. Oksana, Berezhany has become more than just a shelter — it has become a place of strength, and her initiatives have already become symbols of support and revival:
- “Faino Embraces” is more than a workshop. It is a space of recovery for women who have lost their homes.
- “Born in Embroidery” is a project that gives thousands of babies warmth and love for Ukraine from the first days of life.
- The map of Ukraine “Embrace” is a symbol of unity, a country sewn from hearts without a single seam of separation.
- 4,000 flags are four thousand symbols of faith and indomitability, created by her hands for those who are on the front lines today.
Oksana comes to the wounded soldiers not empty-handed, but with warmth that cannot be measured in words. She hugs those who have seen hell and reminds: “You are not alone.” No award can fully measure what she has done. After all, there are things that are priceless — humanity, devotion and boundless love for the Motherland.
We sincerely thank the organizers of the competition for this sincere, well-organized and extremely emotional event. Special gratitude for your concern for internally displaced persons from the Donetsk region, for your support, attention, and creation of a space where people forced to leave their homes can feel care, understanding, and acceptance. In our difficult times, such events are more than culture. They are a restoration of memory, faith, and hope.
The title “Person of the Year 2025” is not just a title, but a joint “thank you” from the heart. Recognition that real heroes live next to us.
Congratulations, Ms. Oksana! We are proud of you!