A team of Ukrainian and Slovak athletes set out from Kyiv to Košice as part of the Peace Run charity initiative, which aims to draw the attention of the European public to the ongoing war in Ukraine and support children affected by it.
The run began in Kyiv on September 24. According to the Slovak news agency TASR, citing one of the project’s organizers, Eduard Burash, the athletes will cover the approximately 1,000-kilometer route in a relay format. A total of 25 participants took the starting line in Kyiv, and Ukrainian and Slovak runners will take turns along the route.
Initially, the core of the project team consisted of five Ukrainian and five Slovak athletes. On their way to Slovakia, the participants will visit seven regional centers in Ukraine, including Uzhhorod.
Organizers expect the athletes to arrive in Košice on October 2. According to the official program for “Days of Ukraine 2026” in Košice, the Peace Run finish will be one of the event’s central sporting highlights.
The “Veterans’ Mile” holds a special place in the program; it will take place on October 3 in Košice City Park. Ukrainian war veterans will join the event, including servicemen who have suffered severe physical injuries, as well as participants with visual impairments. Representatives of the diplomatic corps are also expected to attend.
The final stage of the initiative will be the participation of Ukrainian athletes in the 103rd International Peace Marathon in Košice on October 4. The main marathon and the relay race will start at 9:00 a.m., and the half-marathon at 10:30 a.m.
The Košice Peace Marathon is considered one of the oldest marathons in Europe. The first race took place in 1924, and in 2026, the event will be held for the 103rd time.
The “Peace Run” is part of the 11th “Days of Ukraine” in Košice, which will take place October 1–4. The organizers have designated peace and an end to the war in Ukraine as the main theme of this year’s events. The project is being implemented by the FEMAN association in collaboration with partners from Ukraine and Slovakia, with financial support from the Slovak Ministry of Tourism and Sports.
As part of the Peace Run, a charity fundraiser is also being held to help children affected by the war.
Information about the project and the fundraiser: Peace Run Kyiv – Košice
Swiss ultramarathon runner Frédéric Splendore plans to complete the Beyond Borders charity run—a journey of approximately 4,200 kilometers that he began in Monaco on July 24—in Ukraine on September 21, International Day of Peace.
As the athlete told the Open4Business editorial team, he expects to arrive in Lviv early in the morning on September 21, completing the walking portion of his journey across Europe. After that, Splendore and his support team plan to travel by camper van to Kyiv and visit Maidan Nezalezhnosti in the afternoon. Their departure from Ukraine is scheduled for September 22.
The main goal of the Beyond Borders project—known as “Courir pour Unir” (“Run to Unite”) in its French-language version—goes beyond mere athletic achievement. Splendor is using the run to draw attention to the consequences of the war in Ukraine and to raise funds to help Ukrainians affected by the conflict.
“This project isn’t just about sports or a record. It’s about using endurance to raise awareness, collect funds, and convey a universal message of peace and solidarity all the way to Ukraine,” said Splendor.
In total, the route spans approximately 4,200 km and passes through 13 European countries. On some days, the athlete covers 70–100 km. The project’s official website confirms that the goal of the journey is to arrive in Ukraine on September 21—International Day of Peace.
The first and most challenging stage of the route followed the Via Alpina through the Alps. Splendor covered about 2,000 km of the Alpine route and set a new men’s record for completing the route with team support—23 days, 11 hours, and 42 minutes. The result was recorded on August 16.
After completing the Alpine section, the athlete continued on for another approximately 2,200 km through Central and Eastern Europe toward Ukraine.
“When things got tough, I reminded myself that everything I’m going through is temporary and voluntary, whereas millions of Ukrainians have had no choice for many years and live with the consequences of war every day,” the athlete noted.
The charitable component of the project is being carried out through the Swiss association Au-delà de l’Effort. The funds raised are being directed to the Chaîne du Bonheur (Swiss Solidarity) fund to support Ukrainians affected by the war. The money is planned to be used, in particular, to rebuild destroyed buildings, assist internally displaced persons, and ensure access to education and medical care. According to the project, at least 95% of the funds raised will go directly to the fund for aid to Ukraine.
The campaign’s goal is to raise approximately EUR 140,000.
Frederick Splendor, 33, previously worked as a professional firefighter and a chemistry lab technician. He is the 2023 Swiss champion in the 100-km race and the 2024 national runner-up. His personal best in the marathon is approximately 2 hours and 22 minutes. In 2018, the athlete ran approximately 4,300 km on his own along the Pacific Crest Trail in the United States.
According to Splendor, arriving in Ukraine on International Day of Peace is meant to be a symbolic conclusion to his nearly two-month-long journey.
“I want to use running as a way to mobilize people, to remind Europeans that we must not turn a blind eye, and to show solidarity with a population that has been living with war for many years,” he noted.
Photo: ibelieveinyou.ch, Embassy of Ukraine in Hungary
American missionary and philanthropist Kim Kio Yok, who has been working in Ukraine for more than 30 years, said that probable fraud occurred during the purchase of a house in Kyiv for the activities of the charitable foundation and Grace church, as a result of which the organization lost the ability to fully provide assistance to internally displaced persons, pensioners and other vulnerable categories of the population.
As Oleksandr Keer, managing partner of the law firm Revealing Information, said during a press conference at the Interfax-Ukraine agency, in 2022 Kim Kio Yok agreed to purchase a building in Kyiv’s Darnytskyi district, but instead of the main sale and purchase agreement, an agreement on the intention to conclude such an agreement was signed. According to the lawyer, at the time the agreement was concluded, the real estate was pledged due to debts of the previous owner’s family, and the initial payment amounted to $30,000.
“In 2022, $30,000 was transferred as a deposit and confirmation of the genuine intention to purchase this property. From 2022 until today, the amount of funds received increased from $30,000 to $400,000; in fact, 21 agreements were concluded to postpone the deadlines for concluding the main sale and purchase agreement. The last two additional agreements were concluded when the party no longer even had the ability to sell the property because it did not own it,” Keer said at a press conference at the Interfax-Ukraine agency on Wednesday.
According to him, because of the outstanding previous obligations of the person who was supposed to sell the house, ownership of the real estate passed to creditors, making it impossible to fulfill the original agreements. At the same time, the lawyer claims that Kim Kio Yok effectively transferred almost the entire agreed value of the property but did not receive ownership of it.
Keer said that after the philanthropist approached them, the lawyers initially tried to resolve the situation through negotiations and mediation, but they were unable to reach an agreement with the other party. After that, submissions to the police and prosecutor’s office were prepared, as well as civil lawsuits concerning the disputed agreements and the return of the funds.
“When Mr. Kim approached us, the first thing we proposed was to hold negotiations and mediation in order to clarify the circumstances and try to reach an agreement. In response to repeated attempts to hold such a meeting, we were told that there were no grounds or purpose for it. After that, we prepared statements to the police and prosecutor’s office, as well as civil lawsuits regarding the return of the funds,” he added.
Keer noted that, according to the assessment of the injured party, the case has prospects in court because the transfer of funds and changes to the agreements were documented by signed agreements. He also said that for some time the philanthropist actually used the building, invested funds in improving it and purchased equipment, but now, according to his representatives, does not have access to this property.
He noted that the prosecutor’s office of the Darnytskyi district had opened criminal proceedings and that a pre-trial investigation was ongoing. The lawyer also positively assessed the court’s prompt response to the appeal by representatives of the injured party, but noted that since May the case has not yet resulted in a notice of suspicion or the submission of an indictment to the court.
For his part, Kim Kio Yok said that he came to Ukraine from California 33 years ago and during that time was engaged in religious, educational and charitable projects. After the start of the full-scale war, together with like-minded people, he helped people whose homes had been damaged, distributed food packages and firewood, and also organized free meals for internally displaced persons in Kyiv.
“We helped Ukrainians who suffered greatly during the full-scale war: we found damaged houses, helped rebuild them, provided people with food packages and firewood so that they could survive the winter. In the building in the Darnytskyi district, we served hot lunches to between 150 and 200 internally displaced persons. Because of this situation, in recent months people have been unable to receive the assistance that we provided before,” Kim Kio Yok said.
Kim Kio Yok, American missionary and philanthropist, injured party in the criminal proceedings
The missionary said that, as a U.S. citizen, he sent an official letter to the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine and contacted the U.S. consul.
“We sent an official letter to the U.S. Embassy. They responded and are showing interest in this case because I am a U.S. citizen. I also contacted the U.S. consul with a request to help me in this situation,” Kim Kio Yok said.
According to him, people who previously regularly received assistance continue to call representatives of the organization and ask when the free lunches and other programs will be resumed. The missionary stressed that he intends to remain in Ukraine and continue his charitable activities.
Kim Kio Yok noted that the organization operates not only in Kyiv. Over 33 years of its activities, centers have been established in various cities of Ukraine, including rehabilitation programs for people with drug and alcohol addiction. The Grace gymnasium, which includes a kindergarten and education through the 11th grade, also operates, while the building purchased in Kyiv was planned to be used, among other things, for educational projects.
“I am now 75 years old, and even during the war I want to help Ukrainians and serve them with love. We appeal to law enforcement agencies, the police and the prosecutor’s office: help us so that we can work again on the territory of Ukraine. We have dedicated our lives to serving Ukraine and the Ukrainian people,” he said.
For her part, Viktoriia Khliebnikova, a volunteer with the charitable foundation, noted that the consequences of the conflict surrounding the building concern not only the foundation itself, since professional kitchen equipment purchased specifically to provide free meals to people remained inside the premises.
“For us, this story is very painful because this is not a question of the house, the equipment or the money. The most painful thing is that we cannot help people to the full extent, as we did before. The professional equipment was purchased not for business and not to make a profit – it was purchased for charitable activities, to feed people,” Khliebnikova said.
She noted that during widespread electricity outages, such meals were of particular importance to people who were unable to cook food at home. At present, according to her, the team is seeking to regain access to its property and resume its work.
“People are waiting, they meet me on the street and every time ask when we will start helping again. We want to return to normal work, prepare lunches, help elderly people, children and families who have lost their defenders at the front,” the volunteer added.
For his part, Pastor Kim Shine, vice president of the international Grace mission, who joined the press conference from the United States, said that the American organization financially supported the activities of Kim Kio Yok and his family in Ukraine and helped with the purchase of the premises. According to him, after the start of the full-scale war, the mission offered the missionaries the opportunity to return to the United States for security reasons, but they decided to stay.
“When they said that they had found a building where they could support elderly people and prepare food for displaced persons, we decided to provide financial assistance for its purchase. Now we are appealing to the Ukrainian authorities so that this case is resolved in accordance with the law and the activities can continue,” Kim Shine emphasized.
CHARITY, fraud, INTERFAX-UKRAINE, KYIV, MISSIONARY, UNITED STATES
The number of Ukrainians planning Christmas and New Year shopping has increased over the year from 65% to 75%, despite the fourth year of full-scale war, according to Deloitte Ukraine’s “Holiday Shopping 2025” survey, provided by the company’s press service.
“This year, we see that preparations for the holidays are becoming more thoughtful and forward-looking: Ukrainians are planning their purchases earlier, approaching spending more cautiously, and more often choosing things that have personal significance for them and their loved ones. For 51% of respondents, the process of preparing gifts remains a pleasant ritual rather than a source of stress. Such familiar concerns help us today to support ourselves and those around us,” notes Alexander Yampolsky, head of retail and wholesale distribution at Deloitte Ukraine.
However, according to the survey results, more and more Ukrainians are also choosing to celebrate at home—68% compared to 54% in 2024. More and more Ukrainians are starting their holiday shopping early: 18% before December, while the main shopping period is December 1-24 (62%).
For the fourth year in a row, Ukrainians are not increasing their spending: 46% are willing to spend no more than a quarter of their monthly income on shopping, and 54% plan to spend between UAH 1,000 and UAH 5,000, with holiday purchases focused on family (88%) and friends (40%). At the same time, young people are more likely to deviate from the traditional scenario: 49% buy gifts for themselves.
Ukrainians most often do their holiday shopping in large and medium-sized supermarket chains (43%), with online stores consistently ranking second (27%) and cosmetics stores (21%) remaining popular due to the demand for gifts “for themselves and their loved ones.”
The most popular tools for choosing gifts are wish lists (46%), price comparison services (54%), and online reviews (50%). Recommendations from influencers play a much smaller role, with only 9-10% of respondents relying on them. And only 10% of respondents believe that the presence of an AI assistant on retailers’ online platforms would make it easier to select holiday gifts.
It is emphasized that shoppers are most upset by the lack of available products (27%), excessive advertising (22%), and inconvenient search filters (14%).
At the same time, 64% of Ukrainians plan to allocate part of their holiday budget to charity, and 8 out of 10 primarily support Ukrainian defenders on the front lines.
“The holiday habits of Ukrainians reflect not only consumer trends, but also deeper internal changes. The way people give gifts, celebrate, and seek joy is now an important part of their emotional stability. Even during the war, Ukrainians remain a community that helps, shares, and creates a festive atmosphere for each other,” Yampolsky concluded.
The study was conducted using a multi-stage stratified sample representing the population of Ukraine by gender, age, size of settlement, and type of employment. Data was collected through an online survey using a quota sample that corresponds to the socio-demographic profile of the Ukrainian population. In total, more than 1,000 respondents took part in the survey.
The annual Charity Fair 2025, traditionally organized by the Association of Ukrainian Diplomats’ Spouses with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, took place in Kyiv on Saturday.
According to a correspondent from Interfax-Ukraine, this year’s event was attended by representatives of diplomatic missions from 29 countries, who presented their national traditions and culture. Ukrainian artists, traditional craftsmen, craft producers, designers, and public organizations also joined the joint charity initiative.
The event was personally attended by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga and his wife Tetyana Sibiga, who is a co-founder of the Association of Spouses of Ukrainian Diplomats.
As noted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, all funds raised will be used for charitable purposes, in particular: the purchase of chemical warmers for military personnel as part of the “Warm the Defender” project; support for internally displaced children; assistance to children and people with disabilities; support for the elderly; assistance to animal shelters; other joint projects of the Association of Spouses of Ukrainian Diplomats, the Club of Spouses of Ambassadors in Kyiv, and the IWCK.
Guests had the opportunity to purchase holiday gifts or create them together with their children at themed master classes.
Each ticket purchase counts as a charitable contribution to the total Charity Fair 2025 collection.
CHARITY, Charity Fair 2025, Christmas fair, KYIV, Spouses of Ukrainian Diplomats
The “Hope and Unity” Charitable Foundation continues to actively support the Ohmatdyt Children’s Hospital. Thanks to caring Ukrainians and the support of the Foundation’s partners, we have managed to raise significant funds for the purchase of necessary equipment, medicines and materials.
This week, a modern lung ventilator was delivered to the hospital, which will help save the lives of the youngest patients. In addition, the foundation provided the oncology department with new beds and medical instruments. A recreation room with games and educational materials was organized for children undergoing long-term treatment.
“We understand how important the atmosphere in which children are treated is for them,” says PIB, founder of the ‘Hope and Unity’ Foundation. – “That is why we strive to create the most comfortable conditions for young patients and their parents at Okhmatdyt.
The “Hope and Unity” Foundation calls on all those who care to join the charitable cause and support the Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital. Every hryvnia, every little thing matters and can save a child’s life.
How to help:
Together we can create a future for every child!
CHARITY, CHILDREN, DISEASE, foundation, HELP, Hope and Unity, SUPPORT, ОХМАТДИТ
