Restoring What War Destroys

The R.T. Weatherman Foundation has signed a memorandum of cooperation with the 1st Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine “Azov” Currently, Ukraine does not have a systemic, pre-collected fingerprint database. If a service member dies while performing a combat mission, DNA testing can take months. Fingerprints are one of the fastest and most accurate methods of identification, provided there is a database for comparison. We are changing the system: we signed a memorandum of cooperation with @azov.media — this is the first step toward making identification take just days instead of weeks or months of waiting for families. “This isn’t just about identification after death — it’s about preserving the dignity of defenders while they serve, and making sure families are never left without answers,” — said the President of the Foundation @mobbs_mentality Data will remain exclusively under Azov’s control. @rtw_foundation role is to provide equipment, training, and technical consultation. The model is designed to be scalable to other units in the future. “For us, this is a matter of respect for families who already carry the heaviest burden of this war, and of the responsibility we take on toward every service member and their loved ones. When technology allows us to give an answer within days instead of leaving families in uncertainty, we have to use it,” said Deputy Commander of the 1st Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine “Azov,” Colonel @sv.iatoslav_palamar Наразі в Україні немає системної бази відбитків пальців, зібраної заздалегідь. Якщо військовий гине під час виконання бойового завдання, ДНК-експертиза може тривати місяцями. Відбитки пальців — один із найшвидших і найточніших методів ідентифікації, за умови, що є база даних для порівняння. Ми вносимо зміни у систему: підписали меморандум про співпрацю з @azov.media — це перший крок до того, щоб ідентифікація тривала лічені дні замість тижнів чи місяців очікування для родин. Дані залишатимуться  виключно під контролем "Азова". Роль фундації — надання  обладнання, навчанням та технічні консультації. Модель розроблена з можливістю масштабування на інші підрозділи в майбутньому.

3h ago

Our work is a moral and practical obligation — to the ordinary people who chose to defend democratic values, and to their families. Foreign volunteers come to Ukraine not for reward or status, but out of personal conviction. That’s why R.T. Weatherman Foundation handles the difficult process of identifying and repatriating the fallen — reducing the bureaucratic and financial burden on families, and giving them official confirmation of loss and a chance to say goodbye properly. We also see this war clearly, without illusions. It’s a long, damaging conflict affecting entire generations. Civilians and children are growing up with drones and air raid sirens as part of daily life, and a quick end isn’t realistic. Because of that, it’s important to keep supporting Ukraine’s home-front institutions consistently — from forensic experts to future memorials. So the people who died for this are remembered and because we’re working toward a future for Ukraine as the frontline defending these values, not just a past to mourn. Read more here @newsroomnz

1 day ago

How do we actually reach those who need mental health support? Our MIND Pillar is built by real conversations with the people we serve. Here, our team is in the work — refining approaches, asking the hard questions, and building systems. Not assumptions about wellness, but solutions shaped by the people who need them.

3 days ago

Your chest will vibrate at each ceremonial hum. The stillness will be filled with memories and the rhythm of their name. To honor and return names to defenders — this is our team. Thank you to our heroes. Thank you, to their families. With respect and honor from our team to you. We see you and you are not alone.

4 days ago

War Victim Identification training day: Learning the precision behind forensic recovery and identification. Our Foundation pulled experts from each region of Ukraine to train them from leading specialists in each necessary identification method — including anthropology. Disclaimer: These material bones pictured are designed for academic and classroom purposes only, intended for training and education.

5 days ago

From our team to you, a few snapshots from this week! Each day is different. Every team stays busy trying to work through challenges and objectives for our defenders and their families. And between all the work, make sure our team stays smart and safe between the missile and drone attacks all across Ukraine. Share, like, follow! 🫰🏽

1 week ago

Curious about SGB? Here is a closer look inside the room with our team during an SGB treatment workshop today. It depends on the day, but each treatment session can receive 15-20+ defenders and civilians during the day. Whether it’s a veteran seeking relief from PTSD symptoms; active military looking for combat advantage on the battlefield; or a returned prisoner of war healing in their homeland — our team and partner hospitals around Ukraine are ready to see you. PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) affects millions of veterans and civilians worldwide — yet it remains one of the most misunderstood and undertreated mental health conditions of our time. We are actively working to bring advanced PTSD treatment — including SGB (Stellate Ganglion Block) therapy, a clinically proven procedure widely used in the United States to treat PTSD — across Ukraine. Share and follow our page not only to follow the work we do, but meet our team behind the scenes in each pillar: body, mind, and spirit. Shout out to @kravchenko_v_g for the reel!

1 week ago

Behind every case we carry, there is a status, a person, and the people who love them. Some are still waiting for news. Some already know the truth in their hearts but cannot yet prove it in the eyes of the law. In every one of these cases, the R.T. Weatherman Foundation stands beside the family — through the waiting, through the process, through whatever it takes to bring clarity home. This is one of those stories. The R.T. Weatherman Foundation has led this case from start to finish — filing it on 17 September 2025, securing the court’s affirmative ruling the very next day, and standing by the family through every step of the legal process since. Despite the appellate proceedings, the R.T. Weatherman Foundation’s team has secured the death certificate and sent it to the family. More than two years have passed since we lost Marlyn. He was nineteen years old when he made a decision that most people his age would never make. He came to Ukraine not because he had to. Not because his country sent him. Russia’s war against Ukraine did not begin in 2022. It began in 2014, when Crimea was annexed and the first shots were fired in Donetsk. For ten years, Ukraine bled quietly while the world debated whether to call it a war at all. He chose to stand against it — not with words, but in person, on the ground, at the hardest point of the front. He understood — with a clarity rare even in seasoned observers — that what Russia was waging against Ukraine was not a regional conflict or a political dispute. It was an assault on the right of a people to exist freely. And he chose to stand against it. Three months after arriving, Marlyn was killed in action near Staromaiorske, Donetsk region, during intense fighting.  By that time, our Foundation was already anchoring Marlyn’s family through their darkest days. We assisted in submitting the case to the court, enduring a long legal battle to shift his status from missing to killed in action. It took two years for the official decree to arrive. The loss was announced long after the loss was felt.

1 week ago

Our Battlefield Medicine program hits different. You can teach TTPs from a manual, but you can’t replace experience. Combined approach matters. The Ukrainian special operators in our cohorts show up hungry to learn. Speaking the same combat medicine language matters. No time to waste. Photos: Thanks to our 3rd SSO partners for the first two screen grabs from our previous training for them.

1 week ago