Ukrainian actress Anna Koshmal has met with two young girls whose fathers died defending Ukraine as part of a charity project in Kyiv.
The meeting brought together 12-year-old Milena Hryschenko and 14-year-old Anastasiia Pysarenko, who are both wards of the Children of Heroes foundation. The social initiative, titled Make a Dream, is organized by Ukrainian broadcasting company 1+1 media to support children who lost parents in the war.
Both girls have followed the career of Koshmal for several years and had long hoped to meet the television and stage star in person.
Tragic loss on the front lines
Before the escalation of the war, Milena lived with her family in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city in the northeast. Her father, Artur Hryschenko, served in the military and was killed on January 9, 2023, while executing a combat mission in the Donetsk region. The family home in Kharkiv was later destroyed by Russian attacks.
Anastasiia comes from the southeastern industrial city of Zaporizhzhia. Her father, Yevhen Pysarenko, joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2024. He was killed on February 26, 2025, while rescuing a fellow soldier during a missile strike. Anastasiia now dedicates each of her personal achievements to her father's memory.
A surprise trip to Kyiv
To help fulfill their wishes, the 1+1 media team arranged a special trip to the capital city of Kyiv for both girls. Media personalities from the network acted as mentors to guide them through the city before the surprise meetings.
Nikita Dobrynin, mentor for the project and host of the entertainment show Closer to the Stars on the TET television channel, accompanied Milena on a guided tour through the historic center of Kyiv. The excursion culminated in her personal meeting with Koshmal.
Koshmal said that people need one another during such extremely difficult times, adding that emotional support, joy, and life must continue despite the ongoing hardships. The actress described the initiative as wonderful, expressed great joy in supporting it, and said that children deserve the absolute maximum.
Koshmal also wished Milena success in fulfilling all her dreams. She noted that while Milena appeared somewhat introverted during their initial meeting, the young girl reminded Koshmal of herself at the same age.
Meeting at the national expocenter
Anastasiia took her tour with Natalya Ostrovska, a mentor for the initiative and presenter for the news program TSN. Ostrovska invited Anastasiia for a walk through the grounds of the VDNH National Complex Expocenter in Kyiv, where Koshmal was waiting to greet her.
Koshmal praised Anastasiia as creative and inspiring, noting that the two shared many similarities. The actress recalled that during her own teenage years, she wanted to try every activity that caught her interest. She expressed deep admiration for Anastasiia's determination and her clear vision for her future.
Koshmal added that her theater company frequently travels to Zaporizhzhia for stage performances, expressing confidence that she and Anastasiia would cross paths again in the future.
Anastasiia shared that she had no idea where she was traveling or that the itinerary had been arranged in advance. She described Koshmal as a role model whom she had followed for a long time, admitting that meeting the actress came as a complete shock.
Where to watch the broadcast
The story of the meeting is featured in a new episode of Closer to the Stars, which has been published on the YouTube channel of TET. Regular premiere episodes of the program air every Sunday at 10:00 a.m. on the TET channel.
Further coverage and photographs detailing how the project fulfilled the girls' dreams have also been published across the official Instagram and Facebook pages of 1+1 media.
