LUkraine Interview on Charity Gala Dinner

The LUkraine Asbl non-profit and community organisation is holding a Charity Gala Dinner on Tuesday 6 May 2025 at Cercle Cité in Luxembourg city (https://chronicle.lu/event/13212-lukraine-charity-gala-dinner)

Chronicle.lu talked with LUkraine's Vice-President, Inna Yaremenko, about the event and the planning required to make it happen.

Chronicle.lu: LUkraine Absl has been extremely busy over the past few years with many projects, initiative and events: the new Charity Gala Dinner is being held on Tuesday 6 May - please tell us how this event came about

Inna Yaremenko: We host a Charity Gala Dinner to support the TYTANOVI Project which is providing advanced prosthetics and rehabilitation to Ukrainians who have lost limbs in war. TYTANOVI is a specialised rehabilitation centre for Ukrainians with complex limb amputations. Every Ukrainian is endlessly grateful to our heroes who are fighting on the frontlines, sometimes giving their lives and sometimes losing their limbs to protect our country. We would like to help those who suffered the most severe injuries to try to get back to normal life as quickly as possible. That is why we are collecting funds for this Gala.

We are proud and grateful that this Charity Gala Dinner is under the patronage of Her Royal Highness the Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie. It will be an unforgettable night of elegance, purpose and generosity for a good cause. We’ll start with a welcome reception with live chamber music followed by speeches from our honorary guests from Ukraine and Luxembourg. Finally, we will have a gourmet banquet - a three-course fine dining experience and an auction.

Chronicle.lu: The venue for the event, the Cercle Cité, is very "grand" and elegant, but it must cost a lot to rent for the evening: please tell us how and why you came to choose this location

Inna Yaremenko: Circle Cité is indeed a very nice and symbolic place for Luxembourg. We chose it to draw more attention to our event and take it to a higher level. As an association, we benefit from reduced rent and cover the costs thanks to our sponsors.

Chronicle.lu: Please tell us about the entertainment planned for the evening

Inna Yaremenko: We are going to have two exceptional performers. The winner of Eurovision 2016, Jamala, will sing a few of her most recognised songs, including the famous "1944". Jamala’s Crimean Tatar ancestors were forcibly resettled from Crimea in 1944 and only in 1989 her family returned to Crimea.

We are also excited to have the world's first futuristic laser harp artist Olga Rossi perform for our guests. The host of the evening will be fantastic and inspiring Lisa Burke, so we could not be in a better position to provide our guests the most unique and memorable experience.

Chronicle.lu: The list of special guests is impressive: although we understand that the list could change, please confirm who you expect to attend and a little bit about each person

Inna Yaremenko: Our honoured guests include the four heroes from TYTANOVI as well as President of Ukraine (2005-2010) Viktor Yushchenko, who was the leader of the Orange Revolution in 2004. We are also expecting a number of other VIPs including Luxembourg politicians and thought leaders. For example, Claude Wiser, President of the Luxembourg Chamber of Deputies, and Anne Calteux, Head of Representation of the EU Commission to Luxembourg.

Chronicle.lu: During the Gala Dinner, you are planning to hold a silent auction and lot showcase: please tell us how these will work, in practice

Inna Yaremenko: It is important that while we enjoy the event, we also remember thanks to whom we can have dinners like that in the heart of Europe and that our soldiers are protecting not only Ukraine but the rest of Europe. We’d like to encourage our guests to donate during the night as much as their wallet permits them and as much as their heart tells them! For this, there will be an exclusive silent auction featuring exceptional pieces like amber jewellery, paintings and more.

Chronicle.lu: Please tell us more about the TYTANOVI Project and how funds raised could help them

Inna Yaremenko: It is a specialised rehabilitation centre for Ukrainian defenders with complex limb amputations. The centre aims to restore veterans' quality of life through comprehensive rehabilitation, utilising cutting-edge osseointegrated prosthetics for above-knee or shoulder amputations. They are one of the only practices that provide solutions for high-complexity cases, including those turned away from other prosthetic centres.

Already, over 90 veterans have fully completed the full rehabilitation process, with more than 100 patients receiving integrated prosthetics, including double and triple amputees. We would like to contribute to making those numbers much higher as there are hundreds of veterans in need of such help.