The story of Yaroslav could have been similar to all the others. Before the full-scale invasion, he had a job – his own renovations business. He had a family where a child was just born at the beginning of the war. The war greeted him in his bed with explosions. Then he evacuated the family to western Ukraine. And here Yaroslav’s story turns into the story of a strong and brave man who did not break but found a way to save his friends, acquaintances, his city, and country.
Evacuation.
On the second day of the war, his friends who had joined the Armed Forces called him for help, and he helped them find two minibuses and one car. Thus, Yaroslav’s volunteer path began.
Volunteering.
In the first week of the war, Yaroslav found 8 cars for our defenders. He helped everyone: the Territorial Defense, the National Guard, the Armed Forces, border guards, and the police.
“I remember calling car dealerships’ owners. In Kharkiv, none of them were working at that time. I called other cities. Some refused, but one agreed and provided four new cars.”
While staying in western Ukraine, Yaroslav found a way to send medicine, thermal imagers, and ammunition by train (since the mail was not yet working). He returned to Kharkiv after two months when his wife and child went abroad.
“I just realized that I could do more there than from a distance.”
Later, in addition to searching for necessary items for the military, another task was added – providing humanitarian aid. During all this time, Yaroslav managed to collect several million hryvnias, 13 cars, one drone for $10K, and several more for $2K each. He has now collected $9K for another drone, waiting for Yaroslav’s arrival.One of the memorable incidents was: “In the first month of the war, I was asked to find Starlink. We hadn’t even heard or seen them yet, but I found it and provided it to defenders,” says Yaroslav.
