Independence Day. It has been six months since we became a single monolith, fighting for it together. Six months of intensive work by our Rapid Response Headquarters.

Misha is a sailor from Mariupol. After the start of the full-scale invasion, he switched to volunteering in our Rapid Response Headquarters. Moving cargo and organizing processes in the food and medical warehouses – that’s Misha’s job. Read more about his motivation, family, and plans for the future in our interview. 

On February 25th, the second day of the war, Misha came from Mariupol to Kyiv. On the 26th, he went to the military enlistment office, but they didn’t let him in, not even on the premises, due to huge crowds. That’s when he started looking for volunteer organizations. Ironically, he stumbled upon Veronika’s post, his classmate and a volunteer at our headquarters, about searching for volunteers. That’s how he found out about the Women’s Veteran Movement.

The guy walked for three hours from the Obolonsky district of Kyiv to the headquarters on his first day of work. Since then, he comes almost every day to help with transportation of goods, sorting and distribution at the food and medical warehouses.

About family and hometown

Michael’s parents left Mariupol for the capital, but his grandmother refused to leave. “We tried to persuade her, but she doesn’t want to. She’s 85 years old and says she won’t survive the move,” the young man comments. The grandmother’s house is almost undamaged, the apartment is intact – even the glass in the windows has remained. Neighbors help her, and they cook food on a gas stove.

A week before the war, Michael brought her water and food supplies every day, realizing that if something happened, he would have to leave because there was no point in staying. “Even if the city wasn’t bombed, it would have been simply occupied. I couldn’t live under occupation,” he admits.

On work and plans for the future

“Until the borders are closed, I can’t go to work on a ship. When the war is over, I’ll start working again. But of course, I’ll continue to tell people about Ukraine – I’ll take flags, stickers, and hang them up…”, says Misha. However, he won’t  physically be able to combine his volunteer activities with his profession.

On volunteering and “burnout”

Misha admits that he never experienced burnout. He only mentioned March and April when he had to go to the train station every day and move boxes.

“But even then I didn’t get tired because I felt that I was needed, that I was doing something,” says Misha. He adds that he doesn’t get tired because volunteering is not a job in the classical sense. No one pressures him, no one forces him, and if he does something wrong, he can simply leave and redo it.

“The only thing that can tire me out is trips to the headquarters: an hour there, an hour back,” says Misha.

Motivation

The first thing that motivates this young man is helping his country. He says he sees how Ukrainians have come together in the face of war and have started to help their country.

“Everyone sacrifices something. Some with money, some with time, some with other things. Sitting and doing nothing in such a situation is quite foolish,” he says.

The young man adds that he notices that many people are becoming indifferent to the war, but that’s not the case with him. “I can’t do that, and as long as I can’t afford to contribute financially, I contribute physically,” he comments.

“Secondly, I love our team. I see these people every day, and it turns out that I come not only to work but also to enjoy communication with them,” says Misha about the Women Veterans Movement team.

If you want to join our team, fill out the form here.

Our unity is the basis of Victory. You can support the Women Veterans Movement through the requisites:

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email: sozvezdyeseldereya@gmail.com
name: Kateryna Pryimak

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