German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung published stories about 5 Ukrainian soldiers
In the published article, Artem shares his story with us, highlighting the assistance he received from the "Pislya Sluzhby" Foundation in acquiring a new profession.
"I returned to Kyiv shortly before the aggression against Ukraine began. By profession, I am a chef who used to work abroad - in Poland, the Czech Republic, and the Baltics - for over ten years. However, it was challenging and poorly paid work. That's why I decided to return to Kyiv, my homeland. I tried to open an electronics store but didn't like it. And just when I was thinking about what else I could do, the war broke out.
A few days before that, I accompanied my girlfriend, Kateryna, to the train station as she was planning to visit her parents. I took the opportunity to spend a few days with my parents, who live in Kyiv.
When the aggression started, our authorities warned about Russian saboteurs marking buildings and infrastructure with bright colors so that Russian pilots could easily identify targets for bombing. So, my father and I walked through our neighborhood streets to see if we could find such markings. However, we found nothing. I didn't have to join the army as I had been declared unfit ten years ago. But I considered it my duty to help my homeland. For several days, together with four friends, we discussed the best ways we could help Ukraine, and then we all volunteered for a battalion in Kyiv. We received training at a shooting range in the industrial zone of Kyiv. I had never held a weapon before. Our instructors were either veterans who had been fighting against the Russians in eastern Ukraine since 2014 or trainers from the army. Sometimes we were sent on other missions for training. For example, we had to assist men from military intelligence when they received information about suspicious Russian sabotage groups hiding in vacant apartments. However, those were false reports. After two weeks of training, we were assigned to the 72nd brigade of the army responsible for defending Kyiv. The army had relocated a lot of equipment from its depots before the Russian aggression to prevent it from being destroyed in case of an attack. Part of the artillery of the 72nd brigade consisted of truck-mounted Grad missile systems. They were stationed at Retroville, a closed shopping center northwest of Kyiv. Our task was to assist the soldiers when they went to the suburbs to shell the advancing Russians. And then came March 20, 2022. I had already worked for a week and was supposed to have a day off the next morning. The shopping center was our base at that time, and it was so noisy inside that I had to go out to the street late in the evening and sit in the car to make a phone call. I didn't even hear the explosion of a Russian missile that hit nearby. I just saw a wall of fire approaching me and instinctively raised my hands to protect my face. I only partially remember what happened afterward. My comrades, who saved me, later told me what had happened. The explosion threw me out of the car, and I even tried to stand up. Then I woke up in a burn rehabilitation center in Kyiv. One-third of my body was burned. Since then, I have undergone multiple skin graft surgeries. After spending several weeks in the burn center, I was transferred to a military hospital in Kyiv. Then I went to a rehabilitation center in Vinnytsia, where there is a sanatorium specializing in burn treatment. I paid for that month myself.
Later, I learned about Oleksandr Turkevych, a renowned dermatologist in Lviv, Western Ukraine. His son organized free assistance for the victims of Russian attacks. I still go to Turkevych every month for treatment."
