Andrii remembers the first day of the full-scale war in vivid detail. It was supposed to be a normal day of distance learning. But instead of lessons, there was a gathering at the village council to draw up lists of people willing to volunteer. Andrii was among the first to arrive. Soon, he and a friend began delivering bread and medicine around the village on bicycles. Other young men and women joined the initiative. People brought medicine and helped in any way they could. It was a community in action.

In Klavdiievo-Tarasove, the occupying forces came to the outskirts at night. A russian sniper killed a woman on Verbna Street. She went out into the yard to make a phone call – it cost her her life.

Andrii did not stop at volunteering in the village. He joined the Strong 300 initiative, which supports wounded soldiers through adaptive sports. Football on crutches, basketball in wheelchairs, archery, sitting volleyball, shot put – all this is not only about physical rehabilitation, but also about restoring strength of spirit. It is also about changing society’s attitude towards veterans who return from the front with injuries but are no less deserving of a full life.