On his 20th birthday, Ihor survived a direct hit by a russian missile on a residential building near Lukianivska metro station in Kyiv. The missile struck the entrance where he lived.

During the night of May 24, 2026, russian forces launched a massive attack on Kyiv using drones and missiles. The attack killed three people and injured more than 90 others, including three minors.

Only a single wall separated Ihor from the destroyed section of the building. After hearing the explosions, he managed to take shelter in the bathroom. The blast wave damaged the door, the walls and ceiling began to crumble, and a fire broke out in the building. The young man forced the door open and escaped from the devastated entrance. He emerged onto the street with almost none of his belongings and had no idea where he would live next.

A photograph of Ihor wrapped in an emergency thermal blanket after the attack was taken by Radio Liberty journalist Marian Kushnir. The image was published by Ukrainian and international media outlets.

Ihor came to Kyiv from the temporarily occupied city of Berdiansk. After spending a year under occupation, he left through a humanitarian corridor because he did not want to obtain russian documents, study under the russian curriculum or remain under the rule of the russian federation. In the capital, the young man began working, living independently and adapting to life in a new city, only to find himself once again under russian attack. 

He became one of the first participants in the “Youth Chooses Ukraine” project. He is now looking for stable employment, plans to study IT and, despite everything he has been through, continues to build his life in his home country.

The Rinat Akhmetov Foundation, in partnership with the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights and the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, is implementing the “Youth Chooses Ukraine” project. The project helps young people aged 18–23 who have returned to Ukraine after deportation, forced displacement or prolonged exposure to an environment of total coercion in the temporarily occupied territories to adapt, define their professional path and build their future in Ukraine.