41_1-8

6
No.41 AUGUST 9, 2018
CLOSE UP
WWW.DAY.KIEV.UA
By Khrystyna SAVCHUK,
Anastasiia KOROL, Den’s Summer
School of Journalism, 2018
The Ukrainian team which will
compete in the Invictus Games in
Sydney at the end of October
started its second training session
on August 7. Let us recall that our
team will participate for the second
time in this international competition for
wounded soldiers which was founded by
Prince Harry. Overall, various sports
events for veterans are held almost on a
weekly basis, because this is the best and
most accessible way of rehabilitating
wounded soldiers. Presidential
Commissioner for Rehabilitation of
Wounded Anti-Terrorist Operation
(ATO) Soldiers Vadym Svyrydenko
talked to Den/The Day about it before.
And recently, Svyrydenko joined his
assistant Kostiantyn Vinnichenko as
they became lecturers at Den’s Summer
School of Journalism.
This conversation was special in
that we heard many frank stories that
helped us understand how and why people
become soldiers, risk their lives in the
war, and how they then return to peaceful
life. Back during the meeting, an idea
emerged of creating – together with
students of the Summer School – a club
of sports journalists, dedicated to telling
about the veterans’ competitions. Indeed,
their victories inspire not only other
soldiers, but also ordinary people. So
watch out for this initiative developing.
In the meantime, read about the transfer
of experience between different generations
of soldiers, people finding their
vocations at the front, and why there is
always a place for the creation of new
things in war.
● “PEOPLE WHO HAVE BORNE
ARMS UNDERSTAND EACH
OTHER”
How to get out of the war’s grip
Vadym Svyrydenko and Kostiantyn Vinnichenko talked about
it using real-life examples at Den’s Summer School of Journalism
Olha KRYSA, Ivan Franko National
University of Lviv: “The membership
of the Ukrainian team, which is
to compete in the Invictus Games in Sydney
this fall, is already known. There is
a certain association in people’s minds
which sees men alone as participants of
such competitions. But they are not
alone in it, and the national team includes
women as well. Can you tell us
more about female participants in international
veteran competitions?”
Vadym SVYRYDENKO: “We even
ask women to apply for such competitions
as much as possible. Women can
take part in the Invictus Games as well.
Olha Benda was among them, having
served as a cook of the 72nd Separate
Mechanized Brigade and lost her leg. She
had a sports prosthetic leg made. She got
interested in participating in the selection,
but wanted to go back to the front
line again, so she did not even plan to go
to Australia at first.”
Anastasiia KOROL, Vasyl Stus
Donetsk National University: “Why is
it important for you to get Ukrainian
soldiers to participate more actively in
such competitions?”
Kostiantyn VINNICHENKO: “First
of all, this country had no experience of
military operations since independence.
The state should provide all the resources
so that a wounded soldier would
not only get adapted to peaceful life, but
could as much as possible take care of
themselves, be an equal member of society.
They did not pay attention to it in
the Soviet time. They created dedicated
residential facilities for people who became
disabled. It was only on May 9, the
Victory Day, that they spoke about the
veterans’ heroism. But international
experience has come to Ukraine thanks
to sports. This is the first such huge platform
providing our lads with a way to
understand each other, and this is not a
political system. Through sports, war
veterans can adapt quickly, get help
and understand that they can become
equal members of society within a short
period of time.
“Wounded lads do not just need
help. They need the opportunity to
choose any path they like, access any profession,
new knowledge. When they will
get it, we the public will get a new impetus.
Civilians also get certain signals
when they see the emotional experience
of lads who have been through tough
times. They team up around veterans,
and so changes may begin in Ukraine.”
Mariia PROKOPENKO: “By the
way, do the Afghan war veterans join
your initiatives?”
V.S.: “We do not draw any dividing
lines between people who have gained
combat experience. There are various
communities. Some of them are closed,
made of people who do not want to join.
A certain number of ATO veterans had
fought in Afghanistan as well. People
who have borne arms understand each
other. And when legislative changes are
made regarding war veterans, they affect
them all, both ATO and Afghan
war veterans. But everyone has their
own adaptation experience. The ATO
veterans are just acquiring it. And
sports offer the first strong opportunity
to become a full member of society
for any serviceperson returning to
peaceful life.
“In general, the Afghan war veterans
have contributed a lot to the ATO.
Soldiers of the volunteer battalions were
still young in the beginning, and the
Afghan war veterans were already battle-seasoned,
they taught younger lads,
and thanks to them, many people survived
the war. They taught them how to
behave during shelling, how to properly
hide. And when we got our first killed
in action, it was Afghan war veterans
who provided psychological help.
“When I had lost my limbs and was
still in intensive care, the first person to
come and tell me what I needed to eat and
how to do the first exercise was an
Afghan war veteran. Today we are best
friends, and it can be said that I covered
my first three kilometers with him.”
● “THE PRESENCE OF
DISABLED PEOPLE
IN THEATERS IS A GREAT
INDICATOR OF
ACCESSIBILITY”
Daria CHYZH, Borys Hrinchenko
University of Kyiv: “Can Ukraine provide
you with quality prosthetics? And
how do you evaluate the conditions in
this country for the people with special
needs?”
V.S.: “Domestic producers make
sport prosthetics both for running and
for crossfit exercises. We have a joint
project with a NATO trust fund which
pays for training our specialists. They
buy equipment, and our specialists learn
how to do it while practicing on our lads.
These are very positive and significant
steps forward. But, unfortunately, our
infrastructure is not yet ready for such
changes.
“I travel a lot in Ukraine, so I can
confidently say that Kharkiv is the most
advanced city regarding the situation of
the people with special needs. They install
many ramps and retrofit stairs
there. There is still a lot of work to do in
Kyiv. I do not know why it is so. It is difficult
to even compare it with foreign
countries, because these latter have elevators
in the subway even.
“For me, the presence of disabled
people in theaters is a great indicator of
accessibility. We come there, and four or
five people sit by themselves there, they
are not afraid of anything, they have
adapted cars and elevators, steps. One
would not even ask oneself how it is possible
to get there. As soon as they have
a desire, they go there. I think this is a
model for us. We must change not only
the city, but also the society.”
● “WE ARE PROUD TO BE
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
DEN/THE DAY”
Yuliia DOVHAICHUK, Taras
Shevchenko National University of
Kyiv: “What practices do we need to borrow
from Western countries to increase
the level of rehabilitation assistance to
soldiers and enable Ukrainians to get rehabilitated
at home instead of having to
go abroad?”
K.V.: “This year, the National Council
for Sports Rehabilitation of Defenders
of Ukraine was launched. Commissioner
Svyrydenko heads this organization.
The special feature of this National
Council is that unlike other
Ukrainian projects that target soldiers,
its management is entirely made of
those who fought in the ATO, got wounded
there, and understand the topic well.
“Our goal is to create opportunities
for training of specialists and trainers,
create clubs of any sport recognized in
Ukraine. Moreover, we want to see emergence
of sports management, marketing,
administration bodies. So, if some lads
want to create a club in a small town,
they get a complete package of necessary
assistance from the National Council.
NATO also provides educational support.
“Our goal is to provide opportunities
for creating sports businesses. This
practice is widespread abroad, where it
involves various partners and sponsors
who want to provide dedicated support
in this field. When lads get wounded,
they do not want to go beyond the limits
of the veteran milieu, but such businesses
offer opportunities to get a job,
earn money, and stay fully involved in
the community, be useful.
“Den/The Day newspaper is a partner
of ours, and we are very proud that
we can support each other. Our meeting
is a great opportunity to create a student
sports journalism club. You represent
different cities and colleges. So, you have
the opportunity to talk about all these
programs in your regions, talk to students,
veterans, to your organizations.
Photo by Ruslan KANIUKA, The Day
There are civilians who seek to help the
wounded, and they also need information
that you can convey as well.”
● “I ALWAYS WANTED TO JOIN
THE MILITARY, EVEN WHEN
STILL A SCHOOLCHILD”
Sofiia POSTOLATII, Sumy State
University: “In June, President of
Ukraine Petro Poroshenko signed into
law a bill amending the military service
regulations. You went to serve as a mobilized
soldier yourself. How, according
to your observations, is the military
service in Ukraine changing?”
V.S.: “The military is changing. I
joined the military when I was 20 years
old, served in the border guard troops
and qualified as combat medic. When the
war began, I clearly knew that I would be
there, because I was a combat medic, a
border guard, and these are the first people
to be called up. When I got my callup
papers, it being as late as the third
wave of mobilization, I was not afraid.
I knew that I had to go and fight if I was
serious about taking such a responsibility.
Also, when you hear: ‘first soldiers
killed in action,’ ‘first soldiers wounded
in action,’ then you understand that
they need you there, that you may not
stay put. My friend Maksym was eager
to join the ATO, but they refused to recruit
him. And when I got my call-up papers,
he went to the military recruitment
office, sat there and said: ‘I will not leave
until you enlist me.’ So, he got into the
72nd Brigade.”
K.V.: “I know that some lads went
through almost the same situation. Indeed,
lads had died during the Maidan
protest, there were changes, and people
went to war. When I heard that the
first Russian troops entered our territory,
I ran to the military recruitment office
that same day. I was getting told:
‘wait, we will call you back,’ ‘you have
already been taken off the reserve roll,’
‘you are too old.’ And it went on for a
long time, I could not get recruited.
Then I heard that there were first volunteer
battalions being created. And I
thought, ‘I have a family, how can I tell
them?’ And then I got a 10-year US visa
and told the family that I would go
there to earn some money. I did not go
west, though, but east instead, and was
assigned to the 1st Battalion of the National
Guard, which is known as the General
Kulchytskyi Battalion now. My
family did not know, nobody knew it.
And it so happened that my aunt was at
her country home, bad people called her
and said, imitating my voice, that I was
gravely wounded and needed money for
treatment. She did not understand what
it all was about, since she thought I was
earning money in America. There were
a lot of TV reports about soldiers then.
My family members saw personal details
of Halyna Almazova, a volunteer who often
traveled to eastern Ukraine, and
called her. She said: ‘I saw him three days
ago. He is alright. If you get any such
calls again, make sure you do not trust
them and do not keep in touch with
these people.’
“This is one story among many thousands
like it. It was 2014, and everyone
seemed to have come to understand that
the country was in danger. And when the
time comes that something depends on
you, when you defend your family, you
feel yourself needed. It was a great discovery
for me that very different people
came to fight in the war, as they differed
in their careers, social status, education,
age, and experience.
“From the very beginning of the
war, I kept a diary, recorded things, photographed
them, filmed videos. Lads
from the Kyivan Rus’ Battalion thought
that I was writing something about
someone, so they treated it with caution.
Then one of my friends wanted to read
what I had written there. He was older
than me, and having read it, he asked
himself why he himself was not writing
anything, as he was a professional historian.
It was even difficult to understand
why he went to war at all: he had
bad vision, he did not even hit the target,
and got lost easily. And it provided him
with an understanding why he was
there. He began to tell other lads why
they were there, why Russia was fighting
us. It involved regular lectures,
psychological support, and a personal diary,
he delivered these materials through
volunteers. That man launched his own
mechanism. When you return from the
war, you realize that each person is
unique, they carry something that can
make each of us happier.”
V.S.: “In fact, everyone has their own
path, everyone chooses who they are going
to be. Much depends on upbringing,
on family priorities. My parents were always
Ukrainian-speaking, I always defended
girls. We have to go there, the
front needs men. I am all for gender
equality, but we need men in the war.
“I always wanted to join the military,
even when still a schoolchild, but when
I came of age, the Soviet Union collapsed.
I watched my elder brothers go
to serve at first, saw them graduating
from a military school, and I decided that
I did not want to go there after all, but
the dream of being a soldier still remained.
I am convinced that many lads
are such confident and focused young
men now. The military profession, in my
opinion, is for males. Also, the government
must promote patriotism, get people
to speak Ukrainian after all. I wish
greatly that in the future, when a wounded
soldier would walk down a street, nobody
would ask him: ‘Are you an ATO
veteran?’ and then say that he had it
coming as he walks away.
“I had an interesting case in America.
I walked across a park, and they raise
the flag and play the US anthem there at
8 a.m. A lad, a soldier, stood to attention
even though he saw no one around. That
is, he is a patriot, he honors his nation and
memory of the fallen. It would be very
good to see such a patriotic upbringing
taking place in this country as well, so
that people simply love their country.”
● “PEOPLE’S FIRST
PSYCHOLOGISTS ARE THEIR
WIVES, MOTHERS, SISTERS”
Evelina KOTLIAROVA, Taras
Shevchenko National University of
Kyiv: “New rehabilitation centers are
being created in Ukraine. However,
how far are soldiers open to cooperating
with specialists? And how to convey to
fighters the idea that seeking help is an
acceptable and correct decision?”
V.S.: “We organize veteran meetings.
People come to us, we try to leave
our friends among veterans. When we
know that people have had very strong
injuries, contusions, then we involve psychologists.
“We have centers for neurological
rehabilitation. We work in this direction
with hospitals in Lviv, Irpin, and
Kyiv. The NATO trust fund allocates
funds for this. We talk about our
wounds and the positive effect of rehabilitation
centers. It does not take