«Don’t stop praying for us.» A game developer who took up real arms

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Lviv Now spoke with 23-year-old Andrii nicknamed «Izium» («Raisin») – a former student of the Ukrainian Catholic University, who enlisted as a volunteer fighter in the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the first day of the war.

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Before the war, Andrii was a game developer. Now, he is a grenade launcher at the war against the Russians in eastern Ukraine. The boy moved from Lviv to Kyiv before the invasion and got a job, but still wanted to join the Armed Forces. To do this, it was necessary to solve certain formalities, in particular, picking up the originals from the university which is necessary fpr signing the contract.

«Therefore, I went to collect the necessary documents and woke up on February 24, when my friend called me and said that a full-scale war had begun. I realized that I hadn’t signed anything, so immediately went to Kyiv. On the way, I stopped in Ternopil, where my parents lived, and went to the military registration and enlistment office. There, I passed the medical commission and after a few hours, I was praised for my will to fight. However, they told me that given no experience, they didn’t need my skills,» – he said.

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The next military enlistment office was already in Kyiv, where, he continues, he was accepted willingly. Now, Andrii is a grenade launcher. During this time, he has already distinguished himself among others as a remarkable grenade launcher.

«It was extremely difficult in the first days. We defended Kyiv when Russians conducted breakthroughs in Obolon and from the West. I don’t know who is praying for me, but during the battles for Kyiv, I asked them not to stop doing it. Sometimes, the bullets flew quite close to me. Now, we have become more organized and trained. The shootings and gunshots ceased to frighten,» – he added.

Today, Andrii’s normal day is on a fairly busy schedule: shift, a few hours for training and sleep. He says he now understands the value of simple and mundane things. «Izium» adds that it was difficult to retrain as a civilian, but the war will continue for some time, so we need to be prepared.

Roman Tyshchenko-Lamanskyi, translated by Vitalii Holich

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Lviv Now is an English-language website for Lviv, Ukraine’s «tech-friendly cultural hub.» It is produced by Tvoe Misto («Your City») media-hub, which also hosts regular problem-solving public forums to benefit the city and its people.

 



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