My peaceful life changed on the morning of February 24. This is my story

My name is Stepan. I’m 28. I’m from Nova Kakhovka. I live in one of the suburbs of Kyiv in a country house next to my grandmother. Prior to the beginning of the war, I worked on a gantry crane on a metal base. I was loading rolled metal daily.

The war continues

The LGBTIQ*-organisation “You are not alone”, one of our partner organisations, continues to share stories of people who have already received help and are happy to share their experiences.

I have been living in Kyiv for four years now. My peaceful working life changed dramatically on the morning of February 24, when my neighbor called and said that the Boryspil airfield was being struck.

And soon, there was shelling in the close neighborhood that almost made me fall off the couch. Unfortunately, our base was forced to suspend, and I lost my job. As the days went by, prices rose for literally everything, and my rather modest savings were melting away.

Helping to simply survive

A few weeks later, I simply had nothing to buy food for. Still, the worst situation was with my relatives who remained in the occupied Kherson region, primarily my mother. In Nova Kakhovka, only the most primitive products stayed on the shelves, the prices for which are simply sky-high – only cookies, pasta, and sausage for UAH 450 (15 Euros).

I no longer hoped for help and was on the verge of despair. And then, an acquaintance, whom I met a few years ago on one of the sites, advised me to seek help from the NGO “You’re not alone”. They responded to me quickly enough and asked about my needs.

I wrote a receipt twice for food for myself and once to help relatives in the occupied territories. Having received the funds, I sent almost everything to my parents – they have no one to help them, and unfortunately, they do not want to and cannot evacuate.

Thank God I am relatively safe, although financial hardship is still relevant. I am infinitely grateful to you for helping me survive. Special thanks to Maksym Bychynsky for his responsiveness and desire to help – it’s just a miracle. I wish you to carry on doing good deeds by helping people.