A man of good will

war story

Vinnytsya, Ukraine -

A man of good will

By Bogdan Buchkovsky

Vinnytsya, Ukraine,

aiI want to write sincerely and simply. Without any pathos or grandiose words about heroism and saving the world. My story is not one of extraordinary achievements, but of an ordinary person who strives to be needed and useful to his family, relatives, society, and Ukraine.

aiChildhood, school, entering military academy, serving as an officer at a time when the army was in decline, discharge into the reserves, trying to find myself in business... The years passed, and before I knew it, I had reached the age of forty.

ai2014 became a turning point. I am a military journalist by education. My profession was not in high demand then, and my heart was still bitter from my experience in the army in the early 2000s. To be honest, at that time, I did not fully realize that a real storm was ahead. This delayed my participation in the war.

Together we ruined the myth of the “second army of the world.”

aiThe end of 2021 brought a sense of anxiety. Everyone was talking about an inevitable invasion. I did not want to believe it but my heart told me that something terrible and painful was waiting for us. And on February 24, at dawn, we all realized that it was true. The Rashists marched into our land.

aiI took my family to my wife's parents' house in the Lviv region, spent the night there, and decided that I had to return to Vinnytsia despite my fear and uncertainty. At the recruitment center, they told me to wait because they didn't need military correspondents. I realized that waiting was not my way.

aiI had to act. If I'm not in the army, then I'll become a person of good will. Together with others, we made anti-tank “urchins,” built stoves, poured Molotov cocktails, and delivered aid to cities that were taking the first attacks. Then there were fundraisings and missions to the front lines — meeting many unbreakable, bright people.

aiWe ruined the myth of the “second army of the world.” And we continue to prove that Ukrainians are united and strong in their anger.