war story
Kharkiv, Ukraine - Mar 28, 2023
My militarystory
My military
story
aiI am Iryna Ilyinska, an artist,
a volunteer of the NGO "Loyal
Heart", in the hero city of
Kharkiv.
aiFor me, the war began in
2014. Kharkiv region borders
Donetsk and Luhansk regions,
where military operations took
place. It is 200 km from
Kharkiv city nearby. In 2014, a
powerful volunteer movement
was formed in Kharkiv. They
helped the volunteer
battalions that stood up for
the defense of Ukraine.
aiWhen war came to my city
in February 2022, our NGO
"Loyal Heart" joined the
volunteer work with new
strength. They collected funds,
looked for where to buy, how
to bring and deliver the
necessary clothing,
ammunition, and medicines to
the military.
aiAnd everything was
complicated by the fact that
Kharkiv was shelled every
day, shops were closed,
people hid in basements and
the subway. Many were
evacuated.
Running up and down 4
flights we managed to take
out military clothing,
uniforms, berets...
aiAt the beginning of March,
the owner of a
warehouse‑store gave us the
keys and told us to quickly
remove everything before the
building was bombed.
Northern Saltivka was being
shelled 24 hours a day by
artillery.
aiWe went there right away.
Up and down 4 flights, we
managed to take out a lot
‑‑military clothing, uniforms,
berets, etc. But, on the last
trip, we came under mortar
fire.
aiWe left quickly. The high‑rise
buildings of this 'sleeping'
district were burning all
around. It was scary and our
volunteer car's windshield was
blown out by the explosive
wave. The whole area was on
fire!
aiWe managed to take
everything to my studio where
we sorted and distributed to
the fighters of the territorial
defense of Kharkiv. Also,
friends from America, Poland,
Italy, France responded
quickly and started sending
parcels with the necessary
tactical medicine,
ammunition, helmets, gloves,
knee pads, stretchers and
much more.
aiOvernight, my art studio
turned into a logistics center
and
aistorage. My life, like the
lives of many, has turned into
constant help.
storage
Kharkiv
Underground spring 2022
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storage
Kharkiv
Underground spring 2022
storage
Kharkiv
Underground spring 2022
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