Story and photos: Andriy Sarvira
Illustration: #OksanaDrachkovska
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Andriy became a volunteer for the93rd Independent Kholodnyi Yar Mechanized Brigade when the Russian-Ukrainian war in Donbas began in 2014. He himself was mobilized to the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine a year later. When the ATO (Anti-Terrorist Operation) veteran returned to his hometown of Dnipro in 2016, he and his wife opened the First Wave restaurant.
The full-scale Russian invasion wasn’t a surprise to Andriy. He evacuated his family to Vinnytsia on February 24, 2022, then turned the restaurant into a volunteer center. He used all the money from the balance of the restaurant to buy products to prepare food for the displaced and the military. Also, First Wave collected body armor and helmets, which were later sent to the front. A familiar couple, Yevheniia and Yevheniy Tymchenko, helped coordinate the center’s work.
Since Andriy has military experience, he prepares people for the defense of the city. He is now the commander of the 5th company of volunteer formations of the Territorial Defense Forces of Dnipro. The company constantly trains, engages in physical exercises, and improves their military skills. For example, Andriy has already learned how to adjust fire and work with artillery.
Many displaced persons from the temporarily occupied territories in the south and east of Ukraine come to Dnipro. Recently, the team of a restaurant chain managed to leave Mariupol: there were restaurant owners, waiters, and cooks. When Andriy got to know them, he decided to give the displaced persons his own institution. So now First Wave has moved to the residents of Mariupol where Andriy has agreed to live in the utility room of his former restaurant for some time.