As I woke up the next day on Friday, February 25, I turned on the news and saw a familiar face, a person I had known since he was 8 years old. A person that I see every year when I go to Kyiv to visit. A person I have been in contact with for the past 3 days on the phone daily – my best friend’s brother, holding a weapon on the news.
That’s when reality hit even harder; people I know personally are affected and doing anything they can to protect their families, country, and way of life. I called Oles immediately and, with a cheerful voice, told him he was famous.
He has gotten his wife and young daughter to western Ukraine and told me he is volunteering in Kyiv around his neighborhood. He watched for troublemakers, people trying to steal, and enemy shoulders dressed as civilians for the first couple of days. But quickly transitioned into doing so much more: running food to people in shelters, and people with disabilities, running rescue missions picking up people from hot spots, and delivering medical provisions to civilians and military personnel.
When I asked how he knew where to get all this and who needed it – he replied that they have groups of people constantly communicating with each other. The integrated circuit of volunteers who are in contact with people of all sorts, working none stop and solving everyday problems every hour and every day. They figure out where there is gas, food, and medical stock, how they can get it, and deliver/distribute it to people in need.
When I asked how’s he doing personally and if he required anything – he replied that he was fine with his 100 hryvnias checking account!
For those unfamiliar with the conversion rate – that’s $4.
When I asked how he has so little, he said he used to be in finance and banking, with a great job. He replied that he spent it all on helping people.
I knew I couldn’t wait any longer – I got on the phone and started to reply to the inquiries I got earlier last night with questions about where to send the financial help. I asked to send it to my company’s Zelle and Venmo, sending my friend a pic that I took and saying:
“That crazy moment when you see your best friend, a brother, in Ukraine, whom you have known since you were 10 years old, being on the news in America holding up a weapon to defend his country.”
They do their civic duty to protect their motherland, and my company is collecting funds.
This badge of money will go out to refugees who are in hot spots and trying to get out to save conditions. It will help people who are unable to purchase or get food, pregnant women, and kids with special needs who have no funds to get out and need help.
We have people standing by, and the minute the funds are transferred – the work will begin.
Thank you, and I will keep you posted on how your help helped someone today.
Kirill Basov
President of UKi Relief Fund Corp.
