Mykola Honcharov

Mykola Honcharov is originally from the city of Kurakhove, Donetsk Oblast. He is 75 years old.

Mr. Mykola recalls his childhood with sadness. He says they lived in poverty. There were 9 children in the family, and Mykola was the youngest. When he was 12, his father passed away, which made life even harder.

“But we were children, a piece of bread was enough to make us happy, but it was our mother I felt sorry for,” says Mr. Mykola.

Mr. Mykola worked from a very young age. When he was still a little boy, he helped his mother at home, and at 14, he bought himself a pair of pants for school. He worked as a loader, but the job was too hard for a teenager and damaged his back.

At 16, he worked in construction while attending evening school. Before joining the army, he completed driving courses. After the army, he worked as a crane operator at the Kurakhivska TPP.

In total, Mr. Mykola has 59 years of work experience.

When the Chernobyl nuclear disaster occurred, he was part of the emergency rescue team. That’s where he damaged his health. He lost his sight, his teeth were ruined, and he developed skin cancer.

In Kurakhove, Mr. Mykola lived near the thermal power station, just 50 meters from his house. It was frequently shelled, and the last three days before he decided to leave, the shelling was constant. The windows in his apartment were shattered, and shells were landing right next to his house.

“I was just about to go on vacation, I wanted to go fishing with my friends, but I didn’t get the chance, the war started,” recalls the man.

Mr. Mykola was married, but his wife passed away 10 years ago. They didn’t have children.

However, he is not alone here; his sister also moved to Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast with him.

“I worried more about her than about myself. She struggled greatly with the bombings. She would shake all day long. Now, she’s calm and smiles,” says the man.

Mr. Mykola dreams of returning to his hometown and finally going fishing with his friends.

“Life is a series of white and black stripes alternating, so you have to endure it all,” says Mr. Mykola.

So we believe that the war will also end soon and there will be peace; we just need to wait a little longer.