As media manager of the NGO “STAN,” Andriy and his colleagues have dedicated a lot of efforts to strengthening grassroots initiatives through non-formal education. In 2018, he registered the Docudays UA Human Rights Media Education Film Club at the NGO “STAN,” which became a member of the DOCU/CLUB Network; since then, he has traveled all over the region screening documentaries to give the audience an understanding of human rights and share knowledge on their defending.
However, in May last year, Andriy had to put his social activities, cultural and human rights education projects, and volunteering on hold when he joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In this interview, Andriy Volyk, soldier of a unit fighting in the Slobozhanshchyna area, talks about his journey from civilian to paratrooper, the challenges he has to overcome on the way, the power of support from his comrades-in-arms, and the realization of his own strength.
In civilian life
“I never saw myself as a military man, never thought I would put on a uniform and take up arms. I realized that I had a different mission in life,” Andriy admits. ”I did not volunteer for the army, but I knew that I would not hide or run away from the draft. This psychological acceptance and readiness for challenges helped me to adapt to the service.”
Andriy says that he perceived the training as a challenge: he wanted to check how he would behave in the new circumstances, reacting to physical exertion and psychological challenges.
“You know, during the entire training, I not even once went to the medical center. Maybe it was a stupid idea, but I decided that I wanted to test myself in this way, to see if I could bear it all. It was a detached look at myself – how I would behave, how I would react to new circumstances. I often put myself to various tests.”
He does not conceal the fact that the training was physically exhausting and sometimes scary.
“War is always scary, but the training center gave me the opportunity to learn how to overcome this fear. For example, we practiced the task of hitting a tank from a trench. After that we had to actually lie down under the tank. This is the case when you are afraid, but you do it and realize that if you do everything the instructor says, then 99% of the time everything will be fine. You will be fine. This is how the transformation gradually occurs – and a completely civilian person becomes a military man.”
After the training, Andriy Volyk was assigned to the paratroopers.
“I would never have believed it was possible,” he laughs, ”because where am I and where are the paratroopers? It seemed to me that only the fearless fight there. Apparently, one can become a paratrooper, though.”
When asked when he felt like a real soldier, he answers as follows: “The realization came with responsibility for my comrades in arms. Because the lives and fate of other people depend on how well I perform my tasks. With this realization came the feeling that I had become a soldier, that I belong to the Armed Forces and defend my country. I got used to the uniform, the army routine, and the lack of comfort.”
Paratrooper Andriy Volyk
In the army, Andriy also met some real friends. Over the years of working in the public sector, he had acquired a huge community of like-minded people and colleagues, so the prospect of losing his usual circle of friends seemed disturbing.
“It was hard,” says Andriy. ”I used to think that I could only have something in common with the activist community. But in fact, I don't. I noticed that there is an atmosphere of support among the military. When you ask for help, you will definitely get it. I served mandatory service in the 2000s, so I have grounds for comparison. The relationships between soldiers are closer and more sincere now. We are really like brothers to each other. Maybe I was lucky, but I have not encountered any serious conflicts during my service. We realize that we all do the same job together. And the survival of every one of us depends on our well-coordinated work and human relations. This ensures that you will get help in a critical situation rather than left wounded somewhere in the landing zone.”
Andriy Volyk has already experienced this firsthand. In late October, he was gravely wounded during a combat mission.
“I survived thanks to my comrades in arms and compliance with safety rules. It is often tempting to do things your way, which is supposedly faster and more efficient than what your commanders taught you. The main objective is to complete the task. But when I first ended up under fire from the “Grad” rocket launcher, I realized that war has its own rules, and it is better to follow them to save my life and the lives of my comrades. I learned to be more careful and attentive while performing tasks. After my injury, I was saved by the fact that we worked in pairs with my comrades. They were able to evacuate me from the line of fire,” the fighter recalls.
Somewhere at the frontline
Over the past few months, Andriy has undergone around ten surgeries. He is currently in the process of recovery and rehabilitation, learning to walk anew and gradually restoring the mobility of his arm. Despite all this, Andriy finds the strength to joke and inspire his comrades with his optimism. And he definitely is making plans for the near future.
“Having experienced a long period at the hospital, I see what can be done to improve the process of military personnel recovery. For example, there is a great lack of nurses. Sometimes you need help with the most basic things, for instance, opening a bottle of water or passing you an apple. These are very simple things, but when all the soldiers in the ward are bedridden due to their injuries, doing it on their own becomes impossible. In order not to strain the nurses who have enough work already, it would be good to introduce volunteer patronage services to strengthen the staff in terms of assistance. “It would be nice to involve assistants who can fulfill mini-requests or mini-tasks,” Andriy shares his dreams. ”I would like to work in this direction because I have already felt this need myself.”
This could be an idea for a volunteer initiative, and Andriy Volyk does not rule out the possibility of implementing it at his film club.
“I have a lot of experience in moderating a film club, and I have long been convinced that documentary films are a starting point for change. People come to a film club to watch a film, to discuss it, and this becomes the foundation for implementing changes. This is a profoundly meaningful phenomenon. It means that we can get together, actualize a problem and find a solution together,” Andriy assures. ”I have always had a keen sense of justice, which led me to human rights advocacy. The film club has become a tool that helps people change their lives in practice. They watch documentaries, meet new people, exchange their opinions and visions, and eventually take action. Introducing a volunteer patronage service is an interesting idea for the film club. If we have an opportunity, we will get to it. So many people take care of me now! I would like to be the kind of person who organizes people to take care of others. I would like to uphold this wave of help because, in fact, we all depend on each other.”
Andriy Volyk during a film club meeting
While Andriy is undergoing treatment, he is looking for opportunities to use his other talents. His experience as a civic activist and media manager is paying off.
“I feel that the media expert in me is already kicking in. I want to tell the stories of people who help others. They do a titanic job, but mostly remain in the shadows, and few people know about them. All these volunteer and civic initiatives that have been tirelessly caring for the wounded for three years now should be visible in the public space. They need to be talked about regularly – this will help engage others as well.”
Andriy is saddened by the fact that donation campaigns are becoming increasingly difficult to close, by the civilian population developing fatigue of the war, and by manifestations of soviet approaches to soldiers in some units. He believes that, to eradicate these and other problems, Ukraine needs a strong civil society. According to his experience, there is a great lack of motivated people at war.
“If you have the opportunity, you should go and serve,” says Andriy Volyk. He adds, “I realize how much I will need this experience in civilian life. To call the Armed Forces a school of life is too pretentious, but I'm actually not afraid of anything now. I know it is possible to overcome fear and accomplish the most difficult tasks.”
Text: Olha Babchuk
Photos: personal archive of Andriy VOLYK
The development of the DOCU/CLUB Network is funded by the Embassy of Sweden in Ukraine, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and Fondation de France.
The opinions, conclusions or recommendations do not necessarily reflect the views of respective governments or charitable organizations of these countries. The author(s) of this publication are solely responsible for its content.
