Story 4
Mykola and Kateryna
- Veteran of the 12th Special Forces Brigade “Azov”
- Now a public voice for Ukrainian prisoners of war
Before the full-scale war, Mykola worked in theatre and film, building a life in the arts together with his wife Kateryna. In 2022, he joined Ukraine’s Defense Forces, first serving in the National Guard and later in the Azov Brigade as a drone pilot.
In March 2024, during a combat mission near the Serebrianskyi forest in Luhansk region, a Russian guided bomb struck Mykola’s position. For hours, he remained trapped beneath the ruins while his brothers-in-arms tried to reach him under fire. That day, he lost two of his comrades and both of his legs above the knee.
Step by step, through pain, rehabilitation, and prosthetics, Mykola kept moving forward. He joined the Hug for Heroes program together with his wife Kateryna.
Today, Mykola continues to turn his experience into action. Together with his wife, he supports fundraising initiatives for National Guard of Ukraine and advocates for accessibility and inclusion in Ukraine. Within the brigade, he also helped create “Integration” — a unit focused on helping wounded soldiers and those released from Russian captivity return to service.
At the same time, Mykola has become a public voice for Ukrainian defenders still held in Russian captivity, speaking about the defenders of Mariupol on international stages, including the Venice Film Festival. Alongside everything else, he returned to the stage — continuing his work as an actor in Kyiv.
