Behind every donation is a person, a family, or a community facing the challenges of war. These stories offer a glimpse into the lives of Ukrainians who have received assistance through Ukraine War Amps and the difference that support can make.
From wounded veterans and families who have lost loved ones to children, elderly people, and others affected by the war, each story reflects an individual experience. With the support of donors and volunteers, Ukraine War Amps provides assistance where it is needed.
Oleh B., a Ukrainian Army Lieutenant from Kharkiv, was the first Hero supported by Ukraine War Amps. After losing both hands and suffering other serious injuries in a 2014 explosion, Oleh faced a long road to recovery. With determination and support, he rebuilt his life, became a massage therapist and pursued studies in physical rehabilitation. Today, he helps others affected by the war and dreams of opening his own rehabilitation centre.
Oleh B., a Ukrainian Army Lieutenant from Kharkiv, became the first Hero supported by Ukraine War Amps after he was seriously wounded in July 2014.
At just 24 years old, Oleh was serving as a young Ukrainian commander when a rifle he was holding unexpectedly exploded. The blast took both of his hands at the wrists and also injured his eye and thigh. His bulletproof vest helped save him from more serious injuries and possibly saved his life.
The Ukraine War Amps community responded quickly. During the summer and fall of 2014, UWA raised funds for Oleh and provided US$600 (9,000 hryvnia) in financial assistance to support him during his recovery.
Despite the severity of his injuries, Oleh showed remarkable determination. After undergoing multiple surgeries, he began rebuilding his life and looking toward the future.
Oleh eventually began working as a massage therapist at the Ukrainian Research Institute for Restoring Work Capacity. He later enrolled at the institute to study physical rehabilitation, determined to develop the knowledge and skills needed to help others.
For Oleh, practical experience was just as important as classroom learning. His teachers developed a specially designed prosthesis, known as the “Massage Module,” which enabled him to learn and practice massage techniques despite having lost both hands.
His dedication led him in a new direction: helping people who, like him, had been affected by war.
Today, Oleh works toward helping others through rehabilitation and continues to pursue his dream of opening his own rehabilitation centre.
His story is not only about the injuries he survived. It is about what came next—the determination to recover, learn new skills and use his experience to help others.
For Ukraine War Amps, supporting Oleh at the beginning of his journey was a meaningful part of his path toward rehabilitation and a new chapter in his life.
Dmytro Rudenko was a Ukrainian soldier, husband and father of three who gave his life defending Ukraine. When Dmytro was killed in August 2014, his wife, Iryna, was left to raise their three children without their husband and father. After learning of the family’s loss, the Ukraine War Amps community stepped in to provide support during an extraordinarily difficult time.
Dmytro Rudenko was born on December 27, 1984, in the Sumy region of Ukraine. Before the war, he served in a military orchestra. When the conflict began, Dmytro became a commander of an armoured vehicle and was sent to the front.
Dmytro was a husband and father of three children. Although he had an opportunity to leave the war zone, he chose to remain and continue serving. During one rotation, he returned home briefly and met his newborn son for the first—and sadly, the last—time. He spent only seven days with his three children before returning to the front.
On August 12, 2014, Dmytro and another Ukrainian tank took part in a battle near the town of Snizhne in the Donetsk region. They faced three Russian T-72 tanks. Although all three opposing tanks were destroyed, none of the Ukrainian soldiers in the battle survived.
The burnt remains of the soldiers were recovered several months later, in November 2014. Dmytro was identified through DNA analysis in March 2015 and was later laid to rest in Novohrad-Volynskyi, Zhytomyr region.
Dmytro’s death left his wife, Iryna, alone to raise their three children. She had lost not only her husband, but also the father and breadwinner of her family.
When the Ukraine War Amps community learned about the Rudenko family and their circumstances, we stepped in to provide support.
For Iryna and her children, that support could not replace the husband and father they had lost. But it could remind them that they were not facing the aftermath of their loss alone.
The Rudenko family’s story reflects the human cost of war—and the importance of standing beside families who carry that loss long after the fighting has ended.
Mykyta Baula was only four when war changed his family forever. His father went to the front to defend Ukraine, while his mother battled cancer. After losing his mother, grandfather and, later, his father, Mykyta was left in the care of his grandmother. Since then, Ukraine War Amps has supported Mykyta year after year, watching him grow and helping him navigate a childhood shaped by unimaginable loss.
Mykyta Baula was only four years old when his childhood began to change in ways no child should have to experience.
Until 2014, Mykyta lived the life of a happy young child surrounded by his loving parents, Yulia and Serhii, and his grandparents. His family was close, and he had the care and security every child deserves.
Then the conflict began.
In 2014, Mykyta’s father, Serhii Baula, joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces and went to the front to defend Ukraine. Around the same time, Mykyta’s mother, Yulia, was diagnosed with lung cancer.
For eight months, Yulia and her family fought for her life. Despite her illness, she tried to spend as much time as possible with her young son. She told him fairy tales, comforted him, and did everything she could to make him smile.
Yulia died on July 29, 2015. That same year, Mykyta also lost his grandfather.
At only four years old, Mykyta struggled to understand a reality that had changed so suddenly. He often cried and could not come to terms with the losses surrounding him. His grandmother became his source of comfort and devoted her strength and love to helping him adjust to life without his mother and grandfather.
The following year brought another devastating loss.
On May 23, 2016, Mykyta’s father, Serhii, who served as a squad commander, was killed during a raid behind enemy lines after his unit encountered a landmine. Serhii was remembered as a Ukrainian Hero who gave his life defending his country.
Mykyta was orphaned.
Since then, Ukraine War Amps has stood beside Mykyta, providing support year after year as he grows up. We have had the privilege of watching his journey and being there through different stages of his life.
Mykyta’s story reminds us that the effects of war reach far beyond the battlefield. Children carry the losses of war with them as they grow, and sometimes a steady hand of support can make their journey a little less difficult.
We are grateful to our UWA donors who helped us provide support to Mykyta and other children whose lives have been forever changed by the war.
For UWA supporter Kathryn Cook, helping Ukraine means making sure essential supplies reach those who need them most. Her suitcase is often filled with medical supplies for frontline paramedics, and she regularly sends packages, donations and surplus military clothing. During visits to Ukraine, Kathryn has also spent time with wounded soldiers at Kyiv Central Military Hospital. One portable suction unit she provided helped save the life of a Ukrainian commander.
Programs such as SAVE UKRAINE allow Ukraine War Amps to collect and deliver humanitarian aid where it is needed most. Behind this work are supporters who go far beyond making a donation—they find ways to personally connect supplies and assistance with people on the ground.
Kathryn Cook is one of them.
“My suitcase is always full with medical supplies,” Kathryn said. She knows a paramedic working on the front line and regularly sends supplies to her. Kathryn sends a package every month, knowing that many of the essential items needed on the front line are difficult to obtain.
Her support extends beyond medical supplies. Kathryn also purchases surplus military uniforms from Army surplus stores and sends them to Ukraine. She contributes financially as well, helping provide resources where they are needed.
Kathryn has made her commitment personal. She uses vacation time from her nursing position at the Togus Veterans Administration Medical Center in Augusta to travel to Ukraine and visit wounded soldiers at Kyiv Central Military Hospital.
During these visits, Kathryn brings more than supplies. She brings time, conversation and a reminder that people far beyond Ukraine care about what they are going through.
One of the medical devices she sent—a portable suction unit—helped a friend save the life of a Ukrainian commander. Another friend visits wounded soldiers at the hospital every day, bringing them food and clothing.
“When I go with her, they are so pleased not only to get a visitor but one from America,” Kathryn said. “It touches them.”
Kathryn’s story shows that humanitarian support can take many forms. It can be a medical package sent to the frontline, equipment that helps save a life, clothing for someone who needs it, or simply the presence of a visitor who takes the time to sit with an injured soldier.
Ukraine War Amps is grateful to have Kathryn and supporters like her as part of our community. Their initiative, generosity, and willingness to help turn the support of our community into practical assistance for people in Ukraine.
For further reading on this topic. Follow the link below.
Livermore nurse transports medical supplies, clothes to help veterans in Ukraine.
Posted July 13, 2016, Donna M. Perry, Staff Writer
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When Liubov Kryvoruchko arrived in Canada from Odesa with her family in 2022, they were facing the challenge of starting over in an unfamiliar country. As a mother of two young children, including a child with autism, adapting to a new language, culture, and way of life was not easy. After discovering Ukraine War Amps, Liubov became a volunteer, finding connection and a way to continue helping Ukraine while building a new life in Canada.
In 2022, Liubov Kryvoruchko arrived in Canada from Odesa, Ukraine, with her husband and their two young children. Their decision to leave Ukraine was not part of a plan to start a new life abroad. It was a decision forced by the Russian aggression and the need to find safety for their family.
Arriving in a new country brought its own challenges. Like many families starting over, Liubov had to navigate unfamiliar surroundings, a new language, and a different way of life. Raising two young children while adapting to these changes was difficult, and having a child with autism brought additional challenges for the family.
Liubov wanted to find a sense of normality for her family while building a new life in Canada. When she learned about the Ukraine War Amps community and its work supporting Ukrainians, she reached out and became a volunteer with UWA in Toronto.
Volunteering allowed Liubov to do more than help Ukraine. It helped her build new connections, gain Canadian experience, practice a new language, and become more involved in her local community.
For Liubov, being part of UWA has provided a connection to both her Ukrainian roots and her new home in Canada. Through volunteering and meeting others in the community, she has found a way to contribute while continuing her own journey of adapting to life in Canada.
Liubov’s experience is one example of how Ukraine War Amps has supported Ukrainian families not only in Ukraine, but also those who have arrived in Canada seeking safety and a new beginning.
Since 2022, members of the Ukrainian community who came to Canada have received support from UWA, including shelter, food and other essentials. Others, like Liubov, have chosen to become volunteers themselves, joining efforts to support Ukraine and its people.
For families rebuilding their lives far from home, support can mean more than receiving essential assistance. It can also mean finding people who understand where you came from, discovering a community where you can contribute, and beginning to feel at home again.
Every person and family has a different experience of war, and so does every need for assistance. Donations help Ukraine War Amps respond with practical support to people facing difficult circumstances.
Through the generosity of donors and the work of volunteers, assistance can reach Ukrainians who need support during challenging times.
