Maintaining high -quality technology would help Ukraine’s defense forces stay ahead of Russian enemies. But with a lack of in -house experts, the military has to rely on volunteer staff.
One of these volunteers, Ihor (we only share his first name to avoid anonymity), turned his life around. Russia has invaded Ukraine and Feb. 24 .. As a Ph.D. student at Ukraine’s technical university, the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, spent his days in the laboratory tinkering with a new type of magnetic reducer, a type of converter mechanical energy – like the gearbox in a car but with mechanical. Moving area.
Today, he spends most of his commute hours with the military, driving from base to base, donating his technology to repair mobile diesel drivers and offices. autonomous power to maintain cell phones and other communication systems. The days were long. At 7 am, he shows up for a tour; He was out until 8 p.m., when the curfew began.
Select: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as seen in the accompanying photos
“There are a lot of posts in the jungle so it’s really hard sometimes and time consuming to get to them,” Ihor told Space.com in an email. “This is a difficult process in the repair process. Most of the time, we don’t have lunch, but sometimes, people bring us food, and the military is very appreciative.”
He talked about being “constantly tired” and not being able to get proper rest because the air was waking up most nights.
“Sometimes you can sit in the shade at midnight under a fire,” he said, adding that life is “very strong” these days. “Every day many houses are destroyed by gunfire, killing hundreds of people.
During the flight of Russian ships to Ukraine a the missiles started to rain over Kyiv, Ihor left his flat near Zhulyany airport, one of Kyiv’s two largest international airlines, with a bag of belongings. He spent a few nights in the shade of the city, then moved with a relative of his parents to a small town near the city.
“My yard is only 7 miles away [4.3 miles] from the airport, which was heavily printed, “he said.” The new box was destroyed, as was a museum and a high -rise building where the head of my business lived. Everyone should move to nearby schools. “
Ihor’s own family is from Irshansk, a titanium -based city about a two -hour drive from Kyiv. But he had his car for repairs when the war broke out and most of the public transport, he decided to stay in the capital.
The attack on Ihor did not come. For Ukrainians, the war began in 2014, the year Russia annexed Crimea, a peninsula in the Black Sea. Since then, Ukraine’s main ally has stirred up conflict in the eastern Ukrainian states of Luhansk and Doneck, calling for their secession from Ukraine and accusing Ukraine of discriminating against the little ones of Russia. The fighting there killed more than 14,000 people before the full offensive began in February, according to Opposition Group.
“When the martial law was passed last month, I was not drafted into the army because I had no military experience,” Ihor wrote. “But some of my friends were taken to the military and they said they had a lot of problems with all kinds of equipment and no one could fix it.
Ihor’s technical skills are less than his studies, which is what he described as “most of the idea,” and more than seven years to work part -time with a factory and manage projects. autonomous control center for border guards, banks and hospitals. Word soon spread among the Ukrainian armies, and Ihor soon found great demand.
“Often when we can’t get to certain places, the military itself or the volunteers who bring us the equipment, it’s very easy for us. work, ”he said.
With the endless twists and turns of air attacks, early in the morning, long hours on the road, and the destruction and suffering that we see every day, Ihor remained.
“All Ukrainians have high hopes of victory, our spirits can never be broken again,” he said. “Every civilian is doing his best to help his army and his country.”
But while she had no doubts about the future of her land, she did not know exactly where it would go in the future. Although he was a year away from finishing his Ph.D., he admitted that by the end of the war, his studies might not have been important.
“The longer the war, the better the time I don’t finish my studies,” he said. “Ukraine will get back on its knees and rebuild its industry. So we need more technology. It’s a pity that this price is coming.”
Follow Tereza Pultarova on Twitter @TerezaPultarova. Follow us and Twitter @Spacedotcom and above Facebook.
