I only met Serhiy Dudchenko once but he made a huge impression. So much so that I wrote about him in an extra chapter for the recent paperback edition of my book.
Serhiy was working in a charity kitchen in Chornobaivka, on the outskirts of Kherson, run by the charity Iskra Dobra and we were on a visit to see their work with another charity, the Ukrainian Federation of Food Banks. Along with another volunteer, Svitlana, they were cooking a simple but nutritious meal of chicken wings and macaroni, portioned up into boxes with a slice of bread.
He had not been trained as a cook, but had thrown himself into the task with enthusiasm and energy: chef Oleg Bibikov said he had always been in the forefront of helping others since the start of the full scale war. Iskra Dobra said he had led missions helping Kherson residents after the Russians blew up the Kakhovka dam, causing widespread flooding - and always chose action instead of rest.
That day, back in December, the hot meals were packed carefully into crates and loaded into a van: we followed Serhiy to the distribution point, through the city down towards the river Dnipro.
There is no time, on such operations, to linger outside: Kherson skies are lethal with drones. The team pulled up into a yard and began swiftly unloading the boxes into a humanitarian aid hub, where elderly people who had been forced to flee their homes in nearby Antonivka were waiting patiently in a basement corridor.
It was pretty clear that the 230 boxes of hot food which Serhiy had delivered was the only decent meal those pensioners would get all day.
As the guys stood outside the building to have a cigarette, an FPV drone flew over: those are the small drones with explosives attached which Russians use to hunt civilians down, day after day. They ran down into the basement to shelter as it exploded nearby.
On the fast and tense drive back to Chornobaivka, Serhiy shouted directions from the back seat as the car hurtled towards less dangerous streets. Svitlana offered us some of the food; I was handed a mug of ‘Strong Briton’ tea. Serhiy was already starting prep for the next day.
A couple of days ago Oleg messaged me, distraught. Serhiy had been out on a food delivery when his van was hit by a Russian drone which had managed to fly under a protective net. The vehicle had been clearly marked as one belonging to the humanitarian charity: but Russians boast on their own channels that ‘anything which moves is a target’.
Serhiy was badly injured - the van was a mangled mess. He was rushed to hospital and taken to intensive care. Very sadly, he lost his leg as a result of the attack, and is now in a serious condition in hospital.
Photo of the van from Iskra Dobra
Oleg Bibikov called him the ‘big bear of our team’ - while on their social media, the Ukrainian Federation of Food Banks called him a man with a big heart, who had worked tirelessly to bring food and assistance to those who needed it most. They went on: “the attack on a civilian vehicle carrying food for residents of a frontline community is a gross violation of international humanitarian law and further evidence of Russia’s complete disregard for human life”.
It is men like Serhiy who are the unsung heroes of Ukraine - we send all our sympathy to him and his family, and we wish him a swift recovery. And for Kherson, the peaceful life it truly deserves.
No posts
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.