Ukrainians affected by profound personal loss reach out to Western companies that refuse to cut business ties with the aggressor state and continue to pay taxes to the Kremlin, thus helping fund Russia’s unprovoked war of aggression. Together with partners, B4Ukraine collected numerous stories of personal loss from ordinary Ukrainians and their plea to Western multinationals to exit Russia as soon as possible.
Hi! Im 14 years old. Im Vyacheslav from a city on the coast of the Black Sea - Odesa. The enemy killed me in early May 2022. That day my mom who is in the military warned me that we would be targeted by the missiles and that we needed to hide. My grandparents went down to the bomb shelter while I headed out to warn our elderly neighbors of the danger. Right when I was running out of our apartment block a Russian rocket hit. I was covered by a large concrete panel. I just wanted to help and I got killed…
I come from the city of Kramatorsk in Donetsk Region. Since childhood, I loved the railway and everything related to it. I liked riding trams with my Grandpa and wanted to travel only by train. At home, you could find dozens of toy train cars. Mom used to joke that we could start our own railway line.
I studied responsibly. My teachers remember me as a level-headed and polite student who was always ready to help. I never ignored anything the adults asked of me - I always wanted to be helpful.
I liked to watch movies. We had a tradition with my mom - we bought snacks, snuggled next to each other, and watched horror movies. My love for film grew into my own video clips that I made with my friends. I organized the shootings, created scenarios, and cast my friends into the role.
In mid-February 2022 I had my last birthday. I was so happy: mom made her traditional homemade pizza, we decorated the apartment, and invited my friends. On that day we laughed and danced… Who could have known that in a few days, the full-scale Russian invasion would start and take my life alongside the lives of many other Ukrainian children and teens? I am survived by my mom, dad, and older brother. They are all in the military - they are defending Ukrainian skies. I am also up there somewhere among the stars.