Of course, for each of us, life was divided into before and after when we all woke up to the sound of explosions on 24 February 2022. Can you remember what you were doing in the first days and months of full-scale war?
In the first weeks of the war, I donated to the army. I wanted to help Ukrainians globally, so in June 2022, together with a team of fellow students, we came up with the idea of creating a video course to help people find jobs and improve their finances. Problems with employment and personal finances became particularly painful during the war.
Were there any volunteer movements organised in your city or university at the time?
My former university, the Kyiv School of Economics, managed to raise over 1 billion UAH for various volunteer projects since the beginning of 24 February. Many of my classmates volunteered. I can say for sure that almost everyone is or has been involved in such activities of support.
Could you please tell us about the course “Basics of Employment and Financial Literacy” that you and other students founded and started? As I understand from the description on the Diia website, it is an online series on job search and personal finance, and it is available on the portal osvita.diia.gov.ua. What is the main goal and idea?
The main goal is to help Ukrainians find and get a job, take control of their finances and create a family budget.
The idea is to provide knowledge that will help you go all the way from finding the best job for you and getting it, to creating a family budget and saving money, and even investing the savings.
What activities do you pay the most attention to today, what are you doing the most at the moment, are you involved in any movements, organisations, events, or would you like to get involved in the coming months?
At the moment, I’m paying most attention to my studies. So far, I don’t have any new ideas on how to help a large number of people. But I am always open to interesting and useful projects. My involvement in helping Ukraine is currently limited to donations and Ukrainianising my fellow students in Amsterdam.
In general, how do you think the subject of Ukraine is promoted in the Netherlands? (If you are currently studying abroad, I have made the following assumption:) Is this topic touched upon in any way at the University of Amsterdam, are there any support events for the war in our country? Maybe you take part in such events yourself. What do your foreign friends at university say about the war, if you talk about it at all?
There is a lot of support for Ukraine in the Netherlands. This can be seen in the aid that the country provides to our country and in social surveys (the Dutch are among the most radical supporters of Ukraine, providing weapons and money). The Dutch also remember 17 July 2014, when the Russians shot down MH17, most of the passengers on board were Dutch. In general, education in the Netherlands is paid for, but Ukrainians entering university in 2022 received an 80% discount on the previous year’s tuition, which was extended for the following year. There are Ukrainian-speaking guides in museums and, for the first time, my university has two programmes for studying the Ukrainian language and culture. The Ukrainians in the Netherlands Foundation and the Association of Ukrainian Students in the Netherlands regularly organise pro-Ukraine rallies in the main squares of the cities I visit. People from all over the world study at my university and everyone is familiar with Ukraine on a different level. The Dutch are mostly supportive and have no doubts about helping the country, while Eastern Europeans are even more radical. But it is important to understand that in Europe young people, students, do not really follow the real situation in the world, many of them seem to wear rose-coloured glasses. We have to explain the meaning of phrases like “invasion of Ukraine”, “Russian invasion of Ukraine” instead of “geopolitical situation in Ukraine in 2022” or “crisis in Ukraine”. But the good news is that they listen and understand and agree with the arguments. I have a half-Polish, half-Georgian friend who is always interested in the real situation in Ukraine and asks me my opinion on certain events.
In your young life, can you please share what are the most memorable and meaningful experiences for you, what are the most valuable things you have done, implemented? Perhaps these are the things that have made the greatest impact on the life of your community, improved the lives of those you know, inspired, etc.?
It is difficult to name the most memorable and significant experience. In my opinion, we are constantly evolving and changing, and certain events happen as a result of experiences gained and good circumstances. I can say that the process of creating our free video course was really inspiring and meaningful. It is always a pleasure to do things that can help and change people’s lives for the better. Especially at the beginning, when we presented our idea for the grant and invited speakers to join the course, and everything went very smoothly. Then I realised that if you have a good idea and show your seriousness, it is quite easy to get funding and the support of the best experts in the country. Everyone wants to get involved and help a promising project.
Do you think that support for Ukrainians abroad and raising this issue in general is at a decent level, or are there aspects that could be improved based on what you have seen/heard from your own experience of living abroad? What should Ukrainians change about themselves?
I think that Ukrainians need to change their behavior within the country, as well as those of us who have moved abroad. We need to do in life what our government tells our partners to do. When Europeans see Ukrainians listening to Russian music loudly, celebrating various dates very publicly, and when Ukrainians behave inappropriately with our flags, they may have doubts about helping Ukraine. Unfortunately, we have all seen such examples in the news. We also need to increase control over the money provided by our partners. Reduce the level of corruption and wasteful procurement, and thank the world more for supporting Ukraine. People there see everything and may get the impression that all we do is ask for money and weapons without thanking them and stealing the very money they give us. I can say that Europeans love facts, they treat us well, but we must constantly show by our actions and behaviour that we are the people who need help. And the question of support for the Ukrainians has been raised at the highest level since the beginning of the full-scale war. For example, I had a meeting with the Ukrainian ambassador to the Netherlands, where I saw for myself that embassies and consulates have been working hard and tirelessly all this time. They play an important role in helping Ukraine and our Ukrainians, even if their role and contribution is not always reported widely enough in the media.
What value do you want to have in society as a representative of the conscious young generation of Ukraine? What things do you want to achieve that can improve the lives of many people and contribute to our victory? Will you return to Ukraine after your studies and contribute with your knowledge and experience to the reconstruction of the country?
As a representative of the conscious younger generation, I want people in our society to take responsibility for what they do and have done for themselves and the country. I want people to vote consciously and seriously. Instead of shouting at the authorities, people should get involved themselves, come up with ideas and draft laws, run for office themselves and fund parties/people who run for office. Then, and only then, when we take responsibility for our lives and for the life of our country, will it be possible to build a truly rich and great Ukraine. I see my contribution today as increasing the financial literacy of Ukrainians. In our country, most people are financially illiterate, and this is a big problem. To create a rich country, we need capital and investment from Ukrainians themselves in their country. I would like to create a company that connects Western countries with Ukraine after I finish my studies. This will strengthen Ukraine’s integration into international trade, increase the number of jobs and tax revenues in the country.
Please describe how you see our victory and the future of post-war Ukraine in a few words or sentences.
I see our victory in the same way as our military and political leaders see it: Returning to the 1991 borders, joining NATO and developing our own military-industrial complex. For me, Ukraine of the future is a country with a vision, a strategy and clear goals and plans for development. We need to set ambitious goals and achieve them. I think it will be good for us to rebuild our industry. We are closer to Europe than China, but historically our industry was developed, and we need to just modernise it. We need to turn Ukraine into an economic haven for companies to do business. Furthermore, we need to provide low taxation for companies on the condition that they are physically located in the country. There are a lot of ideas on how Ukraine can become richer. But all of this is possible if there is no corruption in the government, if the civil servants have great ambition and commitment, and thanks to the efforts of a conscious and responsible society.
What is your biggest dream now?
To become a billionaire with an international business, and to use money and influence to change Ukraine for the better.
Do you think it is possible to achieve this with your efforts and those of many other Ukrainians?
Yes, building a business is my responsibility. And changing Ukraine for the better is the responsibility of the entire society, the entire population of Ukraine.
Translator: Ivan Chepaykin
