SERHIY HRYNENKO

Sergiy lives with his mother in Prybirs’k, a rural village of about 800 inhabitants, ten miles north-west of Ivankiv.  Located in northern Ukraine, close to the Belarus border, Ivankiv hospital was ‘front-line’ during the Chernobyl disaster of 1986; adjoining the hospital is Ivankiv CSPR (Ivankiv Center of Social and Psychological Rehabilitation) which includes a small museum; on one wall, a mural depicting the catastrophe, painted by a local artist.

Taking the highway from Belarus, the Russians arrived in Ivankiv on the first afternoon of the war.  Maksym Kozachyna, an Orthodox Priest wearing his cassock pleaded with the invaders to stop; he was pulled from his car and shot through the head; his body lay at a checkpoint for several days.  You can watch a short video of the Battle of Ivankiv:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2055516931365928/posts/3187852558132354/

Valentyna Nikolaevna has five sons; Sergiy was born on 4 March 1988. Brother Denys, a civilian, was captured during the occupation; he is currently in captivity somewhere in Russia, his whereabouts and condition are unknown. Brother Sasha, a military serviceman, received a serious foot injury defending Ukraine, resulting in amputation; he remains in the service. Ivan, the eldest brother has just been called for active service; the youngest brother, Maksym, works in Kyiv.  Here is Sergiy’s story as written by Ivankiv CSPR:

‘A person who is a fighter, an optimist, always smiling and friendly, next to him you feel somehow exalted, despite his state of health. In 2015, Sergiy was seriously injured near Starognativka, Donetsk region: a sniper’s bullet severely injured his skull and brain.  He was in the intensive care unit for more than two months, had to undergo several complex operations, but Sergiy is still semi-paralyzed, needs surgical treatment and rehabilitation, as well as constant help from his mother Valentyna.

 The war in Donbas, erupted in April 2014 following Ukraine’s Revolution of Dignity (the Maidan Revolution) when deadly clashes between protesters and state forces in Kyiv culminated in the ousting of President Yanukovych.  As Russia invaded and annexed Crimea, anti-revolution and pro-Russian protests began in Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts (‘the Donbas’). 

Ukraine launched a counter-offensive in Donbas, called the ‘Anti-Terrorist Operation’, later renamed the ‘Joint Forces Operation’.  Sergiy was a member of ATO when he was so critically injured.  Russia officially recognised Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states on 21 February 2022 and deployed troops to the territories.  On 24 February 2022, Russia began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, subsuming the war in Donbas into it.

Now that Serhiy has left hospital, he wishes to regain his independence, financially supporting himself and his Mum.  He remains paralysed from his neck down, save for his left arm; as his story above says, ‘the boy developed a desire to draw’.  I first went to Ivankiv in June 2023; a portfolio of paintings caught my eye on the Ivankiv CSPR wall; I asked.  I was told the story of Sergiy Hrynenko; I suggested I take the paintings to England to sell and then bring money to Sergiy on my future visits to Ivankiv.

Obviously, this first needed to be discussed with Sergiy; for the past six months, he had been in low mood with depression and with little desire or motivation to go on.  But, when Lyudmila (see below) shared our plan, his eyes lit up; he asked for his paint brush; he took up his work again; he was back on track.  The paintings followed me to England by courier, arriving early August.

On 18 October 2023 I went to meet Sergiy and Valentyna; my visit to Prybirs’k very warm and emotional.   I gave Sergiy some of the funds raised for his paintings to support this extraordinary man and his devoted Mum; the moment was captured; sometimes, a picture tells a thousand words.

Sergiy, in turn, demonstrated his renewed enthusiasm.  He has promised me he will paint a portfolio of winter scenes for me to sell in the lead up to Christmas; I await the courier’s arrival in early December.

Lyudmila Shelest, Deputy Director of Ivankiv CSPR (Ivankiv Center of Social and Psychological Rehabilitation) arranged our ‘international interaction’; Lyudmila takes good care of Valentyna and Sergiy; she wrote this very moving article following our visit to Sergiy:

https://www.facebook.com/100064605165640/posts/pfbid0ZHeWqWWjJis1SBu74HmERj2J2WpCuNc6tJY2u6LA4FnBdXLM6TTJBYGGC4ka2KXal/

Ivankiv CSPR was created by UNESCO after the Chernobyl disaster to help liquidators and the affected population and to inform about the reduction of risks when working in the contaminated area, initially managed by the Ministry of Emergency Situations. Since the beginning of the Russo-Ukrainian War, CSPR has been within the structure of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine, working with veterans, their families, and those who have suffered loss.