27.03.2014
Maria Stanislav, Voices of Ukraine

Earlier this month, a few members of the volunteer initiative Logistics Headquarters visited the home of Mykhailo Havryliuk, a Kozak and one of Maidan’s heroes. This man is best known for his amazing courage, and even greater generosity of heart. During the events of Maidan, Mykhailo was subjected to cruel torture and humiliation at the hands of Berkut [former riot police] officers, but withstood his torments with dignity. More than that, Mykhailo actually forgave his torturers. A few weeks ago, when the responsible warrant officer stood trial for his crimes, facing eight years in prison, Mykhailo said he was dropping all charges against the man. “I don’t want the father to be taken away from the kiddies, I withdraw my complaints against him. It’s better to let him raise his children, so that such things are never repeated again,” said the Kozak.

Mykhailo Havrilyuk

Irena Karpa of Logistics Headquarters, wrote that, sadly, the state of Mykhailo’s home is very poor – in every sense of the word.
“It’s a painful sight,” says Irena. “The floors are dismantled, and there’s barely any food. [Mykhailo’s] wife was putting the last scraps on the table for us.”

Following that visit, Logistics Headquarters made a facebook post, suggesting to pull together to support Mykhailo Havryliuk’s family. He wouldn’t take donations, being a proud Kozak, and volunteers proposed to fix up his house, instead.

“Logistics Headquarters will start this process, and maybe some more of you will jump on board? Drop us a line, friends. Let’s find some craftsmen and fix up the Kozak’s house. Maybe some of you have the right skills, or maybe some producers can donate [construction] materials for the project?”

The response to the call has been amazing, and Logistics HQ made another visit to the Havryliuks (Mykhailo himself remains at Maidan, in Kyiv, while his wife and 12-year-old son are at home in Chernivtsi oblast). This time, volunteers took pictures of the house and collected all necessary information to prepare a cost estimate for the repairs. Their next step will be finding local craftsmen who would agree to do the work, for a small fee or even for free. They continue collecting funds for construction materials. Meanwhile, several companies offered to provide windows for the house, free of charge.

Mykhailo is very grateful for all the help offered by his Ukrainian brothers and sisters, and thanks them all in this video (English subtitles included):

If you’d like to help repair the home of the Havryliuk family, visit this page on the Facebook of Logistics Headquarters for more details: Project Mykhailo Havryliuk – Helping the Kozak’s Family

Mykhailo Havryliuk with Inna Zaliznyuk, a Logistics HQ volunteer