Volodymyr Hrudnytsky, member of the Political Council of the European Party of Ukraine.
– How did the day of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine begin for you?
– To be honest, I didn’t believe it at first. Like everyone else, I probably started with the news. I said to myself, “No way, it can’t be true.” But all my doubts were quickly dispelled, unfortunately. And on February 25, it came to us – the first missile strike on Rivne airport.
– What were your first actions?
– For health reasons, I was declared unfit for military service and removed from the military register before 2014. But how could I just sit at home when my country, my city, my family is under threat? So I went to the city’s Palace of Culture “Textile Worker”, where they were registering volunteers for the Resistance Forces, and thus became a volunteer. We could not stand aside. The guys in the east are giving their lives, and we are worse? And so, on February 26, we joined the Resistance Forces. The first members were local hunters who had their own weapons. On March 1, I and two of my fellow party members went on duty to guard a military hospital.
– Did the Resistance Forces later join the Ukrainian Armed Forces?
– No, we serve as part of the DFTG-1, a volunteer formation of the Rivne City Territorial Community. I signed a contract as a territorial defense volunteer on April 4, 2022. We do not receive a salary as military personnel, we are volunteers. But we are not exempt from mobilization. If necessary, our fighters join the ranks of the Armed Forces.
– How many people does your unit consist of?
– I can say that there are quite a lot of us. Our main task is to protect the city’s critical infrastructure. But in case of an offensive from Belarus, we will guard the approaches to the city.
We are assigned to certain sectors, and each of us knows what area of the city’s defense he or she is responsible for. If the invaders try to go to Rivne region, everyone is ready.
– Do you know what our fellow party members from Rivne region are doing?
– Yes, I do. Our fellow party member, Dmytro Hadynka, serves as a military chaplain in one of the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Two of us are directly at the frontline – one in the artillery and one in the infantry. Everyone is doing their part. Some people are engaged in humanitarian work, volunteering.
There are girls who sew clothes for the military. Our social educator and psychologist Natalia Panasyuk is working with children of local and internally displaced persons, with military personnel with post-traumatic consequences.
Many IDPs have come to Rivne, there are almost 60 thousand of them in the region. Most of them are from Kyiv, Donbas, and Kherson regions. From the beginning of the full-scale invasion, an aid headquarters was opened for them in the drama theater. We also joined the collection of clothes, blankets, food, in short, everything they need for life. We collect money for cars for the military, for spare parts. Everyone is doing something.
– Can you say that Rivne residents are used to the war?
– The city has gotten used to it, it functions and lives its life under the slogan “everything for victory”. We have to live and work. We are not a frontline city, but we have enough rear tasks. We take in IDPs and wounded soldiers for treatment and rehabilitation. Everyone has their own tasks. Of course, we have not had it as bad as Kharkiv, for example, or Mariupol or Kyiv. But nevertheless, during the entire period of the full-scale war, Rivne and Rivne region were systematically shelled by the enemy. Military and energy infrastructure facilities, a TV tower, oil depots, and unfortunately, civilian objects were also hit. We have a very important area of responsibility to protect the railway infrastructure, and everyone understands why.
– How do you see Ukraine’s victory?
– A return to the 1991 borders. I believe that we will liberate the east and Crimea. And then we will rebuild our country, including with the help of the European Union. I think that the European Party of Ukraine will be able to attract European investors to rebuild our country, given our longstanding cooperation with the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe. There is no other way to quickly rebuild the country. I am sure that Europeans are ready to help us. I will tell you about the example of Rivne region. We have Poland right next door to us. We feel so much support at the community level with medicines, medical equipment, and humanitarian aid that I am sure we will receive support at the level of intergovernmental institutions. The Poles are our very great friends, and we are very grateful to them from the whole city and all of Ukraine. Another important component of our victory is the fight against the internal enemy. What do I mean by that? Corruption, first and foremost. Recently, a lot of corruption deals have been exposed, and Rivne has been affected as well. You’ve probably heard about the “pasta scandal”: pasta was bought for school canteens at three times the price. This is unacceptable! That is why we must also defeat the shameful phenomenon of corruption. Otherwise, the guys will return from the front, and I think they will solve such issues quite radically.
– Where will we celebrate the victory?
– I think we won’t be able to do it in one round. We will start in Kyiv, continue in the Carpathians, and finish in Crimea. This is the minimum program.
The conversation was conducted by Yulia Pidkurhanna