The students of our university have always distinguished themselves by their social activism, meaningfully participating in the events taking place in Ukraine. They, who were concerned, cared then and do care now for the fate of their Motherland.
In the fall of 2004 and the winter of 2013-2014, students and employees of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute were among the most active participants in the revolutionary events in Kyiv. They were among the first to go to the Maidan to defend their choice, their right to vote, and also took part in the Anti-Terrorist Operation in the east of the country. The dramatic events of 2022 shook the academic community: those who studied and those who taught rose in arms, side by side on the front lines, in the fighting ranks of the Territory Defense, took up the heavy burden of supporting the Armed Forces, displaced people, those in need on the de-occupied territories.
Recently, the commanders of the 112th Territorial Defense Brigade awarded Yehor Mykolaichuk, a second-year student of the Educational and Research Institute of Nuclear and Heat Power Engineering with gratitude for his significant contribution to ensuring the protection of state sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of Ukraine.
As Yehor said, he got involved in volunteering by accident. "After the start of the full-scale invasion, I followed the news all day long," the young man recalls. I went to the Military Commissariat, but they didn't call me in. I was 17 at that time, so I was considered too young. The next day, I found on the Internet the website of the humanitarian headquarters located nearby. I decided to go and ask how I could be useful. I came and helped with unloading, but there was little work. On the 27th, in the joint chat of the headquarters, they wrote that the Territory Defense needed help with the fortifying works. I realized that was a chance to really help my city, so I quickly got dressed and went to the barricades. I met many good people there, the work went quite quickly, despite the cold and snow. At the end of the day (curfew!) it became clear that there was still a lot of work, so we agreed to continue the next day. So, I started going there every day. Some people came and went, but most came regularly."
At the end of winter and the beginning of spring, there was no clear centralized organization of fortifying works; and then in April, the Voluntary Formation of Territorial Communities came into operation - paramilitary units formed by volunteers living in the territory of a certain community, to pursue defense in this territory. Yehor definitely entered the Voluntary Formation of Territorial Community. "At the beginning of April," he continues his story, "the Voluntary Formation of Territorial Community was organized under the leadership of the commander and junior officers. They had drawings of all the necessary fortifications, and also received accurate information from the commanders, which made it possible to build the most effective and, at the same time, significantly more complex fortifications of different types, which were suitable for completely different conditions and tasks". So, it was for the help in the fortification works as part of the Voluntary Formation of Territorial Community that the student was awarded the commendatory letter.
Currently, Yehor Mykolaichuk continues his studies and dreams of finding a job in his specialization. "All the same, IT is the driving force of progress, so, specialists in this field will be in demand on the labor market for a long time," he reflects. Of course, I do not plan to leave my job in the Voluntary Formation of Territorial Community and will come to the barricades whenever possible. The war is still going on, and one cannot forget about the additional fortification of the rear cities."
Professor Natalia Ausheva, the head of the Department of Digital Technologies in Energy of the Educational and Scientific Institute of Nuclear and Thermal Energy, speaks warmly of her charge: "I know Yehor well - he is a responsible and diligent young man. He has not been studying very well lately, but he promised to improve his studies. Recently, Yehor enrolled in the department for combating cybercrime, because he believes that any methods of fighting the enemy are needed now."