The first time Maksym fled a war was in 2014. At the time, he lived in Donetsk and was 56 years old. The Donbass region was disputed between Ukrainian government forces and separatist troops supported by Russia. To escape that first conflict, together with his wife and sixteen-year-old daughter, he closed the door behind him to a house he would never see again, in the heart of his hometown . He, the director of a large automobile company, had left behind friends, his home, and his job and moved to Mariupol.
At first he had hopes of returning to Donbass. Mariupol was not far away, and perhaps everything would be over. But the conflict increasingly distanced the prospect of a return to Donbass. So he looked for work. He and his family settled into their new city and new life. Everything seemed to be going well. Until February 2022.
Again the war. And again the escape.
On March 2, Russian forces besieged Mariupol. Maksym did not wait. He packed his bags and moved with his family to Kiev. At first he stayed with friends. Then, when he started working at a gas station, he was able to rent an apartment. But the money was barely enough, there was little left to buy food.
It was his wife Olena who first turned to the Caritas-Spes center (supported by the Ukraine Emergency project). They needed help, but above all a community of people capable of welcoming them.
Maksym is a man who cannot sit still and immediately volunteered to support others as much as he could. He takes part in the maintenance of the Center’s transport, unloads humanitarian aid, and never backs down from any job. It is his way of reciprocating the support he receives from the Caritas-Spes center. This man’s sincere heart and kind soul do not remain indifferent to the pain and suffering of others.
