In July 2024 Sergij M. graduated from Kharkiv University with a bachelor’s degree in computer science. His scholarship for the four years of his studies was entirely funded by the sale of our Ad Pacem 2021 calendar. In his last letter, he thanked our committee and all those who made his studies possible. This scholarship was essential, as without it it would have been impossible for him to leave the occupied territories at that time. He is now continuing his studies, on his own, to obtain a Master’s degree at the same university.

In his letter to us, Sergei describes how he experienced the events of February in the summer of 2022:
On February 24, everything started quickly and unexpectedly. Kharkiv, located only 30 km from the Russian border, was one of the first victims. When the rocket attacks on the city began at 4 a.m., it was very scary, but the scariest thing was the prospect of the Russians occupying Kharkiv. I lived in the occupation from 2014 to 2020. I knew what it was like. It was the scariest thing.
Kharkiv froze: no people on the streets, shops do not work, banks do not work, no communication, no food, no light and water. It lasted like this for a few weeks. Then humanitarian aid began to appear, volunteers began to bring water and food. Although there was a constant danger of shelling, people began to come out of the shelters.
In the spring, I moved to sleep in the corridor, in order to be away from the windows and to comply with the “two walls” rule. Constant sirens, air raids, explosions.
The main fighting near Kharkiv took place from February to May. Then it turned out that the AFU and the defense forces had held their ground. Although after such a massive shelling, some areas look like they could be used as locations for apocalypse films. The historical buildings of the city center were destroyed.
I was lucky that my house survived (although the war and shelling continue to this day). But not everyone was so lucky. People lived in basements, cooking on campfires outside the entrances.
In early May, university studies resumed. They studied remotely. Due to problems with the internet, teachers had removed deadlines. All assignments had to be submitted before the start of the session. The term deadlines were extended and I managed to do all my assignments. I passed my exams successfully. And in September, the third year had already started.
In the summer of 2020, we decided to give another student from the occupied territories of Donbass the opportunity to study in free Ukraine. This is Sergej from Gorlivka.
Since the
war broke out, Sergej has continued to attend the local school controlled by the DNR,
but at the same time he has been preparing for the Ukrainian school curriculum through distance learning,
with the aim of having the opportunity to obtain a Ukrainian high school diploma later. Sergej’s
elder sister left Gorlivka in 2015. The rest of the family has remained behind, because
the old and sick grandmother can no longer travel and Sergej’s mother cannot leave her alone.
The family’s financial situation is difficult. The father is unemployed, but thanks to odd jobs such as car repairs he manages to feed the family. Only Sergej’s mother works as an accountant, which allows the family to survive just above the subsistence level. Sergej is very motivated to study in Ukraine and got good grades in his baccalaureate exams. This allowed him to enroll in Harkiv University without having to pay additional tuition fees. We decided to support Sergej with €60 per month for his studies.
The sale of the Adpacem 2021 calendar with photos from the peace march allows us to finance Sergej’s studies until he graduates with his bachelor’s degree in 2024.