Meet Vitaliy Galicin and Sashko Darmoroz, two heroes who were members of elite units fighting in Eastern Ukraine. Vitaliy is a retired colonel who volunteered in the first days of the war and joined Azov, and Sashko was part of a special forces recon (rozvidka) unit. Both have lost their vision. Sasha has also lost a leg and has a prosthesis. They are getting multiple operations and procedures performed at various centers around the U.S. sponsored by Revived Soldiers Ukraine, which brought 22 injured Ukrainian soldiers to the U.S. for rehab/operations this year. In Columbus, the two soldiers are receiving pilot dog training.

Vitaliy and Sashko’s big hope is to get pilot dogs in addition to undergoing operations/ procedures.They will be back in Columbus in the next few months for more training and then can take the dogs back home with them.

The men are coping with their situation to the best of their abilities; not losing hope for some positive changes and tech advancements, and also thinking how they can still be productive members of society, but, as you can imagine, it’s definitely not easy. They both have families to support.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving and Ukrainian generosity, please consider helping these heroes. You can:

• Donate directly to their sponsoring organization, https://www.facebook.com/ RevivedSoldiersUkraine/
• Donate locally through our Ukrainian Relief Initiative, either by attending our Sv. Mykolay event on December 9, or by sending a check to UCAO, P.O. Box 1298, Westerville, OH 43086, writing “Wounded Soldiers” in the memo line
• Visit them at the rehab facility when they return to Columbus
• Invite them to your home.

Many thanks to Sasha and Olya Verbitsky and Victor Borsukevich for the photos and their report on their visit to Sasha and Vitaliy.