From Masaryk University straight to the Ukrainian front: Help our classmate get equipped for the front line

From a promising career to the trenches: He traded his future to defend his country. Volodymyr, a friend of our colleague Petr, attended high school in Bratislava and later studied at the Faculty of Social Studies in Brno. He was headed for a career in diplomacy—until the Russian invasion changed his life in a matter of days. He suspended his studies and left to defend Ukraine. Today, he serves as an infantryman in the 219th Battalion of the 125th Territorial Defense Brigade. He has fought in some of the hardest-hit areas of this war: Vuhledar, Bakhmut, Huliaipole, and Kupiansk—places where every meter is contested and where many young people have already paid the ultimate price. The war has turned him into a soldier. A return to normal life remains out of sight, as his unit still lacks the equipment that determines survival.

From Masaryk University straight to the Ukrainian front: Help our classmate get equipped for the front line

Our colleague Petr writes:

“My friend Volodymyr was supposed to be a diplomat. We studied together at a high school in Bratislava and later at the Faculty of Social Studies in Brno. He had a career in diplomacy ahead of him. Then came the Russian invasion. He closed his books, suspended his studies, and left to defend his native country.
Today, he serves as an infantryman in the 219th Battalion of the 125th Territorial Defense Brigade of Ukraine. He has fought at Vuhledar, Bakhmut, Huliaipole, and Kupiansk—places that have become symbols of the heaviest fighting of this war and where the greatest number of young people have laid down their lives defending their homeland."

Who will you be helping?

Volodymyr did eventually finish his studies, but only during the war in 2025. So, he has his degree. Yet, instead of diplomacy, he still holds a weapon in a trench. That is why we—his classmates—have decided to help him and his unit with equipment that means the difference between life and death on the front line; we are incredibly worried about him, but at the same time, we are proud of him for going to fight for his country.

Help us equip Volodymyr and his unit so they can return home alive.

What specifically will the funds from this collection be used for?

War in 2026 is about technology. To ensure Volodymyr and his fellow soldiers can return home to their loved ones, they need life-saving equipment:

🚙 Purchase and repair of a vehicle, including transport costs ➔ On the front line, a car is often the only chance to get a wounded person to a doctor in time.

⚡ Charging stations (EcoFlow) ➔ Without them, drones, radios, and communications do not work.

🔥 Diesel heaters ➔ They protect soldiers and equipment in shelters and positions from omnipresent dampness, allow for the drying of wet clothing, and ensure comfort during cold nights.

🎯 Equipment for training recruits ➔ This helps newcomers learn how to survive before entering active combat.

🪖 Other tactical gear