Oleksii Mishchenko, Kyiv: “People’s lives depend on the decisions you make”

Oleksii is the commander of the emergency response team in Kyiv. He began volunteering with the ERT in January 2016.

Providing assistance at strike sites is a joint effort involving many services, with each carrying out its part of the mission. “Every deployment to an emergency site,” Oleksii explains, “involves difficult decisions. You have to take many factors into account, including the safety of your team.”

The incident that left the strongest impression on him took place on the night of 6 June 2025. Emergency workers were already at the strike site when Oleksii informed them of his team’s arrival. Moments later, a powerful explosion shook the area. It was frightening, but all the volunteers managed to take shelter in a nearby underground passage. Thankfully, no one on the team was injured. Once it was safe, the volunteers began providing assistance to the injured emergency workers. The underground passage temporarily became a small, impromptu aid station.

For Oleksii, leading the emergency response team means “doing a little more and a little better than planned, because the decisions you make affect people’s lives and health.”