“A lot has changed in wartime. War tests humanity, love, reveals true feelings in people. My perception of some people turned 180 degrees in a positive sense. The war from the first days gave an opportunity to get to know people.

When the war started, I did not leave Kharkov. Remembering all the events is a rather heavy burden.

I am trying to forget a lot of things; I have even deleted pictures from my phone. The most painful memories are when I walked along a certain route all my life, saw beautiful streets, playgrounds, flowering trees, and later –the same playgrounds, houses with traces of shelling, soot and ruins.

Communal services and public health services worked well.

They deal with damaged infrastructure, primarily restoring apartment buildings and communications.

There has already been restored a lot. However, damaged, destroyed playgrounds still remind of those terrible times.

I live in Pivnichna Saltivka. In the first days, we had to leave the house – we moved to a safer place 6 km away from our home. I brought the whole family together. I feel responsible for them, because there are women, elderly people, and children among them.

From time to time, I visited Saltivka to check on the condition of my house and my friends.

And also – to take some things, because it got very cold.

The windows in my house are partially broken and need repair.

Many people were just in a stupor, shells were rattling in the street. Fortunately, electricity and water were usually available, as well as internet from the provider. We stayed at home and watched the news, read the mayor’s channel. I have already seen the result of the battles on the bypass road, destroyed enemy equipment after the fiercest battles, but civilians were not allowed to get closer as it was dangerous.

I quickly realized that something useful was to be done. First of all, I have a large family that stayed at home. And the first thing that was needed was food.

I had an idea to help people who needed it, namely, the immediate environment. In my case, the closest environment was the entire apartment building where I stayed.

My help to the tenants was banal, but important at the same time. Most of the small shops were closed or vandalized by looters, and public transport did not work.

In addition to food, people needed medicine, as well as feed for their pets. I started driving around the city in a service truck, buying food for my family and the residents of the house. “Terra-Pack” played a significant role in this, as financed these trips and the purchase of necessary products.

I want to thank everyone who helped and especially the founders – Rostyslav Demyanovych and Ihor Boyko.

In addition, people from the house collected children’s clothing and accessories, diapers, hygiene products, which I brought to the perinatal centre to help women with children.

At the end of February – the beginning of March, I took away particularly valuable things from the territory of the “Terra-Pack”. Employees left the city for safety reasons. The Kharkiv branch continued to work remotely. Since March, I have started delivering orders to clients in the breaks between shelling.

Every time there was more and more work. Unfortunately, the shelling also intensified.

All the difficulties that arose at work turned into “minor trifles” against the background of what was happening in the city.

In the evening, I carefully planned the route and actions for the next day, taking into account force majeure circumstances.

Work returned to normal at the end of April – beginning of May. If you can call work during the war normal work. After Easter, the head of the branch physically joined. The city began to revive and work, and therefore the need for “Terra-Pack” products increased. In June-July, the Kharkiv office returned to almost full staff, but not to a full working day. The shelling continued, so we had to have our work finished quickly to leave the office.

People are returning to Kharkiv. There are even traffic jams in the morning, during peak hours.

I think up to 40 % of those people who left the city in the first months of the war returned to Kharkiv.

Every resident of Kharkiv has acquaintances who have already returned to their hometown from Finland, Germany, and other countries. They say that they were convinced by their own experience of the truth of the sentence, which was previously perceived abstractly – “there is no place like home”.

Working at the Terra-Paсk company gives many interesting things: experience, skills, familiarity with the nuances and specifics of the work of both managers and the head of the branch.

All that you have gained from this experience is always with you, unlike something material.

The team is important. I am very glad that our team seems to be really the best.

This applies to both the branch and the entire “Terra-Pack”. After the meeting of all the company’s employees at the pre-war corporate party, I realized that this was indeed the case. At work, you get to know the employee as a specialist in his field, and in an informal setting – as a person.

In the fifth year of work in the company, I saw many changes and active development.

The construction of new production premises, the purchase of equipment and the development of new production facilities, the opening of new branches… Therefore, in another 5 years, I see “Terra-Pack” as successful and prosperous.

Now we need Victory!

Many soldiers from “Terra-Paсk” are currently defending Ukraine in the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. They make every effort not only for the sake of Victory, but also for the sake of our safety and the opportunity to work, rest, and see family and friends. Honour and praise to them. Glory to heroes!”