Mikhail Lisovoi, 33
Hello, my name is Mykhailo. Before the war, I studied and worked in law enforcement in Kharkiv. I also tried to develop my own business, I had a clothing store.

The war changed everything.
I want to take part in the Young Veterans of Ukraine project to improve my PR communication skills, which are important for successful business. I am currently developing a business idea in the healthcare sector and hope to find funding for it with the help of the project.

Illustration

Interview

Mykhailo, could you please tell us about your path to the full-scale invasion and your decision to join the Ukrainian army? What did you do? I know that you lived in Belgium for 5 years, where you served in the French Legion. Could you please tell us more about your service in the French Legion? Given that you already had your own business, why did you decide to join the military?
I have lived in Europe for 21 years, most of the time in Belgium, where I actually studied, worked and built my own business. I served in the French Legion for several years and lived in Holland for a while. I actually served in the Legion right after high school. Then I started working and got a good position in the office of a logistics company in six months, but I realized that the office work according to the schedule was not for me. That's why I decided to look for adventures. Recently, before the full-scale invasion, I was engaged in business in various fields, ranging from construction and cleaning to business consultations on running a small business.
Finally, what was the main reason for your return to Ukraine? How did you see your prospects in your home country? You have been actively involved in helping Ukraine in the medical field, particularly during the pandemic. Could you please elaborate on this?I stayed in Ukraine during the coronavirus quarantine. It was the first time in many years that I spent a few months in Ukraine and it wouldn't let me go. I started living in two countries and transferring my business to remote control. Also, during the pandemic, a medical charity project was formed on the basis of the company I ran with my partner, a unique Ukrainian surgeon who has also lived in Belgium for many years. We managed to supply lung ventilators and oxygen generators to various hospitals in the Ternopil region. At the end of the pandemic and especially at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, we switched to LAD therapy, my friend Ihor is a great specialist in this field. We brought LHC devices and Ihor taught us how to use them. Now this therapy is saving our defenders' limbs. By the way, I myself was lying under one of those devices that came from Belgium.Let's go back to your decision to defend your native land at the front. How did your life change afterwards? First of all, what did you feel was your mission in the war? Could you please clarify when you started defending Ukraine? You started talking very sincerely about your comrades-in-arms, so I am very interested in what it means to you on the battlefield. How does it help you? (maybe you have specific stories)
First and foremost, there is a sense of responsibility for your comrades. Regardless of the reasoning behind a person's decision to go to war, you fight for your comrades to your right and left, because you realize that you can only count on them. And they are counting on you as well.I have been in the service since April 2022. In the first weeks of the full-scale invasion, I was involved in evacuating civilians to the border and a number of volunteer projects. A comrade-in-arms is someone you can rely on even more than yourself. Because one man in the field is not a warrior. I am sure that this brotherhood is our number one weapon against this orc invasion. I was wounded, I hit an anti-personnel mine when I was carrying a wounded comrade on a stretcher. After I was tourniqueted and reported my injury, my fellow “Gypsy” took me on his shoulders and carried me. About 200 meters later, he also stepped on a mine, and we both fell to the ground. This time I was the one who applied the tourniquet to him. With the help of my comrades, who took the first wounded off the stretcher and carried him on their shoulders, we staggered a kilometer to the evacuation vehicle.
For you personally, what was the biggest challenge and at the same time the most memorable moment on the front line?Of course, I will never forget how I got injured and how we went out to evacuate. For me, Bakhmut is a moment in my life that I will remember forever.
Would you be willing to tell us about some of these moments? (Of course, without revealing military secrets or talking about the general situation. Only your personal experiences of these moments)
Let's go back to the tragedy that became a turning point for you and, having overcome it, you won the right to a second life. Do you remember the day you were injured?
Yes, it happens.
Are you ready to talk about that day, or the last memory before you were wounded? ☝️
Could you please share how you are now? After seeing the brutal pictures of war with your own eyes, what worries you the most: your physical or moral condition?Of course, after seeing the brutal images of war, it does not pass without a trace, both morally and physically. But, for me personally, today my physical condition is still the most difficult. In the process of rehabilitation and adaptation to it, there are difficulties in accepting that you have very little influence on the process, you can try, make efforts, but recovery takes time. I want to get back on my feet as soon as possible and return to the guys.
Now you are going through an equally difficult stage - rehabilitation. Tell us, have you already made plans for the future? Do they relate to continuing your military career? What is your point of support today?
I know exactly what I want, namely to return to service. But during my treatment and rehabilitation, I realized that such processes cannot be planned, so I trusted the doctors.
I know that you got married in the summer. Could you please share your love story that grew into a family during the war?I met my wife a week before the full-scale war started, but we quickly realized that we wanted to build a future together. Although, in the current realities, it was a long-distance relationship, we decided to get married and did so at the end of September.
Today I feel strong because of the confidence in a wonderful future. And thanks to the understanding of how Ukrainian society has changed during this time. This gives me confidence in our future struggle.
Your journey is a telling story of a true Ukrainian who did not leave Ukraine, having a base abroad, but went to defend his homeland. Do you have any words for Ukrainians that could be an inspiration to continue the struggle? First of all, about the war, the importance of defending what is right, your own purpose to defend the state.
This war is of great importance not only for Ukraine but for the whole world. It points to the basic values and norms of Western countries. The struggle for freedom, democracy and truth is a priority for a modern person. This is not only a war between Russia and Ukraine, it is a war of everyone who wants peace, justice and a brighter future for themselves and their descendants. This is a real war of good and evil, which we have been told about since childhood. I believe that we should be proud that it is our destiny to defend these values for the whole world.

Business idea

I am currently developing a business idea in the healthcare sector and hope to find funding for it with the help of the project.

  • Donate UAH

    Account Holder: Ukrainian VeteransIBAN: UA323204780000026007924934622ЕДРПОУ 44064351Банк: АБ "УКРГАЗБАНК"

  • Donate EUR or USD

    Account Holder: SOS Ukraine (VŠĮ)
    IBAN: LT267044090102955380
    Swift: CBVILT2X
    Банк: SEB, Konstitucijos 24, Vilnius, Lithuania
    Payment Reference: “Young Veterans Ukraine”

Contacts:

  • Donate UAH

    Account Holder: Ukrainian VeteransIBAN: UA323204780000026007924934622ЕДРПОУ 44064351Банк: АБ "УКРГАЗБАНК"

  • Donate EUR or USD

    Account Holder: SOS Ukraine (VŠĮ)
    IBAN: LT267044090102955380
    Swift: CBVILT2X
    Банк: SEB, Konstitucijos 24, Vilnius, Lithuania
    Payment Reference: “Young Veterans Ukraine”

Contacts: