Oleksandr, a site supervisor who is currently working to protect critical infrastructure facilities in Kharkiv Oblast. His job is not just about construction or repairs. It is a fight for light in the windows, for warmth in homes, and ultimately for life in the cities.
Like millions of other Ukrainians, the war deprived Oleksandr of a normal life, his business, and his home — twice. In 2014, his family left occupied Donetsk for Sviatohirsk. When the frontline approached there as well, they had to evacuate again, this time to Kharkiv.
Earlier in his career, he was involved in civilian construction. But with the start of the full-scale war, he decided his experience was needed where far more was at stake. “If there is energy and heat, then there is life in big cities,” Oleksandr says.
Today, his working days are marked by constant danger. Kharkiv Oblast regularly suffers from shelling, and work on building physical protection and restoring facilities takes place literally to the sound of explosions.
“Once every 10 days there are very serious attacks. And on a normal workday, maybe half an hour or an hour without air raid alerts. So you keep running between the shelter and the worksite. But on the other hand — where is it easy now?” Here, risk is not an abstract concept but a daily reality. Sometimes the air raid siren and the first explosions sound at the same time. “There were cases when the shelling started simultaneously with the siren. We were running when everything was already burning and explosions were going off. So far, we’ve managed to reach shelter in time,” he recalls.
In addition to the constant danger, this year brought another challenge — a harsh winter. The freezing temperatures turned even shelters into an ordeal.
“We didn’t make it to a proper shelter in time and had to stay in a small concrete bunker. And the frost was so severe that after a few minutes you couldn’t decide what was better — to go out and run under fire to a warm room, or to stay where you were and freeze”.
Despite everything, Oleksandr tries to see hardships as a source of inner strength. “In the end, everything that stands in our way makes us stronger — and that helps us move forward.”
Another problem, he says, is the shortage of personnel. Not everyone is ready to work under such conditions. “It’s hard to find people willing to work like this. You explain everything, show them the site — they go home to think about it and never come back.” Those who stay face challenges that are not always obvious. The consequences of shelling are not limited to destroyed buildings.
Protecting and restoring critical infrastructure requires complex coordination, teamwork and resilience. It is about people who return to sites after shelling, again and again, to restart the recovery process.
Despite the losses, exhaustion, and danger, Oleksandr believes in the future.
“In the end, I believe everything will turn out for the better. Our energy system will become more modern; we will move away from megalomania. The ultimate goal is simple — people must have warmth and light. That’s what we’re working for”.