“After Captivity, I Want to Start a Family”: Defender of Mariupol Oleksandr Nahovitsyn Receives an Apartment from the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation
08.10.2026
Thirty-three-year-old defender of Mariupol Oleksandr Nahovitsyn has received an apartment through the At Home program, which the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation implements together with the Heart of Azovstal project.
Oleksandr is a native of Odesa. He served in the National Guard of Ukraine and was a military doctor. During the defense of Mariupol, he worked alongside his fellow soldiers at the Mariupol garrison, at the Illich Iron and Steel Works and Azovstal, and at the port. At the frontline, he was not only a serviceman but also a doctor who saved the lives of his fellow soldiers. Operations had to be performed without electricity and under shelling. Blood transfusions were carried out in field conditions.
Oleksandr himself was wounded several times. He sustained mine-blast injuries, concussions, and acoustic and blast-related injuries. In April 2022, he suffered multiple shrapnel wounds to his body and limbs. That same month, he was taken into russian captivity, where he spent a year.
After returning to Ukraine, Oleksandr continued his recovery. The war and captivity have had a significant impact on his health: pain in his body still sometimes keeps him awake at night. At the same time, he decided to help other defenders. After captivity, he trained in another specialty – physical and rehabilitation medicine – and now helps his fellow soldiers recover and return to an active life.
After everything he has been through, the defender’s greatest wish is to start a family, and he now has his own apartment to do so.
“I want to thank Rinat Leonidovych and the team he founded for not abandoning us, soldiers like us. For showing that we are needed. This is very important to us. I am deeply grateful to you,” the defender says.
The certificate and keys to the apartment were presented to Oleksandr by Tetiana Kukhotska, Secretary of the Supervisory Board of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation. She wished the defender happiness in his new home and emphasized that having a home of one’s own is not simply about four walls, but an opportunity to build one’s future there.
“I convey greetings from our founder, Rinat Akhmetov. It is important to him that the assistance he provides is useful. You are our hero, a person who helped his fellow soldiers even while in captivity, who continued to provide medical care and continued to do everything possible to preserve the health of his fellow soldiers,” Tetiana Kukhotska emphasized.
The At Home program provides apartments for defenders of Mariupol with Group I and Group II disabilities. Having a home of their own is not only a solution to everyday needs for them, but also an important part of the path toward post-traumatic growth – returning to a fulfilling life after combat and captivity.
