“This Is a Foundation for a New Life”: Mariupol Defender Serhii Dobychа Receives His Own Apartment from the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation

Mariupol defender Serhii Dobychа received the keys to his own apartment under the “At Home” program, implemented by the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation in partnership with the “Heart of Azovstal” project.

Serhii was born in Berdiansk and joined the military in 2020. When the full-scale invasion began, he defended Mariupol. During one of the enemy’s attacks, the serviceman suffered a broken leg. Later, his unit was redeployed to the Ilyich Metallurgical Plant. The soldiers made several attempts to break out of the encirclement, and during one of these attempts, on April 17, 2022, Serhii was taken prisoner. There, he went through hell: constant physical and psychological abuse. While in captivity, his shin bone was broken, and he suffered injuries to his spine and chest.

After 22 months in russian captivity, the defender was released in a prisoner exchange. To help Serhii and his family begin a new stage of life after everything they had been through, he was given his own apartment. Now he has a home of his own — a place where he can build his future and recover.

“On behalf of our family, I would like to thank Rinat Leonidovych Akhmetov for supporting families and everyone who needs help, for the real assistance and support he provides to military personnel. Thanks to your Foundation, I am studying and working, and now I also have a home. Thank you very much,” says the defender.

Returning to civilian life became a real challenge for Serhii. After returning from captivity, even everyday tasks were difficult for him. That was when he decided to become a psychologist to help his fellow servicemen, and “Heart of Azovstal” supported him and helped him acquire a new profession.

“Our boys and girls are expressing a desire to become post-traumatic growth trainers. It is very important that our heroes want to help one another. We will definitely carry this philosophy of post-traumatic growth forward, provide them with such an opportunity, and train them so that all our defenders receive the support they deserve,” said Ksenia Sukhova, CEO of the Foundation.

Tetiana Kukhotska, Secretary of the Supervisory Board of the “Heart of Azovstal” NGO, also wished the defender happiness in his new home. She emphasized that the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation team seeks to do everything possible to ensure that the apartments provided to defenders are fully ready for occupancy, so that families can move in immediately and feel comfortable.