Disabled Kyiv man who was rescued from building hit by missile needs help
When Russia launched its large-scale missile attack on Ukraine on 2 January, an apartment building in Kyiv’s Solomianskyi district was destroyed.
Among the survivors is 62-year-old Oleh Hontarenko, who has been disabled since birth. Oleh is 1.05 metres (3 foot 4½ inches) tall, reported journalist Nataliia Nahorna.
Now Oleh needs help because his car and most of his belongings went up in flames. His apartment was the worst-hit – all that could be retrieved were some clothes and his crutches.
Quote from the journalist: "You’ve probably seen photos of Oleh Hontarenko being rescued on social media. Rescue workers carried him in their arms out of his devastated, smoke-filled apartment. Oleh is alive and well. However, he used to use a car to get around. That was his 'legs'. There is nothing left of the vehicle."
Oleh was having breakfast in his room when the Russian missile hit the courtyard.
"That saved him, because the epicentre of the blast was right under the kitchen windows," wrote journalist Olena Rovenchuk. "Oleh spent almost an hour under the rubble of the destroyed building. Everything around him was on fire.
He couldn't get out on his own, although he tried several times to climb over the mountains of debris from furniture, concrete, glass and other things. Rescue workers pulled him out, and most of you have seen that rescue."
Oleh is currently in hospital, but he has no home to go back to.
"What concerns him the most is how he will manage without a car, because he says it was his 'legs'. He has had bone problems since birth and struggles to walk. After his mother died, he was left completely alone with his brother, and his specially equipped car became his ticket to the world.
He used to go to the shops, the cinema, the theatre, wherever he wanted. Oleh is very sociable and told me that his greatest fear is of being isolated, without contact with other people," Olena adds.
Oleh has started a fundraiser for new housing. Anyone who wishes to contribute can do so using the bank details provided by Nataliia Nahorna.
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