On the eve of Easter, cadets of Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs took a day away from their usual activities and joined baking bread and fragrant snails. Instead of classrooms and training, we work with dough, which requires patience, attention, and team interaction. All this is for the sake of those who are recovering from injuries today.
The masterclass was organized by the Security Police Department in collaboration with the university, held at the ‘Podilskyi Remisnyk’ bakery in Vinnytsia. There, the cadets not only saw how bread is made, but also took part in the process themselves – from kneading to baking.
Head baker Oleksandr Semeniuk started with the basics – explaining how sourdough works and why proportions are important. Instead of waiting for the dough to rise, they used ready-made sourdough so they could get straight down to work. The cadets quickly got stuck in: each received a piece of dough weighing around 550 grams and learnt how to shape their future loaf correctly.
“It’s easier to take a gun apart than to bake bread or make a snail form of it,” smiles first-year student Bohdan Ivashchenko.
He says that becoming a law enforcement officer was a dream he shared with his father, but one he had to realize on his own. His father was killed in 2024 near Kupiansk.
“I really wanted to walk this path together” the same graduation, the first epaulettes, the oath… I really wanted to. But it happened as it happened,” he says.
Despite the new experience and certain difficulties, the atmosphere in the bakery was warm and lively. The cadets helped one another, joked and listened attentively to the baker’s advice, understanding that this was not just training, but part of a major initiative.
The master class was held for a charitable cause – to support wounded soldiers in hospitals. The organizers wanted to give them not just food, but a sense of the warmth of home.
First-year student Maria Leibuk, who also lost her father – he was killed in Donetsk region – joined the initiative.
“It’s important for me to be part of this support. My dad gave his life for Ukraine, and I want to help those who are currently fighting and recovering,” she says.
Once the dough had risen and the oven was properly heated, it was time to bake. A few deft movements, and the shaped loaves were inside. Half an hour later, we took the golden, fragrant bread out of the oven.
The cadets will deliver the freshly baked loaves and rolls to the wounded defenders. As a symbol of support, gratitude and warmth, which can be conveyed even through the simplest of things.
