Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs employs people who have gone through the most difficult trials of the war, suffered injuries, but have not lost the main thing - strength of spirit, dignity and the desire to be useful to the state. They returned from the front and are already working in a new role - next to those who are preparing to protect the law and the safety of citizens. Each veteran has a special story.

Among them is Serhii Rachynskyi, senior inspector of the Personnel Department of the ERI No. 4. Serhii learned about the possibility of employment at Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs on the official website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. The advice of a fellow student who also planned to join the university team finally convinced him.
In 2003, Serhii Rachynskyi graduated from Kamianets-Podilskyi Military Institute, received an officer's rank and devoted himself to military service. He served in Bolgrad, Mykolaiv, Kremenchuk. During 2018-2021, he participated in the anti-terrorist operation.

With the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, he returned to the army. At first, he held the position of platoon commander, later became deputy chief of staff. For him, it was not a matter of choice, but an internal duty - to be where he was most needed.

In the summer of 2023, during the battles near the village of Robotyne in Zaporizhzhia - one of the key defense nodes in the southern direction during the counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine - Serhii's unit performed a combat mission to clear positions. It was then that he was injured by a mine and lost his leg.
After that, a difficult stage began - rehabilitation, adaptation to life with a prosthesis, finding his place in the new reality.
Today, Serhii Rachynskyi works in the team of Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs.

“After an injury, the most important thing is not to let yourself break down. You need to look for a new support, a cause, a new meaning. For me, working at the university was such a step. Here I feel that I am needed, that I can be useful and move on,” says Serhii Rachynskyi.

The team accepted him with respect and support. He quickly adapted to the new conditions and continues to live an active life. Outside of work, he plays sitting volleyball, participates in competitions with his peers, proving that real strength is not only in physical abilities, but primarily in the indomitability of the spirit.
“I don’t like unnecessary words. You just have to do your thing – honestly and responsibly. If you can be useful, then you have to work and not stop,” he says.

On New Year’s Eve, another important event happened in Serhii’s life – he met a loved one. And this is also about returning to life, about trust, about the ability to build a future again after everything you’ve experienced.

His story is a story of indomitability. Despite loss, pain, and difficult trials, he retained courage, inner strength, dignity, and the strength to start over. Serhiy is an example of how, even after the most difficult trials, one can not lose oneself, but find new meaning and confidently move forward.