A combatant, a resident of the village of Havrylivtsi, Kamianets-Podilskyi district, Oleksandr Kirilov, completed a theoretical training course at KhNUIA Driving School for People with Disabilities. He was born in Kirovohrad region, and from there in 2015 he went to serve as a volunteer in the ATO zone. Because he was a tank crew commander, he received the call sign “Tankist”. He remembers this period with difficulty - many friends and comrades were killed and captured, but this did not change his decision to remain in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine under a contract. The beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion found Oleksandr in the city of Popasna, Donetsk region, where while performing a combat mission he received a severe bullet wound through the neck. His right hand was not functioning, so he had to undergo several complex surgeries, as well as a nerve transplant, to restore at least some movement of the limb.

Oleksandr Kirilov learned about the Driving School for Persons with Disabilities from a representative of a public organization in Kamianets-Podilskyi that deals with the problems of combatants and their family members: “Our veteran community often communicates not only with each other, but also with public organizations and representatives of local governments. During one of such meetings, I was told that I could receive free training for category “B” at the Driving School for Persons with Disabilities. I really liked the way the theoretical course was conducted: the instructor explained the material professionally, simply and in an accessible way. I hope to successfully pass the exam at the Territorial Service Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the near future to start practicing driving.”