Life sometimes places accents very clearly, so that there are no doubts. For Volodymyr Avramenko, such a moment was 2022. It was then that he, leaving his usual life, voluntarily stood up for the defense of Ukraine.

Long before the war, Volodymyr knew how he saw his path. Since childhood, he was attracted to military affairs, he liked discipline, training, a sense of responsibility. An example was his father, who worked in the crime prevention department. Volodymyr himself went in for sports and does not hide: he dreamed of being a soldier or a policeman.
Before the full-scale invasion, he worked as a manager in the Epicenter chain, and was abroad for some time. But it was there, according to him, that he especially keenly felt that his place was at home.

“I realized that I wanted to be useful right here. Not somewhere, but in Ukraine,” he says.

Volodymyr went to the military registration and enlistment office for the first time voluntarily, right after the start of the full-scale invasion. Then he was told to wait for a call. He waited two months, but never received a call. So he returned a second time, and this time he was drafted.
At that time, he had a one and a half year old son. The decision was not easy, but for Volodymyr, it was an alternative.
In August 2022, he joined the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and began serving in the Airborne Assault Forces as part of the 77th Separate Airmobile Brigade. He underwent basic military training in the United Kingdom, after which he was sent to the Bakhmut direction, one of the most difficult at that time.
It was there, in 2023, while performing a combat mission, he received a mine-explosive wound to his right leg. The evacuation lasted almost four hours, it was an exhausting and difficult path, which became the beginning of a new stage of the struggle for his own recovery.
Ahead of him were treatment, rehabilitation, prosthetics, and a gradual return to a full life.

The new stage began unexpectedly – through sports. During veteran competitions, Volodymyr met an adaptive volleyball coach who suggested that he try himself on the team. The captain of the team was veteran Yevhen Savchenko, who had already worked at Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs.

Volodymyr and Yevhen underwent rehabilitation and prosthetics together, understood each other well without unnecessary words. It was Yevhen who later suggested that he try himself at the university.
“When there are people nearby who have gone through a similar path, many things become easier. You are not left alone with this experience,” says Volodymyr.
That is how he joined the team of Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs. Today, Volodymyr Avramenko holds the position of Deputy Head of the course at the ERI No. 2.

He admits that he has something to compare himself to, because he also worked in the civilian sphere. But it was here that he felt a different attitude, more understanding, support, and trust.

“Here, you don’t have to explain anything. People understand what you’ve been through. And most importantly, they give you the opportunity to move on, work, and develop,” he says.
Adaptive sports occupy a special place in his life. Sitting volleyball has become not only a physical activity, but also a way to return to a full-fledged life.
“Sport helps a lot. It’s communication, a team, and internal discipline. You feel like a part of something again,” Volodymyr shares.
He considers the opportunity to pass on his experience to young people to be no less important. After all, live communication with veterans forms a true understanding of service, responsibility, and the value of life.
His story is about choice and endurance. About a path that was not easy, but was honest. And that even after the most difficult trials, you can find new support in business, in people, in moving forward.