The Life Story of Ukrainian Veteran-Hero Vitaliy Oleksandrovych Mizin
Ukraine is grateful to these heroes!
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YUSUF INAN - INTERVIEW
The Life Story of Ukrainian Veteran-Hero Vitaliy Oleksandrovych Mizin
Interview with Yulia Mizin, the Wife of Ukrainian Hero-Veteran Vitaliy Oleksandrovych Mizin:
Yusuf Inan: Yulia Mizin, may we get to know you? Could you introduce yourself?
Yulia Mizin: My name is Yulia, and I am almost 31 years old. I am the mother of two sons and the wife of a resilient man, Vitaliy. By profession, I am a psychologist.
Yusuf Inan: Can you tell us about your husband, Vitaliy Oleksandrovych Mizin?
Yulia Mizin: My husband is a lieutenant and the commander of an artillery battery platoon in the first self-propelled howitzer artillery battalion. Before the war, he made furniture and worked as a taxi driver for a while.
Yusuf Inan: What position did your husband hold in the Ukrainian Armed Forces?
Yulia Mizin: His main duty in the Ukrainian Armed Forces was to train his battery and prepare them for combat operations. He had to set up their living conditions and organize everything for their deployment. Unfortunately, a deadly missile hit their barracks, and none of his platoon survived... It’s very painful and difficult. Every night, my husband closes his eyes and relives the horror of that event... Nearly a year has passed since that tragedy, but he still sees the screams of his soldiers, the fire that burned him, and the flashes...
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Yusuf Inan: When and how was he injured?
Yulia Mizin: It all happened on May 17, 2022, at 3:00 in the morning. Everyone was resting and did not have time to react to the air raid signal...
My husband told me that something woke him up (as if it was a call), and seconds later, he felt debris falling on him. Suddenly, he fell into the basement with his bed and tried to free himself from his sleeping bag and remove his clothes because he saw the fire!
He understood that the fire was coming for him, and it did... He found a place amidst the rubble where there was access to air, which saved him. He sat under a concrete slab supported by an iron bed, breathing the incoming air. But the fire approached and burned his entire body...
I can’t fathom how he endured such pain when half of his body was burning. His right arm and leg were so burned that the hospital staff was afraid to move him for fear his bones would crumble...
It’s simply unimaginable... His head was burned down to the scalp... Several ribs were burned...
When my husband could no longer bear the pain, he prayed for it to end... And you won’t believe it! At that moment, water poured over him.
The rescuers started extinguishing the fire! Vitaliy had hope that he would be saved!
When they pulled him out, he managed to say my phone number and name before losing consciousness for five long days.
Yusuf Inan: Can you tell us about the treatment and rehabilitation process?
Yulia Mizin: When I heard this over the phone, I was home alone with our boys!
Our older son was seven years old then, and the younger one was only two months old. For two days, I stayed at home, calling the hospital every hour.
The doctors answered in sad voices, saying his condition was extremely critical and unstable. When they told me on the second evening that his condition had worsened, I had a breakdown, screaming and crying throughout the house. I was terrified we would lose him. That night, I decided to go to Kyiv with our two children and my mother, where my husband was hospitalized.
I went there without knowing where we would stay or how we would solve our problems. But I knew we had to be near him! I posted about our tragedy on my Instagram, asking for help from anyone who could assist with housing.
Kind people provided us with a free apartment where we lived! Every day, we were at the hospital with our dad.
I was allowed into the ward for a few hours.
I was endlessly happy to see him alive! But it was so painful to watch his suffering...
It was terrifying for a long time, and only after four months were we told that the worst was over and he had escaped death’s grip!
Yusuf Inan: In which country is your husband being treated?
Yulia Mizin: We are currently undergoing treatment in Finland. We are grateful to the country and the doctors who saved him and for the excellent care they provide to our entire family! Many people support and help us! We are very grateful for everything!
Yusuf Inan: How did you meet your husband?
Yulia Mizin: We lived in Cherkasy, Ukraine! We loved traveling, spending a lot of time together, and going to the forest, beach, and nature every weekend!
In total, we have been together for 11 years! We met at a picnic with our mutual friends in 2012 and have been inseparable since! Vitaliy courted me persistently and charmingly, always bringing flowers! We started living together in a dormitory as students.
In our fifth year of study, we found out I was pregnant! We got married! Our first son, Ivan, is our heart and support! He has always been wise beyond his years, even as a small child. And now, we have our little Danilo, who is almost a year old! Ivan helps us with everything! He is now “daddy’s hands”!
Everything that requires a man’s touch at home, Ivan does, guided by his dad! He also takes care of me when I am tired and need rest!
Yusuf Inan: Could you tell us more about your family?
Yulia Mizin: Our family is a team! Together we are strong!
I always encouraged my boys to interact peacefully and harmoniously without yelling and arguing!
There is no one else in the world more dear to us than each other!
We only have each other, so we deeply feel the support and strength of our family!
I love my husband immensely and trust him in any situation!
When he needed such help and support, I took full responsibility, no matter how hard it was... it was necessary!
I knew that
Yusuf Inan: Your husband is in the hospital, and you have two children. What have you gone through?
Yulia Mizin: Our future is in our hands! My strength was activated, and for half a year, I was like a steel lady!
Nothing hurt, I was active and energized for all of us!
I didn’t even know where I found the strength!
The whole time I was breastfeeding our little one!
Even though I spent a lot of time with my husband in the hospital, my mother always stayed with the children and fed the baby with my stored breast milk!
Yes, after an exhausting day, I would pump milk at night and freeze it!
During the first months when we were still in Ukraine, my mother and our sons waited for me outside the hospital, it was summer...
Late at night, we would return to the apartment.
That’s how we lived then!
Yusuf Inan: How do you cover the treatment expenses?
Yulia Mizin: All my acquaintances who learned about our situation asked for my card number and helped financially!
Some people asked for the clinic’s address where my husband was and brought money directly there, along with new clothes for the children, a scooter for the older son, and a stroller and toys for the younger one!
People supported us incredibly!
Maybe that’s where my strength came from!
Because we were never left alone with our trouble!
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Yusuf Inan: What has the Ukrainian government done?
Yulia Mizin: Our government reviewed my husband’s case and sent us to Finland for treatment! The Future for Ukraine Foundation helped our family travel with Vitaliy, taking care of the organization and expenses!
Yusuf Inan: What kind of assistance does your host country offer?
Yulia Mizin: Finland accepted my husband into their clinic as a Finnish citizen and provided everything necessary!
We are here as refugees. We were given an apartment to live in!
We are happy to be together! We thank everyone who is with us in our lives!
Those who pray with us, who are close by, who are far away but thinking of us! Thanks to the doctors who treat us with respect, provide the best care, and share jokes and smiles with us!
Yusuf Inan: What do you think about Turkey?
Yulia Mizin: Where we currently live, there are several women with children who fled Turkey after the earthquake...
It is not just a tragedy; it is national mourning and fear.
I feel deeply for everyone who was there, under the rubble...
because my husband was also under the rubble and in flames on May 17, 2022.
I feel deeply for every mother, child, and old and young person! For broken families and lives...
May God bless you with salvation and a prosperous life!
For our Ukrainian people, I wish the same!
Yusuf Inan: What do you think about this process?
Yulia Mizin: Additionally, I hope for peace and tranquility on our land!
Ukraine did not want to take anyone’s territories!
We were happy on our land and aspired to improve, reform, and build our Ukraine!
Our president, Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy, was on the right path! And we are succeeding even now!
But millions of people, innocent civilians, are dying from Russian missiles...
Millions of families will never see their loved ones again...
just because Putin wants more territory... Why, to create his utopian dreams?!
Better to use that money spent on missiles for food, clothing, and aid to our land and his land.
Our country needs help! We want to live and build our land!
Our defenders gave their lives for our freedom and independence!
Yusuf Inan: Your story is incredibly moving. How do you find the strength to carry on?
Yulia Mizin: I don’t know... Maybe it’s my deep love for my husband and children that keeps me going. I see their faces every day, and I know I must be strong for them. Our future depends on our unity and resilience.
Yusuf Inan: What do you wish for the future?
Yulia Mizin: I wish for peace and tranquility on our land! Ukraine did not want to take anyone’s territories! We were happy on our land and aspired to improve, reform, and build our Ukraine! Our president, Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy, was on the right path! And we are succeeding even now! But millions of people, innocent civilians, are dying from Russian missiles... Millions of families will never see their loved ones again... just because Putin wants more territory... Why, to create his utopian dreams?! Better to use that money spent on missiles for food, clothing, and aid to our land and his land. Our country needs help! We want to live and build our land! Our defenders gave their lives for our freedom and independence!
Yusuf Inan: Thank you so much, Yulia, for sharing your story with us. It’s a powerful reminder of the resilience and strength of the human spirit. May your family find peace and happiness.
This interview with Yulia Mizin, the wife of Ukrainian hero-veteran Vitaliy Oleksandrovych Mizin, provides a poignant insight into their struggles and the enduring strength of their family. It highlights the sacrifices made by those defending Ukraine and the importance of support from the global community.
YUSUF İNAN / ŞEHİTLER ÖLMEZ
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