Veteran Oleksii Kachko: “All my best friends are either died or captured”

He defended the country as part of the Azov Regiment in 2015. Received a military disability status and was able to overcome a difficult path from a young unemployed veteran to a successful entrepreneur, owner of eight coffee shops. In 2022, he took his wife, two dogs and his whole life out of Mariupol in one car and once again stood up to defend the country from the Russian invaders. Now the man is fighting in one of the hottest spots in his native Donetsk region, concurrently opening the Veterano Coffee cafe in Cherkasy.

“We are discharging tasks near Bakhmut, and now I have just come back after a mission. I came to bathe and sleep. But let’s talk now because I don’t know when such an opportunity will arise again. This is the best time,” says Oleksii at the beginning of our conversation. His voice is sincere and cheerful, but with a touch of military-like fatigue.

A pension certificate at the age of 20 is not a death sentence

Oleksii Kachko, 27, was born and grew up in Mariupol. He was educated at an industrial technical school and belonged to football ultras. 2014 was the year of important decisions and the beginning of struggle for the then 18-year-old Oleksii.

“I was on the Maidan. It was extremely important to me. Then came Russia’s occupation of the territories of Donetsk region, Luhansk region and Crimea. I could not remain indifferent to such events. In 2014, I joined the ranks of Mariupol self-defense. But I would not call it a military formation, we didn’t see a 'real’ war then. In 2015, I joined the Azov battalion, which later became a regiment,” Oleksii says.

In 2016, Oleksii was dismissed from service due to health issues, the man became disabled. He recalls his moral and psychological state at that time, which is probably familiar to other veterans: “I was at a loss. I did not know where to work, what to do. I contacted the employment center, but they couldn't help me either. It was very difficult to work in Mariupol. At that time, I had no education other than technical. I had neither experience nor profession. Plus, having health problems, it was difficult for me, really difficult.

Three or four months of searching and depression... You are young, but you have a disability. Also, they gave you a pension certificate. It all overlapped. All this put a lot of moral pressure on me.”

The 20-year-old veteran received government disability benefits during the war and realized he had to use the funds to create a job for himself. Oleksii decided to open his own business. He had no examples of ordinary workers running a business in his family, so he turned to his brother for advice.

“My friend, who at that time opened a restaurant in Mariupol, introduced me to the guys from Veterano Group. After talking with Leonid Ostaltsev, I realized that I could start with a small coffee shop. I'll tell you honestly: opening a coffee shop is very simple,” laughs Oleksii. “But to open it qualitatively is a completely different matter. It all started in 2017. At first, I studied everything, even worked without days off for the first three or four months. Then I gradually began to hire employees and develop. Before long, as they say, I was 'off and running.’ I started opening other coffee shops in Mariupol.”

Before the full-scale invasion, Oleksii had eight coffee shops and two pizzerias. Business developed because the veteran invested profits in new restaurants. Oleksii was sure that it is necessary to work while there are energy and opportunities.

Losing a home and rebuilding a business

Oleksii admits: he was sure that the Russians would attack Ukraine. “I had this understanding since 2014. There was only one question: when? Everything became clear when they began to recognize these quasi-republics. I tried to get into the Azov Regiment at that time, but I was denied due to my health. They said that there will be other tasks for me. I continued to work. We didn't shut down, we didn't want to spread panic. I knew that Azov would fight for Mariupol to the end. But at that time I did not understand the big picture, that the enemy would be in such a rush…” the veteran says, recalling the days leading up to the full-scale invasion.

On the morning of February 24, the Russians began to hit Mariupol with rockets. There was not enough time to make decisions. It was necessary to act. So Oleksii closed the institutions and was ready to defend his native city.

“I urgently needed to resolve the issue of family evacuation. I couldn't find anyone to send my wife and two dogs, American Staffordshire terriers, with. So I had to carry them myself. We got into the car and left Mariupol: me, my wife and two dogs. Our whole life fit into the trunk. We were no longer at home,” says the veteran.

Oleksii found shelter for his wife and two pets in the city of Uman. There he coordinated activities with fellow Azov veterans who were also planning to go to Mariupol. The defenders marched in a column to the capital, where they were to be joined by other volunteers and veterans.

“Events unfolded very quickly. Mariupol was surrounded and already in the first days of March it was almost impossible to get there. Plus military operations in the Kyiv region were taking place. Our commanders from the former residents of Azov decided to keep the defense of the capital. That's what we did. At first, they fought together with their comrades as part of the Azov territorial defense unit, then they became the Azov-Kyiv special operations unit and later reformed into the 3rd separate assault brigade," Oleksii explains.

The 3rd separate assault brigade took part in combat operations in the Zaporizhzhia region, in the liberation of the Kherson region. Now Oleksii and his comrades are fighting for Bakhmut. This is impressive and inspiring, but even at the front, the veteran does not lose his entrepreneurial passion and, together with his wife, plans to open the Veterano Coffee cafe in Cherkasy.

“The Ukrainian Veterans’ Fund helps us in this. We are used to analyzing everything and developing a rational approach. My wife saw the results of the first #VARTO (Worth) program: people from our Veterano Group family received grants. We created an application, submitted it to the #VARTO 2.0 project competition and received a good result and funds for a coffee shop. I will say frankly: it is difficult to organize and restore business like this,” Oleksii admits. “I’ve been at war the entire year, and it's difficult. Much information about manufacturers and prices is not available to me now. There are other difficulties. But my wife helps, and we are confidently moving towards our goal: opening a cozy coffee shop in Cherkasy. Now the premises are under renovation, and the designers are working on the project.”

Living in a peaceful country

Having lost his business, home and usual life, Oleksii is stubbornly moving forward, against all odds and for the sake of his family. He is defending the country in the east while remotely writing a new page of his life in the center of Ukraine, rebuilding a coffee shop. This is one of the examples of Ukrainian indomitability. However, Oleksii does not deny that he is tired. And sometimes this fatigue is the only thing a warrior feels.

“I really want to sleep,” laughs Oleksii. “Sometimes this is the only feeling. Seriously, my feelings are emptiness, there is nothing. There is no regret or pain. They will probably come back when I return from the war. I somehow counted my personal losses: people, years of life, money, all these moments. If to analyze it, I should be depressed because of it. However, I cannot because I have many friends in captivity. Best friends. All my best friends are either dead or captured. All these problems, difficulties with the fact that there is no home, lost business... It's all so insignificant compared to when you call your sister's wife and say: 'That’s it, he's gone.’ This hurts, everything else is so trifle... But we stand, we stand.”

The veteran wants all Ukrainian territories to be liberated, and the Russians to pay reparations. When asked if he dreams of going to his native Mariupol, Oleksii starts to ponder. This is a difficult question for him.

“I want to go home, but I don't have it. Where to return to? To a ruined city? No home, no friends, what to do there? There is no infrastructure. It is not my business to deal with recovery, I am fighting. Let those running abroad from military summons rebuild it. I just want to live after the war. Live for myself in a peaceful country…”

Read this article in russian and Ukrainian.