Vadym photographer in Rome now helps civilians in Ukraine
AGI – Vadym Moroz, 36, before finding himself helping his Ukrainian compatriots was a photographer for eleven in Rome, a city to which he is still inextricably linked. He lived on the Via Cassia, in a house where he was unable to return and in which, he assures him, he will still visit since he has “some bureaucratic and administrative procedures to attend to”. He found himself in Ukraine during the pandemic and since then, although he has tried, he has not been able to return to Italy. Now another, different, emergency forces him to stay in Ukraine.
In an interview with the AGI, he explained that he currently works in the service of the population, especially helping civilians who want to leave the country. “Right now I’m in Chernovtsy – he begins in perfect Italian – and I’m working through the internet to help people”. Before reaching Chernovtsy, however, he was in Odessa, one of the cities most affected by the conflict.
“On the 24th in the morning, around 5:00 am, I heard the first shots. My house started shaking, I woke up because of the strong vibrations, I couldn’t find out what it was. Then I heard 4 shots of Molotov cocktails, I thought that the windows would break. Then something happened every day. After three days I moved to join my parents. For the moment – he continues – I am working as a civilian, I mainly help people who want to move abroad. I am also looking for contacts in Italy and Germany for the purchase of bulletproof vests and helmets that the boys at the front need. We are organizing a group to provide aid from these points of view “.
Women and children are trying to leave the cities. “Old men want to stay – he continues – despite their age, they want to help. All people are doing what they can”.
“Every day news arrives that strikes inside. At the front, fighting with the Russian army, many people are dying. In the resistance there is also the thought of enlisting, but having never picked up a weapon I am trying to exploit the mine. I use the internet, computer equipment, make contacts. All this to help as many people as possible “. “Go back to Rome? – he concludes – If everything ends soon and I have the permit, yes, I will return to the city, but I don’t know if it will be possible. There are many things that I have not been able to finish, including banks and documents. Even the permit to living room. Here I also have an Italian car, the one I arrived in. “
In Chernovtsy he also met a fellow countryman who left the Eternal City to enlist: “who would have thought that – he says – until recently we were in Rome to rejoice and work. But this time there were no happy moments or our activities. We have not slept for several days listening to the noises above our heads. We have returned to the cities where we were born. “
“Innocent people – concludes Vadym – are dying for no reason. We are all very united, and this is our strength”.