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San Antonians band together to help people of Ukraine

Through donations of medical supplies and money, the Alamo City has come together to help.

SAN ANTONIO – On March 10th, less than a month after the war in Ukraine began, Makxym Povemenkiy’s life changed.

“His son was crushed with these concrete plates that the firefighters couldn’t remove by hand physically without special equipment,” Makxym said via Zoom, speaking through a translator.

Makxym shared how his 15-year-old son Ivan was crushed by concrete walls after Russians allegedly bombed the fire station he and others were taking shelter in.

“His right leg below the knee, there was an open break of the bone. The left leg was completely crushed,” Makxym said. “His left hand, the palm of his skin. The skin was completely peeled off that you can see the tendons on his palm.”

When they were able to free Ivan, he was rushed to a hospital and then was transported to Poland as he waits to come to the U.S. for further treatment.

“His condition is not stable. So he’s not able to travel to United States. So right now, he’s stuck in Poland,” he said.

Makxym and Ivan’s story is among thousands more in Ukraine and has inspired people here to give back.

“It’s going to be a little bit more than $300,000,” Olenka Bravo, co-founder of Ukrainian San Antonio, said.

“The people of San Antonio donated over $17,000 to send for medical supplies to Ukraine,” Liliya Colston, a Ukrainian advocate said.

Ukrainian San Antonio and the Ukrainian Society of San Antonio have hosted multiple medical supply drives and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to send directly to the people of Ukraine and buy needed supplies.

“We bought mini ultrasound for hospitals. We sent a lot of funds to feed people. We send a lot of funds for medical emergencies kits,” Bravo explained.

While the number of donations has slowed since the start of the war, people and businesses here have continued to offer support.

“Every time when we see, like ‘we stand with Ukraine’ or people giving us money or people who don’t know us, they like giving us thousand dollars. We cry,” Bravo said.

“I would say even magical because so many people responded with kindness and so many people showed their support,” Colston said.

There are more opportunities to help.

Ukrainian San Antonio is hosting a medical drive on Monday from 9:15 a.m. until 3:15 p.m. at UT Health San Antonio located at 7703 Floyd Curl Drive.

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About the Authors
Leigh Waldman headshot

Leigh Waldman is an investigative reporter at KSAT 12. She joined the station in 2021. Leigh comes to San Antonio from the Midwest after spending time at a station in Omaha, NE. After two winters there, she knew it was time to come home to Texas. When Leigh is not at work, she enjoys eating, playing with her dogs and spending time with family.

Gavin Nesbitt headshot

Gavin Nesbitt is an award-winning photojournalist and video editor who joined KSAT in September 2021. He won a Lone Star Emmy, a Regional Murrow, a Texas Broadcast News Award, a Headliners Foundation Silver Showcase Award and 2 Telly Awards for his work covering the deadly school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

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