Mykolaiv
The Story of Sergey Shakhrai
Plans and dreams are on hold

In a life that now seems far away, Sergey enjoyed the tranquillity of his city, Mykolaiv, strolling through its parks, going to the movies, or having barbecues with friends. He tells us that he also likes to travel, especially to other neighbouring Ukrainian regions such as Odesa that - prior to becoming a target of Russian attacks - was a beautiful coastal city in the south.

Like many others, Sergey had plans to succeed, "Recently, I was saving money to buy a car, in fact, I love watching YouTube videos about new car reviews, and I wanted to travel with my wife and our 5-year-old son to the Netherlands”. Educating his son and starting a business were two of his long-term life projects.

"Before I started the day with my deliveries, I had coffee every day with my courier friends in the city, but now we can no longer enjoy this moment because Glovo does not currently operate in Mykolaiv."

A taste of "normality" for mental distraction

"I woke up amid sounds of explosions, I couldn't believe it. I immediately saw the speech of our president and started packing documents, money, and other essentials."

Sergey still lives with his family in Mykolayiv, they have not moved. They have not left their apartment as he confesses that the safest and biggest shelter is really far from his residence.

Day-to-day life is not easy, and he confesses that during the day the city is alive with people going about their usual business, something that helps to distract thoughts about the war. Yet, everyone is on alert, always feeling the stress, with the body anticipating what might come.

"At night the explosions of Russian attacks bring you back to reality, and you start to think how close they are or if they will reach your house. Sometimes I watch videos on the internet or put on funny old movies to stop thinking about the war for at least a few minutes."

Thanks to all couriers in Ukraine

Yurii, Sergey, Serhij, Bogdan & Oleksiy are five out of many couriers in Ukraine who, on a daily basis, bring hope to those who open the doors of their homes or wait for them in metro stations to get their medicines. Today we get to know them a little closer, in their most personal side, like the city eyes that never stop looking.

person braking the bike