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Project stories 5. Mountains and a Man’s Strength: from Soldier to Rescuer

Project stories 5. Mountains and a Man’s Strength: from Soldier to Rescuer

07.01.2026

Let’s explore another story from the “Project stories” series – a collection showcasing the people who implement projects or benefit from their results.

Each story highlights individuals, places, and actions that – with the support of the Interreg NEXT Poland – Ukraine 2021-2027 Programme – bring lasting improvements to the daily lives of border region residents and enhance the experience for visiting tourists. We hope these stories will inspire new cross-border initiatives.

Enjoy another inspiring story!

Danger and hardship have never frightened Oleksii. He has always led an active lifestyle: since childhood, he trained in sports clubs and went on mountain hikes. As an adult, he chose a military career and devoted 26 years to service. Yet his love for the mountains has always stayed with him. Even during his studies, Oleksii organised hikes for his classmates. And when he retired from the Armed Forces, he did what people who cannot stay still usually do – he looked for new challenges. He completed mountain guide training at the NGO “Association of Mountain Guides ‘ROVIN’” (beneficiary of two projects funded under Poland–(Belarus)–Ukraine Programme) and led groups across the Carpathians. Later, he learned about the formation of mountain rescue units within the project implemented by the Association.

Oleksii became one of those who rush to help people who get lost, exhausted, frozen, or injured in the mountains. He knows the Carpathians well and understands the dangers they may conceal.

The Carpathians may seem like relatively safe mountains: they are not very high and appear gentle. But this impression is deceptive. Every year, hundreds of tourists find themselves in dangerous situations, and many cases end in tragic fatalities.

Search-and-rescue operations involve both state rescue units within the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SES) and volunteer rescuers. Interestingly, mountain rescuers work not only in the mountains: they may also be involved in search operations in lowland areas because they possess advanced search methodologies and skills, and they can perform height-related tasks, including work on buildings. And of course, they are ready to provide first aid when needed.

The war changed Oleksii’s life – he once again joined the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and took part in combat in the East. In extreme situations, both his professional military training and rescue skills proved invaluable.

I realised that people who had experience similar to mine — or had at least learned something on their own, practised tourism, or hiked in the mountains — were far more resilient than others. You can see it immediately.

After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the issue of safety and rescue took on a new meaning. Even in so-called rear areas, people die from explosions and shrapnel, and the scope of rescuers’ tasks is constantly changing. Upon returning home, Oleksii became the head of a national-patriotic education centre for high school students. There are 15 such centres in Lviv. Besides working with children, these centres also conduct safety training for local residents and administrative staff. Oleksii is not only a rescuer now – he also shares his knowledge with others.

I believe that everyone should have a basic understanding of how to act in an emergency, and rescue skills are simply essential. We live in a time when danger can occur anywhere, at any moment, to anyone. Often, the most effective rescuer is simply the person who happens to be nearby — and it’s good if they know how to react. First aid is something everyone should know. Even in my close circle, there are people who lost loved ones because they didn’t know how to provide help.

Oleksii is also undergoing training within the Interreg PL-UA RescueFirstAid project, aimed at strengthening mountain rescue teams. Representatives of the State Emergency Service and volunteer rescuers study alongside him. Ukrainian rescuers are learning to work under wartime conditions, respond to new threats, and use modern equipment purchased under the project. One newly developed tool is an information system with the mobile app “Poriatunok” (“Rescue”). Having the app on your phone allows you to send a distress signal during an emergency simply by pressing the smartphone screen three times. Rescue services instantly receive the exact coordinates of the person in trouble.

I saw how the app works — how the signal arrives at the control center, how information reaches all levels, how the service responds. It can be used not only in the mountains but also during building collapses. Rescuers receive not only the person’s location but also information about chronic illnesses and even how much battery life is left on their phone.

Oleksii is satisfied with the high level of training delivered by Polish and Ukrainian instructors within the project, as well as with the opportunity to practise everything on training models. He says that he immediately shares the knowledge with others.

The idea behind the RescueFirstAid project was to learn how to implement new technologies, adopt European experience, and then share this knowledge further so that everyone who completes the training passes these skills on to their colleagues. This way, four times more people receive knowledge than physically attend our trainings. In Oleksii’s case, the number is even higher — because he teaches hundreds of children and adults. He also helps popularise the ‘Poriatunok’ app and trains people to use it. This is what we are doing now — says Ivan Horbatsio, project coordinator.

Oleksii Sopilko
Oleksii Sopilko