Vlasov_and_puppies
Valerii "Schumacher" Vlasov: Originally from Bila Tserkva, near Kyiv, Valera, a former Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) soldier at the time, was working at a casino when he was drawn to become an active participant in the Revolution of Dignity (Euromaidan), driven by a desire to do something purposeful with his life. In April, he attempted joining multiple volunteer battalions to join in the fight against the Russian-backed insurgency in eastern Ukraine, and by August joined an Armored Personnel Carrier team with two other volunteers in the Aydar Volunteer Battalion, where he helped liberate and defend towns and villages in the Luhansk region until 2015. Not content with the “peace life,” he joined the 72nd Brigade of the UAF in 2018, where he continues to serve on the frontline of the war presently. Read excerpt from Valera's story