Our colleague, environmentalist, herpetologist and serviceman in the 113th separate brigade of the Territorial defense (Kharkiv region) Andriy Tupikov:
Before the war, I was engaged in public activities, tried to resist violations of environmental legislation, engaged in anti-corruption activities in the environmental sphere, contributed to the development of nature reserves in Ukraine. I also collaborated with various scientists in various fields – ornithology, botany, mycology, ichthyology, etc. to study local biodiversity, in the preparation of red books, regional lists.
In 2020 I defended my dissertation in zoology. My specialization is herpetology, serpentology, that is, I study snakes. We did not manage to complete the latest international project to study the state of the steppe viper in Ukraine. As well as the project “Cadastre of nature reserves of Ukraine”. Together with the Ministry of Environment, regional state administrations and administrations of nature reserves, our team found out where the protected areas are, in what condition they are, we coordinated the borders on maps, searched for missing objects, raised issues that no one could solve for decades. Soon we planned to launch an open cadastre of nature reserves of Ukraine.
However, life has made its adjustments. On February 24, at 5 am, I had only 2 thoughts: how to save my wife and how to get to the military enlistment office quickly (transport stopped working at 9:00 that morning). There was no such thing as me sitting and thinking whether to go or not to go. I knew that I would definitely go to the territorial defense of Kharkiv. I was already in her ranks that day.
From about 1 pm to 10 pm on February 24, I stood in line at the personnel department at the military enlistment office. Due to the large number of people, the positions in the territorial defense were dismantled like pies and late in the evening I was offered 2 options: a driver and a cook. I believe that everyone should do something and it doesn’t matter what. I don’t have a driver’s license, so I decided to become a cook. However, I did not have to be a cook for a long time. In just one day, I had the opportunity to cook for several hundred people. The next day, as I already had a body armor, I was taken away as part of a group that was to go for 1 day to cover some positions of the Armed Forces. This 1st day turned into 20 days of Kharkiv’s defense in one of the most powerful areas. During this time, I became very friendly with my colleagues and decided to transfer to their unit. Now I am performing my duties in the ranks of 113 separate brigades of the the territorial defense, which, together with the Armed Forces, performs duties in the hottest areas of defense of Kharkiv and Donetsk regions.
I am engaged in providing everyone who needs it with engineering property, means of protection: from gas masks to positioning. And there is a need for almost everything. Not everyone has normal quality body armor, helmets. For example, there is a lack of digital radio stations. We are not yet able to meet all the needs of the Armed Forces: a very large request and very short deadlines. And communication is a very important thing. Such devices are very necessary, they significantly increase the effectiveness of combat missions and save the lives of boys.
My wife, mother, brothers and sisters are waiting for me at home, and it’s hard to imagine how many friends I want to hug. The younger brother, by the way, also defends Ukraine.
This spring I had a lot of scientific and other plans – field trips to study the habitats of the steppe viper, traditional records of the patterned snake in the Donetsk region and more. Again, huge plans to create a Cadastre of Nature Reserves of Ukraine. But I’m not planning anything new yet. I would have time to finish what I started …
Now I try to be as focused as possible on the quality of tasks here. And I will plan when we win!
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