On 25 June, the War Museum hosted a meeting with Vadym Shypulin, a veteran of the russian-Ukrainian war, company commander of the 17th separate motorised infantry battalion of the 57th separate motorised infantry brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine named after Kostya Hordiyenko Ataman.
Vadym was born in Tbilisi, Georgia. When he was a child, he moved to Ukraine with his family. He graduated from Oleksandrivka secondary school in Kalanchak district, Kherson region. He graduated from Kherson State Agrarian and Economic University.
In 2015-2016, he served in the ATO/JFO forces, took part in the battles for Bakhmut, Chasiv Yar and Kramatorsk. After a short break, he continued his military service in the Armed Forces under contract until 2023. He was wounded three times during the fighting in Luhansk and Kherson regions. He was awarded the Order for Courage, II and III degrees. “Vadym Shypulin is a man of honour and strength, thanks to people like him, Ukraine can live, work and create”, Oleksandr Bilous, a head of the World War II Research Department, said.
Vadym retired from military service for health reasons with the rank of junior lieutenant. Since then, he has been actively involved in public activities: he is a Head of the Military Security Trade Union of Ukraine in Odesa region, deputy chairman of the board of the NGO Bezbarierni, and a Deputy Director of the Municipal Guard.
Vadim Shipulin paid special attention to the topic of barrier-free and inclusive society. He emphasised: “Ukrainian society should be prepared for the fact that a large number of service members with serious injuries will return from the war, and we need to be able to interact with such heroes. It is not the veterans who need to integrate, but society that needs to adapt to veterans”.
The participants of the event joined the frank conversation. One of the guests asked what role national museums play in reintegration programmes for participants in the russian-Ukrainian war. Answering the question, Vadym Shipulin noted the important mission of the War Museum in organising cultural events for veterans.
The guest presented the Museum with special artefacts: a stone with a rune (amulet) created for him by his comrade-in-arms and a winter jacket he wore during the defence of Bakhmut.
The War Museum is sincerely grateful to Vadym Shipulin for the meeting and his significant contribution to the struggle of our people against the russian occupiers.
