Without doubt, books, articles, and studies will continue to be written about Ukrainian volunteerism, adding to those that already exist. In 2014, the powerful surge of national volunteer activity came as a revelation even to Ukrainians themselves. People from every walk of life joined in — from teenagers to pensioners—and, of course, countless artists became the driving force of this movement.
With the outbreak of war in Donbas, many sought their own way of helping their homeland. Oleksandr (Oles) Klymenko, already engaged in icon painting, offered his works at a charity auction. The benefactor who purchased one of his icons invited the artist to accompany him to a volunteer battalion, to which the icon was to be presented as a regimental image, in keeping with Cossack tradition.
At the unit’s base, Klymenko noticed ammunition boxes whose lids and bottoms bore a striking resemblance, in size and texture, to the wooden panels he used for icons. The idea of creating a sacred image on the very packaging of war emerged almost at once. The first was an image of the Virgin Mary.
Naturally, there were doubts about reconciling form and content. Yet after seeking counsel from clergy, Klymenko received support from priests of various denominations. After all, every penny from the sale of these unique works was intended for a righteous cause.
The main recipient he chose was the First Volunteer Mobile Hospital named after Mykola Pirogov (PDMH) — the largest non-governmental initiative mobilizing civilian doctors to provide medical care in the conflict zone, founded in 2014. The hospital’s “precursor” had been volunteer medical brigades offering first aid to the wounded during the Revolution of Dignity.
Over the years, the PDMH has aided tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians. When Klymenko’s contributions to the institution exceeded six million hryvnias, he stopped counting. He simply continued working — tirelessly. Soldiers brought him ammunition-box lids from Pokrovsk and Kupiansk, Kharkiv and Bakhmut, Kyiv and Kherson.
He worked alongside his wife, Sofiia Atlantova. Their art transforms death into life not only symbolically but in reality: icons are sold, and the proceeds fund doctors who save lives. Together, the couple has presented their project in dozens of cities worldwide. Icons painted on ammunition boxes have become one of the symbols of Ukraine’s struggle against tyranny and darkness.
“I do not want this war, nor do I want this project”, Oleksandr Klymenko said in an interview. “But it exists because it is needed now, because it resists evil, because, in the words of J.R.R. Tolkien: ‘We do not choose the times; we can only decide how to live in the times that have chosen us”.
Los Angeles
