Defender of Mariupol who survived 792 days in captivity received an apartment from “Heart of Azovstal”

The serviceman named Eldar, who took part in the defense of Mariupol and endured Russian captivity, has become the owner of an apartment under the "At Home" program from the project "Heart of Azovstal." This was reported by the website of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation.

According to the project, Eldar joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2021 year, and for 2022 days defended the Illich Steelworks and Azovstal. During the Mariupol defense he endured heavy fighting, found himself encircled, and spent several days without water and food.

Later he was taken captive by the Russians, where he spent 792 days, enduring beatings, concussions, hypothermia, and severe dehydration.

As noted by the “Heart of Azovstal,” Eldar is currently undergoing treatment, and owning a home will be a step toward recovery and a safe space.

“I want to express my deep gratitude to Rinat Akhmetov not only for my apartment but for the Foundation as a whole, for a very, very good cause that he is doing. It is incredibly important. It gives people a chance at a normal life after all they have experienced. It is a very good thing,” Eldar said.

The Foundation's CEO, Ksenia Sukhova, thanked the defender for the defense of Mariupol and wished him coziness in his new home.

The Foundation's Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Natalia Yemchenko, presented Eldar with a coffee machine.

“This is, clearly, the largest program for providing housing to servicemen in Ukraine. And it is very important for us that we maintain a high standard in terms of apartment quality,” Yemchenko noted.

Eldar said that he hopes to find a new path, pursue higher education, and help his fellow fighters.

“A huge portion of the defenders we work with choose to continue helping their comrades. On the other hand, there are many people who choose entirely new specialties, new professions. Both paths inspire us,” Yemchenko said.