By Olha Chepil | 2025-11-25

War does not care how old its witnesses are. Across Ukraine, children have stepped into the role of volunteer, raising money for service members and civilians caught in the conflict.

In Kyiv, 13-year-old Valeria Yezhova has collected more than 220,000 hryvnia (about $5,400) for Ukrainian troops. When Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, her grandparents were trapped under occupation. After the liberation of Bucha and Irpin, the family reunited, and Valeria wanted to thank those who made it possible.

"I said to her, 'What do you do best?' She said, 'Play checkers.' That inspired the idea of using the game to raise money," her mother, Liubov Yezhova, told Kontur.

'If I win, you donate'

Valeria turned her skill into a fundraising challenge: If opponents beat her, they owed nothing. If she won, they could donate any amount they wished. She set up her first table outside a Kyiv supermarket in summer 2022.

"The first time we brought a table and a checkers game. I went to go shopping and she sat down next to the entrance. When I got back, there was a line of people waiting to play with her," Liubov recalled. "Valeria raised around 1,200 hryvnia [$28] that day."

Soon Valeria was playing almost daily on sidewalks, outside stores and in parks. Her best day brought in 15,000 hryvnia ($352). Organizers began inviting her to charity fairs and tournaments, where she now plays to support specific brigades.

She's not just a local phenom. Valeria has amassed more than 100 medals and holds Ukrainian, European and world titles.

"Valeria has more than a hundred medals, so many it's hard to count them. She's the European champion for her age group and the 2023–2024 world champion for youths under 19," her mother said.

But Valeria says her greatest reward is helping those on the front lines.

"I remember when some wives brought a video of service members thanking me. One of them even gave me flowers after he got wounded, when he had prostheses put on. It was very moving," she told Kontur.

She continues to play whenever she can and joins charity tournaments around the country.

A roadblock

When the invasion began, Maksym Bevz was 7. First one grandfather went to war, then the other, then his uncles. Maksym wanted to contribute.

In fall 2022, he built a small roadblock in the neighborhood courtyard and named it "24 Bulls," a tribute to Ukraine's 24 regions. Now 11, he stands there several times a week, stopping cars and passersby to ask whether they want to support the military.

"He gives people who donate a little bracelet or a sticker," his mother, Olena Bevz, told Kontur. "He makes the beaded bracelets himself as a thank-you."

Since launching his project, Maksym has raised more than 88,000 hryvnia (about $2,150) for service members. His volunteer work doesn't stop at the roadside. He visits troops recovering in hospitals, bringing sweets, talking with them and taking walks around the city.

"I work in the surgery," Olena said. "He often comes to visit our guys to provide moral support."

For his birthday, Maksym asked for no presents. Instead, he collected donations to help a soldier who had lost an eye.

"Maksym said, 'He has a baby coming soon, and I don't want it to be scared of its dad.' We donated 31,000 hryvnia [$727] for prostheses," Olena said.

Outside his volunteer work, Maksym studies music, plays guitar and domra and enters races to support Ukrainian troops.

"This isn't a game for him," Olena said. "This is something he does with his whole heart."

From loneliness to a dream

The war uprooted 16-year-old Sophia Ogagifo, who fled Kyiv with her family to Switzerland. The adjustment left her isolated.

"I was crying constantly and not talking to my family at all. I just stayed home all the time and thought about my home in Kyiv and my friends," she told Kontur.

When her senior class required each student to design a project, Sophia decided to build a papier-mâché model of the AN-225 Mriya, the iconic Ukrainian cargo plane destroyed by Russian forces in Hostomel.

"From the very beginning I decided that I would do something related to Ukraine. I wanted to call attention to the war and show a symbol of Ukrainian resilience," she said.

She collected newspapers, shaped the model, glued layers of paper, painted it white and added the markings "Antonov 225" and "Mriya."

In her presentation, she told her Swiss classmates about Ukrainian children who had lost homes and parents. She encouraged them to donate to the Voices of Children foundation, which had helped her cope with loneliness and depression. She now hopes to sell the model to raise more money.

"There are kids who have lost their parents and homes, and families who have been divided. I think counseling is crucial for them," she said.

Sophia dreams of returning home when the war ends.

"I'm not just someone who left and is hanging out abroad. It's important to me to show that I'm from Ukraine, that my country deserves support and respect, and that Ukrainian children are a huge asset," Sophia said.