“Glad to hear from you… I have a couple of minutes, I’m kind of at work right now,” says 19-year-old Vladyslav – a courier for popular international delivery company Glovo, operating in Ukraine.
On Sunday, with his yellow backpack, he became one of the symbols of the day – a courier on his electric scooter bravely riding to complete deliveries amidst the flames and past the burning shopping and entertainment center near Lukianivska metro station in Kyiv.
On May 24, a Russian missile destroyed the mall in Kyiv. The photograph of Vladyslav speeding past the flames on his scooter during the attack became a symbol of Ukrainian resilience – of every person who, gritting their teeth, refuses to surrender to Russian terror and continues doing their job every day no matter what.
We managed to reach him while he was at work. Evening hours are usually pretty profitable for delivery services. He didn’t take a day off; he continues doing his job, and he treats his unexpected fame calmly.
Kyiv Post: Tell us, how did you end up there at that moment?
Vladyslav: Honestly, I was going to meet a friend at the train station, he had just arrived. It’s not far from there.
So, it wasn’t a delivery?
No, actually my delivery shift starts a little later.
But it was after the strike?
Yes, of course.
So, you knew where you were going, what you would be riding through?
Well, the shelling had already stopped by then… it was a little afterward.
Do you often have to work during air raid alerts? Isn’t it scary?
What can I say? Kyiv lives like this. Air raid alerts happen often here. And many businesses don’t close during alerts, so, it’s enough to work.
Aren’t you afraid to ride during alerts when there are reports that something is incoming? Have you ever had to deliver to critical infrastructure sites that could be targeted?
Living in these conditions… well, that’s life, so little by little you get used to it. But I haven’t had deliveries to critical infrastructure sites yet.
What did you feel when you saw yourself in the photo? Did your friends recognize you?
Well yes, they recognized me, started forwarding me messages. Of course, I was quite surprised.
Roughly speaking, how many orders did you complete that day?
Very few, actually, because I wanted to get a bit of rest after a difficult night, so I worked from around 9 a.m. until noon. Overall, I don’t feel tired from the work itself — I love what I do. But nights like that definitely make adjustments.
How long have you been working with Glovo?
I’ve been delivering regularly with Glovo for almost a year. Glovo is my main - occupation, and I dedicate as much time as possible to my work.
In your opinion, were there more or fewer orders that day overall? What did you notice?
People always order delivery, no matter what is happening around them. So there are always enough orders, regardless of the day.
Can you say that you feel some kind of gratitude from people? For example, after a day with a prolonged air raid alert and such a difficult night, does it feel like people value the work more, maybe express more appreciation?
I guess you could say that especially after difficult nights, people wish you a good day and a safe trip more often.