When Russian tanks rumbled menacingly across the border into Ukraine just in the early hours of the morning on 24 February 2022, Eldar Agayev was in Coventry – with little prospect of any sleep.

The computer science student’s worst fears were realised as it became clear that Putin’s invasion had begun. Through snatched conversations with his family at home in Ukraine, Eldar learnt his country was in turmoil.

Eldar received a series of messages during the night from his girlfriend, who was living in Ukraine: “I asked why she was awake?” She responded: “I heard explosions.”

News coverage began to confirm his worst fears: this was a full invasion, and the situation was escalating dangerously.

Fearing for his family and friends, Eldar spent the evening glued to 24/7 news, concerned they would soon lose internet access. After a sleepless night, Eldar withdrew all the money he could from his Ukrainian bank account, assuming it would shortly be frozen. “All I wanted to do was help, but I didn’t know how. I felt so powerless. I texted my Ukrainian friends to warn them before they woke up.”

Reports from US sources in the preceding weeks had predicted an invasion was increasingly likely. Eldar and his family however were less convinced it would happen:

“I didn’t want to believe it. I didn’t believe it until it happened. I had university work to do, but I couldn’t think about that. Even after, we were still reluctant to believe it was a full-scale war”.

His family in Kyiv told him about their plan to escape the city but didn’t get far before spotting approaching Russian soldiers. Trapped, they headed back to Kyiv in despair.

Eldar didn’t sleep for over 72 hours as he feared for his family’s safety. He was desperate to help but when he was so far away from home there seemed no obvious way to do so.

And then inspiration struck. Eldar realised the best way he could show his support would be to use the computer science skills and digital expertise he had learnt as a student at Warwick to help his fellow Ukrainians.

“My first project was to provide mental health support for Ukrainians. You have no idea how stressed we were, not knowing whether they or their families would survive. The messages were some of the most disturbing things I have ever read. There was no access to medical support in some areas of Ukraine. So many people reached out, including pregnant women experiencing bleeding and not knowing where else to turn”.

The ‘Mental Health Support’ chatbot supported over 6,000 people, utilising the expertise of volunteers with a background in medicine or mental health. There were almost a dozen people responding to messages from Ukraine, with many speaking of suicide. This evolved into providing physical health support, addressing injuries, and providing virtual medical information.

Sensing the war was only in its infancy, Eldar turned to gathering support in the UK for Ukraine. He founded the ‘Ukrainians at Warwick’ society, working closely with 18 other Ukrainian groups from other British universities including Oxford, Cambridge and University College London.

In October, Eldar met the Ukrainian ambassador in Manchester, signing a memorandum with Ukrainian societies across the UK. The society protested at Warwick, joining with other Eastern European societies to condemn the invasion.

“We protested at Warwick and received an incredibly positive and supportive response from the University. We’re very grateful for all the support Warwick has given us. For socialising and support, we’ve now created a West Midlands connection of Ukrainian student organisations, and regularly meet with those from Coventry and Birmingham”.

One year on, Eldar’s family is out of immediate danger, with his mother now safe in the UK. He continues to plan events for the Ukrainians at Warwick society, beginning with a high-profile panel discussion at the University. He is confident he will soon be able to return home.

“The first thing would be to see my family and friends and then get back to work – I have to help rebuild Ukraine”.

Eldar is the founder and president of the Ukrainians at Warwick student society, and a third year computer science and business studies student.

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