Our editors spoke more than once with Dmytro Kaladzhiev, an architectural consultant of the Reynaers Aluminum company. Together, we participated in many professional meetings, turned to him for comments on architectural innovations, talked about the aesthetics and functionality of the expressive means of the architectural "language" - facade structures and glazing.
Today it is rare to see Dmytro at his usual workplace in the office - he protects his native country. And other topics for conversation appeared: about thoughts and experience, about the confrontation seen during these months. His energy, as always, is strong and optimistic, and you can feel it in every answer.
Nine years of war and Ukraine's struggle for a peaceful future, which after the full-scale invasion of Russia on our land on February 24, took a more complicated and bitter turn. This new time requires a lot of effort from many of us. Only a turn of the hand on the clock of history, and an entire eternity — for every Ukrainian.
Dmytro Kaladzhiev recalls the past: ten years ago, until 2014, he worked as a regional manager of Reynaers Aluminum in Donetsk and Luhansk.
"Most of the people I met then were extremely hard-working, but at the same time politically inert Ukrainians. There are many of them in my native Dnipro. After 2014, most of them evacuated their businesses or were forced to leave them. But there were also individuals who called and said: "Bite it, Khokhly, now we are in Russia!". The thought that Donbas and Crimea would have to be returned by force was illusory at the time and constantly chased away."
Despite the fact that the times have already begun to be difficult, with the move from Dnipro to Kyiv six years ago, the architect was exposed to the largest and most interesting projects in Ukraine and abroad. Almost all thoughts were devoted to his family - his beloved wife and daughters, the happiness of working and building a family became the guiding impulse in life.
With the move from the Dnipro to Kyiv, the largest and most interesting projects in Ukraine and abroad opened up to the architect
"Regarding the civil position, I was almost the only one in the company who stopped communicating with colleagues from Russia both on a daily basis and during international meetings. Sometimes it turned into conflicts. At that time, for this, some employees considered me almost an extremist, which is not guided by the high standards of tolerance of a European company," recalls Dmytro.
On February 24, Kaladzhiev says: even after the first reports of the bombing, it was clear without a doubt that Russia had gone on the open offensive. "I made sure that my wife and children had everything they needed. The decision that they stay at home was not easy, and I trusted my wife's feelings, she turned out to be right."
Dmytro Kaladzhiev: "The first thought that arose then was to do everything to keep the enemy at bay, to push them away from the city where your family is. And the thought that you became a part of the resistance of the whole country comes later and inspires"
Dmytro spent Thursday evening in line with the recruiter at the TRO.
He explains his thoughts and choice at that moment as follows: "The decision to join the Armed Forces was exclusively his own, almost selfish. The first thought that arose then was to do everything to keep the enemy at bay, to push them away from the city where your family is. Therefore, it seemed logical to go to the Teroboron, especially to me, as a completely civilian person. And the thought that you became part of the resistance of the whole country comes later and inspires.
Dmytro Kaladzhiev's longtime hobby was and still is artistic photography. His eyes were used to seeing beauty even in difficult military conditions. Photo: Dmytro Kaladzhiev, wartime, 2022.
My father supported my decision, for which I am very grateful to him, by the way, he also stayed at home, although he has the opportunity to go abroad. My wife steadfastly overcame the shock and is still holding strong in the conditions of wartime, which causes my immense admiration."
“Many colleagues have shown support, some of them have already volunteered and offered to help, but luckily we were provided the best way possible, so instead they were able to help those who really needed it. For some specific tools, such as demining cats, I turned to a partner from former projects. He gladly and qualitatively fulfilled them in the amount that was enough for an entire battalion!" Dmytro recalls.
Dmytro Kaladzhiev: "In the professional field, you have goals in front of you, and you can often determine the means of achieving them arbitrarily. There is less freedom in the army of freedom, however, ideas are also welcome here."
Talking about the scope of his powers, Kaladzhiev says: the most stormy events for him are now behind him, they were the defense of Kyiv and the construction of fortifications in the surrounding areas. With his inherent optimism, he calls the current service in the air defense chain a "resort", compared to the front line, where comrades risk their lives every minute.
"Although the responsibility for my actions is also felt quite a bit," he shares.
According to the architect, the communication system and performance of tasks in the military service are different from the way he had to act before: "In the professional field, you have goals in front of you, and you can often determine the means of achieving them arbitrarily. There is less freedom in the army of freedom, however, ideas are also welcome here.
Most of the commanders I have met value and involve the individual abilities of each soldier and are an outlet for creativity, for example, in the construction of fortifications and the arrangement of field life. In general, the briefings, training, brotherhood and mutual support in the Armed Forces help to quickly become an organic member of the team. I don't tend to get used to anything, so it wasn't difficult to rebuild myself."
Photo from the personal archive of Dmytro Kaladzhiev, wartime, 2022.
"Maintaining fighting spirit is the easiest, because the truth is on our side. And when there is spirit, the rest is easy: I saw here officers who were cleaning the toilet while chanting, and soldiers who were arguing about which of them would better equip the dugout, - says Kaladzhiev. — The most difficult thing nowadays is to be separated from one's family for a long time. Everything else is the little things that are arranged well in the modern army: food, living, free time - everything is enough."
A question that is heard quite often now, and which has been raised by public figures, public speakers, and consulting psychologists, is addiction to war. Is it an expected, defensive human response to unfolding events, or something that debilitates us, is it good or bad. According to Dmitry, it is difficult for him to think about the psychology of addiction, he does not feel it or is not aware of it.
"When there is spirit, and the rest is easy: I saw here officers singing to clean the lavatory, and soldiers arguing over which of them would better arrange the dugout"
War is terrible in the ordinariness with which it plunges into a world of loss and destruction. It is impossibly far from any aesthetics, but we remain human, and the essence of each of us is creative. This is probably the most human, deep grain inherent in a normal personality. It is this in us that resists destruction, helps us to feel a connection with a reality higher than the war, to remember what inspired us before it and what will be revived after it.
Dmytro Kaladzhiev's longtime hobby was and still is artistic photography. His eyes are used to noticing beauty, distinguishing its elements from the surrounding reality.
He himself says about it like this: "Looking for a composition around is probably something of a habit since the academy. And finding her is really a small pleasure."
Photo from the personal archive of Dmytro Kaladzhiev, wartime, 2022.
Dmytro Kaladzhiev: "Looking around for a composition is probably something of a habit since the academy. And finding her is really a small pleasure."
In the part of the story about the past years and the move to the capital to work in the main Ukrainian office of Reynaers, Dmytro mentioned: since that time, he and his family managed to visit many really impressive places in Kyiv region and all of Ukraine.
Digging dugouts up to 3,5 meters deep or clearing hundreds of meters of trenches, he managed to see and experience both familiar and new places in a different way. Dmytro says that he was lucky here as well: he did it outside of combat operations and had the luxury of admiring the picturesque fields and meadows surrounding the positions while on guard. Even now, Dmytro Kaladzhiev is in different parts of Ukraine, during field training in tactics, sapper work, and takmed, in which he regularly participates.
Photo from the personal archive of Dmytro Kaladzhiev, wartime, 2022.
Architect, architectural expert, photographer - to the existing creative sides of Dmytro Kaladzhiev's personality, another one was added, and it became active precisely during the war. He creates satirical comics for the "evil of the day", about events that "touched" him. There was a place in this satire for the image of the enemy. Now there are about twenty works, and it seems that they are becoming more and more popular: before talking with Dmytro, we saw these sketches in the publications of Telegram channels and social networks, however, we had no idea who their author was.
"Bowl prize" comic. Author: Dmytro Kaladzhiev
"The idea of a comic arises from a strong emotional experience of some news or as a means to release excess emotion»
Sketch "Fawn". Author: Dmytro Kaladzhiev
"The idea of a comic comes from a strong emotional experience of some kind of news or as a means to vent excess anger and emotion. Limited means and field conditions initially suggested a primitivist style, and that's how it went," explains Dmytro Kaladzhiev about his works.
Reynaers Aluminum is a Belgian company with sixty years of experience, whose innovations and arsenal of solutions have revolutionized the world market of facade systems more than once. The Ukrainian office of the company continues to work in war conditions, maintaining a staff of more than 100 employees. The mobilized employees (because it is not only Dmytro at Raynars) receive financial support, they are expected at their workplaces as soon as peacetime arrives.
"Our Kyiv office has more than once created and implemented unique ideas for the company, we even introduced several innovations for the entire market of facade systems," says Dmytro Kaladzhiev. — Oddly enough, even during the war there are brave customers who finish and even start new projects. From time to time I have the opportunity to consult them thanks to the powerful online tools that we have created in advance with access via smartphone. As for innovations, one gets the impression that during the war in Ukraine, Europeans as a whole slowed down a bit with new developments, and perhaps the "ghost" of covid is also hovering. I can't know more about the company's life and plans, because at the moment my attention is focused on the horizon."
Dmytro Kaladzhiev: "I don't just believe in success, I know about it, I know about real opportunities that we should not be ashamed of"
Dmytro notes the great support of the company, despite the cancellation of mandatory payments to mobilized employees in the country: "I appreciate it very much, it gives more opportunities to purchase specific equipment and donations for the needs of the army." Kaladzhiev has devoted many years to work at Reynaers, he is deeply immersed in professional specifics and after the victory plans to resume work exactly where he was forced to stop.
Reflecting on what will happen in our country later, after the end of the war, the architect notes: he does not just believe in success, but knows about it, knows about the real opportunities that we should not be ashamed of.
"I am sure that the victory will be an impetus for the brilliant revival of Ukraine. Glory to Ukraine!".
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