From model and half-dancer to military medics and terrorist defense: the story of Ukrainian defender Ivan Gonzik

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine showed how united and strong our nation is! While in our country 11-year-old children are trying to sign up for the terrorist defense, and half-dancers put on uniforms and take up arms, no one will ever defeat us! Ivan Gonzik told Vogue about how he decided to change his profession.

At the age of 26, this is the second war for Ivan Gonzik. In 2015, after graduating from the medical college in Genichesk, he signed a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine and worked for a year as a military doctor in the ATO zone, near Bakhmut. When the contract ended, the guy moved to Kyiv and went into creativity: he became a make-up artist, worked in modeling and was engaged in poledance. But on February 24, the war returned to his life again.

Unfortunately, the pandemic made adjustments to my life – for a certain time, beauty salons did not work at all, and I had to return to medicine in order to provide for myself. Therefore, on February 23, I was at the military registration and enlistment office – we understood that there would be a war. I wanted to become a military doctor in a hospital, but due to bureaucratic nuances, it didn’t work out, and I went to the Troop, signed a contract, and on 24 I just packed my things and came to headquarters. Now I am the deputy head of the medical unit.

Ivan shared.

I am a military man in the reserve – it is clear that, first of all, it is us who are being mobilized. Yes, there was an opportunity to leave the country in the first days, many invited, and no one especially kept men in the first days of the war. But I do not see in this sense – to run somewhere. Here I will be more useful – so I stay.

The guy admitted that it is difficult for many to get rid of the stereotypes associated with his past professions. Someone even thinks that Ivan joined the ranks of the defense for the sake of PR:

A few days ago I made a collage and posted it on Instagram. On it are two of my photos, as if from different lives. In the photo on the left I am in an artistic image, in heels, it shows that I am fond of pole dance. And on the right – I’m in military uniform. Frankly, I did not think that the photo would cause a real explosion on Instagram – but thousands of people shared. Now I’m already thinking: did I do the right thing? For many reproach that I did it for PR, to attract attention. But it’s not. I just compared 2 radically different images in which I feel harmonious. When someone writes on social networks “The army made a man out of you”, I feel stupid. Hey people, I’m comfortable this way and that! In the photo, both on the right and on the left – it’s me!

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