Participant of the Regional Competition "Young Person of the Year – 2025" in the Nomination "Heart Given to Donetsk Region" Serhii Abdulayev
I, Serhii Abdulayev, was born in 2011 in the urban-type settlement of Velyka Novosilka. Since 2017, I have been a student at Velyka Novosilka Gymnasium, which also includes a primary school.
With the start of the full-scale invasion, my family, like thousands of other Ukrainians, was forced to move to a safer place, specifically to the Lviv region, where I continued my studies online.
Despite my young age, I am actively developing my talents. Since 2023, I have been playing the electric guitar and attending the Music School of the Velyka Novosilka Village Council, in addition to having previously taken up dancing and drawing.
For the third year in a row, I have been participating in school, regional, national, and international concerts and competitions, both as a solo performer and as a member of the family band "Suvenir," along with my grandmother, Sofiia Leonidivna Karnach, and my mother, Olena Hennadiivna Abdulayeva. Our repertoire includes Ukrainian songs and songs of the Azov Greeks, which we perform far from our native home, thereby preserving and popularizing the cultural heritage of the Donetsk region.
Despite all the difficulties, air raid sirens, and shelling, the "Suvenir" band and I constantly participate in charitable concerts aimed at raising funds for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. For example, we have performed in the villages of Torhanovychi and Nedilne in the Lviv region, as well as at the charity festival "Ukraine Begins with You" in the city of Lviv.
My diligent work has been recognized with commendations and diplomas for my participation and assistance in holding charity festivals, for my initiative, fruitful creative collaboration, preservation and development of culture, and for setting an example for the younger generation. However, my main reward is the realization that I am not standing by idly, but actively participating in charitable events to help our defenders!
I am proud to live in Ukraine – the most beautiful country in the world – and I believe in our Victory! My heart, given to the Donetsk region, beats in unison with the heart of all of Ukraine every day.