Former Assault Trooper of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Appointed Head of the “Future” Foundation: How Will This Change the Organization’s Volunteer Strategies?
Former Assault Trooper of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Appointed Head of the “Future” Foundation: How Will This Change the Organization’s Volunteer Strategies?
At the beginning of 2025, veteran of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleh Zahrebelnyi, was appointed as the new director of the Maybutnye Charitable Foundation. Since the onset of the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO), and later the full-scale invasion, the Foundation has been assisting Ukrainian soldiers and their families. According to the Foundation’s press service, this leadership change is connected to a strategic adjustment of its volunteer operations, aiming to better align the organization’s work with the new challenges facing the country.
Oleh Zahrebelnyi was born in the Cherkasy region on September 26, 1985, but for many years lived and worked in the city of Dnipro, including as an employee of the KSG Agro agricultural holding. At the very beginning of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, he enlisted in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He first served with the 118th Territorial Defense Brigade, followed by the 108th Assault Battalion “Da Vinci Wolves” — one of the most effective and professional units in the country. Zahrebelnyi later continued his combat service with the 93rd Mechanized Brigade, a unit with a long and storied history. The brigade bears the honorary name “Kholodnyi Yar,” in tribute to the Ukrainian region known for its legendary insurgents. As a member of a machine gun platoon, Zahrebelnyi took part in the counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region and fought in Bakhmut and Vuhledar. After sustaining injuries incompatible with further military service, he was demobilized.
Given his military and life experience, Sergiy Kasianov, Chairman of the Board of KSG Agro and concurrently the Chairman of the Board of the Maybutnye Charitable Foundation, invited Zahrebelnyi to join the organization.
“We didn’t choose Oleh to lead the Foundation by chance,” explained Sergiy Kasianov. “The Foundation, which was established back in 2004, has been systematically supporting our soldiers since 2014 — providing combat units with food, medicine, and building materials. We also offer financial assistance to the families of fallen soldiers. Since 2022, we’ve been actively helping Ukraine resist Russian aggression through a wide range of social programs.”
More than 40 employees and volunteers of the Maybutnye Foundation have joined efforts to supply the front line with everything necessary: protective gear, food, medical kits, radios, power banks, fuel and lubricants, clothing, footwear, and more. In cooperation with the German-Ukrainian Society of Orthopedic Surgeons and European clinics, the Foundation has also begun delivering wheelchairs, hard-to-find medicines, and medical supplies to hospitals and military clinics—resources that have saved the lives and health of hundreds of wounded soldiers.
According to Sergiy Kasianov, 2025 is a very difficult year for the country, but no matter how hard it gets, Ukraine has no right to turn its back on its heroes.
“For our assistance to be even more effective and targeted,” Kasianov emphasizes, “we must truly feel our brothers-in-arms, the army, and its needs with both heart and mind. Oleh Zahrebelnyi is exactly that kind of person. From the very start of the full-scale invasion, he has been defending our country, going through incredibly difficult trials.”
Kasianov noted that the appointment of a new director marks a strategic shift in the Foundation’s volunteer efforts, making them more attuned to the military’s frontline needs. The first stage of this shift is supplying military units with modern night vision devices. Applications for such equipment are already being processed, and the first batches are currently being prepared for delivery to the troops.
“Right now, my capabilities as a soldier are limited,” said Oleh Zahrebelnyi. “But I’m grateful to the Maybutnye Charitable Foundation for the opportunity to continue serving my country through other, civilian means. For example, we’re currently sending night vision devices to the 92nd Separate Assault Brigade named after Koshovyi Ataman Ivan Sirko. At this very moment, the guys are holding the line in the Kursk direction, defending the borders of the Sumy region. Our support will definitely make a difference for them.
I know from experience how dangerous it is to be in a night battle when your vision is limited. I used to rely on my comrades to cover me. It’s equally important that our soldiers can rely on those who remain in the rear and continue to remember and care for them.
I invite everyone who cares about the future of Ukraine and its armed forces to join our mission,” Zahrebelnyi concluded.
Website of the Maybutnye Charitable Foundation.