University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh student Vladyslav “Vlad” Plyaka is determined to honor and remember Ukrainian college students who died as a result of the Russia-Ukraine war.

When Vladyslav “Vlad” Plyaka, a UW-Oshkosh sophomore from Rivne, Ukraine, learned that a friend had been killed while serving as a drone operator in Ukraine’s military, he knew he couldn’t let his friend’s story fade into the background.

To honor his friend Kostiantyn “Kostia” Yuzviuk, 23, and shed light on the ongoing war, Plyaka, a double major in journalism and political science, spearheaded a powerful event at UW-Oshkosh, bringing together the voices of students affected by the conflict.

Ukrainian Student Stories: Three Years of Russia’s War in Ukraine, will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 26, from 5 to 7 p.m. in Reeve Memorial Union’s Ballroom.

Plyaka, 19, will tell the story of Kostia, who had spent much of his life fighting for Ukraine—first as a teenage activist during the 2013 Revolution of Dignity—later as a volunteer, and ultimately as a soldier defending his country from Russia’s full-scale invasion. He died on July 18, 2024, from injuries sustained while serving with the 117th Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Zaporizhzhia direction, Plyaka said.

The event, which is open to the public, will feature two photo exhibits—one focusing on Kostia’s life on the front lines and another titled, Unissued Diplomas, which honors 40 Ukrainian college students who lost their lives in the war. The Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership sponsored the event, and UW-Oshkosh student interns designed the exhibits and video podcasts. It is also supported by Wisconsin Ukrainians, a nonprofit organization working to raise awareness of the war’s impact.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to watch video podcasts that tell the stories of the Ukrainian students—Kostia, Plyaka and Iryna Levada, a UW-Eau Claire student from Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine.

“This project is an incredible example of student-driven civic engagement,” said Mike Lueder, director of UW-Oshkosh’s Center for Civic and Community Engagement. “Vlad and Kostia represent the truest forms of civic and community engagement. I hope UWO students and others who see their work and their sacrifices realize they too can make a difference on campus, in the community and beyond.”

For Plyaka, the war is not just a distant political conflict—it is deeply personal. On the morning of February 24, 2022, he woke up in his family home in Rivne, Ukraine, and discovered that his classes had been suspended indefinitely. Confused, he checked the news and saw that Russia had launched a full-scale invasion.

“I went downstairs and found my dad packing emergency supplies,” Plyaka recalled. “I asked him one simple question: ‘War?’ And he just said, ‘War.’ That’s when I knew everything had changed.”

In the weeks that followed, Plyaka and his family took shelter in their basement, hoping to stay safe from missile strikes.

“At first, it felt secure,” he said. “Then we realized the basement had only one entrance. If the house collapsed, we would be trapped with no way out.” They moved to the first floor, following the “rule of two walls”—positioning themselves between two interior walls to minimize the impact of potential explosions.

One night, Plyaka made the risky decision to sleep in his own bedroom on the third floor.

“That was a mistake,” he said. “I was awake late, playing on my phone, when suddenly there was a massive explosion. The house shook. A second explosion came, even stronger. I was frozen. My hands were shaking. I realized that at any moment, the war could take everything from me.”

Plyaka came to the U.S. on a student visa in August of 2022. He hasn’t been able to go back to Ukraine since because there is no guarantee he’d be allowed to come back to the United States.

“It is so hard to be in a safe place and see how my friends and relatives and my nation are being killed by missile and drone attacks,” said Plyaka, who plans to return to Ukraine after earning his degree to work as an investigative journalist. “In 20 years I want to be able to look my children in the eye and tell them that I did everything I could to ensure that they live in a peaceful and prosperous Ukraine.”

Plyaka’s personal experiences with war make his mission to share Kostia’s story even more urgent.

“Ukraine is paying its highest price in this unjust war, and that price is human life,” he said. “There are thousands of stories that remain untold. By telling Kostia’s story, I hope to inspire more people to become civically and socially engaged.”

Talking to Kostia’s family was one of the most challenging parts of organizing the event.

“It was extremely painful,” Plyaka said. “Every time I texted Kostia’s sister and his girlfriend, I had to carefully choose every word. I didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. It’s been six months since he died, and I don’t know if that’s enough time for their hearts to heal.”
Despite the emotional weight, Kostia’s family was supportive of the project.

“They were thankful and glad that I was working to keep Kostia’s memory alive,” said Plyaka, who first met Kostia at a volunteer event in Rivne. “His energy stood out immediately. One day, he was collecting money for the Army. The next day, he was evacuating animals from war zones. He was always helping others whenever he could.”

Kostia was rejected multiple times when he tried to enlist, but he persisted, eventually joining the military in 2023. He became a skilled drone operator with the call sign “Stambul,” working in some of the most dangerous conditions in the war.

“He believed in Ukraine’s sovereignty and died fighting for that cause,” Plyaka said. “Like many Ukrainian students, he made the ultimate sacrifice.”
For Iryna Levada, a first-year student at UW–Eau Claire, the war is just as deeply personal. She remembers the moment she realized how devastating it had become: when a classmate messaged her in April 2022, desperate for advice on how to console his mother after his father was killed on the front lines.

“He was only 16, the same age as me at the time,” she said.

Even from the U.S., she is constantly reminded of the war’s impact.

“I get texts from my parents about power outages, missile strikes near our home, and the sound of drones overhead,” Levada said. “At night, I have nightmares about losing them.”

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