During his naval career, Ihor circumnavigated the world 9 times.

But the border seaman exchanged world travels for military service. On the eve of the full-scale invasion, the man returned from a flight to his family in his native Odessa. Already from the first days of the full-scale war, he joined the ranks of the territorial defense, and the other day he swore allegiance to the Ukrainian people as part of the 23rd detachment of the marine guard.

"In civilian life, I was a cook. Therefore, he immediately understood his place in the army. I have been in the kitchen since 2009. He graduated from a culinary school, worked as a sous chef in a fashionable restaurant. Then he changed the restaurant to a galley. "I used to go around on tankers and dry cargo," says Ihor.

The man says: "Odessie without the sea is not Odessa." Igor's father was once a military diver, so diving is a family hobby. But even after immersing himself in incredible places around the world, he still remembers his native Crimea and dreams of being involved in the liberation of the peninsula.

"During 12 years in the civil navy, I became convinced that my life is the sea and the galley. Experience helps to prepare healthy dishes from a small set of products. I understand my responsibility to my brothers. Dishes should cause delight and appetite. A cook is an inventor. My profession is a constant search for a recipe for human joy," says Igor.

After the victory, he promises to prepare his signature forshmak and dumplings.

We welcome Igor to our big military family! We wish to perform military duty with dignity, maintain a zest for life and wield a personal weapon as masterfully as a chef's knife.