For those of us living a ‘normal’ life away from the ravages of war, it’s impossible to believe the concept of losing everything we own. Our home, workshop and worldly possessions all gone in the blink of an eye.

Imagine how 75-year-old Ukrainian, Ilia felt when a Russian missile badly damaged his home and flattened the workshop where he keeps his beloved scooter. A machine he bought new when he was an 18-year-old lad back in 1965.

On the day of the attack, Ilia’s daughter helps him sift through the ruins of his home for anything salvageable. The area is devastated. Wreckage, shrapnel, bricks, concrete, twisted metal and fragments of his old life are scattered around the remains of the home where he lived for many, many years.

Not everything is ruined though, Ilia’s spirit and determination shine through. He’ll not be beaten by this unseen enemy. His home will be rebuilt. Somehow. That is at least some consolation. 

Lucky escape

Miraculously, Ilia’s undamaged scooter is pulled from the ruins, this vintage symbol of his life lives to serve its master. Ironically, the ‘Vespa’ is actually Russian-built. Neale Bayly, the two-wheeled roaming photographer who caught these images for us said “It’s a Soviet clone, the infamous Vjatka VP 150 produced in the USSR, which almost seems more fascinating than how a Vespa would have ended up in Ukraine.” Neale was in Mykolaiv on the day of the missile strike and told us “His neighbours said it’s been part of their life seeing the “old man” with his Scooter.”

As Ilia wheels away his pride and joy teenagers goof around with the new bullet holes peppering a nearby building. War isn’t all bad and comedy helps to heal wounds…
The old man stands defiant as he’s photographed by the press outside the tangled ruins of his workshop. It takes more than this to break his spirit.

Not even singed

Andriy, Neale’s Ukrainian fixer holds up some scooter souvenirs, also undamaged. Like scooterists everywhere, Ilia has a few pieces of scooter memorabilia but his most prized possession will come to symbolise the struggle of ordinary people in a horrendous situation. A little green scooter unfazed by terror and destruction.

The wry smile tells you more about this man and his spirit than a thousand words could ever describe. From all of us at ScooterLab and for scooterists everywhere Ilia, we salute you.

Words: Iggy
Images: Neale Bayly

Below you can see more images of the scooter and area surrounding the missile strike
Fundraising

The photographer who supplied the photos for this feature is award-winning British-born TV producer and world-travelling motorcyclist Neale Bayly. Neale has ridden to over 80 countries around the world to photograph, document and help people by providing aid where it’s needed. He founded Wellspring International Outreach, a non-profit organisation focusing on orphans but also providing help elsewhere when needed.

His television show on Speed TV – Neale Bayly Rides Peru – featured a diverse cast of motorcyclists as they rode around Peru before ending up at the monastery in Moquegua where it all began for Neale.

If you’d like to donate and help people like Iilia you can do so by clicking here. All donations will be gladly accepted.

Neale Bayly

Philanthropist, photographer and tv producer