Immigrant from Ukraine died from COVID-19 in the USA: he will be honored with a concert

Mikhail Mitkov-Baklanovsky is a theoretical physicist, musician and poet. He died at the age of 64 from COVID-19. Despite living most of his adult life in Portland, Oregon, Mikhail never forgot his Ukrainian roots. ForumDaily decided to publish the life story of this talented man as a tribute to his memory.

Photo: Shutterstock

Life story

Mikhail was born and raised in Ukraine. He attended high school in Donetsk, a Ukrainian city now occupied by pro-Russian separatists and in ruins in many areas. Mikhail and his wife met while attending college in southern Ukraine. They immigrated to Portland with their children in 1992. He worked as a software project manager and she runs a fabric store in North Portland. Street roots.

His love of music was contagious, and he took and carried instruments with him everywhere, such as the harmonica. This could cheer up everyone, even those in a bad mood. He had this uncanny way of connecting people, poetry, art, music, all together as a creative practice intertwined with life. He organized many camps and was very active in the West Coast conglomerate of Bard Festivals, and was a founding member of the Russian Foundation for the Arts, a non-profit organization he created with several friends. There, Russian-speaking musicians, poets and performing artists could hold their concerts and meet each other.

Many creative personalities stayed there, some were even considered celebrities in the Soviet Union.

“You are one of the few people I know whose life is a work of art,” a friend of Mikhail’s daughter Masha once said. “Everything you do turns into beauty.” Wherever Misha went, he found beauty. He could see a character in a piece of driftwood that would make him laugh, and suddenly he takes it home and hangs it on his wall.”

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In addition, he painted several oil paintings, composed tons of songs and poems, translated the works of other authors into Ukrainian - the list of his creative achievements is endless.

He helped so many people get on their feet and take root in a new country, start a new career, and explore new paths in life. He was always ready to help anyone who asked. This could be anything from home improvement projects to learning a computer programming language. His technical and creative skills, combined with his kindness and caring for many, created a whirlwind of opportunity for everyone around him.

Mikhail's sense of humor was one of a kind, situational, flowing Odessa banter, filled with anecdotes that made others feel that you were living in a fantastic play, where everything has its own rhythm and time, and you enjoy every moment of it.

Helping Ukrainians in Donbass

Together with his wife, Mikhail helped the Ukrainian army and other formations that fought on its side. Together with sponsors, they sent necessary goods to Ukraine worth more than $100 thousand. Volunteers in Ukraine told them what they needed, and then they shipped it - from splints and bandages to a $7500 pair of night vision binoculars.

“We are united by love for Ukraine and support for Ukraine. Russian propaganda tried to portray the war in Ukraine as a civil war rather than a war of Russian aggression, she says. “Many of the members of the local Ukrainian community are first-generation Americans who grew up during the Soviet Union, remember it well and do not want to return to those days. Since most of us have close families in Ukraine, we do not wish them a return to the Soviet Union and support their struggle for a democratic future.”

This family is not alone in their efforts. In Portland, Vancouver and other US cities with large Slavic populations, the contribution of local residents to Ukraine was significant. At the local level, organizers report tens of thousands of donations.

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Mikhail even wrote several songs on this topic, so that no one remained indifferent.

Fundraising for a memory concert

After the death of Mikhail on November 6, 2020, many friends and acquaintances turned to his family with love and support. It was proposed to create a place where everyone can support some of Mikhail's work, organize something.

For this, the family decided to create a fundraising page on the portal. GoFundMe, but she will not use the money collected here for the funeral. Instead, the family will spend it organizing the concert. This concert will be free for the public; friends and acquaintances of Mikhail, nurses and doctors will be invited to it.

“Perhaps by now COVID-19 will be under control and we can all enjoy each other's presence together. We hope to make this an annual event, which will be financed through annual donations, writes Mikhail’s daughter on the portal. “At the age of 64, he was completely healthy and vigorous just a month before, without any pre-existing conditions, and was as strong as an ox.” This virus is merciless."

Read also on ForumDaily:

From a waiter to an American deputy: the story of a Russian-speaking immigrant

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My daughter lost her military father and went into herself: she was saved by a miracle

How to find a promising job in the USA: a successful example of an immigrant from Russia

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