Artisans of the streets have evaded detection for nearly a 7-year span.
In 2018, compassionate Karim Armaev made headlines for his act of kindness. He rescued a homeless man, Sergei Plyushnikov, from the cold streets of Krasnodar. One wintry night, Karim found the man, drunk and shivering, on a high-rise staircase landing.
- The homeless man was curled up like a ball, trying to stay warm. I initially wanted to give him a wide berth, but I heard my neighbors arguing to chase him away, Karim later recalled. Feeling sympathetic, he approached the man and offered him some hot tea.
Sergei, it turned out, was an artist who had fled from Moscow, trying to escape his troubled past. In a fateful encounter, he shared his heart-wrenching story with Karim.
- Sergei disclosed that he'd been running from the ghosts of a tragic car accident that claimed the life of his wife a year prior. Consumed by grief and guilt, he turned to alcohol. His life spiraled even further out of control when he was robbed in Krasnodar, leaving him without identification or contacts to turn to, Karim explained.
Touched by his story, Karim couldn't turn Sergei away. He managed to track down Darya, Sergei's daughter, on social media. She was overjoyed to hear that her father was alive and well.
- Our mother passed away in 2015 from a heart attack, Darya shared. Her father started drinking heavily afterwards. At the time, she had no place to live, and she had to take care of him. She reached out to a friend, a doctor living near Krasnodar, hoping for help. After treatment, he continued drinking and disappeared occasionally until Karim contacted her.
After some time, Sergei seemed to have turned over a new leaf. He was painting again in Moscow. But the story took a tragic turn when, a few months later, Sergei vanished without a trace.
Karim tried to find out what happened to Sergei, but to no avail. Darya reported him missing to the police and various institutions, but their efforts were in vain. "On the day he left, he refused to go with me. Maybe he just needed some space," Darya sighed.
Despite the heartbreaking outcome, Karim's act of kindness serves as a poignant reminder of the impact one person can have on another's life.
- The encounter between Karim and Sergei led to an unexpected change in Sergei's lifestyle, as he started residing in a home-and-garden environment provided by Karim, transforming his previous life of outdoor-living on the streets.
- As Sergei reunited with his daughter, Darya, their family-dynamics significantly improved, as they were able to rebuild their relationships after being estranged.
- Karim's act of kindness, providing shelter and emotional support to a troubled individual, highlighted the positive impact a compassionate person can have on relationships and the lives of others.
