Injured, recovered and returned to the battle. Ukrainian soldiers are returning to fight after amputation

Donetsk Region, Ukraine (AP) – Ukrainian intelligence soldier did not know how long his clinical death lasted.

All Andrii Rubliuk remember the cold, darkness and fear. When he regained his broken body (missing arms and left leg), pain swallowed him, and hallucinations cast a shadow on his mind.

“This is an experience you don’t want anyone,” the 38-year-old said.

Two years later, Rubliuk was wearing military fatigue again, his missing limbs were replaced by prosthetics – a hook replaced the fingers, and one leg was firmly planted on the artificial limb.

From the moment of the explosion, Rublick knew that his life had changed forever. But one thing is certain – he vowed to return to the battlefield.

“Anyone can fight with their arms and legs. Fight without them – it’s a challenge,” he said. “But only those who face challenges and fight through them are truly alive.”

Many Ukrainian brigades have at least one, and usually several amputee soldiers are still in active service – men who return with responsibility in the grim prospects of the country.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy said they were 380,000 wars in Ukraine. During the Three Years’ War, about 46,000 soldiers were killed, and thousands were missing and imprisoned.

On the front lines, Russia is spending a lot of weapons and human life to put it in control of nearly one-fifth of Ukrainian control. Meanwhile, Ukraine is far outnumbered, not only facing challenges on the battlefield, but also diplomatic challenges, as its once most powerful ally (the United States) talks with Russia, which has sparked people’s attention to Ukraine and its European partners. worries.

It was this horrible situation that brought wounded soldiers back to the front lines, with little change since they first left civilian life to defend their families from invading neighbors.

It is unbearable for them to lie on a hospital bed compared to the siblings who defend Ukraine with their brothers. But they all agree with one thing- when the war is over, they won’t wear it all day. Joining the army has never been their first choice.

Rubliuk trained new soldiers and surveillance drones last spring, based on senior sergeants from Atan Intelligence. His recovery began in the end of 2022, but he doesn’t think it will really end.

“Every day is part of my recovery,” he said, adding that his new body is a balance between self-acceptance and continuous recovery.

The comrades who were with Rubliuk when the explosion occurred and suffered minor injuries vividly remembered it. “I thought he was dead,” said the soldier who was not named according to the rules of the Special Forces.

At that moment, Rubliuk’s life was in balance. Dr. Anton Yakovenko, a military surgeon who treated him, said he was taken to a nearby hospital where he suffered cardiac arrest and eventually recovered.

After a few months in hospital wards and rehabilitation centers in Philadelphia and Florida, Rubliuk returned to play a role near the frontline, and like others who did so, his knowledge and experience were the biggest weapon.

Returning to the uniform is like “returning home”

Maksym Vysotskyi just completed a drone mission in November 2023 when he orbited the heavy rain to turn the battlefield into a swamp and trampled on land mines.

The explosion is instantaneous. When he looked down at his left leg, all he saw was the bone.

“I quickly accepted the fact that my legs were missing. What is the meaning of mourning? The 42-year-old said crying and worrying would not be brought back.

By May, he returned to his uniform, describing the feeling as “returning home.”

He said: “You need people who get out of the war and write off, but they’re trying to break, but you can’t, but you’re back. You’re back and prove that you can still do something, you’re “only after you decide I will leave only when I am leaving. ”

Vysotskyi now commands a team of drones operating explosives in night missions. He assesses risks and makes strategic decisions, but rarely performs combat missions. Despite his injuries, he never regretted joining the army.

“Everyone has to go his own path, and there will be challenges along the way. You can try to escape your fate, but it will always catch up with you,” he said. “That’s why I never regret it.”

A combat doctor who became a war psychologist

Two and a half years ago, when Captain Olksd Puzikov called his wife to tell her that his left arm was cut, she thought he was joking.

“I will never forget that day,” her voice shivered. “When I walked into the ICU, his first words were, ‘You won’t leave me, are you?’”

She stayed with him when he recovered and learned to live with full arm amputation, traveling from the hospital to the hospital.

She was not surprised when he decided to return to the army. “I never doubt it might be different for the time being,” she said.

Puzikov, 40, was a combat doctor before his injury. After returning to service, he re-employed as a psychologist, helping soldiers deal with the psychological losses of the three years of war.

“As long as the war continues, I won’t leave – I will do my best to help,” he said.

However, his own struggle continues. He suffers from phantom limb pain. It felt as if his missing hand was clenched in his fist, the pain was so sharp that it was cut like a knife. He hopes another surgery can eventually relieve it.

Due to bureaucratic delays and poor quality choices, proper prosthetics remain unreachable. Like many other amputators, they struggled to find a good arm prosthesis, and he continued to hold military duties.

Life after the war

After losing his right arm in battle, Oleksandr Zhalinskyi transitioned from an infantry soldier to a navigation driver and chose not to use a prosthetic.

“It’s only suitable for fishing,” he still likes 34-year-old hobby jokes.

In his current role, he evaluates the mission and finds the safest evacuation route.

“At first, I didn’t like the job. When I returned to service, I was going to go back to the infantry,” Zhalinskyi said. “But over time, I accepted this new role.”

The pain was unbearable when the shelling hit his arm in the fall of 2023. He pushed himself down and scanned his comrades. He is the only survivor.

He tried to tighten the tourniquet three times, but this wouldn’t hold it. Since communication was destroyed and unable to seek help, he had only one option – moving towards the evacuation point, forcing himself to remain conscious in every step.

“It feels like I’m always walking.”

The dark mind crawled in, but he reminded himself of five church children-he had to survive. Soldiers from nearby units found him, stabilized him, and kept him safe. From that moment on, there is no doubt–once he recovers, he will return to the battle.

But once he took off his uniform, he had a plan. Before the invasion, he dreamed of opening a bar in his hometown. This dream still exists-except his name change.

Now, he plans to call it an amputation conscience.

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Associated Press reporter Volodymyr Yurchuk contributed to Kyiv, Ukraine.