"Escape from hell": the story of a soldier who lost a limb in battle with invaders

Mining engineer Serhii is a miner with many years of experience who became a soldier after the full-scale invasion. He lost a limb after heavy fighting in Donetsk Oblast. 

Source: Ministry of Health of Ukraine

Serhii is 34 and had worked in a mine for 14 years. 

After 24 February 2022, he fought with his comrades-in-arms against the invaders and was wounded in Donetsk Oblast near the village of Pisky. 

"It was a difficult battle," the Ministry of Health said. "At the very first contact, they were hit with an anti-tank grenade launcher. The guys were hit immediately. Then there was close combat."

One of Serhii’s comrades-in-arms was killed instantly. Another had his limbs torn off, and Serhii never saw the third again after the tragic incident. 

Serhii was then hit by a fragment of a grenade that exploded 2 metres away. His body armour saved him from death.

"The only thing they didn't use to fire on us was aircraft," the soldier said.

Despite being wounded, Serhii continued to save his comrades-in-arms. Grenades were being dropped from Russian drones all around the servicemen. One of them took the former miner’s leg off. At the end of the battle, the Russian occupying forces directed their tank to kill off the survivors.

"It was impossible to evacuate, so the defender crawled out on his own, as if out of hell," said the Ministry of Health. "He applied three tourniquets to stop the bleeding. And so, with all his injuries and one leg ripped off, Serhii crawled for about a kilometre."

The fighter was kept on constant painkillers in the hospital. He hardly slept for the first four weeks; it was the most difficult period in his treatment. 

Later, Serhii was transferred to Rivne Oblast for treatment. He is currently undergoing rehabilitation there. 

The Ministry of Health notes that it has not been an easy journey for the serviceman. He has received a prosthesis and is trying to walk without crutches, fighting for his life every day. This is all thanks to his perseverance and resilience. 

Serhii has a sports bike at home which he really loves. He talks constantly about victory and his dreams. He wants to buy a house near a river somewhere in Kyiv Oblast or Vinnytsia Oblast, and to open his own business. 

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