Bullet passes few centimetres from heart: Story of soldier from Mykolaiv Oblast

In the summer of 2022, 49-year-old soldier Ihor Bilokonenko was seriously injured in a Russian attack. The Ministry of Health said that the shrapnel had passed through his bulletproof vest, pierced his lung and got stuck in his spine. 

Ihor was lucky that the bullet did not hit his heart. However, he completely lost the ability to walk. 

When Ihor was admitted to rehabilitation, he had to relearn basic things, including how to sit.

"As strange as it may sound, his first motivation to move despite the pain was his addiction to smoking. It was because of this habit that he quickly learned to move from a hospital bed to a wheelchair," the Ministry of Health says.

After a year of rehabilitation, Ihor managed to regain the ability to walk. He himself said that what he remembers most from this time is the feeling of the first muscle working in his leg.

Now, Ihor dreams of riding a bike again. After rehabilitation, he plans to return to the driving school where he used to teach.

Ihor Bilokonenko first came to defend his homeland in 2014. When the full-scale invasion began, he volunteered for the Armed Forces.

Ihor says that in 2014, he went through a lot of pain, so a full-scale war did not scare him – he was ready for it mentally and physically.

Ihor admits that what impressed him most at the front was the determination of his brothers-in-arms. In his opinion, it is such unbreakable people who bring Ukraine's victory closer every day. 

Background: Earlier, Ukrainska Pravda.Zhyttia (Life) wrote an article about the rehabilitation of a defender who almost lost his leg after being wounded in the fighting in Bakhmut.

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