The leg of brother-in-arms whom I rescued was saved, but mine was cut off: story of fighter from Rivne Oblast

31-year-old Volodymyr Rudkovskyi from Rivne Oblast was injured on the Zaporizhzhia front while rescuing a wounded brother-in-arms. He jokingly notes that his fellow soldier's limb was saved, but he had to have it amputated. His story was told by the First Medical Association of Lviv.

Before the full-scale invasion, Volodymyr was engaged in charity work and sports promotion and also worked in the press service of the Sarny City Council.

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Despite active volunteering, Volodymyr decided that this was not enough to bring victory closer, so he joined the army.

Continuation of Volodymyr's rehabilitationPhoto: Nezlamni Center

Volodymyr says that he has to finish the work of his ancestors: "I was only thinking that this is a historical battle. We have been fighting with them not for 100, not for 200, but for 300 years. And if God wills me to die in this great struggle, I will die with honour."

Shortly before going to the contact line, the man became a father for the first time but saw his daughter only through the smartphone screen.

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Before the next assault on the Zaporizhzhia front, the wife wrote that she was worried about Volodymyr because their daughter was crying all night. "My daughter Rada sleeps well at night, and she has never cried at night.

And that night, she was hysterical until 4:00. I didn't understand what was happening with the child. And at some point, I texted Volodia [derivative from Volodymyr - ed.]," says the defender's wife.

A few hours later, her husband was injured while rescuing his brother-in-arms. "I looked down and saw that his fingers were gone. I thought, wow!

Cool! I guess he'll need a prosthesis. But the situation turned out to be so interesting that the brother-in-arms whom I was rescuing had his leg saved, but mine was cut off.

That's how it happens," Volodymyr says with humour about the injury. The fighter had to undergo reamputation (repeated amputation) and then start prosthetics.

Training in the Nezlamni CenterPHOTO: NEZLAMNI CENTER

"During the first days of rehabilitation, my day was scheduled from 9:00 to 17:00. And in two weeks, I felt like I had two legs," says Volodymyr.

He is also supported by his wife and little daughter, who temporarily moved to Lviv to be closer to their defender.

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