Upward of 20,000 Ukrainian amputees face trauma on a scale unseen since WWI
Upward of 20,000 Ukrainian amputees face trauma on a scale unseen since WWI
Roman Yarmolenko, a Ukrainian soldier from the 93rd brigade, learns to walk on a prosthetic leg. He crosses rough, muddy terrain outside the Unbroken rehabilitation center in Lviv, Ukraine, Wednesday, July 26, 2023. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Ukrainian army veterans rest with their families and comrades outside St. Panteleimon hospital in Lviv, Ukraine, Tuesday, July 25, 2023. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Burns cover 30% of Dmytro Yarmolchuk’s body. The 50-year-old Ukrainian soldier, who is being treated at St. Panteleimon hospital, was hit by an anti-tank missile in the battle for P’yatykhatky. He shows his wounds at the hospital n Lviv, Ukraine, Wednesday, July 26, 2023. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Dmytro Kononchuk, left, a prosthetist, tests Ruslan’s prosthesis at the Superhumans rehabilitation center in Vynnyky, Ukraine, Thursday, July 20, 2023. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Valentyn Lytvynchuk, a former battalion commander from the 5th brigade, speaks to his comrades at the Superhumans rehabilitation center in Vynnyky, Ukraine, Thursday, July 20, 2023. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Surgeons transplant skin onto the foot of a Ukrainian soldier at St. Panteleimon hospital in Lviv, Ukraine, Tuesday, July 25, 2023. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Vitaliy Bilyak, a wounded Ukrainian serviceman, lies on a stretcher before seeing a doctor at St. Panteleimon hospital in Lviv, Ukraine, Tuesday, July 25, 2023. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Ukrainian army veterans with amputated limbs take part in group rehabilitation exercises at the Unbroken rehabilitation center in Lviv, Ukraine, Monday, July 24, 2023. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Medics bandage the wound of a Ukrainian serviceman at St. Panteleimon hospital in Lviv, Ukraine, Tuesday, July 25, 2023. At a rehabilitation hospital in the western city of Lviv, soldiers rely as much on each other as they do upon the physicians and rehabilitation specialists they will need to adapt to their new prostheses. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Hennadiy Techyna, a Ukrainian servicemen from the international legion, exercises at the Superhumans rehabilitation center in Vynnyky, Ukraine, Thursday, July 20, 2023. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Medics transfer Vitaliy Bilyak to a stretcher at St. Panteleimon hospital in Lviv, Ukraine, Tuesday, July 25, 2023. The Ukrainian soldier’s skinny body is a web of scars that end with an amputation above the knee. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Oleksandr Ivanov, a 41-year-old Ukrainian serviceman, learns to walk at the rehabilitation center in St. Panteleimon hospital in Lviv, Ukraine, Monday, July 24, 2023. Ivanov was in the Zaporizhzhia region when he was injured in the head and right side on June 5, 2022, in a mine explosion. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Mykhailo Yurchuk, a former Ukrainian paratrooper of the 95th brigade, speaks to his newborn daughter Olivia in Lviv, Ukraine, Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023. In the 18 months since, Yurchuk has regained his equilibrium, both mentally and physically. He met the woman who would become his wife at the rehabilitation hospital, where she was a volunteer. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Wounded Ukrainian army veterans play tennis at the Superhumans rehabilitation center in Vynnyky, Ukraine, Thursday, July 20, 2023. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
A prosthetic arm lies on a bench while its owner plays tennis at the Superhumans rehabilitation center in Vynnyky, Ukraine, Thursday, July 20, 2023. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Roman Belinskiy, a 43-year-old Ukrainian army veteran, poses for a photo at home in Kolomyia, Ukraine, Friday, July 21, 2023. Belinsky, a stormtrooper from the 14th brigade, fought near Kyiv and then in the Zaporizhzhia region. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Valentyn Lytvynchuk, a former battalion commander of the 5th brigade, walks downstairs with his family at the trade center in Lviv, Ukraine, Thursday, July 20, 2023. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Four-year-old Daryna holds the arm of her father, Valentyn Lytvynchuk during an outing in Lviv, Ukraine, July 20, 2023. He is a former battalion commander of the 5th brigade and lost his leg in fighting. Daryna painted a unicorn on his prosthetic. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Roman Yarmolenko, a Ukrainian soldier of the 93rd brigade, learns to walk on a prosthesis by practicing on the stairs outside the Unbroken rehabilitation in Lviv, Ukraine, Wednesday, July 26, 2023. Yarmolenko was a grenade launcher fighting in the Kharkiv region near Russia’s border when he was wounded. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Mykhailo Yurchuk, a former Ukrainian paratrooper of the 95th brigade, learns to run on his prosthetic leg at the Unbroken rehabilitation center in Lviv, Ukraine, Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023. Yurchuk has himself become the chief motivator for new arrivals from the front, pushing them as they heal from their wounds and teaching them as they learn to live and move with their new disabilities. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Ukrainian army veterans practice fine motor skills by doing jigsaws at the Superhumans rehabilitation center in Vynnyky, Ukraine, Thursday, July 20, 2023. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Dr. Natalia Komashko, second right, performs reconstructive surgery on the nose of Leonid Prokopovych, a 50-year-old Ukrainian serviceman, in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine, Friday, July 21, 2023. The cosmetic surgeries are crucial to allowing the soldiers to feel comfortable in society. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Dr. Natalia Komashko, performs reconstructive surgery on the nose of Leonid Prokopovych, a 50-year-old Ukrainian serviceman, in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine, Friday, July 21, 2023. It was his third nasal surgery, and he had a series of operations to repair his hands as well. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Stas Tkachenko, nicknamed Kipish, a Ukrainian soldier from the 3rd assault brigade, uses a wheelchair at St. Panteleimon hospital in Lviv, Ukraine, Tuesday, July 25, 2023. He was wounded June 28 near Bakhmut. The bullet pierced two bones in the leg and placed his own tourniquet before he bled out. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
An anaesthesiologist sets up a hyperbaric chamber for Vitaliy Bilyak, a Ukrainian serviceman, during his treatment at St. Panteleimon hospital in Lviv, Ukraine, Tuesday, July 25, 2023. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Mykhailo Yurchuk, former Ukrainian paratrooper of 95th brigade and his wife Maria pushes a pushchair with their newborn daughter Olivia near their house in Lviv, Ukraine, Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023. He was injured on March 15, 2022, in the first days of the full-scale invasion when a tank shell exploded as he was pulling comrades from a burning armored personnel carrier. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Roman Yarmolenko, a Ukrainian soldier from the 93rd brigade, learns to walk on a prosthetic leg. He crosses rough, muddy terrain outside the Unbroken rehabilitation center in Lviv, Ukraine, Wednesday, July 26, 2023. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Roman Yarmolenko, a Ukrainian soldier from the 93rd brigade, learns to walk on a prosthetic leg. He crosses rough, muddy terrain outside the Unbroken rehabilitation center in Lviv, Ukraine, Wednesday, July 26, 2023. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Ukrainian army veterans rest with their families and comrades outside St. Panteleimon hospital in Lviv, Ukraine, Tuesday, July 25, 2023. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Ukrainian army veterans rest with their families and comrades outside St. Panteleimon hospital in Lviv, Ukraine, Tuesday, July 25, 2023. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Burns cover 30% of Dmytro Yarmolchuk’s body. The 50-year-old Ukrainian soldier, who is being treated at St. Panteleimon hospital, was hit by an anti-tank missile in the battle for P’yatykhatky. He shows his wounds at the hospital n Lviv, Ukraine, Wednesday, July 26, 2023. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Burns cover 30% of Dmytro Yarmolchuk’s body. The 50-year-old Ukrainian soldier, who is being treated at St. Panteleimon hospital, was hit by an anti-tank missile in the battle for P’yatykhatky. He shows his wounds at the hospital n Lviv, Ukraine, Wednesday, July 26, 2023. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Dmytro Kononchuk, left, a prosthetist, tests Ruslan’s prosthesis at the Superhumans rehabilitation center in Vynnyky, Ukraine, Thursday, July 20, 2023. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Dmytro Kononchuk, left, a prosthetist, tests Ruslan’s prosthesis at the Superhumans rehabilitation center in Vynnyky, Ukraine, Thursday, July 20, 2023. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Valentyn Lytvynchuk, a former battalion commander from the 5th brigade, speaks to his comrades at the Superhumans rehabilitation center in Vynnyky, Ukraine, Thursday, July 20, 2023. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Valentyn Lytvynchuk, a former battalion commander from the 5th brigade, speaks to his comrades at the Superhumans rehabilitation center in Vynnyky, Ukraine, Thursday, July 20, 2023. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Surgeons transplant skin onto the foot of a Ukrainian soldier at St. Panteleimon hospital in Lviv, Ukraine, Tuesday, July 25, 2023. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Surgeons transplant skin onto the foot of a Ukrainian soldier at St. Panteleimon hospital in Lviv, Ukraine, Tuesday, July 25, 2023. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Vitaliy Bilyak, a wounded Ukrainian serviceman, lies on a stretcher before seeing a doctor at St. Panteleimon hospital in Lviv, Ukraine, Tuesday, July 25, 2023. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Vitaliy Bilyak, a wounded Ukrainian serviceman, lies on a stretcher before seeing a doctor at St. Panteleimon hospital in Lviv, Ukraine, Tuesday, July 25, 2023. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Ukrainian army veterans with amputated limbs take part in group rehabilitation exercises at the Unbroken rehabilitation center in Lviv, Ukraine, Monday, July 24, 2023. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Ukrainian army veterans with amputated limbs take part in group rehabilitation exercises at the Unbroken rehabilitation center in Lviv, Ukraine, Monday, July 24, 2023. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Medics bandage the wound of a Ukrainian serviceman at St. Panteleimon hospital in Lviv, Ukraine, Tuesday, July 25, 2023. At a rehabilitation hospital in the western city of Lviv, soldiers rely as much on each other as they do upon the physicians and rehabilitation specialists they will need to adapt to their new prostheses. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Medics bandage the wound of a Ukrainian serviceman at St. Panteleimon hospital in Lviv, Ukraine, Tuesday, July 25, 2023. At a rehabilitation hospital in the western city of Lviv, soldiers rely as much on each other as they do upon the physicians and rehabilitation specialists they will need to adapt to their new prostheses. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Hennadiy Techyna, a Ukrainian servicemen from the international legion, exercises at the Superhumans rehabilitation center in Vynnyky, Ukraine, Thursday, July 20, 2023. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Hennadiy Techyna, a Ukrainian servicemen from the international legion, exercises at the Superhumans rehabilitation center in Vynnyky, Ukraine, Thursday, July 20, 2023. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Medics transfer Vitaliy Bilyak to a stretcher at St. Panteleimon hospital in Lviv, Ukraine, Tuesday, July 25, 2023. The Ukrainian soldier’s skinny body is a web of scars that end with an amputation above the knee. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Medics transfer Vitaliy Bilyak to a stretcher at St. Panteleimon hospital in Lviv, Ukraine, Tuesday, July 25, 2023. The Ukrainian soldier’s skinny body is a web of scars that end with an amputation above the knee. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Oleksandr Ivanov, a 41-year-old Ukrainian serviceman, learns to walk at the rehabilitation center in St. Panteleimon hospital in Lviv, Ukraine, Monday, July 24, 2023. Ivanov was in the Zaporizhzhia region when he was injured in the head and right side on June 5, 2022, in a mine explosion. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Oleksandr Ivanov, a 41-year-old Ukrainian serviceman, learns to walk at the rehabilitation center in St. Panteleimon hospital in Lviv, Ukraine, Monday, July 24, 2023. Ivanov was in the Zaporizhzhia region when he was injured in the head and right side on June 5, 2022, in a mine explosion. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Mykhailo Yurchuk, a former Ukrainian paratrooper of the 95th brigade, speaks to his newborn daughter Olivia in Lviv, Ukraine, Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023. In the 18 months since, Yurchuk has regained his equilibrium, both mentally and physically. He met the woman who would become his wife at the rehabilitation hospital, where she was a volunteer. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Mykhailo Yurchuk, a former Ukrainian paratrooper of the 95th brigade, speaks to his newborn daughter Olivia in Lviv, Ukraine, Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023. In the 18 months since, Yurchuk has regained his equilibrium, both mentally and physically. He met the woman who would become his wife at the rehabilitation hospital, where she was a volunteer. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Wounded Ukrainian army veterans play tennis at the Superhumans rehabilitation center in Vynnyky, Ukraine, Thursday, July 20, 2023. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Wounded Ukrainian army veterans play tennis at the Superhumans rehabilitation center in Vynnyky, Ukraine, Thursday, July 20, 2023. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
A prosthetic arm lies on a bench while its owner plays tennis at the Superhumans rehabilitation center in Vynnyky, Ukraine, Thursday, July 20, 2023. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
A prosthetic arm lies on a bench while its owner plays tennis at the Superhumans rehabilitation center in Vynnyky, Ukraine, Thursday, July 20, 2023. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Roman Belinskiy, a 43-year-old Ukrainian army veteran, poses for a photo at home in Kolomyia, Ukraine, Friday, July 21, 2023. Belinsky, a stormtrooper from the 14th brigade, fought near Kyiv and then in the Zaporizhzhia region. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Roman Belinskiy, a 43-year-old Ukrainian army veteran, poses for a photo at home in Kolomyia, Ukraine, Friday, July 21, 2023. Belinsky, a stormtrooper from the 14th brigade, fought near Kyiv and then in the Zaporizhzhia region. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Valentyn Lytvynchuk, a former battalion commander of the 5th brigade, walks downstairs with his family at the trade center in Lviv, Ukraine, Thursday, July 20, 2023. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Valentyn Lytvynchuk, a former battalion commander of the 5th brigade, walks downstairs with his family at the trade center in Lviv, Ukraine, Thursday, July 20, 2023. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Four-year-old Daryna holds the arm of her father, Valentyn Lytvynchuk during an outing in Lviv, Ukraine, July 20, 2023. He is a former battalion commander of the 5th brigade and lost his leg in fighting. Daryna painted a unicorn on his prosthetic. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Four-year-old Daryna holds the arm of her father, Valentyn Lytvynchuk during an outing in Lviv, Ukraine, July 20, 2023. He is a former battalion commander of the 5th brigade and lost his leg in fighting. Daryna painted a unicorn on his prosthetic. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Roman Yarmolenko, a Ukrainian soldier of the 93rd brigade, learns to walk on a prosthesis by practicing on the stairs outside the Unbroken rehabilitation in Lviv, Ukraine, Wednesday, July 26, 2023. Yarmolenko was a grenade launcher fighting in the Kharkiv region near Russia’s border when he was wounded. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Roman Yarmolenko, a Ukrainian soldier of the 93rd brigade, learns to walk on a prosthesis by practicing on the stairs outside the Unbroken rehabilitation in Lviv, Ukraine, Wednesday, July 26, 2023. Yarmolenko was a grenade launcher fighting in the Kharkiv region near Russia’s border when he was wounded. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Mykhailo Yurchuk, a former Ukrainian paratrooper of the 95th brigade, learns to run on his prosthetic leg at the Unbroken rehabilitation center in Lviv, Ukraine, Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023. Yurchuk has himself become the chief motivator for new arrivals from the front, pushing them as they heal from their wounds and teaching them as they learn to live and move with their new disabilities. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Mykhailo Yurchuk, a former Ukrainian paratrooper of the 95th brigade, learns to run on his prosthetic leg at the Unbroken rehabilitation center in Lviv, Ukraine, Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023. Yurchuk has himself become the chief motivator for new arrivals from the front, pushing them as they heal from their wounds and teaching them as they learn to live and move with their new disabilities. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Ukrainian army veterans practice fine motor skills by doing jigsaws at the Superhumans rehabilitation center in Vynnyky, Ukraine, Thursday, July 20, 2023. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Ukrainian army veterans practice fine motor skills by doing jigsaws at the Superhumans rehabilitation center in Vynnyky, Ukraine, Thursday, July 20, 2023. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Dr. Natalia Komashko, second right, performs reconstructive surgery on the nose of Leonid Prokopovych, a 50-year-old Ukrainian serviceman, in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine, Friday, July 21, 2023. The cosmetic surgeries are crucial to allowing the soldiers to feel comfortable in society. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Dr. Natalia Komashko, second right, performs reconstructive surgery on the nose of Leonid Prokopovych, a 50-year-old Ukrainian serviceman, in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine, Friday, July 21, 2023. The cosmetic surgeries are crucial to allowing the soldiers to feel comfortable in society. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Dr. Natalia Komashko, performs reconstructive surgery on the nose of Leonid Prokopovych, a 50-year-old Ukrainian serviceman, in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine, Friday, July 21, 2023. It was his third nasal surgery, and he had a series of operations to repair his hands as well. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Dr. Natalia Komashko, performs reconstructive surgery on the nose of Leonid Prokopovych, a 50-year-old Ukrainian serviceman, in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine, Friday, July 21, 2023. It was his third nasal surgery, and he had a series of operations to repair his hands as well. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Stas Tkachenko, nicknamed Kipish, a Ukrainian soldier from the 3rd assault brigade, uses a wheelchair at St. Panteleimon hospital in Lviv, Ukraine, Tuesday, July 25, 2023. He was wounded June 28 near Bakhmut. The bullet pierced two bones in the leg and placed his own tourniquet before he bled out. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Stas Tkachenko, nicknamed Kipish, a Ukrainian soldier from the 3rd assault brigade, uses a wheelchair at St. Panteleimon hospital in Lviv, Ukraine, Tuesday, July 25, 2023. He was wounded June 28 near Bakhmut. The bullet pierced two bones in the leg and placed his own tourniquet before he bled out. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
An anaesthesiologist sets up a hyperbaric chamber for Vitaliy Bilyak, a Ukrainian serviceman, during his treatment at St. Panteleimon hospital in Lviv, Ukraine, Tuesday, July 25, 2023. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
An anaesthesiologist sets up a hyperbaric chamber for Vitaliy Bilyak, a Ukrainian serviceman, during his treatment at St. Panteleimon hospital in Lviv, Ukraine, Tuesday, July 25, 2023. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Mykhailo Yurchuk, former Ukrainian paratrooper of 95th brigade and his wife Maria pushes a pushchair with their newborn daughter Olivia near their house in Lviv, Ukraine, Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023. He was injured on March 15, 2022, in the first days of the full-scale invasion when a tank shell exploded as he was pulling comrades from a burning armored personnel carrier. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Mykhailo Yurchuk, former Ukrainian paratrooper of 95th brigade and his wife Maria pushes a pushchair with their newborn daughter Olivia near their house in Lviv, Ukraine, Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023. He was injured on March 15, 2022, in the first days of the full-scale invasion when a tank shell exploded as he was pulling comrades from a burning armored personnel carrier. Ukraine is facing the prospect of a future with upwards of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
LVIV, Ukraine (AP) — The small band of soldiers gather outside to share cigarettes and war stories, sometimes casually and sometimes with a degree of testiness over recollections made unreliable by their last day fighting, the day the war took away their limbs.
Some clearly remember the moment they were hit by anti-tank mines, aerial bombs, a missile, a shell. For others, the gaps in their memories loom large.
Vitaliy Bilyak’s skinny body is a web of scars that end with an amputation above the knee. During six weeks in a coma, Bilyak underwent over 10 surgeries, including his jaw, hand, and heel, to recover from injuries he received April 22 driving over a pair of anti-tank mines.
“When I woke up, I felt like I was born again and returned from the afterlife,” said Bilyak, who is just beginning his path to rehabilitation. He does not yet know when he’ll receive a prosthesis, which must be fitted individually to each patient.
Ukraine is facing a future with upward of 20,000 amputees, many of them soldiers who are also suffering psychological trauma from their time at the front. Europe has experienced nothing like it since World War I, and the United States not since the Civil War.
Mykhailo Yurchuk, a paratrooper, was wounded in the first weeks of the war near the city of Izium. His comrades loaded him onto a ladder and walked for an hour to safety. All he could think about at the time, he said, was ending it all with a grenade. A medic refused to leave his side and held his hand the entire time as he fell unconscious.
When he awoke in an intensive care unit the medic was still there.
“Thank you for holding my hand,” Yurchuk told him.
“Well, I was afraid you’d pull the pin,” the medic replied. Yurchuk’s left arm was gone below the elbow and his right leg above the knee.
In the 18 months since, Yurchuk has regained his equilibrium, both mentally and physically. He met the woman who would become his wife at the rehabilitation hospital, where she was a volunteer. And he now cradles their infant daughter and takes her for walks without the slightest hesitation. His new hand and leg are in stark black.
Yurchuk has himself become the chief motivator for new arrivals from the front, pushing them as they heal from their wounds and teaching them as they learn to live and move with their new disabilities. That kind of connection will need to be replicated across Ukraine, formally and informally, for thousands of amputees.
“Their whole locomotive system has to be reoriented. They have a whole redistribution of weight. That’s a really complicated adjustment to make and it needs to be made with another human being,” said Dr. Emily Mayhew, a medical historian at Imperial College who specializes in blast injuries.
There are not nearly enough prosthetic specialists in Ukraine to handle the growing need, said Olha Rudneva, the head of the Superhumans center for rehabilitating Ukrainian military amputees. Before the war, she said, only five people in all of Ukraine had formal rehabilitation training for people with arm or hand amputations, which in normal circumstances are less common than legs and feet as those sometimes are amputated due to complications with diabetes or other illnesses.
Rudneva estimated that 20,000 Ukrainians have endured at least one amputation since the war began. The government does not say how many of those are soldiers, but blast injuries are among the most common in a war with a long front line.
Rehabilitation centers Unbroken and Superhumans provide prostheses for Ukrainian soldiers with funds provided by donor countries, charity organizations and private Ukrainian companies.
“Some donors are not willing to provide military aid to Ukraine but are willing to fund humanitarian projects,” said Rudneva.
Some of the men undergoing rehabilitation regret they’re now out of the war, including Yurchuk and Valentyn Lytvynchuk.
Lytvynchuk, a former battalion commander, draws strength from his family, especially his 4-year-old daughter who etched a unicorn on his prosthetic leg.
He headed recently to a military training ground to see what he could still do.
“I realized it’s unrealistic. I can jump into a trench, but I need four-wheel drive to get out of it. And when I move ‘fast’ a child could catch me,” he said. Then, after a moment, he added: “Plus, the prosthesis falls off.”
The hardest part for many amputees is learning to live with the pain — pain from the prosthesis, pain from the injury itself, pain from the lingering effects of the blast shockwave, said Mayhew, who has spoken with several hundred military amputees over the course of her career. Many are dealing with disfigurement and the ensuing cosmetic surgeries.
“That comorbidity of PTSD and blast injury and pain — those are very difficult to unpick,” she said. “When people have a physical injury and they have a psychological injury that goes with it, those things can never be separated. ”
For the severely injured, rehabilitation could take longer than the war ultimately lasts.
The cosmetic surgeries are crucial to allowing the soldiers to feel comfortable in society. Many are so disfigured that it’s all they believe anyone sees in them.
“We don’t have a year, two,” said Dr. Natalia Komashko, a facial surgeon. “We need to do this as if it was due yesterday.”.
Bilyak, the soldier who drove over anti-tank mines, still sometimes finds himself dreaming of battle.
“I’m lying alone in the ward on the bed, and people I don’t know come to me. I realize they’re Russians and they start shooting me point-blank in the head with pistols, rifles,” he recounted. “They start getting nervous because they’re running out of bullets, and I’m alive, I show them the middle finger and laugh at them.”
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Illia Novikov in Kyiv, Ukraine; Volodymyr Yurchuk in Lviv, Ukraine; and Lori Hinnant in Paris contributed to this report.
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Find more of AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine