- James Waterhouse
- BBC Ukraine
Illya Pylypenko was seriously injured when his tank ran over a mine in southern Ukraine.
It was at the beginning of September last year, during Ukraine’s counter-offensive in the southern region of Kherson, that Illya Pylypenko’s war came to an abrupt end.
The soldier’s tank ran over a mine as it headed into battle. When the 30-year-old regained consciousness, he was surrounded by gunfire.
“You don’t think about what you have to do,” he says. “You do it because you want to live.
Illya survived because he was able to crawl and be carried away by his comrades. He has since undergone several operations and skin grafts for his burns, and his right leg had to be amputated below the knee.
Six months later, he is still reflecting on his life-changing injuries.
“I had both disappointments and hope,” he says. “The most difficult stage of my treatment is behind me. I dream of walking soon.
Before the war, Illya was a real estate agent in Vinnytsya, in central Ukraine. A keen runner, he completed a marathon in 2021 and planned to run more. He pledged to fight just days after the Russian invasion was launched in February last year.
“You shouldn’t underestimate yourself, but you shouldn’t feel sorry for yourself either,” he adds. “Everything is still possible for me. I am alive and healthy. This is not the end.
Illya is one of 11,000 patients who have been treated at the National Rehabilitation Center so far.
Lviv General Hospital is one of 244 Ukrainian hospitals that take in wounded soldiers and civilians, treating them for their physical and psychological injuries.
Men in military uniform mingle with the audience. Subtle clues that show that we are not living in normal times.
The more one enters the building, the more these clues are marked. The hallways are filled with young men, most of whom have had limbs amputated.
In a war marked by artillery, the most common injuries are from exploding shells, according to Ukraine’s health ministry.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one in two Ukrainians needed some form of rehabilitation before last year’s invasion, after the country had already seen eight years of fighting in the east. The pandemic has also been partially blamed by the WHO.
The massive Russian invasion has dramatically increased the need for rehabilitation services across Ukraine.
Money from international allies and local sponsors helped fund the state-of-the-art gymnasium in which these men train.
Most of the people treated at the center have limb amputations.
Despite the investments, the Ukrainian health system is under severe strain.
Officials say they are battling antibiotic resistance as hospitals are overcrowded with civilians and soldiers.
Cancer diagnoses and mental health care have also been affected by the priority given to injured personnel.
Vasyl Strilka, head of physical rehabilitation at the Ukrainian Ministry of Health, admits that more and more patients are dying due to canceled operations and delays in cancer treatments.
While nine years of Russian aggression have familiarized Ukraine with the treatment of wounded soldiers, Strilka says the quality of care varies.
“There are hospitals where doctors provide good rehabilitation,” he told me. “There are also hospitals where the doctors are inexperienced and the care is not good enough.
As the soldiers undergo stability drills, their gazes into the distance reflect the brutality of the fighting they emerged from. Health officials say that due to the prioritization of physical trauma, the mental health crisis is deepening among the population.
Despite all these obstacles, some people show that it is possible to find a more fulfilling life.
The BBC first met Hlib in May when he was in hospital with a broken jaw and pelvis
On a freezing Kyiv morning, the sight of Hlib Stryzhko jogging with his friends is moving.
We last saw him in May, as he lay in a hospital bed with a fractured pelvis and jaw.
He had been wounded defending the city of Mariupol, in the south-east of the country, at the start of the invasion. Although he was later captured, he managed to return home.
He had always said he wanted to go back to the front. However, after losing sight in one eye, he was told his military days were over.
Today, Hlib works at a center for veterans, where he organizes events and talks for other veterans.
“I struggled for a long time,” he explains. “Unfortunately, my unit no longer exists as I knew it. Those who served there with me were either killed or captured.
“I realized then that I was not betraying them by not coming back.
Hlib is now helping other veterans rehabilitate.
The soldier says he is grateful to the psychologist who helped him deal with the flashbacks, as well as the feeling of guilt and loneliness.
“I had to face some challenges, like fully acknowledging all the horrors I survived,” he says, “but also all the wonderful things about this war, like the support of my friends.”
The healing process for Ukrainian soldiers is all the more difficult as the fighting continues.
This young man of 26 shows that it is still possible to get by, despite everything.
Additional reporting by Hanna Chornous and Orsi Szoboszlay
