One day, each of them decided to take up arms and defend their homeland. And each of them realized that they risked returning home either on a shield or disabled, but still chose to protect their country from the aggressor.
Today, we are introducing you to two soldiers who returned from the battlefield with severe injuries, Vladyslav Kurilov and Oleh Luchyn.
Vladyslav Kurilov
A soldier from the Kharkiv region, he survived the occupation of his hometown of Izyum, which was mercilessly bombed by russians in the first weeks of the war. Risking his own life, Vladyslav tried to leave Izyum and cycled through the gray zone for more than 70 km, avoiding enemy checkpoints.
In April 2023, he and his friend went to the military enlistment office. At first, he served in the guard company of the curfew service that protected Kharkiv airport, and later was sent to Zaporizhzhya region.
On 7 November 2023, while performing a combat mission near the village of Robotyne, he sustained a bullet wound as a result of a sniper's shot.
The soldier tried to evacuate on his own, but hit an anti-personnel mine, which resulted in the loss of both legs. He had to wait almost a day for evacuation.
Oleh Lutchyn
The soldier was born and lived all his life in Lviv. He studied at the Forestry University and worked as a construction worker before the full-scale invasion, so he had no military experience.
However, when he received a draft notice, he decided to go straight to the military commissariat. He completed training, was appointed a gunner of a combat vehicle and was sent to serve in the Bakhmut district.
On 7 August, while performing a combat mission, the soldier was seriously wounded when a grenade was dropped from an enemy drone directly into their trench. His legs were broken, his right arm and face were injured.
Due to heavy shelling, the evacuation team could not reach the wounded, so the evacuation to the first medical aid point took more than 10 hours.
Despite all the challenges, they got their chance to return to active life thanks to our prosthetics program and all those who help us along the way! For this, we are eternally grateful to the doctors of the MCOP clinic and Pfizer Foundation. Together, we are helping our defenders!
