Roman Zabavin is from Zaporizhzhia. He faced the full-scale invasion at home. He wanted to join the army but hesitated for a long time because he had no prior military experience.
“For two months, I checked my mailbox every day, waiting for the call-up notice. And finally, in December 2022, I received it right on the street from the military officer in a park”, Roman recalls.
In February 2023, Roman joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine as a rifleman. For nearly six months, he defended the country, performing various combat missions near Zaporizhzhia and in the Kharkiv and Mykolaiv regions. Later, his unit was deployed to the Donetsk region.
At the end of July 2023, while stationed on the front line, Roman and his comrades came under intense enemy fire.
Roman Zabavin“That day, our positions were stormed three times. During the last assault, I was wounded — the russians threw a hand fragmentation grenade that landed about 1-1,5 meters away from me. The first feeling was unpleasant, and I thought that’s it. The second was surprising me with I was still alive”
Miraculously, he survived, but due to prolonged evacuation and tourniquet syndrome, both his left arm and leg had to be amputated.
“The distance to the stabilization point was only 1.5 km. But the evacuation took place at night through a mined area under fire, so they carried me on a stretcher for five hours. The comrades were exhausted — they’d just returned from a combat mission. The tourniquets stayed on even longer — about 7.5 hours,” Roman explains.
What happened afterward, he barely remembers because of his critical condition. All his belongings, including his phone, were left behind at the position. For nearly three days, Roman’s family had no contact with him. His mother and sister tried to find out where he had disappeared, but neither the tactical unit nor the military command could provide accurate information. The police were the only ones who helped — with their assistance, the family found Roman in Mechnikov Hospital in Dnipro.
“My birthday is on August 3. And on the 4th, I woke up in the intensive care unit and thought that it was my second chance at life.”
Prosthetics
Roman received his first prostheses and rehabilitation in the Lviv region in December 2023. He is now continuing rehabilitation and has turned to MCOP Ukraine for an upgraded lower-limb prosthesis. At the center, his socket was replaced, and he underwent the Adaptation and Gait Optimization Program.
The Future for Ukraine Foundation provides free prosthetic and recovery programs for defenders supported by donors, partners, and patron Vadym Stolar.
The defender admits that everyday routine became more challenging after his injuries, but prosthetics help: “With my arm prosthesis, I can do simple things, like hold something. Overall, the prostheses help me maintain balance and give me confidence because they make my body look symmetrical. I wear them from morning until night. When I sit or lie down, I take off the lower part below the knee, but I keep the socket on — I only remove it at night.”
Roman’s personal progress motivates him. He trains regularly and tracks his improvement — walking quality, speed, and endurance. The veteran plans to continue living the same life he had before the injury, without compromise.
In total, under the Future for Ukraine Foundation’s program implemented jointly with the Medical Center Orthotics & Prosthetics, 72 Ukrainian defenders with complex amputation cases have already received prosthetic and rehabilitation support.
You can learn more about this charitable initiative on the program page.
