Stories of unbreakable Ukrainian defenders

In the fight for the freedom and security of our country, they have undergone trials that are hard to imagine, but Pavlo, and Denys have not lost their spirit!

Yes, the war has changed them irrevocably, and now the men are at a new stage of life — they are preparing for prosthetics abroad. And we, as always, will  organize everything for them, accompany and support them every step along the way. We invite you to join us on this interesting journey! 

In the fight for the freedom and security of our country, Pavlo Vovenko and Denys Yermuratskyi have undergone trials that are hard to imagine, but the men have not lost their spirit!  

Yes, the war has changed them irreversibly, but now the defenders are at a new stage — they are preparing for prosthetics abroad. And we, as always, organize everything for them, accompany and support them every step along the way. We share the stories of real heroes — defenders of Ukraine Pavlo and Denys. 
 

Pavlo Vovenko

The soldier was born and lived with his family in Kropyvnytskyi. Before the full-scale war began, he worked as the head of a surveying department. 

In February 2022, Pavlo did not hesitate to go to the military registration and enlistment office. At first, he was mobilized to the local unit of the Territorial Defence Forces іn Kropyvnytskyi. After a year and a half of service, he moved to the mechanized land forces, where he was later promoted to the position of head of the 2nd Assault Company. 

In early November 2023, near the village of Robotyne, Pavlo was on a combat mission with his unit. While clearing enemy positions, they engaged in a battle with a subversive reconnaissance group, and the assault group was critically wounded.

The soldier sustained a gunshot wound with a fracture of his right lower limb. After waiting out a prolonged enemy attack, Pavlo and the other wounded were evacuated. In a hospital in Zaporizhzhya, the soldier lost consciousness and remained in a coma for more than 10 days. Due to blood poisoning, the defender's right leg had to be amputated. 

 

Denys Yermuratskyi

Before the full-scale war, the man had no military experience. By education and vocation, Denys is a choreographer. He took part in folk dance festivals as a student, and later dancing became his profession. 

In the beginning of October 2023, he was mobilized into the army. On 10 October, he went to military training in Zhytomyr, where he completed a training course and received a combat speciality as a medic and a rifleman. He went to the Luhansk region as part of the 25th Air Assault Brigade, where he served as an assistant grenade launcher.

On 3 December 2023, while performing a combat mission near Chervonopopivka in the Luhansk region, Denys sustained a severe gunshot wound to the abdomen and a gunshot fragmentation wound to his right leg. The soldier applied a tourniquet on his own, which prevented heavy blood loss and saved his life. 

The road to the evacuation vehicle was long and difficult due to constant shelling. The defender lost consciousness in the evacuation of APC and woke up the next day in Dnipro at Mechnikov Hospital. Unfortunately, the soldier's wounded leg had to be amputated at the level of the upper third of the thigh. 

The Foundation's team is grateful to everyone who helps us bring activity back into the lives of our defenders, the specialists of the MCOP clinic, all donors, and our patron, Vadym Stolar!