Soldier Dmytro, call sign PHOTOGRAPHER

I am Dmytro, callsign PHOTOGRAPHER. I enlisted in the Territorial Defense Forces on the first day of the full-scale war and was armed by the second day. I hadn’t done mandatory service before, but I wasn’t going to run from the war.

In civilian life, I worked as a sports photographer, and those skills came in handy—I was a good shot.

I spent 84 days directly on the front line. We lived in pits we dug just three hundred meters from the enemy.

On August 25, 2022, while carrying out a combat mission, I was severely wounded by shrapnel from an automatic grenade launcher and mortar. The largest fragment severed an artery and tendon in my leg. Thanks to my medical training, I managed to apply a tourniquet myself and stay conscious. I was evacuated by comrades under open fire.

After applying the tourniquet, I tried to crawl, using my rifle for support. I managed to move half a meter before my strength gave out. I remained conscious until the first field operation. I was then transported to the nearest hospital, with the total evacuation time taking over four hours.

During the first week, doctors tried to save my leg, but later, when I was transferred to another hospital, sepsis had set in. Nine days after surgery, my leg was amputated above the knee. Even if it had been saved, I wouldn’t have been able to walk, as everything had been shattered by shrapnel.

A few weeks after the injury, a paramedic called me, surprised that my heart had held up. He said my blood loss had been far beyond the norm, estimating I’d lost 65% of my blood.

After 12 operations and over a year of treatment, I received a high-function prosthetic through a government program, allowing me to return to an active life. I now need a special liner to make using the prosthetic more comfortable. Unfortunately, government funds were exhausted on the prosthetic itself.

I remain optimistic, always believing we’re not given challenges we can’t endure. Now, I joke that I could play a pirate in movies—if you know anyone in the film industry, let them know about me; they’ll save on CGI.

Right now, I need your help to buy a liner for greater comfort. Thank you.

 

 

COLLECTED AND TRANSFERRED: UAH 17,000