Soldier Yevhen Kovshyk, call sign MALYI

I have gone to defend Ukraine twice. The first time was in 2015 when I was mobilized into the State Border Guard Service. I trained in the Zolochiv district of the Kharkiv region, where the Rapid Response Border Commandant’s Office (PKSHR) was being formed, and I participated in the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) in Luhansk Oblast, in the village of Krasa Talivka.

After 15 months of service, I returned to normal life: home, work, family. But the war did not let go. In February 2023, I rejoined the ranks, this time as part of the 53rd Separate Mechanized Brigade, 1st Rifle Battalion, defending Donetsk Oblast in the Avdiivka direction, in the villages of Opytne and Vodiane.

Avdiivka direction. April 13, 2023.

My comrades and I were carrying out a combat mission when a massive shelling began. Tanks, mortars—one of the shells exploded nearby. A shockwave, pain, darkness. Shrapnel pierced my body: knee, forearm, face, neck... One fragment damaged my spinal cord. Only my helmet saved me from an even deadlier blow.

I lay in a trench for 10 hours, waiting for evacuation approval. My comrades carried me out, risking their own lives—shelling followed us the entire way. First, I was taken to an emergency care point in Selydove, then to Pokrovsk, and from there to Mechnikov Hospital. Surgery, Kyiv. Sepsis.

Doctors gave me a 1% chance of survival. And I took it.

Now my war is rehabilitation. I have already gone through a lot: Klevan, "Agape," Novovolynsk, "Modrychi." Doctors say there is a chance for recovery. No one knows how long it will take.

But I have a goal—to stand on my feet again. Because my wife and child are waiting for me at home. I dream of driving a car again.

Rehabilitation at the "Modrychi" center is my chance to return to an active life. It is my chance to walk again. But it requires funds.

I will be grateful to everyone who helps. Together—we are strength. Together—we are life.

We sincerely thank each and every one of you who contributed to the fundraiser for Yevhen Kovshyk. Thanks to your support, the foundation was able to cover 37 days of rehabilitation at the “Modrychi” center, where Yevhen is already staying and working daily on his recovery after a severe injury.

This journey is not an easy one. But thanks to you, it became possible.

Every hryvnia, every repost, every kind word made a difference.
Thank you for your compassion, sensitivity, and care.

Together, we didn’t just close a fundraiser. Together, we gave him a chance to stand on his feet.  A chance to hug his wife and child again. A chance at an active life.

 

COLLECTED AND TRANSFERRED: UAH 233,100