Soldier Mykola Khomyn, call sign is FURY

In 2012, I completed my mandatory military service in Bucha. It was there that I swore an oath to defend Ukraine — and I’ve upheld that oath ever since. When the full-scale invasion began, I didn’t hesitate: I went straight to the military enlistment office. Because that’s what a man who stays true to his word does.

I served in the flamethrower battalion “Chimera.” We held the line on the Kherson front. In October 2022, just 30 kilometers from liberated Kherson, I was severely wounded during a reconnaissance-in-force mission. Our tank was ambushed and hit by two anti-tank missiles from both sides. I remember a loud ringing in my ears, flames… and then — silence. I regained consciousness among the wreckage. Around me — emptiness, no one in sight, just the ringing in my head.

Five centimeters of my tibia were blown away, and another bone was shattered. I gave myself first aid and crawled on my stomach for almost a kilometer to reach our troops. I lost consciousness, came to, and kept crawling. I was terrified. I wanted to just lie down and stop. But I thought about my mother. About her tears. And I kept crawling. I made it.

 

Then came the doctors — Kryvyi Rih, Truskavets, Lviv. In Lviv — the real treatment began. I underwent 21 surgeries, had an external fixation device (EFD) installed, and began bone regrowth. I also lost my best friend in that battle. His death still hurts. Back then, I wanted nothing more than to return to the front as soon as possible.

My road to recovery was long and painful. Skin grafts, damaged muscles, hearing loss, ruptured eardrums, a concussion. But I endured. And when everything seemed to have healed — the hardest part began: rehabilitation.

My knee won’t bend. My foot doesn’t function. To relearn how to walk properly, I need extensive work with rehabilitation specialists. I urgently need specialized rehabilitation at the Western Rehabilitation and Sports Center of NCSIU. That’s where the experts are who can help restore function to my leg.

A future operation is also planned on my ears to restore hearing.

I didn’t give up then — and I won’t give up now. My goal is to make a full recovery and return to service. I believe I can stand in formation once again. But right now, I need support.

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Thanks to the support of caring people, we have fully closed the fundraiser to cover the cost of specialized rehabilitation for Mykola Khomyn.

The recovery course at the Western Rehabilitation and Sports Center of the NCSIU has been completed.

The rehabilitation course lasted 30 days and was effective. The goal — to improve strength, endurance, range of motion, and functionality of the right lower limb — has been partially achieved. Mykola completed the course using two forearm crutches. According to the physical and occupational therapy specialists:

All tests showed positive dynamics:

  • Four Square Step Test: from 8.37 sec to 7.76 sec
  • “Get Up and Go” Test: from 9.69 sec to 7.75 sec
  • 6-Minute Walk Test: from 300 m to 390 m
  • Knee goniometry: flexion from 70° to 90°, extension from -10° to 0°
  • Right quadriceps strength (dynamometry): from 11 kg to 17 kg

The specialists recommend continuing individual rehabilitation with a focus on restoring full gait without assistive devices.

We sincerely thank:

  • everyone who contributed — financially, through spreading the word, or with emotional support;
  • the team of rehabilitation professionals at the Western Rehabilitation and Sports Center of the NCSIU — for their professionalism and care.

Ahead of Mykola lie new stages of recovery. And we are here. Because support for a defender does not end after the fundraiser.

 

COLLECTED AND TRANSFERRED: UAH 90,000