Soldier Yurii Matiash

My name is Yurii Matiash. I’m from Kyiv. I’m 38 years old. In peaceful times, I worked for ten years as an electrical installer on construction sites. I loved coming home tired, but with the sense of a job well done. My beloved wife, daughter, and son were always waiting for me. They are my home front, my strength, my life.

In 2024, I volunteered to join an air assault brigade — because someone had to stand between our children and the enemy. I couldn’t do otherwise.

On February 1, 2025, we were carrying out a combat mission near the village of Cherkaska Porechna in the Kursk region. Everything changed in an instant. An enemy kamikaze drone — the sound, the explosion, the darkness.

I sustained a severe blast injury. The bones in my face were shattered. Shrapnel crushed my nose, jaw, eye socket, and part of my skull. A metal fragment remains lodged in my head. I lost sight in my right eye. My arm, thigh, and shins were injured. A concussion. I was lucky to survive. But every day since has been a battle.

I’ve already undergone several complex surgeries. But to return to a normal life, I urgently need a custom orbital-nasal implant. Without it, full facial reconstruction is impossible: the bones are so severely damaged that no standard implant will work. Only a model designed specifically for my anatomy, 3D-printed and secured with fixation screws, can help. This is a chance not only to restore my appearance but also to regain vital functions: breathing, chewing, facial expressions. A chance to hug my children again without the fear that they might be frightened by my face.

The cost is high. So I must ask for help. It’s important to me to complete this journey — to recover and return to a full life.

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The fundraiser for Yurii Matyazh has been successfully closed — the need is fully covered, and the surgery is already scheduled.

We thank everyone who contributed — through donations, shares, and warm words of support. Every action you took brought Yurii closer to the chance for a full life.

Special thanks to our partners dobro.ua for their strong informational support, trust, and willingness to help. Thanks to you, Yurii’s story resonated in thousands of hearts.

Ahead lies a challenging path of recovery. We believe that with such support, Yurii will surely make it to the end and return to a full life. Thank you for creating good together with us!

 

COLLECTED AND TRANSFERRED: UAH 68,885