Soldier Oleg Paliichuk, call sign is ALIGATOR

I am a junior sergeant in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

On the first day of the full‑scale invasion, I was unusually calm. There was chaos all around: people were rushing, fleeing, and buying everything they thought they might need and a lot they didn’t. My brother and I were simply returning home to the Ivano‑Frankivsk region from Kyiv. And in that quiet inside me, a decision was born.

Once I got home, I clearly understood: I could not protect my family, loved ones, and friends if I just waited. I could not stay on the sidelines. So I voluntarily joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine. I was accepted quickly — young, motivated, ready to fight not just with weapons but for an idea. For a free Ukraine.

At first I served near my home. That’s where the training happened — the first marching steps, the first orders, the first realization that life would never be the same again. There I met a brother‑in‑arms with whom I quickly became close. So close that later we were together at my parents’ home. Family could only visit once a week. A few minutes together — hugs, looks, words that we didn’t always have time to say. Those meetings held us up and reminded us why we were doing this.

Later I continued service in Kyiv. It seemed like the rhythm was familiar. But soon I was sent to Kharkiv. It was just a stop. Then came the order to move to the Luhansk direction. That was the moment I understood: training was over. The real war had begun.

Lyman. Bakhmut. Soledar. Days and nights under mortar and artillery fire. Exhaustion, cold, and constant readiness. Brothers around me and a silence that sometimes scared more than explosions. With time, I became a squad leader. I was responsible for my men. Moving forward was easier than returning with losses. Every step carried the responsibility for someone else’s life.

We held Bakhmut for a month. Then there was a short rest not to recover, but just to exhale. And then forward again. The front didn’t ask if you’d rested enough. It demanded that you hold your ground. And we held.

On March 28, 2023, while defending near the village of Bohdanivka in Donetsk region close to Bakhmut, I was seriously wounded under mortar and artillery fire. I suffered shrapnel gunshot wounds to both lower legs with a large soft tissue defect in my left leg.

Everything happened quickly. I remember in the last second grabbing my phone so I could write to my wife on the way to evacuation. I remember applying the tourniquet. At that moment I hardly felt pain — it felt like my body was working for me.

Evacuation began: Kramatorsk, Dnipro, Lviv, Chernivtsi. In Lviv, the doctors did everything possible and impossible to save my leg and they succeeded. I underwent repeated surgical wound care, VAC system placement, and autograft skin procedures. I was diagnosed with nerve damage in the lower limb, post‑traumatic neuropathy, contracture of the left ankle joint, persistent pain syndrome, and limited movement.

In addition, after numerous concussions, an MRI revealed a retrocerebellar cyst in my brain.

Today I still need long‑term rehabilitation. But for full recovery, I need specialized treatment at the Sviatenko Clinic. Only there is it possible to undergo comprehensive rehabilitation aimed at restoring mobility, reducing pain, and returning to active life. But I need support to do this.

My goal is simple. To return to duty.

In the army, I found myself. There is my team, my brothers‑in‑arms, my responsibility. I want to be with them. Not a bystander. Not a person “after the war.” But a soldier who can once again perform his job at a high level.

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The fundraiser for rehabilitation for Oleh Paliichuk has been successfully closed. The need has been fully covered, and the rehabilitation course has been completed.

We sincerely thank everyone who contributed: through donations, sharing, and kind words. It was you who became the force that turned support into real results.

A special heartfelt thank you to the team of “Persha Pryvatna Brovarnia” for their significant support and care. Thanks to you, it was possible to promptly provide Oleh with the necessary treatment — without delays and without losing precious time for recovery. UAH 18,820 remaining from the fundraiser for the sled for Anatolii Zhumik was directed to Oleh’s rehabilitation and became an important part of this result.

We are here. We believe. And we keep moving forward together.

 

COLLECTED AND TRANSFERRED: UAH 80,000