Soldier Ruslan Khlystun, call sign KHLYST

On the first day of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, I went to the military enlistment office myself. Without hesitation. I simply knew I had to be there. At first, I served in a security company — checkpoints, duty shifts, then guarding an airfield in Kyiv region, where I am from.

Later, I realized I wanted more. I completed officer courses at the Odesa Academy, received the rank of junior lieutenant, and was assigned to a combat unit — the 30th Separate Mechanized Brigade. I became a platoon commander. At that time, our unit was carrying out tasks on the Donetsk direction.

Since October 2023, we had been operating on the Kupiansk direction, Kharkiv region. That is where I received my first serious injury.

It happened on January 6, 2024, during direct participation in combat operations. As a result of a strike by an aerial bomb (KAB), our solid concrete shelter was completely destroyed — it collapsed like a cardboard house. We were trapped inside like sardines in a can. Miraculously, there were no fatalities — everyone was “300”. It took four hours for our comrades to dig us out.

At that time, I sustained a closed traumatic brain injury, cephalgic syndrome, and a contusion of the right knee joint. That injury marked the beginning of serious problems with my knee.

I received my second severe injury on July 16, 2024, while carrying out a combat mission — during withdrawal from a position while rotating personnel. We fell into a drone ambush under heavy enemy artillery fire.

The evacuation took place under constant shelling with the involvement of heavy armored vehicles. I sustained a blast injury and multiple shrapnel wounds: to the chest, abdomen, right shoulder, both thighs, as well as a fracture of the lower third of the right tibia.

I survived. But the consequences of these injuries remain with me.

Today, I have severe damage to my knee joint. I cannot move properly, cannot squat or stand normally. Every movement is accompanied by pain.

Despite this, I remain in service alongside my brothers-in-arms. Not on the front line, but nearby. And after treatment, I plan to return to the ranks until the end of the war.

Before the war, I worked in a family business — car servicing. And after victory, I want to return to this work. But now my main task is to get back on my feet.

Doctors have determined that I need knee joint endoprosthesis. At Bohuslav Hospital, they are ready to perform the surgery free of charge, remove the titanium rod installed after the second injury, and carry out all necessary surgical procedures. However, I must purchase the high-quality knee joint prosthesis myself.

That is why I am asking for help.

This is my chance to walk without pain again. To return to an active life and remain in service.

 

COLLECTING: UAH 137,600