Soldier Volodymyr Vitvytskyi, call sign FANERA

My name is Volodymyr Vitvytskyi. My fellow soldiers know me by the call sign FANERA.

I began my service on March 8, 2022. I had no military experience before the full-scale invasion, so I was initially assigned to a rear unit. But already in January 2023 I transferred to the 4th Operational Brigade “Rubizh,” where I continue to serve to this day as part of an artillery battalion.

My combat path began in May 2023. Without rotations, I carried out combat missions until February 2025. Spirne, Ivano-Daryivka, Klishchiivka, Nykanoryvka, Dorozhnie, Vilne, Novyi Donbas — these are the settlements where, together with my fellow soldiers, we held the defense and destroyed the enemy.

I began my service as a gun crew member and later became a gunner. I worked on artillery systems ranging from 85 to 152 caliber. During this time I was awarded the medal “For the Defense of Ukraine,” the distinction “Golden Cross,” and the Order “For Courage” of the 3rd degree.

I received my call sign “Fanera” after being wounded in 2023. At that time, the blast wave threw me several meters. When I came to my senses, I saw a red light in the darkness and thought: “Strange, shouldn’t it be white in a tunnel?” And then I realized it was my fellow soldiers shining a flashlight on me. After that I recovered for a long time, but returned to the ranks. The gun I worked at has long since been destroyed, and I continued my service.

But war leaves behind more than just memories.

Daily work with artillery, multi-ton equipment, constant physical strain, wounds and concussions had been destroying the joints for years. During my service I had already undergone surgeries to replace the cruciate ligaments in both knees and to treat the shoulder joints. But the left knee suffered the most.

A recent MRI revealed severe irreversible changes. Doctors diagnosed deforming osteoarthritis of the left knee joint of degree III, a subchondral insufficiency fracture of the medial condyle of the femur, chondromalacia of the articular surfaces of degree III–IV, degenerative changes of the menisci, the presence of a Baker’s cyst, and necrotic changes in the bone structures of the joint.

In simple terms the knee joint is practically destroyed. The cartilage tissue is almost entirely lost, and the bones are gradually breaking down due to constant friction against each other. Today every step is accompanied by pain. What for most people is an ordinary matter has become a daily ordeal for me.

After examinations and consultations, doctors concluded that the only effective way to restore mobility and eliminate the constant pain is total endoprosthetic replacement of the left knee joint. The surgery itself will be performed by doctors free of charge. But to carry it out, a high-quality knee endoprosthesis must be purchased. And here I cannot manage on my own, so I am compelled to ask for help.

This surgery will give me the opportunity to walk normally again without constant pain, to return to a full life, and to restore what the war had been gradually taking away over the years. But for me this is not only about the ability to move freely.

For me, this is a chance to remain in the ranks.

More than four years ago I consciously chose the path of a defender of Ukraine. I went through the combat positions of Donetsk Oblast, wounds, concussions, fatigue, and the trials that fall to the lot of everyone who carries a weapon for their country. And today I do not want to find myself on the sidelines because of a problem that can be fixed. I have the strength, the desire, and the motivation to continue serving. I have the knowledge and experience gained over years of war. I know my trade and want to continue being useful to my fellow soldiers and my country.

That is why this surgery is for me not the end of the path, but an opportunity to continue it.

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The fundraiser for the endoprosthetic replacement surgery for defender Volodymyr Vitvytskyi has been successfully closed.

We thank everyone who supported the fundraiser with a donation, a share, a kind word, or simply did not remain indifferent. Every hryvnia, every repost, and every message of support became an important step toward this goal.

Ahead of Volodymyr lies surgery, and after it — a difficult path of recovery and return to a life without pain. We believe that everything will definitely work out. And we know: when so many caring people are by your side, any difficulties are easier to overcome.

Thank you for helping defenders not only to fight, but also to recover.

We are together! Both on the front and in life!

 

 

COLLECTED: UAH 111,500