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Ukraine. “I couldn’t get used to it — now I have”: Getting life back together after injury

After losing his arm in a shelling in Rubizhne, Volodymyr* had to start over. With help from friends — and medical support covered by the Danish Refugee Council, funded by the German Federal Foreign Office — he is slowly putting his life back together.

Posted on 07 May 2025

Volodymyr* is a single father from Rubizhne, Luhansk Oblast, who has been raising his daughter alone since she was five. A quiet man with a love for plants, his home was filled with greenery. That peaceful life came to an abrupt halt with the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022.

As shelling engulfed their town, Volodymyr and his daughter took shelter in the basement of their home, where they remained for nearly a month. One day in April, believing the street above had finally grown quiet, Volodymyr stepped outside. But the silence was misleading. A sudden explosion severely injured his arm.

“It was quiet, and then it came from somewhere, silently. It took me two days to get to a hospital in Luhansk with my wound. There, doctors did their best, but the facilities were limited.”

Through the help of friends, Volodymyr found a specialist in Kyiv. He and his daughter made a long and difficult journey — through the Russian Federation, the Baltic countries, and Poland — before finally reaching safety in Ukraine.

After arriving in Kyiv, Volodymyr underwent his first nerve transplant surgery. It was a critical step in trying to save his injured arm, but unfortunately, the operation was unsuccessful. Doctors found a knot — possibly a blood clot — that had disrupted the healing process. “Something had gone wrong, and the damage was more extensive than expected.”

Eventually, Volodymyr and his medical team made the difficult decision. Amputation was the only remaining option.

Life after amputation: Recovery and setbacks

Recovery has been slow and painful. In the three years since the injury, Volodymyr has had to undergo two additional surgeries to reshape the stump, which often causes discomfort and strain. He does not yet have a functional prosthesis, and the pain persists.

“It’s uncomfortable, it’s always pressing. Especially when the weather outside worsens.”

Thanks to the victim assistance project implemented in partnership with Humanity & Inclusion and with funding from the German Federal Foreign Office Volodymyr was assisted with rehabilitation and essential medication. This included care to improve blood circulation and prevent complications after amputation, as well as massage therapy to support muscle recovery, strengthen his shoulder, and relieve strain on his back and remaining arm.

Volodymyr has been exploring the possibility of getting a new prosthesis. For now, he has only a cosmetic one — a rigid plastic arm that was made early in his recovery. “It’s uncomfortable to wear and doesn’t really fit,” he explains. A bionic prosthesis was once nearly ready for him, but after a medical examination, doctors found that key muscles in his arm no longer function.

“The muscle responsible for flexing the arm doesn’t work — I can open my hand, but I can’t clench it.” That’s why, for now, the option of a fully functional prosthesis remains on hold.

©DRC Ukraine, Shakhtarske, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, April 2025, Krystyna Pashkina.

Back to work: A new routine in a new place

After his long recovery, Volodymyr knew he couldn’t stay idle. To keep him from staying at home, the man took on whatever jobs he could find — working in security at a cultural centre, briefly helping in a kindergarten, and eventually returning to what he knows best: construction. “Back at home, I was renovating flats, houses, and getting paid for that. This is what I am back to at a new place. At first, it was tricky working with one hand. I couldn’t get used to it — now I have.”

In the early days after his injury, the humanitarian aid organisations helped him get by. “They helped me with my life well here,” he says. But as time passed, he felt the urge to stand on his own feet again.

Friends — many of them internally displaced like him — helped him settle in a new flat in Shakhtarske, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.

Alongside work, Volodymyr also tends to plants again. A few pots now grow near his windows, bringing a familiar sense of calm into his new life.

While Volodymyr rebuilds his life, he finds peace in knowing that his daughter is safe. She has been living in Switzerland for nearly two years now. “She’ll be 21 this year,” he says. “When we left, she was 17… and she grew up by 10 years at once. Not physically, but mentally — she saw everything.” She’s working, slowly learning the language, and adjusting to her new life abroad.

*Name changed for safety purposes.

Volodymyr has started growing plants by the window—a small part of settling into his new space. ©DRC Ukraine, Shakhtarske, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, April 2025, Krystyna Pashkina.

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