Severe leg injury while evacuating a fellow soldier

During a combat mission, he sustained a critical injury to his right lower leg. Ahead lies complex treatment to restore the bone and regain the ability to walk.

Case Summary

• Date of injury: March 1, 2024
• Circumstances: evacuating a wounded soldier under fire
• Injury: gunshot shrapnel fracture of the right lower leg
• Complications: delayed bone healing, infection
• Condition: after multiple surgeries, requires further treatment

Fulfilling his duty and protecting his fellow soldiers was a matter of honor.

On March 1, 2024, while leaving a position near the settlement of Terny in the Donetsk region, he and a fellow soldier were evacuating a wounded comrade. At that point, it was already the 32nd consecutive day on the front line.

During movement, drones began dropping explosives, followed by a mortar attack. There was nowhere to take cover. At that moment, he sustained a severe injury to his right leg.

Acting on instinct, he applied a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. Almost immediately, a drone dropped an incendiary charge — his backpack caught fire. He threw it forward, which likely saved his life.

Because of the injury, he could no longer move and lost consciousness. He regained awareness only three hours later, managed to contact his fellow soldiers, and was then evacuated to a safer location.

In that moment, only the instinct to survive remained — to hold on, stay conscious, and wait for help.

Slow-healing gunshot shrapnel fracture of both bones of the right lower leg with formation of a nonunion (“false joint”). Status after staged surgical treatment with chronic post-traumatic osteomyelitis.

What this means

The bones in his leg were severely damaged and are not healing properly. At the fracture site, a so-called “false joint” has formed — meaning the bone has not become whole again.

There is also a chronic bone infection, which complicates treatment and requires long-term control.

What has been done

• March 1, 2025 — initial wound treatment and external fixation device placement
• March 21, 2025 — repeat surgery and soft tissue reconstruction
• October 21, 2025 — removal of the fixation device

Planned bone reconstruction and closure of the bone defect using a bone graft.

What this means

The damaged section of the bone will be filled with a special material (partly using the patient’s own bone) to restore its integrity.

Goal of the surgery:

• restore bone strength
• ensure proper alignment of the leg
• regain the ability to walk normally

Why Support Is Needed

Injuries like this do not heal on their own. Recovery is a long, multi-stage process involving multiple surgeries and ongoing infection control.

Support today is a real chance to complete treatment, restore the leg, and return to a life without constant pain and limitations.