As the solar bathed the soccer pitch in a heat embrace, goalkeeper Yevgen Nazarenko couldn’t assist however chuckle as he went by way of his warm-up routine.
The request was easy: stretch your palms. Yet, there was a catch; Yevgen solely had one hand to stretch.
Close by, Oleg, a person with a single foot, let loose a groan and teetered precariously whereas trying push-ups.
Both of those exceptional males had paid a steep worth for his or her homeland, shedding limbs within the fierce battles which have ravaged Ukraine.
Every week, a spirited dozen or so amputees assemble within the coronary heart of Kyiv for a singular model of soccer coaching.
In their earlier lives, they have been common gamers, however now they lean prosthetic legs towards the sideline of a small synthetic pitch.
Oleg, a 46-year-old former officer within the forty sixth Air Assault Brigade, now finds himself embroiled in Ukraine’s counteroffensive within the southern city of Robotyne.
He remembers the chilling occasions of final December when a heartless assailant fired a grenade launcher hooked up to a rifle from simply 7 meters (23 ft) away.
His face glistened with sweat as he clung to his crutches whereas recounting: “The Russian got scared. If he had held the rifle more firmly, he would have hit me somewhere in the middle of my chest, and I would not be playing here now.”
The bodily toll is clear, however the emotional one runs simply as deep.
Oleg, a former policeman and a father of two, mirrored on the psychological battle: “I have seen with my own eyes many guys who lost their limbs, how people just broke down, could not stand this terrible tragedy and started doing bad things, drugs or something else … It is not easy to withstand this, believe me.”
Yet, with a broad smile, he added: “I remember the first time when I came to from the morphine. I lifted up the thermal blanket and looked, and my foot was not there … I felt like my life was over, but I am still here.”
Before shedding his proper foot, Oleg had proven unimaginable resolve, returning to the battlefield twice after sustaining wounds.
He even sought a faux medical certificates to stick with his comrades.
However, the lack of his foot introduced a stark realization, “I realized that I was already afraid … not even of losing my life but of becoming even more disabled,” he mentioned.
Amid a five-a-side match, goalkeeper Nazarenko defied his bodily limitations, exuding boundless power, his T-shirt drenched in sweat, its left sleeve hanging empty.
This 31-year-old sergeant, as soon as a pilot of reconnaissance drones, had his life altered perpetually in May 2022 when a defective shell exploded simply 10 meters away from him, taking his arm.
Taking a break, he declared his want to encourage his wounded comrades: “I want to show the other lads who got wounded that life does not end and you do not have to sit at home.”
With steely willpower, he has mastered the artwork of piloting a drone with one hand, with plans to return to service as soon as he receives a prosthetic arm.
With a left foot that’s nonetheless intact, Oleksandr Malchevskiy, 31, delivers purpose after purpose, showcasing each energy and agility on his crutches.
Despite shedding his proper leg beneath the knee as a consequence of shelling close to Kharkiv in May 2022, he maintains an unshakable spirit.
“I have a wife. I have a 9-year-old son. I do not want to sit in a wheelchair for 10 years and have them take care of me,” he mentioned.
He insisted that his amputation has had no affect on his psychological fortitude, stating, “Because no one forced me: I volunteered in the first days (of war). I knew there was a risk … We keep on living, that’s all.”
Volodymyr Samus, 42, who was wounded by shelling close to Avdiivka, shared an identical sentiment: “You adapt.”
His story is one in all endurance, having laid wounded below heavy shelling till 4 p.m. when he lastly reached the hospital.
Now, with a lacking leg, he described the expertise as akin to a toddler studying to stroll, saying: “It is a completely new feeling. Just like a child learning to walk, we are learning to play football again.”
Source: www.dailysabah.com
