Ukrainian soldier, Serhii, sits on his hospital bed in a public clinic in central Ukraine with small pieces of shrapnel embedded in his legs. Despite the excruciating pain, the 36-year-old soldier says he feels surprisingly good. He expresses his disbelief and gratitude at being in a hospital rather than a trench and surviving a deadly mission. Serhii serves as an infantryman in the 80th Air Assault Galician Brigade, having left Finland, where he worked as a handyman for 10 years, to enlist right after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Serhii, also known by his call sign “Fin,” shares his harrowing experience of a mission that stretched from three days to two weeks after being pinned down by enemy fire. Constant shelling and a nearby mortar explosion left him and his comrades severely wounded. Despite multiple evacuation attempts, the Russian bombardment prevented any rescue.
Throughout the ordeal, Serhii’s commander used a drone to provide him with essential supplies, dropping items such as water, painkillers, chocolate bars, and cigarettes. But as Russian drones targeted the dugout, Serhii, along with another Ukrainian soldier, found themselves in grave danger. Serhii was left to fend for himself, whispering the coordinates of the enemy to his commander and calling in artillery strikes on his surrounded position.
With his battery almost dead, and under constant threat from Russian soldiers, Serhii had no choice but to crawl and pray, making a daring escape and ultimately surviving. Now, recovering for over two weeks in the hospital, Serhii remains humble, refusing to see his actions as heroic, rather attributing valor to his comrades who continue to fight and sacrifice on the front line. All he desires is to go fishing, have a few beers, and sit in silence with his fellow soldiers. His story of survival and perseverance reflects the incredible resilience and bravery of Ukrainian soldiers in the face of adversity.
