Before the full-scale Russian invasion, 41-year-old Oleksiy Prytula from Izmail, Odesa Oblast, worked as a veterinarian. After February 24, he prepared food for Ukrainian soldiers with his wife, helped IDPs, made camouflage nets, and donated blood.
Later, Oleksiy joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces and took part in counteroffensives to liberate parts of Kharkiv and Donetsk Oblasts from Russian occupation. On September 30, 2022, as he was evacuating a wounded comrade from the battlefield, he was wounded by enemy shell. His injuries forced doctors to amputate both his legs, and now he needs long-term rehabilitation and prosthetics.
In the first days of the war, Oleksiy was accepted at the enlistment office because he had no military experience. At that time, it was mostly those who had fought before who were being recruited to defend the country from the invaders. However, on July 4, he received a call from the enlistment office and was informed that he had to be ready to go the next day.
Oleksiy didn't hesitate and quickly packed his things. His wife Yulia, despite being worried for her husband and crying that night, accepted his decision.
Over the course of a month, he and other mobilized men learned to be soldiers. At the beginning of August 2022, Oleksiy joined the 25th Airborne Assault Brigade. Oleksiy spent his first week at the front near Bakhmut, monitoring the enemy's approach while under constant fire.
Because he had only been prepared for war for a month, Oleksiy was not prepared for the savageness of the bombardment. "The enemy was using their whole range of weapons on us: mortars, tanks, artillery, Grads, and aircraft. But we carried out our mission," he said.
Later, Oleksiy and his comrades were transferred to the Kharkiv front. It was his brigade that liberated Izyum from Russian occupation. During the assault, Oleksiy even managed to take an enemy prisoner. He turned out to be a mobilized man from the so-called "LPR" who had been conscripted right in the middle of the street about a week before. The prisoner was even happy to be captured.
After Izyum was taken and Ukrainian military control was established, Oleksiy was assigned to work as a medic at an evacuation post near Lyman, Donetsk Oblast. He had to evacuate the wounded and dead from positions right on the front line.
Compared to Izyum, where the Russians were simply fleeing, the enemy was intensively shelling Ukrainian positions in Donetsk Oblast. Almost every day, there were many Ukrainian casualties, so Oleksiy had a lot of work to do.
This continued until the end of September, when Oleksiy himself came under enemy shelling. On September 30, while he was en route to evacuation points, the Russians launched Grad rockets at the vehicle carrying Oleksiy, a driver, and a wounded soldier. All three survived. However, a while later, after the car had broken down from the damage of the barrage,, a shell hit Oleksiy directly in his legs.
In a state of shock, Oleksiy put bandages on both his legs and started shouting for help. Luckily, he was transported to a field hospital in time to undergo preliminary surgery.
Oleksiy's wife Yulia told their 7-year-old daughter about her father's serious injury soon afterward. Trying to focus on the fact that her father was alive, Yulia told her daughter that he would not have both legs. The girl burst into tears. At first, she was angry at her father for going to war, then at her mother for letting him go. But in the end, she apologized and directed her anger at Russia and Putin.
Oleksiy later underwent surgery at a hospital in Kharkiv, and was then transferred to Kyiv, where his legs were amputated. He is now undergoing treatment and waiting for his wounds to finish healing, which is not happening as fast as his doctors would like. Oleksiy receives tremendous support from his wife Yulia, their daughter, their friends, the veterinary community, his clinic's clients, and everyone who cared about him and his family.
Oleksiy and his wife are also considering various options for prosthetics and trying to keep their fighting spirit, no matter what happens. After learning to walk with prosthetics, Oleksiy Prytula would like to return to his brigade. However, if he is unable to fight, he will go back to working as a veterinarian.
This material was prepared with financial support from the International Renaissance Foundation.
