Zakhar Biryukov joined the defense of Ukraine in 2015 because he didn't want his country to be taken over by the Russians. Zakhar couldn't accept that some bastards had started killing his countrymen and seizing towns and villages, so he chose to fight them.
As a soldier, Zakhar realized that a full-scale war was inevitable. He and his comrades did not know when exactly Russia would attempt a full invasion of Ukraine, but he was ready for it.
On 24 February 2022, Zakhar was visiting his parents in Zhytomyr Oblast, but when he learned that the war had started, he immediately went home to Vasylivka, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, where his wife and children were.
During the first month of the full-scale war, Zakhar and his family remained in Vasylivka, which is now occupied by the Russian invaders. At that time, the town was in the gray zone, controlled by neither Ukraine nor the occupiers.
When the Russians began to intensify their shelling of Vasylivka, Yulia and her children managed to leave the town and evacuate abroad. A week later, Zakhar also left for Zaporizhzhia. He was lucky to leave in time, because the occupiers would certainly have come to capture or kill him.
On 17 July 2022, Zakhar was seriously injured by enemy fire. Doctors had to amputate his arms and right leg. In addition, he suffered numerous burns, contusions, a broken jaw, eye damage, and serious blood loss.
In the first days after the injury, doctors didn't give any prognosis. His family was terrified and shed many tears. However, the main thing was that he was alive. His wife Yulia, who was abroad with their children, returned to Ukraine and came to the hospital where Zakhar was being treated.
In the two months after his injury, Zakhar was in seven different hospitals.
"We all experienced a constant swing: his condition was critical, he couldn't be transported, and a few hours later he was already in another city; in one hospital his leg was saved, and in another hospital we were told that it had already been amputated because the bone had completely burned out; then there was positive news with his eye, and later we were informed that he needed to have it removed. And so on every day for two months," says Zakhar's sister Olesya.
After medical procedures in Ukraine, Zakhar and his wife went to Germany. He is now continuing his treatment at the University Hospital of Würzburg. The German doctors noted that their Ukrainian colleagues had done a very good job of fixing Zakhar's jaw and performing skin grafting.
At first, Zakhar only stayed in the hospital, but after a few weeks, he moved to a dormitory near the rehabilitation center. During his stay in Germany, Zakhar Biriukov has gained strength, has been visiting all the specialists he needs, and has been learning to use his body on his own.
Zakhar already has his first training prosthesis, with which he took his first steps after his injury. Zakhar will wear several types of training prostheses for six months, after which he will choose the most comfortable one.
Despite the pain and long-term complicated treatment, as he waits for his next surgeries, Zakhar remains optimistic and dreams of returning to Ukraine.
This material was prepared with financial support from the International Renaissance Foundation.
