Rehabilitation center in Kyiv gives amputated soldiers new lease of life

KYIV, UKRAINE (RECENT) - As the war in Ukraine grinds on, a rehabilitation center in the capital Kyiv city of Ukraine has been giving amputated soldiers a new lease on life. Ukrainian soldiers who lost their arms or legs due to the ongoing conflicts in various regions of Ukraine are holding on to life again in the Bez Obmezhen Rehabilitation and Prosthetic center. 34-year-old Olexandr Savchenko, a soldier who was stationed in Donbas, lost both his legs from shelling during an evacuation of wounded soldiers back in May 16. He first came to the rehabilitation center in September where staff helped him make a cast and got him training in a prosthetic limb for his right leg. Recalling that moments, he said “Yes, I understood it all, but I was shocked, didn’t feel much pain. But all this thoughts, like what to do without legs. This moment they carried me away, I couldn’t stop thinking about the moment I felt that I don’t have legs anymore.” The journey was difficult but after three weeks of training, he started to walk again. He is currently recovering from surgery on his left leg but within seven days, he will be able to make a cast for his left leg and able to stand once again, on two legs. Olexandr is one of the most severely injured soldiers the center has yet received, but he is just one of many across the country that have made their way to this rehabilitation station. Located in the outskirts of Kyiv, the center is one of its nine centers around the country producing tailor-made prosthetics and providing physiotherapy to the wounded, which is covered by the Ukrainian government. (Footage by Ashley Chan/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)