Oleksandr (he declined to give his full name for safety reasons and restriction by the military), an aviation engineer, was a member of the 250-member Ukrainian contingent of the United Nations Organisation Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). In March 2022, as the Russo-Ukrainian War escalated following Russia’s full invasion of Ukraine, Oleksandr, alongside other members of the Ukrainian contingent in Goma, was redeployed back home to fight the invading army.
However, less than a month after his return home, tragedy struck. Oleksandr lost his right leg in a missile attack (he declined to reveal the location of the attack for security reasons).
When asked how he felt living without a limb, Oleksandr said, “It is difficult,” with an almost invisible smirk as he sat in a wheelchair tended by his wife, Anna.
