DNIPRO – Feel sorry for all the children. A whole year has passed since their childhood. It doesn’t really matter to me, I’m already quite old, 25 years old.
This is what a person serving in the Ukrainian Defense Forces says Daniel. He presents a postcard that he always carries with him. 9 years old on the card Liza has painted a heart in the colors of the Ukrainian flag and written words of thanks to the Ukrainian soldiers.
– The card helps us get by and remember what we are fighting for, says Danyl.
The city of Dnipro has operated as a medical center for the Ukrainian army since 2014 due to its proximity to the front. This year, the importance of Dnipro increased even more.
When Russia attacked Ukraine in February, a department for wounded soldiers was established in all civilian hospitals in Dnipro.
visited one of these departments at the end of November. For security reasons, we are not allowed to share details about the hospital or the surnames of the interviewees.
Second wounding within a month
In the bright room, in addition to Danyl, there is another soldier, Yuri. Both have been wounded the day before. Both have an identification number drawn by the hospital staff.
Danyl had just finished his military service when the war started. At the beginning of March, he entered the army again. Now he is in the hospital for the second time in a month.
– I got a wound on my head on the sixth of November. I was taken to the hospital and the wound was stitched up, but no shrapnel was found then. I was in good health and I didn’t even suspect that there were some pieces left inside.
The fragment was found for the second time, when Danyl was hospitalized after being hit by a 2B11 mortar projectile at the end of November.
– We were evacuated to Bahmut, where we received first aid. The wounds were so serious that we were transferred to Dnipro. The fragments went very deep, at least four fragments must be removed.
The hit was in the arm and shoulder, but the bones are fine.
– It’s hard to say how long I’ll be here. It may be that I will be transferred to another hospital where there are doctors who specialize in this type of wound, says Danyl.
When Ukraine attacks, there are shrapnel injuries from mines
Not everyone can recover in peace, but flees from the hospital back to the front when they already feel well, says the department’s surgeon Vadim.
Vadim’s department started its operations two weeks after the war started. In mid-March, wounded soldiers began to be brought to the department.
– On average, around 300–400 people pass through us every month. There are different types of wounds: abdominal wounds, shrapnel wounds, upper and lower limb wounds, back injuries, Vadim says.
According to him, the prevalence of different types of wounds depends on which phase of the fighting is going on. When the Ukrainian army attacks, there are a lot of shrapnel injuries from mines.
The type and severity of the wound is determined even before the wounded person is taken to the hospital. For example, those who get hit in the head are taken to the largest hospital in Dnipro to the department of neurology.
– Sometimes we move patients further west, says Vadim.
When visited the hospital, the ward was full because many new patients had arrived the night before.
– But usually there are enough beds. There is also enough staff and medicine for everyone.
“Without thermal cameras we are like blind kittens”
As a patient, Danyl’s experience of the hospital is that everything is sufficient.
– I am very grateful to the doctors and nursing staff who save us. And to the volunteers who send us socks and food, for example. They are small things, but they bring us closer to victory.
Thermal cameras are especially popular in Danyl’s unit.
– Without them, we are like blind kittens, eyeless in the night.
Danyl says that volunteer organizations and individuals contact the soldiers directly and ask what is needed.
– Last time I asked to send us leg and hand warmers because it is really cold in the trenches.
Danyl is from Zaporizhia near Dnipro. His relatives will soon visit the hospital.
– Everyone close to us is worried about us, and this seems to protect us on the front.
“Good team spirit in the department”
Danyl has served in several places on the eastern front, including Vuhledar and Bahmut. He describes Bahmut’s situation as very difficult.
Danyl’s roommate Jurij has also served in Bahmut.
– The situation is quite difficult. Many of our men fall, many are wounded, he says of Bahmut.
Jurij was hit by mortar fire near Bahmut. Now the legs are full of shrapnel and the left ear can’t hear. Unlike Danyl, Jurij can’t stay on his feet.
– New bandages were put on me and X-rays were taken of the wounds. I received painkillers and antibiotics, nothing else could be done yet.
Future plans are clear for at least a few weeks.
– The doctors say that I have to spend at least three weeks here. After that, maybe I’ll go home for a while and then I’ll go back to the front.
Yurij’s relatives live in Kremenchuk, which is about a hundred kilometers northwest of the city of Dnipro.
– I haven’t told my mother or my sister yet. Honestly, I’m scared to tell them I’m in the hospital. I normally contact them every day, so they will know soon enough.
Both Jurij and Danyl say that the hospital has a good team spirit.
– We exchange information about our units and dream of winning, says Danyl.