Andrii Shulha gets fitted for prosthetic sockets at Prosthetic and Orthotic Associates in Orlando, Fl., after losing both of his legs while fighting in the Ukraine War. | Photo courtesy of Revived Soldiers Ukraine

Earlier this year, BBF highlighted the impactful work of Iryna Vashchuk Discipio, a former track athlete and coach who has since focused her efforts on helping Ukrainian servicemen recover from war injuries.

In 2015, Vashchuk Discipio started Revived Soldiers Ukraine (RSU), a nonprofit organization that helps Ukrainian soldiers recover from war by providing free treatment at rehabilitation facilities in Ukraine. In cases where soldiers have sustained complicated injuries such as double amputations or above-the-knee amputations, RSU makes arrangements for the soldier to receive treatment at state-of-the-art facilities in the United States.

In January, BBF Global Relief gave RSU a grant to bring four injured servicemen to the United States for prosthetics and rehabilitation treatment.

Here are their stories.

Oleksandr Chumak

Oleksandr Chumak began serving in Ukraine’s military in 2014. In October 2022, Chumak was severely injured in an attack in the Donetsk region. He lost one leg above the knee and sustained serious damage to his other leg, which became infected.

RSU brought Chumak to Penn Medicine Hospital in Philadelphia, where doctors saved his leg from amputation. After 10 months of medical treatment, RSU brought Chumak to Prosthetic and Orthotic Associates in Orlando, FL., to receive a prosthetic leg and active orthotics. Chumak is now able to walk on his own.

Vadym Huts

Vadym Huts, originally from Kyiv, began serving in Ukraine’s 53rd Brigade following the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. In April 2023, he was severely wounded in a mine explosion near the city of Avdiivka. Huts lost one arm above the elbow and one leg below the knee. Huts was fitted for a prosthetic arm at Prosthetic and Orthotics Associates in Orlando, FL.

Maksym Lycko

On August 28, 2023, Maksym Lycko, 29, was struck by a Russian drone while performing a combat mission in the Zaporizhzhya region. Lycko, who was providing medical aid to a wounded comrade when the drone hit, survived the blast with multiple shrapnel wounds to his arm and leg.

Doctors performed high-level amputations on Lycko’s right leg and right arm. While Lycko was being fitted for a prosthetic arm, doctors found a neuroma. Lycko underwent surgery for the neuroma and received a prosthetic arm at Prosthetic Innovations.

Next, Lycko will be flown to Orlando to receive a prosthetic leg at Prosthetic and Orthotics Associates.

Andrii Shulha

Andriy Shulha, 38, was an engineer who specialized in explosives. In September 2023, Shulha was severely wounded while fighting in the Zaporizhzhya region and lost both of his legs.

In December 2023, Shulha was sent to Northwestern Hospital in Chicago to receive treatment for an infection. In May 2024, RSU brought Shulha to Prosthetic and Orthotic Associates to receive above-the-knee prostheses.