Story 11
Yevhenii
- Veteran of the 14th Operational Brigade
- Now serving with the National Guard of Ukraine
Yevhenii has been a soldier almost his whole adult life. After high school, he chose the army, and has served since 2015 — most recently as senior sergeant of an engineering platoon and acting commander of an engineer-sapper platoon.
In 2023, near Verbove in the Zaporizhzhia region, Yevhenii was wounded in combat. For fifteen hours, he waited on the field with tourniquets in place. He lost his right leg above the knee.
During rehabilitation, the greatest source of strength for Yevhenii was the support of his wife, family, and friends. Step by step, he learned to live again on new terms.
In 2024, he became the first veteran in Ukraine to pass the driving examination adapted for people with disabilities — a personal milestone that opened a road others will now travel.
Yevhenii joined the Hug for Heroes program together with his wife. For him, one of the most valuable parts of the experience was the strength that comes from being among others who have walked the same road. Recovery, he came to see, is not something done alone — it is built between people.
Today, Yevhenii continues to serve in the National Guard of Ukraine.
