Thousands of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians are learning to live with amputations after suffering severe injuries on the battlefield or far from the front lines in Russian aerial attacks. In December 2023, Hlib Benia, a Ukrainian soldier with the 79th Separate Air Assault Brigade, was delivering supplies to his comrades when Russian FPV (first-person view) drones struck. Two of his fellow soldiers were killed. He survived but lost an arm and a leg. The Kyiv Independent’s Nick Allard spent a day with him at a rehabilitation center in Kyiv, documenting the difficult process of adapting to life after such devastating injuries. Through frustration, humor, and determination, Benia reflects on survival and what it means to begin a new stage of life.

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