“I was asleep when a fragment struck me in the head”: the story of Andrii from the Kyiv region became part of the Museum of Civilian Voices founded by the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation

A fragment struck 26-year-old Andrii in the head while he was asleep. It happened exactly one year ago - on the night of April 24–25 during another russian attack on Kyiv. That night, the capital came under a massive assault involving missiles and drones. The strike became one of the largest attacks since the start of the full-scale war. Recently, Andrii completed a rehabilitation course with the support of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation. He shared his story of survival and struggle to regain his health with the Museum of Civilian Voices founded by the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation.

“I was asleep when some fragment hit me in the head. I remained conscious, but my neighbors quickly called for help because I could not do it myself. I was just looking around, but my arms and legs would not move. It was a huge shock to the body,” Andrii recalls.

On that fatal night, the man ended up in Kyiv by chance - he had come for an internship and was staying in a rented apartment. At first, he did not even hear the air raid alert and woke up only after feeling a powerful blow to the head. Doctors later diagnosed him with a severe open penetrating traumatic brain injury and a brain contusion. The injury caused serious damage to his nervous system.

The first month in the hospital was the hardest: Andrii lay in bed unable to feel his legs. Doctors’ forecasts were discouraging. However, his incredible will to live proved stronger than the medical predictions. The man learned how to sit up and keep his balance, and later mastered using a walker. Today, Andrii moves with the help of crutches and dreams of the day when he will be able to go for a walk without any assistance.

The support of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation significantly improved his condition, although new stages of recovery still lie ahead.

“Doctors said there was a possibility I would never walk again, that the injury was serious. But I got back on my feet. Now I’m undergoing rehabilitation and have already progressed to using crutches. I hope I will continue to improve and reach a better condition,” says Andrii.

In the future, Andrii dreams of mastering a new profession and returning to his beloved football - if only to once again feel the atmosphere of the game from the stands.

“I always wanted to be self-sufficient and independent, and then this happened. Still, I want to find some way forward,” the man admits.

Watch Andrii’s story here: http://bit.ly/4e35qXS

The collection of the Museum of Civilian Voices founded by the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation already numbers more than 145,000 stories about the war. This is the largest collection in the world of testimonies from civilians affected by russia’s war against Ukraine.