‘A new life’: Ukrainian war amputees travel to Germany for custom-made limbs

Berlin CNN — Pavlo Kushnirov was among the Ukrainian soldiers fighting in the eastern city of Bakhmut with the 114th territorial defense brigade on a sunny day last winter when Russian shelling changed his life forever. Kushnirov and Sayko-Kazakov are among the first of 60 severely wounded Ukrainian soldiers who will receive treatment in Germany, thanks to the Berlin-based NGO “Life Bridge Ukraine.” They hope to start what they see as a new life soon. “Once there were hundreds of us, now there are thousands of people like me.” Orthopedic technicians work with Vitaliy Sayko-Kazakov, seated center, and Pavlo Kushnirov, right, who are among the first of 60 injured Ukrainian soldiers who will receive specialist treatment in Berlin. “We want to give Ukrainian war-wounded soldiers a new life – and simultaneously want to train six Ukrainians for three months here in Berlin, who will learn to build very good quality prosthetics so that they can do it themselves in Kyiv.” Von Wolfersdorff is collaborating closely with Kyiv’s Mayor Vitali Klitschko and Berlin’s Governing Mayor Kai Wegner on the project, hoping that a prosthetics center will be opened in Kyiv later this year. “We seek a holistic treatment approach: In addition to a lot of physiotherapy, patients are offered psychological help, as well as nutritional advice, to reintegrate themselves into as normal as possible a life.” ‘Completely new way of learning to walk’ A few weeks later, CNN joined Kushnirov and Sayko-Kazakov for their first fittings in Seeger’s Berlin workshop.