Military doctor Mialkovskyi is haunted by the constant need to treat soldiers wounded by landmines as Ukraine steps up its counter-offensive in Zaporizhzhia.
"It's heartbreaking to see 21-24 year old men who have lost their feet or even their entire legs because of landmines. Even if they survive, they will have to use prosthetics for the rest of their lives," said military doctor Dmytro Mialkovskyi, who works at a hospital in Zaporizhzhia, southern Ukraine.
He said the number of mine-related injuries he has treated since the start of the counteroffensive in June is much higher than during his time in Kherson and Kramatorsk, or in Zaporizhzhia last year. The hospital receives at least two mine-related injuries a day, and on peak days it can reach 11, including amputations.
Ukraine is the most mined country in the world, with more than 170,000 square kilometers of land covered with mines and other explosives. Experts say it will take decades for Ukraine to clear the damage from the war.
The Russian defense line and minefields, which have been in place for over a year, have held back Kiev’s counterattack. The density and variety of mines used by Russia mean that every advance by Ukrainian infantry carries the risk of casualties.
A picture of wounded Ukrainian soldiers at a hospital in the city of Dnipro was published in May. Photo: Washington Post
As the Ukrainian counteroffensive began, Mialkovskyi's work at the hospital became more hectic.
Previously, he performed non-urgent surgeries such as hernia repairs. Now, this military doctor must focus on removing bullets and repairing limbs torn off by mines for wounded soldiers.
Every day, Mialkovskyi performs 3-4 major surgeries, along with some minor surgeries, mainly treating wounded Ukrainian soldiers transferred from field hospitals or battlefields.
Samer Attar, a Syrian-American orthopedic surgeon who volunteers at the same hospital as Mialkovskyi, said landmine casualties often suffer horrific injuries, with “unbelievable deformities and destruction of organs.”
Having treated victims of bombings in Syria, Attar is no stranger to seeing the injuries Ukrainian soldiers have suffered from landmines.
"Underneath the surgical drape, the patient's arms and legs have become a jumble of bone, tendon and muscle fragments," he shared about the haunting nature of his profession.
High-impact injuries, such as those caused by blasts, can alter body tissues at the molecular level, meaning patients will have to wait several days for doctors to remove the necrotic flesh and determine what parts of their limbs can be saved.
Surgeons treat wounded Ukrainian soldiers at an emergency treatment unit in Zaporizhzhia in May. Photo: Reuters
Doctors then “have to fight to save every inch” of the patient during the main surgery. Saving as much of the injured limb as possible will help the patient adapt to the prosthetic more quickly and easily.
Mialkovskyi said he was recently interpreting for a medical training session organized by American volunteers when he was called to assist in a surgery. He and another doctor had to try to save a 24-year-old soldier who had seriously injured both legs after stepping on a landmine.
With the patient in critical condition, Mialkovskyi had to make a split-second decision, and he chose to amputate both legs to save the soldier's life. The operation was etched in his mind for days.
"I did what I had to do. He had lost both legs and his life was in danger. At that time I wasn't sure if he would survive," Mialkovskyi said.
As he checked on the patient in the intensive care unit, Mialkovskyi felt relieved to learn that he had saved the wounded soldier’s life, although his condition remained serious. For doctors like Mialkovskyi, a patient’s survival for another day was a huge victory, adding precious hope to the hardships and sufferings of war.
Still, having to perform such surgeries over and over again is frustrating for doctors. “It’s hard to feel at peace when your job is to amputate healthy young men,” Attar said.
Not only Attar, Mialkovskyi was also haunted by witnessing the horrific injuries that changed people's lives after just a dry explosion. "We tried to pretend nothing happened, but it was painful," he said.
Mr. Hoang (According to Washington Post )
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