Two Ukrainian war veterinarians, injured from various backgrounds, live together a new reality as they are fitted to prosthetic legs in their Staten Island homes and hope that the sacrifices will not be in vain.
Vitaliy Fomenko, 37, was a financial planner, struggling as a German construction worker while marrying 47-year-old dad Hennadiy Degtyar, before regaining his arms to fight the Craven invasion of Russia's hometown.
When the pair lost their legs in combat, they faced the same reality – and because they received important prosthetics, thanks to a nonprofit organization far from the death and destruction of war, Faced with a temporary new life in New York City – a torn country.
Now, with the third anniversary of Monday's horrifying war, men wonder whether their sacrifice is ultimately worth it.
“Of course, everyone is tired of both soldiers and civilians, but we are doing everything we can to our soldiers and civilians beyond our potential,” said the teenager. Degtyar, the father of the film, recently spoke to the post through a translator. “It's a war of fatigue.”
Fomenko said Ukraine needs to win.
“if [the Russians] Force us to give our territory. This trauma, all this sacrifice, was in vain for what we were fighting,” he said.
The man said that when Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops to his neighboring nations on February 24, 2021, they didn't know what was ahead.
Deguthir and his family, who live in Chernichv, fell asleep when they heard the explosion at the beginning of the invasion. His father said he and his neighbors quickly learned that they had to protect their city by starting their own defense forces outside the Ukrainian army.
A few months later, he joined the country's border department.
Fomenko happens to return to Ukraine around February 2021 to celebrate the baptism of children from a large family. He had the option at the outbreak of war, to leave the battle for the health of his mother, but he wanted to join his team with his peers.
“When something bad is happening, we're trying to join each other and do something,” he said through the translator. “It is our will to do something for our country.”
Neither Degtyar nor Fomenko could avoid becoming two of the hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians injured in the conflict. Ukrainian President Voldim Zelensky said earlier this month that 31,000 Ukrainians had been killed in the war so far, but other ratings have put the country's death toll on the rise.
Degtyar and some of his fellow border guards were exposed to severe enemy fires in September, evacuating wounded soldiers in Krasnohorivka. His right leg was attacked and he was seriously injured.
He was forced to wait several hours in the dark, trying to stop the bleeding before others could provide care.
All this time, he called it “crazy pain” because he had no painkillers. He said he did anything he tried to keep himself from fainting.
It had to be amputated around the knee in the end.
Fomenko also felt unbearable pain while serving on the frontlines of Donetsk's region, facing a Russian drone attack when his left foot was hit. He was able to take care of himself – the Ukrainian army teaches the army how to apply tourniquets before they arrive.
Still, part of his left leg was amputated to save his life.
Hoping for top notch care, Fomenco and Deguthir boarded a train to Poland before jumping into the Big Apple in mid-January.
The two men currently live in modest homes on Staten Island, travelling to other parts of the city, perfect for their new prosthetic leg and undergoing intensive rehabilitation during their short stay. Both use crutches when adapting to new normals.
Last week, the pair went to a spirit-based physiotherapy where medical staff monitored the injured legs and forced them to do a series of exercises.
While at a base on Staten Island along Balkan Street, they exercise in a home gym with bench presses, stationary bikes, dip bars and pull-up bars underground. There are also some light training table tennis.
The act of kindness helped more than 50 veterans of the Ukrainian War come to the United States to receive prosthetic devices and treatment.
Several of the wounded troops were visited by Zelensky during his trip to the state in September 2023.
The pair has been praised by people around New York who recognize that the men are combat veterans due to their amputation.
“In America, you already have this veteran culture,” said Hanna Korotych, executive director of Kind Deeds.
Oleksandr Rubtsov, president of Kind Deeds, said staying in the US for several months would give veterans a rest from the fears of their hometowns.
“It gives them the opportunity to leave the war and see the kindness, support and gratitude from people all over the world and believe in a future where they can live fully again,” he said in a statement.
“We don't just walk, we're helping them move forward.”
The two men are expected to return to Ukraine in March.
Degtyar needs to find another job as the financial company he had been shut down due to the war was closed, but Fomenko needs to get approval from the Ukrainian army to be discharged from the hospital.
However, it is unclear whether they will be greeted by peace and further violence when they return.
The US and Russia began negotiations last week to try to end the war in Saudi Arabia.
Zelensky said he would be willing to resign as president on Sunday if it meant that Ukraine was accepted by NATO or if his resignation led to peace.
Both Fomenko and Degtyar stressed that if Ukraine is pressured on the surrendered land, injuries that will change their lives will be for nothing. Both hope that Ukrainian allies will remain on their side.
Until then, war fatigue will continue to drag on for them and their loved ones, they said.
