“If they allow me to fight, I will return.” The story of a soldier with a bionic prosthesis who lost his arm at Bakhmut
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PROMOTED
December 29, 2023
31-year-old Vyacheslav Smyslov comes from Mariupol. He is a soldier of the Armed Forces and a father of many children.
The man joined the ranks of the defense in 2015. After 2 years, he returned to civilian life – took care of his mother, built a family, worked for the good of the economy.
He met the full-scale invasion with his wife and children in his hometown. Vyacheslav took his loved ones to a safe place and returned to the East.
After a year of service, he was wounded near Bakhmut – the soldier was tracked down by a kamikaze drone. Fortunately, the defender survived, but received significant shrapnel wounds and lost an arm.
Vyacheslav has been mastering the bionic hand prosthesis for several weeks now. The older son calls dad Transformer because of him.
Vyacheslav Smyslov spoke about life “before” and “after” the invasion, as well as about recovery after injury and new possibilities with a prosthesis made by German specialists. This prosthesis is controlled by electronic sensors and reproduces the functions of the lost limb as closely as possible.
Next is his direct speech.
Life and service before a full scale invasion
When the Russians invaded in 2014, I understood that they would not stop and after a certain time would try to attack Ukraine.
But Mariupol at that time was not so patriotic – most of it looked towards Russia and was not ashamed to show pro-Russian views. Some officials “blocked” service to men of conscription age, but I got into the army anyway – I signed a contract for a special period. It was the longest of all contracts, because no one knew when this period would end. So in 2015 I officially started my career as a military intelligence officer.
In 2017, the president issued a decree ending the special period.
I returned to my native Mariupol to my civilian life. He mastered many professions – from a butcher in a supermarket to a small personal business. Undoubtedly, there was a “break” at work, several times he wanted to return to his brothers, but family circumstances did not allow him to do so.
I divorced my first wife, started rehabilitating my mother after two strokes, and then I met my current wife – life was full of new colors. I became a father, and then again, and now I am a father of many children.
Returned to defend Mariupol
He met a full-scale invasion in his hometown. Martial law was just declared – he took his wife and children to Uman and wanted to return to Mariupol, but he didn’t have time – he was already taken into custody.
In Rozhivka, Zaporizhzhia region, I was surrounded – I spent almost 2.5 weeks there, and when I got out, the first thing I did was call my friends. They worked in the Kherson area, so soon I joined them.
The eldest son was only 5 years old at the time of the invasion. So the children at first did not even understand what was happening. The woman told them that dad was at work. In a few months, the senior started asking questions – then she already explained that I was defending the state.
When I came home, my son always called me “Dad – this is Glory to Ukraine!”.
Our unit was one of the first to enter Kherson, and after success we were transferred to Bakhmut. I was wounded there.
Wounded by a kamikaze drone
On February 3, we arrived at the position to exchange guys, and an enemy drone was flying over us. He wanted to catch the car, but he didn’t have time – the car immediately drove off. I went first and was a little ahead of the group. He heard the buzzing of the drone, but did not see it. I decided to sit down under a tree and turned my head just a little – I see something flying towards me. He did not have time to do anything, except put his hands in front of him.
He fell at my feet – probably the connection was broken. It was a kamikaze drone packed with explosives. The blast wave threw me one and a half meters, tore off the hand of my left hand and three fingers on my right. The shrapnel damaged my eyes – I was instantly blinded.
He fell at my feet – probably the connection was broken. It was a kamikaze drone packed with explosives. The blast wave threw me one and a half meters, tore off the hand of my left hand and three fingers on my right. The shrapnel damaged my eyes – I was instantly blinded.
On my feet were old felt felt boots. There used to be a myth that they hold small fragments well. It was still cold, so on the first trip in the “new” I checked the durability.
The doctors then said that if it weren’t for the felt boots, the foot would also have been torn off. And so – only an open fracture that has already healed. More than 10 fragments remain in the leg after all operations.
My brothers wondered how I managed to survive after such a thing. But, probably, the Lord still has plans for me.
When the explosion happened, I lost consciousness, but it quickly returned. While they were waiting for the evacuation, I asked the guys what was wrong with my hand, because it hurt a lot. It felt as if she had a convulsion.
On the way, I lost consciousness again – this time from a painful shock.
Wife Daryna: I learned about my husband’s injury from his stepfather, who was constantly in touch with the commander. Of course, I was very sad, but I was happy at the same time, because my husband is alive!
He went through a long path of rehabilitation, in particular at the Nezlamna center in Lviv. A few weeks later, we received a call and were offered a bionic prosthesis from the igaming company of the donor Favbet Foundation.
A hand like a Transformer
I don’t remember where I was operated on. Neither hospitals nor cities of Ukraine. Later, I ended up in Lviv – ophthalmologists had to replace my lens and remove a fragment from the other eye.
When the wounds healed, I transferred to the unit to continue my service and undergo VLK and MSEK. The Nezlamni Center called with an offer to supply me with a bionic prosthesis.
It was a big surprise for the children. After the injury, they often asked me: “Dad, did you lose your pen?”. And I jokingly agreed and promised my son that I would put an iron hand, I would be like a Transformer. He probably waited for her more than anyone in the family, and when I came home with the prosthesis, he didn’t even pay attention.
Meanwhile, the middle son likes the bionic prosthesis the most – he loves to wear it around the apartment, he even tries it on. But I ask him to be extremely careful with such an expensive “toy”.
If it weren’t for my wife, I wouldn’t have started prosthetics. A friend told me: “Learn to adapt to life, because it will not adapt to you“. I was mentally prepared for the fact that the hand was no longer there.
So he got used to dealing with all household matters on his own. For example, putting on socks or tightening nuts.
Thanks to a bionic prosthesis that best replaces the function of a lost limb, I can grasp – pick up a backpack or a cup – and carry. You can return to the front with him.
To be honest, I think I left too soon. I want to celebrate the victory with my boys at the front! If all the military medical commissions “write me off” (declared unfit – ed.), I will devote time to my family, but if they allow me to fight – I will return.
“Find-buy-deliver”
It was the leading Ukrainian iGaming company, which is the main donor of the Favbet Foundation charity, that helped Bakhmut’s defender get a modern bionic prosthesis.
The activity of the fund itself is the systematic support of Ukrainian heroes. And such socially responsible charitable foundations as the Favbet Foundation do not stand aside and strive to help the military as much as possible.
Thus, since the beginning of the full-scale war, the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other Defense Forces have already received 251 vehicles from the fund. Most of the cars handed over to the military are pickup trucks and off-road vehicles. The total aid to the Ukrainian military with the assistance of the Favbet Foundation amounted to over UAH 190 million. In addition, more than 130 drones of various types, including attack drones, were handed over to the fighters.
According to Serhii Kovalchuk, a member of the supervisory board of the Favbet Foundation, the mission of the Favbet Foundation is to help mainly divisions systematically, and sometimes the foundation works with individual requests of teams.
Serhii Kovalchuk, member of the supervisory board of the Favbet Foundation
“There is no selectivity, there is only a question of available resources and urgency. It is obvious that, first of all, we respond to the needs of our defenders in the hottest spots.
The biggest challenge, both in the first days of the invasion and now, is time. The situation at the front is changing very dynamically, all processes in the fund should be the same. Therefore, the task is always not just “find-buy-deliver”, but to do it in the shortest possible time,” he explains.
Serhiy Kovalchuk says that the most frequent requests of the military are cars and drones, which are consumables in modern warfare.
“Among the nomenclature that we supply most often, especially in the winter period, there are also charging stations, heaters, sets of winter uniforms”– concludes the member of the supervisory board of the Favbet Foundation.
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