Wounded Ukrainian soldier receives life-saving treatment at Cork hospital

Staff give intensive care and support, helping man to learn to walk again after fragments from bomb explosion lodged inside skull

Myroslav, 24, a Ukrainian who was injured in the war and treated in CUH, pictured with his mother Liudmila and Svetlana Zakharova, a Ukrainian immigrant support worker from Together Razem, the Cork-based NGO.

Staff at Cork University Hospital (CUH) have successfully treated a critically-injured Ukrainian soldier following a bombing which left fragments in his skull.

The soldier, aged 24, was left paralysed following an attack on April 15 on a small village near the Kharkiv region.

Myroslav, from Novograd-Volynskiy, a city in northern Ukraine, was called up to defend the country on February 25, the day after
Russia’s invasion.

Following the attack in April, Myroslav was unconscious in intensive care for just over two weeks and was entirely paralysed on the right side of his body, leaving him unable to speak.

After being transported to a hospital in Lviv on May 7, Myroslav, who remained in a critical condition, was allowed to receive medical treatment abroad for his injuries.

On May 10, Myroslav was transported to Cork from Poland on a military flight and was subsequently taken to CUH, where the extent of his injuries was discovered.

Fragments from the bomb explosion that occurred almost a month previously were found inside Myroslav’s skull and any immediate operations to rectify his skull injury were ruled out as they would have been too dangerous.

He was in CUH for three months before a titanium plate was received to replace a part of his skull.

During his three-month rehabilitation, staff at CUH provided intensive care and support, helping Myroslav learn to walk again.

Together-Razem, a Cork NGO which provides support for eastern Europeans in Ireland, facilitated Myroslav’s mother, Liudmila, to come and be by her son’s side throughout his time in CUH.

CEO of Together-Razem, Voyteck Bialek said: “We were there to give one-on-one support for them both, facilitated by Svetlana Zakharova, our very own Ukrainian immigrant support worker.

Svetlana provided emotional and psychological support not just to Myroslav, but also to his mother. She acted as a friendly, familiar face for Liudmila while staying in Ireland, naturally concerned about her son’s condition and her own wellbeing.

Together-Razem provided trauma counselling to both Myroslav and his mother following their experience in Ukraine.

A few weeks ago, Myroslav and his mother returned home after expressing deep gratitude to all staff at CUH.

“Thanks to the help and support of CUH and the work done by Svetlana on behalf of Together-Razem, Myroslav and Liudmila were welcomed and supported in Ireland, before returning home to Ukraine, said Mr Bialek.

“This help will never be forgotten."