From war to recovery: Ukrainian soldier finds new life in Cork after beating cancer

Ihor Larionenko’s battle with cancer saved his life, leading him from the frontline to a fresh start in Cork

Ihor Larionenko during his time on the frontline in Ukraine. 'Most of my friends are not alive. Some of them disappeared. They are missing. Nobody knows where they are right now.'

Former Ukrainian soldier Ihor Larionenko could never have predicted the ironic twist that forced him to leave the frontline and seek refuge with his family in Cork City.

While it seems bizarre to suggest that a cancer diagnosis might have saved him, the self-described man of nine lives believes his fate was predestined.

A diagnosis of bowel cancer and deteriorating health resulted in his dismissal from the frontline. The sergeant’s pleas to continue fighting were met with vehement opposition from concerned superiors.

Ihor — who was born in Vasylivka before settling in Zaporizhzhia, southeast Ukraine — now had another battle on his hands which he was prepared to face with the tenacity and strength he is known for. After undergoing surgery in his own country in July 2022, Ihor began an aggressive round of chemotherapy. 

It was thought that he was out of the woods until he relocated to Cork City with his wife Katia and two children Oleh and Misha in February 2023. It was here that doctors discovered his cancer had metasticised. 

Former Ukrainian soldier Ihor Larionenko who has come to Cork to live with his family after a cancer diagnosis took him away from the frontline. Picture: David Creedon

Ihor underwent surgery to remove his gallbladder and part of his liver. The 50-year-old said he cried after recently being told he was cancer-free.

He tearfully said it was the only good news he had received in the last three years. Life up to that point had been a living nightmare for the heroic Ukrainian. It started on the day he braved the frontline.

“I was scared,” he confessed. “I knew that I had to do this. Everyone is afraid. I assure you that this is the case even when people try to tell you otherwise. I’ve seen men bigger and more experienced than me who either cried, hid or ran away after being brought to the frontline. 

"Everyone in this situation is crying and praying to God. I pray every day and that’s why I’m alive. 

God gave me this illness but if I didn’t get sick I wouldn’t be alive talking to you today. 

Ihor said he never had any reservations about volunteering to serve in the military.

“I couldn’t stay at home and cover my eyes to what was happening. I have two children. They are boys. It would be a bad example to them if I didn’t stand up for my country. That’s the way I was raised. 

"My wife made an attempt to stop me. However, by the end of the conversation, she understood this was something I had to do. When I told my oldest it was difficult for him because he understood the subject and politics. My youngest one is papa’s boy so it was tough for him too.” 

Ihor was called for duty on March 22, 2022, following a lengthy selection process.

“I had to wait to be called because the preference was for the military men who could drive tanks and carry heavy machinery. You don’t get a day off in war. It was seven days a week for four months straight. 

There was no proper uniform or proper weapons. It was like fighting against tanks with our bare hands. 

"It kept me motivated to know that my children would never have to be ashamed of their father.” 

The father-of-two’s ill health was plain to see.

“It felt like I had haemorrhoids, but I was too embarrassed to share this with anyone at the time as it was such a private thing. I put it down to the lifestyle. We had no routine. Nobody had lunch so we were just eating anything we could find. We slept in abandoned houses.

"March and April were still very cold so we were up against the elements. My commander commented that he didn’t like how I looked and he noticed that I didn’t have a great appetite. He insisted that I go to the hospital for a medical examination so that I could repair and heal myself.” 

Ihor is often haunted by thoughts about his friends who never made it.

“Most of my friends are not alive. Some of them disappeared. They are missing. Nobody knows where they are right now. They’re just not registered dead. The scariest thing is nobody knows where their bodies are so they can’t even say goodbye.” 

The Ukrainian shies away from claims that he is a hero.

“I’m not strong. There are a lot of ordinary people like me. 

I had a friend who was strong. He was the life and soul of the party. His car went over a landmine. The vehicle was taken apart and his body was also found in parts at the scene. 

"There was an interesting story about two brothers. The oldest came back to take care of the younger one fighting. Ironically, it was him that got killed and the younger brother returned home. Some men died on their way to the frontline so they never even got the chance to fight.” 

He had grown close to many of his comrades.

“I cried after being dismissed. I was crying because of all my friends who had become like my family. I felt lonely and without purpose. When I was in the war I realised I was getting distanced from my family because when I’m thinking about them I couldn’t fight. 

"Then there were my fighting brothers who had become like a second family to me. You can’t get too close to people on the frontline because when they leave you it’s heartbreaking. Everyone you’re with is there true to themselves. If they cry they are crying for real. If they laugh they are laughing from their soul.” 

Ihor extended his gratitude to the people of Cork who he said have been extremely kind to him since his family’s arrival in August 2023.

“I wasn’t going to leave the country but one situation helped me make that decision. 

We were living across the road from a nine-storey building that was hit by a massive missile explosion. There were 19 people dead. They couldn’t find the rest because they were in pieces. 

"That moment I was undergoing chemo but I ripped out the line to rush home to my family. I wanted to keep them safe. That was when I made the decision to come to Ireland.” 

He said he misses his dog Martin the most.

“I miss my dog so much. I feel he thinks that I’ve betrayed him when I love him so much but I would never do that. On his birthday I rang my mother-in-law to ask her to take him to the pet shop for some treats. 

"My one wish in the world would be to have him here with me but that’s not possible. To have him by my side in Cork would make me complete.”