A wounded Ukrainian soldier, surrounded by bloodthirsty Russian troops while stranded in a Bakhmut trench, incredibly called for an artillery attack on his own position in the ultimate act of bravery.
36-year-old infantryman Serhii had irretrievable shrapnel buried deep in his legs – but miraculously he survived.
Just over a month after seemingly sacrificing himself for his country, the Ukrainian hero told CNN: “I can’t believe I’m in the hospital now and not in the trenches.” I didn’t think I would survive .’
Serhii’s 80th Galician Air Assault Brigade was tasked with protecting the Eastern Front’s trenches on the outskirts of Bakhmut – an embattled Ukrainian city that was the epicenter of some of the war’s bloodiest conflicts.
They were tasked with holding the trenches for three days, but were subjected to intense enemy fire for two weeks. For some of his comrades it was their last mission.
Ukrainian soldier Serhii (pictured), 36, had irretrievable shrapnel buried deep in his legs – but miraculously survived
Serhii, 36, was surrounded by Russian troops for weeks and even called for artillery attacks on his own position
The unit had been under relentless fire for several days when a mortar exploded nearby, cutting off Serhii and two other men just as they were about to change position.
Serhii, who gave up his life as a craftsman in Finland to join the Ukrainian army when Russia invaded in February 2022, revealed that they were all seriously injured – and that he even had to touch their legs to check if they were still there there were .
The other two suffered broken legs and jaws, and one was so traumatized that he wanted to take his own life, so his gun was confiscated.
In another show of courage, Serhii told the evacuation team to get the other injured soldiers first while he waited for more help.
Several rescue teams attempted to reach Serhii over the next two weeks, but heavy Russian fire prevented them from reaching his position and some died in the attempt.
Serhii was trapped in his trench and, using a drone, was carefully dropped off with supplies such as water, medicine, chocolate and even cigarettes.
At the same time, Putin’s men used drones to drop grenades next to the Ukrainian soldier. It exploded near another soldier’s back and near his own feet, but they were “lucky to survive.”
“Only one seriously injured soldier could be evacuated.” “At that moment I realized that I was alone,” he remembers.
In another show of bravery, Serhii (pictured) instructed the evacuation team to get the other injured soldiers first while he waited for further help
The only thing left for Serhii to do was take cover in his shelter as long as possible. He hid for three days as Russian troops approached his position. They were so close to him that he could hear them talking and knew their plan.
Accepting that he would probably be killed anyway, Serhii whispered the enemy’s coordinates to his commander, triggering artillery attacks on his own position.
Thanks to Serhii’s bravery, the Kiev forces carried out several targeted attacks, but the Russian soldiers continued to close in on him.
“I was surrounded by enemies,” Serhii recalled. “When they couldn’t hear me, I whispered the coordinates again over the radio and our artillery fired at them.”
Serhii thought he had been compromised when a Russian soldier climbed into his dugout and asked where he was from.
The Ukrainian responded in Russian, saying he had a concussion and urgently needed water. The Russian decided not to give him water, but crawled back out of the ditch, apparently unaware that Serhii was part of the enemy.
Serhii is still confused that the Russian soldier didn’t know who he was fighting for since he was wearing his Ukrainian army uniform.
After days of desperate attempts to evacuate Serhii, his commander finally told him that the only way to survive was to crawl and pray.
Fleeing for his life, he crawled through the shelter that the Russians had occupied. He stumbled upon a tripwire with a grenade on it and relied on his commander’s instructions over a radio whose battery was nearing depletion.
Serhii finally reached the Ukrainian position and was now able to tell his incredible story of survival.
As he recovers in a warm hospital ward from the trauma of the trenches, he still doesn’t see his actions as anything heroic.
Pictured: Ukrainian soldiers walk past a burning volunteer bus after a Russian drone hit it near Bakhmut on November 23
He said those on the front lines are “paying a very heavy price.” “They pay with their blood,” he added.
“All I want to do is go fishing with my boys, drink a few beers and sit in silence.”
Months of World War I-style trench warfare in Bakhmut resulted in thousands of deaths on both sides – and ultimately led to Russia’s capture of the Ukrainian city in May.
Russian forces are now stepping up attacks on the eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka, with fighting reminiscent of the Battle of Bakhmut.