021JS_rany
"I am now distracted by a lot of things. I require medical treatment, but I want to tighten my fists and go there [to the war] because I am very worried about my guys. However, I realize that I will be only a burden for them now."
Ivan Kushnerov, 25, rests on a couch in a Kyiv apartment where he is staying temporarily. Ivan, who lives in Zaporizhia, was severely wounded in Severodonetsk in November 2014, while he served in the 39th Territorial Defense Battalion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. His left hand was amputated as well as three fingers on his right hand. He also has problems with vision and with his legs. Prior to the war he worked in advertising and is currently studying part-time to become a journalist. "I feel the pain. Sometimes it is phantom pain. I often have a headache, and my scars ache. This pain is always with me. But, if you feel pain, it means you are alive." Kyiv, March 4, 2014