“The commander died on the spot, my brother’s heart stopped, and I survived”: the story of war and love “at zero” of a fighter from Volyn

“I learned about the war on the road and immediately went to the draft board”

Before the start of the large-scale invasion, Sergei Kopischik worked as an auto mechanic, Svetlana worked as an ambulance paramedic.

“On February 24, I was on the bus from Lutsk to my home from the very morning. On the way, my sister from Kyiv called me on the phone and said that the war had begun, Russia had already fired missiles at our territories. Then I looked at the address of our president and some confusion seized me. And instead of driving home, I immediately went to the military registration and enlistment office. And on February 25, I was already sent to a military unit, ” - tells Sergey.

According to the man, he made the decision to defend the country instantly.

“In such a situation, there is nothing to think about, you need to make a firm decision and go with weapons to defend your country, the soldier explains. - I decided for myself: if I don’t go, then someone else will say that he won’t leave, and then another … And what are we going to do? Live under occupation? I do not like it. I love my country, my people, and I think that no bastard has the right to make his own rules here.”

The man was mobilized to the 14th brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

“In the first months of the war, I was on the border with Belarus, and then in early April we were sent to the front line in the Nikolaev region. – says Sergey. - If we talk about katsaps… I would call them not even sadists, I would call them fanatics. They simply fired on the civilian population, destroyed it, destroyed villages, burned entire fields. Entering their positions, it became clear that they were used to living like some kind of homeless people. However, we also met with professional soldiers who knew what they were doing.”

Svetlana did not suspect that her new acquaintance had gone to the front. Later, the girl found out about everything from the Internet and wrote to Sergei. So the novel was born on the “zero”.

“I tried to find periods of time without shelling and for some 5-10 minutes to call on the phone and tell her that everything is fine with me,” the soldier says.

My left leg was torn off

But, unfortunately, everything changed on July 27, 2022, when Sergey was seriously injured.

“It was an ordinary day, he recalls. - The shelling of our positions did not stop for a minute. We were in the recreation area, and in the evening we have to act in position. Suddenly, an explosion! Everything before my eyes instantly turned red, yellow … I lost consciousness, and when I came to myself, I saw how my comrades were already giving me first aid. Then evacuation to Nikolaev, and from there to Odessa. The explosion was really serious, because my commander died immediately on the spot, the second comrade was in the hospital from cardiac arrest, and although I was seriously injured, I still survived.

Sergei lost both lower limbs and the ability to see in one eye.

My left leg was torn off immediately. The right leg was held up thanks to the Elizar apparatus, but it was cold without blood supply - the artery in the knee was broken. They tried to save her, they even transplanted a vein, but the muscles began to die, and I no longer felt it. I was taken for an operation, I wake up in intensive care, I look, and my right leg has already been amputated below the knee. A few days later, they take me back for an operation, it was a reamputation. I wake up and see that my right leg is no longer above the knee. So I was left without both legs, – says Sergey. - In addition, during the operations it turned out that my intestines were also damaged and another operation. I almost didn’t come out of anesthesia, so a week and a half of my life just fell out of my memory, I don’t remember almost anything at all.

But how to tell your loved one about the trouble that happened? How will she react?

“It was scary, because I didn’t know what her reaction might be. the fighter explains. - On the other hand, he was sure that she would stay with me. Of course, I was glad that I was alive, but I was also a little depressed. But, fortunately, my future wife did not let me lose heart. She was always there, supported me and kept me positive throughout this difficult period, repeated that everything would be fine, that they would make prostheses for me, I would be able to walk and everything would be great.

“She really is the kind of person who is willing to go to any lengths to be with me.”

As soon as Sergey came to his senses a little and his wounds healed, he decides to drastically change his life and propose to Svetlana.

“After the injury, I saw that he really is the kind of person who is ready to do anything and give everything to be with me, to support me. This is given only once in a lifetime. So what else was there to think about? - the man says.

Sergey admits that he was very nervous on the day of the proposal.

“While I was driving to her, I was calm as a boa constrictor. I knew what I was going to say, I was prepared. And as soon as we drove up to her house, I began to worry a little. And when they lifted me to the house, I was completely speechless, my hands were shaking, my voice was trembling, I didn’t know what to say … It was scary. Apparently, he wasn’t as nervous at the front as at that moment, ” reminds me of Sergei.

The touching video confession of Sergei Svetlana, which was filmed by friends on the phone, gained millions of views on social networks in record time. The couple got married in January.

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