Mykhaylo Bielov, 31, a soldier in Ukraine’s national guard, was defending the eastern city of Bakhmut on December 31, 2022, when a Russian grenade exploded above his head.
“I remember a white light and how it went off,” he said. “I remember putting out the fire on my uniform and spitting out my tooth.”
Emergency surgery at the Mechnikov hospital saved his life. He spent a month in a coma. His recovery will take years.