TAMPA, Fla. — The trench warfare in Ukraine is like nothing the modern world has seen since World War II, and the use of so-called "kamikaze" drones equipped with improvised explosive devices (IEDs) is leading to an unprecedented amount of carnage.
ABC Action News reporter Michael Paluska sat down with Andrii Smolensky in Tampa. Following Russian troops' invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, Smolensky left his job in finance and joined the military. With a background in IT, he was quickly promoted to sergeant and worked in a drone recon unit on the frontlines. In Spring 2023, he was in a trench when he saw a Russian drone lock in on his position.
WATCH Ukrainian soldier not giving up after Russian 'kamikaze' drone nearly killed him
"Kamikaze drones, and everything I heard from my guys that was with me, it's probably kamikaze drones," Smolensky said. "It's, you know, a flying IED like in Afghanistan or Iraq, we have these land IEDs; now we have flying IEDs in the air."
Smolensky lost both arms, his vision, and required multiple surgeries to remove the shrapnel that ripped through his face and eyes.
The number of soldiers and civilians losing their vision and limbs since the war started continues to increase sharply.
According to a report by the United Nations Development Program, the "surge is inextricably linked to the ongoing war. Many individuals have lost their sight due to injuries from mine explosions and rocket fire, a tragic yet underreported aspect of the conflict. These statistics not only highlight the direct physical toll of war but also underscore the long-term health crises emerging in its wake."
According to the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), a non-profit, nonpartisan, public policy institution headquartered in Washington, DC, "The Ukrainian Health Ministry reports that at least 50,000 Ukrainians have lost limbs due to the war, including soldiers and civilians. The number is likely higher, with some estimates reaching 100,000, and the Ministry has identified 15,000 limb loss cases in the first half of 2023 alone. Many amputations are due to delayed evacuations from the battlefield."
Smolensky told Paluska he would be blind for the rest of his life. But he wants to find specialized treatments in the United States to help fellow soldiers and is grateful to be alive.
"I have nothing to complain about. God gave me the second chance. God gave me a second life. For Ukraine, it's a new normality for the military and trauma," Smolensky said. "That type of trauma was unseen in the previous war history. So now we are trying to find new ways of treatment, new protocols, and establish those protocols to treat our soldiers in Ukraine. That's one of the missions why we came to the United States. Ukraine can provide new knowledge of this new pattern of traumas, how we treat them in Ukraine, and the United States can definitely share their past experiences and maybe some of the best practices. Our hospitals are overwhelmed right now, and there is just not enough, you know, technological power to treat those cases. Sometimes, there is not enough gear, sometimes because nobody expected this amount of visual injuries."
The local non-profit Gulf Coast JFCS recently launched a new program, Support from Trauma-Affected Refugees, or STAR, that she says can help soldiers like Smolensky receive treatments.
"So as long as they're a refugee eligible person, and that means they could have been granted asylum, they could have a special immigrant visa, they have parole that makes them eligible for refugee services," Sylvia Acevedo, Director of Refugee Wellness Services, told Paluska. "And you know, we would start with a family wellness assessment. We would let the individual know what they think they need. Maybe pay for mental health care. We have an in-house behavioral health advisor who provides therapy to individuals like the gentleman we spoke about. We work with the Lighthouse for the Blind. That's an organization that we would refer if he so chose, you know, to receive that service. We have a medical director. We would work with her hospital."
Currently, Acevedo said they are serving 20 families and can take even more. They are eight months into the three-year grant.
Paluska connected Smolensky with the non-profit to see if they could help him on his new mission.
"Now your fight is with healing and raising awareness and never giving up on the soldiers and friends you've lost and that are injured," Paluska said. "Yes, I honestly, I'm praying every day, you know, for all those names, for all those faces, for their souls. I think this is the best time for us to unite and and then stand shoulder to shoulder to all those challenges that some countries are posing to the World Peace."
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