A UKRAINIAN woman who lost a leg on the front line hailed the surgeons who saved her — and inspired her to help others.
Rusya Danilkina, 21, filmed the aftermath of the blast that changed her life and, incredibly, is now empowered by it.
She was a radio operator in the in February 2023 when she was hit by shrapnel from one of glide bombs in .
Two years on, she has become a star, documenting her recovery to 125,000 Instagram followers.
That includes the nine seconds of horrific footage from Kherson.
She said: “I had my phone in my right hand as I looked down and saw that my left leg was gone.
“I could smell explosives and flesh, there was blood everywhere and parts of my body, it was terrible and I thought I was going to die.
“I knew in an instant my life would never be the same again. I took the video and sent it to my brother as I wanted him to know that I had been badly hurt.
“I still watch the video and it might sound crazy but I like the moment of my injury because it changed my life and showed how strong I can be. If it was not for my injury, I would not have the life that I have now.”;
Rusya said in the weeks afterwards she would “lie in my hospital bed staring at the ceiling thinking I did not want to live any more”;.
But she saw others with “worse injuries”; before being taken to the , recently visited by .
Since it opened in April 2023, it has fitted 1,100 patients with 1,500 prosthetic limbs.
One was Rusya, who said: “This is not just a hospital, it is a place of power. It gives people a future.”;
She now loves surfing and rock climbing and has been to , and the US.
She also works at Superhumans, helping other veterans adapt to civilian life.
Rusya said: “People ask where I get my strength from. When you see someone learn to walk again at the hospital or hold a glass for the first time with a new hand, you can’t not be inspired. Everything is in your head — if you decide to succeed then you will.”;
Most patients at Superhumans are soldiers but civilians such as Olena Levytska, 38, are also treated.
She fell under a train and lost a leg as crowds fled a shell attack in Kryvyi Rih.
Her children now call her Terminator thanks to her new limb with “Made in Ukraine”; printed on it.
Olena, who ran a clothes business, said: “I have had 19 operations but I’m fine and can do things better than some with two legs. I feel my future looks bright.”;
warship HMS Tyne shadowed Russian Kilo-class submarine Krasnodar as it travelled home from the eastern Med through the .
