Prostheses for the Unbroken

The war is crippling Ukrainians every day. Severe mine-blast injuries, gunshot wounds, burns. The enemy's weapons do not care who they kill. Missiles and bombs injure military and civilians, adults and children equally. Tens of thousands of Ukrainians have lost their limbs since the beginning of the war, and this is an unprecedented number of victims. In Ukraine, amputation rates have reached World War I levels and, according to The Wall Street Journal, more than 50,000 people have needed prosthetics in the first 17 months after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine alone. As of the beginning of 2025, according to the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine, the number of people with disabilities exceeded 3 million, which is 300,000 more than before the war. Among these figures are those who have lost limbs.

Serhiy Kostyuchenko is only 25 years old, and three years ago he lost a limb in the Luhansk sector because he hit a mine while defending us. On 29 May 2022, when the shelling started, Serhiy was in the field and remembers only the explosion. That day was the anniversary of his meeting his beloved Yulia, but instead of celebrating this day, Serhiy was defending us at the front. When he opened his eyes, his right arm was gone, his left arm was damaged and his legs were cut. Serhiy lost consciousness. He does not remember how he got to the intensive care unit. When Sergiy came to and realised what had happened, he decided that he would leave Yulia. She searched for him through her comrades and came to visit. When she entered the ward, Serhii burst into tears, and Yulia proposed marriage. They got married right there in the hospital. Thanks to the Prostheses for the Unbreakable charity project, the defender received a modern bionic prosthesis.

Back in the summer of 2022, the UNBROKEN National Rehabilitation Centre at the First Medical Association of Lviv took on a huge mission to create all the conditions for our doctors to manufacture state-of-the-art prostheses for our people in Ukraine. As of today, the Centre has fitted more than 500 patients with prostheses, and treated and rehabilitated more than 19,000 wounded and sick.  In almost three years, UNBROKEN has opened a prosthetic workshop, a full-fledged Orthotics and Prosthetics Centre, a 7-storey rehabilitation building, and mental health centres. 

The Prostheses for the Unstoppable programme helps Ukrainians recover from limb loss as quickly as possible. In addition to conventional prostheses, the Centre's specialists install modern bionic prostheses that not only reproduce the physical capabilities of the lost limbs, but also increase their functionality, allowing patients to live an active and fulfilling life. War is not the only reason why people need prosthetics. Road accidents, industrial injuries, serious illnesses - every year hundreds of Ukrainians lose their limbs due to various circumstances. That's why the Prostheses for the Unstoppable project responds to the challenges of society and expands its scope. As part of the collection, you will help not only the military but also civilians who have lost their limbs, providing them with modern prostheses and comprehensive rehabilitation.

‘Our mission is not only to create the best for Ukrainians, but also to set a new standard for prosthetics in Ukraine. We want no one to look for opportunities abroad, because the best is already here,’ says Nazar Bagnyuk, prosthetist at the UNBROKEN National Rehabilitation Centre.

In the News section, we are able to share with you the stories of those who are preparing for prosthetics and those who have already received their coveted modern prostheses thanks to the contributions of caring people within this project.