He Held the Line Alone for 2 Months — Now a Ukrainian Paratrooper Fights for Survival

A soldier of the 95th Brigade, Matviy Terzi, who remained at his position for a long time after being wounded, is now undergoing treatment, rehabilitation, and preparing for further recovery.

A fighter from the 95th Separate Air Assault Brigade, Matviy Terzi, held his position in the Donetsk region for more than two months despite being wounded. He remained at the position with an injury for about a month and a half, waiting for evacuation. He is currently undergoing treatment in Vinnytsia. This was reported by Suspilne.

Matviy Terzi joined the military in August 2025. He initially served in an unmanned systems unit and later became part of an airborne assault brigade. He carried out combat missions in several directions, including the Sumy, Kharkiv, and Donetsk regions.

He was wounded in the Kurakhove direction. Despite his injury, he stayed at his position for about a month and a half because there was no opportunity for rotation or evacuation.

According to him, after being wounded, the soldier had to survive in extremely difficult conditions. For two weeks he used tourniquets and moved by crawling. Due to the lack of evacuation possibilities, assistance was limited.

The soldier said that his condition was worsening, but he remained at the position together with his comrades until the very end.

Matviy was evacuated only after New Year’s. Due to the complex situation at the front, the process took about one and a half days. He was transported on stretchers in severe frost, with temperatures dropping below minus 20 degrees Celsius.

Several groups of soldiers were involved in the evacuation, taking turns to carry the wounded man out of the dangerous zone.

Due to the prolonged lack of proper medical care and severe hypothermia, the soldier developed complications. According to vascular surgeon Oleksandr Ott, it was necessary to amputate part of his leg, his foot, as well as fingers on both hands.

Matviy has already undergone more than 18 surgeries. Doctors are carrying out step-by-step treatment: wound cleaning, skin grafting, and preparation for further rehabilitation.

International specialists have also joined the recovery process. In particular, German plastic surgeon Andreas Schmidt suggested options for restoring hand function so that the soldier could partially regain the ability to care for himself.

“He says that only the palms remain, and suggests forming a thumb to restore gripping function — so that the person can hold things. There is already such experience: patients after similar operations can, among other things, confidently use a spoon,” said vascular surgeon Oleksandr Ott.

Matviy’s relatives are currently in temporarily occupied territory, so only doctors and hospital staff are by his side.

“I am from Zaporizhzhia Oblast, from Melitopol Raion. My relatives are currently living under occupation. I have been living in Kyiv since 2013. It even feels a bit nice, but at the same time a little awkward that strangers bring me food and help me. I already want home-cooked food — I miss it a lot,” the soldier said.

The soldier faces a long course of treatment, rehabilitation, and prosthetics in the future. Doctors assess his condition as serious, but note that there are still chances for recovery and for him to return to independent living.

Matviy himself says that the most important thing is that he survived, and now he is determined to learn how to live again and become independent.

EMPR