Military surgeon performed amputation under the rubble: a story from the Zaporizhzhia direction.

Military surgeon Oleksii Nosulko performed an amputation under the rubble and during constant shelling in the Zaporizhzhia direction. The command of the medical forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine shared his story.

In the summer of 2024, one of the buildings in Huliaipole collapsed due to a bomb strike, resulting in military casualties. One soldier was trapped under the rubble.

As his legs were pinned down by the debris, rescuing him was impossible. A decision was made to perform the amputation under the rubble.

Oleksii Nosulko arrived at the scene and saw a narrow passage between the concrete slabs, which were being held by a car jack. Next to the injured man, there was space for one person.

Initially, an anesthesiologist crawled to the injured man, followed by surgeon Nosulko. He explained that it was only possible to work there while lying down.

After the amputation, the surgeon along with his colleagues pulled two men out from under the rubble.

“While I was doing all this, debris slowly slid down on us. The ruins constantly vibrated from the 'exits' and 'arrivals' of close artillery shelling. The danger was heightened by the threat of enemy drone attacks. Even one explosion in the ruins could trigger a collapse that would leave us both in that hole forever. Later, I learned that the brigade leadership had brought all available EW means to the rubble,” said Oleksii Nosulko.

At the stabilization point, Nosulko learned the name of the wounded soldier and shared that after several surgeries and prolonged rehabilitation, he was already walking on prosthetics.