Kharkiv Teen Who Lost His Foot to Russia's War Returns to the Football Field With Pride

“My name is Artur, and I lost my foot”

“On Mondays and Thursdays, Artur has football training,” his mom, Yuliia, told us in a text. The first time we met Artur almost one year ago was near his house in Kharkiv’s Saltivka district. This time, we are meeting him at the stadium in the city centre while he warms up with the other amputee footballers of the “Nezlamni” team—meaning “unbroken.” 

“My name is Artur Petrushyn, and I lost my foot as a result of the aggressor’s attack on our country,” is how Artur introduced himself in an interview last July. Russian troops attacked a school sports ground in May 2024, where Artur and two of his friends were playing football.

Back then, he told us how the first thing they heard was an explosion. “It was somewhere in the sky. A minute later, something flew into the sports ground.” Artur was heavily injured in that attack. “A piece of shrapnel hit me in the head, on the right side, in the back—it shot through me and out of my shoulder, breaking two ribs. And my shoulder blade, too. And, of course, my leg.” 

Eight hours of surgery was followed by treatment in various hospitals around Kharkiv. After the amputation, he began his rehabilitation at Ohmatdyt in Kyiv. On July 8, 2024—exactly two months after the injury—Russian forces attacked the country’s largest children's hospital with a Kh-101 missile. That day, the doctors were supposed to remove Artur’s stitches. 

Now, standing on a football pitch, he shared what had changed over the last 12 months. “This year passed very quickly. I’m still in Kharkiv. I received a prosthesis. I have two prostheses—a regular one and a sports one”. 

Artur explained that while he uses the regular one for walking, his sports prosthesis is more for running and exercising. He doesn’t need it for training sessions with “Nezlamni” as the whole team uses crutches. However, while playing with his friends at the school yard, he uses a prosthesis. And where do Artur and his classmates play? 

“On the very same field where I got injured,” Artur smiled.    

“I grabbed a ball, and we went down to the gym”

When we met him one year earlier, Artur’s dream was to get a prosthesis before his mother’s birthday. 

“Unfortunately, we didn’t manage to get it in time,” Yuliia said. He received a prosthesis in December, just before the New Year. “At first, he was afraid to stand on it, thinking it might break or not support him. But now he walks, even runs—steady, confident.” 

Yuliia is Artur’s biggest supporter. While he’s chasing the ball on the football field, she’s in the stands, cheering him on. “The first week or two were very difficult,” she recalled the days Artur received a prosthesis. “He was on crutches and wouldn’t let go of them. He worked with rehabilitation specialists. Then we got a permanent prosthesis, and he had to get used to that too.” 

Knowing how much her son loved football, she adopted her own method to help him walk again. “I grabbed a ball, and we went down to the gym. I said, ‘Now we’re going to kick the ball.’ He said, ‘Alright, let’s try.’ Thanks to the ball, he started to get distracted—he was completely focused on it. I noticed that he stopped worrying about putting weight on his right leg, the one with the prosthesis.”

She also described the moment Artur came home after playing football with his friends for the first time: “He came back so happy, saying: ‘Mom, I ran, I kicked, I scored a goal!’ He was absolutely thrilled!” 

A month after receiving his prosthesis in January, Artur was ready to return to CrossFit training, the sport he practiced before his injury. However, those plans are currently on hold, as he has been invited to join the “Nezlamni” football team.

“To help people return to a normal life”

“You nearly tore the goal net!” the guys from the team shout to Artur with cheerful laughter after he sends the ball flying into the goal. Among all of the players, he is the youngest, but this doesn’t bother anyone. Artur is a full-fledged member of the team. 

“They’re like teammates and friends to me, so I treat them with a lot of respect and warmth,” he said. Now, he is actively training to take part in the next tournament, which will take place in Kyiv in a few months. He missed the previous one. “I didn’t make it in time because I don’t have enough experience yet, so I keep training and training.” 

Despite missing the game, Artur still won a trophy. “They brought him a medal and congratulated him because he’s part of the team too,” his mom told us. “The guys are all much older, with their own experiences, but they support us, teach us, explain things.”  

With two training sessions per week, Artur also attends the gym and has boxing lessons. And, of course, he spends time with his friends. This is the last summer before he graduates; however, he is still thinking about his future career. “Most likely, either in IT or a rehabilitation therapist,” he said. “To help people return to a normal life.”

While he does consider getting a higher education abroad, Artur emphasised that after that, he wants to return to Kharkiv. 

“Kharkiv is Kharkiv. I was born in this city, and I’m going to live here. ​​The way Kharkiv supported me [after his injury—ed.]... I love this city.” 

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