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A British medic volunteering in Ukraine lost his arm and leg after a suspected Russian drone attack on his van, according to reports.
Eddy, whose surname has not been reported, was evacuating people from the front-line town of Pokrovsk when his vehicle came under attack while he was at the wheel.
The 28-year-old said he could “remember everything” about the strike on 30 January, including three bright flashes around the van and realising his leg had been “shredded”, the BBC reported.
“I tried to put it in gear, my left leg wasn’t responding. I tried turning the wheel and I could feel my shoulder turning but I couldn’t see my arm turning on the wheel. At that point I realised it was really bad,” he said.
Eddy, who is originally from Dorset, had been in Ukraine for two and a half years, having previously worked as a sailor on superyachts.
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A man searches for firewood in Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine, in the face of fierce Russian attacks (REUTERS)
He originally planned to deploy with others from overseas who have supported Ukraine’s defence against the full-scale invasion launched by Russia in February 2022.
However, once the brutality of the war became clear, Eddy reconsidered his options and in October 2022 he drove to Ukraine and joined volunteer efforts to support Kyiv as a combat medic.
Despite his injuries, he said was feeling “positive” and had no regrets due to having a family and goddaughter in Ukraine.
“I’m positive to be honest. I’ve got an amazing support network around me. It’s my left arm, my left leg – I’m right-handed.”
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A resident stands near a building damaged by Russian military strikes on Pokrovsk (REUTERS)
Asked whether he has any regrets, Eddy replied: “Nothing. I’ve got family here, I’ve got a goddaughter. I have a life here and if that means it costs me an arm and a leg to have that life, it is what it is.”
Pokrovsk has seen fierce fighting over the last year, with around 100,000 people fleeing the area in the face of continued Russian bombardment.
The mining town is around 60km (37 miles) north-west of the regional capital Donetsk, which Moscow sees as key to taking the entire Donbas region.
On Monday, it emerged 18-year-old British volunteer James Wilton was killed by a Russian drone just minutes into his first mission inside Ukraine.
Mr Wilton, from Huddersfield, travelled to Ukraine aged 17 and with no prior military experience, where he was reportedly given a crash training course by Ukrainian instructors.
But his first mission on Ukraine’s eastern front on 23 July 2024 was also to be his last, after James and a fellow soldier found themselves being hunted by multiple Russian drones in an open field with no cover to run for.