UK Medical Staff Support Ukrainian Amputees in Kyiv Rehabilitation Centre
UK Defence Medical Services personnel are operating at a rehabilitation centre near Kyiv as part of Project Renovator, providing support to Ukrainian medical staff and amputee patients. The team includes doctors, physiotherapists, and occupational therapists who deliver advanced treatments such as innovative surgery, electrical stimulation, rehabilitation, and temporary prosthetics. These approaches aim to accelerate nerve injury repair and enable patients to progress more quickly toward receiving final prostheses.
To aid recovery and mental health, patients participate in group activities like volleyball and maintain family contact, supported by psychologically aware clinicians. Among the patients is Vladislav, 31, an arbitration lawyer from near Lyman who was wounded on 21 August near Lyman and used a tourniquet in the field. He hopes to receive a final prosthetic leg and be discharged early in 2026. Another patient, Oleksandr, 48, a former fitness teacher, had both legs amputated below the knee after shelling on 18 October 2024. After multiple surgeries and infection control, he aspires to return to his fitness trainer work but remains uncertain about managing with prostheses.
It is estimated that the total number of amputees across Ukraine reaches well into the tens of thousands. UK Defence Secretary John Healey praised the initiative, affirming Britain's commitment to ensuring wounded Ukrainian soldiers receive top-tier care and rehabilitation with ongoing support extending beyond the conflict. Security measures around the UK medical team are stringent, with only one member publicly identifiable, and Britain's broader military presence in Ukraine remains minimally acknowledged outside the Kyiv embassy.
