"I couldn’t see a thing after explosion": soldier from "Dyke Pole" lost his sight but remained at his post for another six months
Ruslan, a soldier in the ‘Dyke Pole’ battalion, lost his sight after a Russian ‘Molniya’ carrying an anti-tank mine crashed into his dugout. Despite losing his sight, he remained at his post for another six months. Eventually, he made his way out of the dugout on foot, covering 12 kilometres.
The soldier’s story was recounted by the 128th Separate Heavy Mechanised Brigade, according to Censor.NET.
The start of his combat career
Ruslan’s combat career began a few days before Russia’s full-scale invasion. He decided to prepare for a possible enemy offensive and enlisted in the local territorial defence unit in Kyiv.
On 24 February 2022, instead of attending a medical examination, he went to the Territorial Recruitment Centre. There, he received a temporary ID, an assault rifle and a place in a volunteer battalion.
After the invaders were driven back from the capital, the volunteers were asked to hand in their weapons or find a unit on their own.
"It sounds ridiculous now, but back then they didn’t want to take us on! I had no experience, after all. We picked up automatic rifles for the first time on 27 February," recalls Ruslan.
Together with three comrades, Ruslan joined the 233rd Battalion of the 128th Brigade "Dyke Pole" on the recommendation of acquaintances.
Combat operations in the Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions
On 19 August, Ruslan was issued with a weapon — and on the very same day, the battalion set off for the Kharkiv region. Ahead lay battles to liberate the Kharkiv and Luhansk regions.
Then came the fighting in the Donetsk region and the Zaporizhzhia sector. There, due to the high concentration of Russian drones, it became increasingly difficult for Ruslan’s mortar unit to operate.
During one mission, he was tasked with transporting a mortar and its crew out of Kamianske. However, he was unable to reach his destination. Ruslan therefore had to walk back to Stepnohirsk — two kilometres with a broken leg.
After recovering, he became a sergeant in a grenade launcher platoon within an infantry battalion.
Six months on the front line and the loss of his sight
In October 2025, Ruslan was due to take two soldiers to a position in Stepnohirsk and return, but decided to stay.
"The lads were young, and I felt they weren’t ready for combat yet. I stayed behind so they would feel confident," the soldier explained.
However, the mission, which was supposed to last a few hours, dragged on for half a year. The position gradually became more secure, and the lads gained experience. Ruslan simply could not bring himself to drop everything and leave.
One day, the troops received a warning that the enemy was approaching. Ruslan’s comrade was the first to spot the Russian assault troops and immediately opened fire. The assault was repelled, but the Russians had discovered the location of the Ukrainian position. It became clear that enemy drones would now begin to target the position.
"It was already dark, and I was on duty when a Russian ‘Molniya’, carrying an anti-tank mine, struck me. There was a massive explosion. I was buried under planks, earth and clay. The lads dug me out, but when I came round, I realised I couldn’t see a thing," recalls Ruslan.
His comrades panicked at first: the commander needed medical attention, but it was impossible to evacuate him from the position in his condition. However, Ruslan kept his cool, and that helped.
"I told them we had everything we needed to hold out. And, eventually, they calmed down," said the soldier.
The two young soldiers, for whose sake Ruslan had stayed at the position, looked after him following the doctor’s instructions over the radio. Medicines were dropped to them by drones.
"A week had passed when, after one of my attempts to open one eye, I saw something like shadows. That gave me hope that everything would be all right," recalls Ruslan.
Leaving his position and continuing his service
After about a month, his sight began to gradually return. Ruslan then started training to build up the strength needed to make the escape. He covered 12 kilometres on foot — carrying his weapon and body armour.
"I trained really hard, but the withdrawal was harder than I’d imagined. My chest was literally on fire, the pain was that intense. But we made it out," he said.
Ruslan didn’t tell his family what had happened, even whilst on leave. He simply said that his eyesight had deteriorated, which was why he was wearing glasses. The soldier is now serving in an unmanned systems unit.
