A group of battle-hardened soldiers fighting for Ukraine had just been dropped into a forest full of Russians when the mortars started falling.
In one of the first explosions, shrapnel tore through Shadow’s uniform, piercing his chest and torso, tearing the artery and vein in his left arm, causing blood to flow uncontrollably.
“My friend put a tourniquet on me. [but] The bleeding continued,” the former Canadian soldier, now volunteering to defend Ukraine, said in an exclusive interview with CBC News. They were like, “Stay with us, stay with us.” They basically saved my life that day. So I will be forever grateful. ”
This dramatic front-line account of direct attacks and medical evacuations during the Ukraine-Russia conflict is unusual for foreign fighters and provides insight into what can happen in a combat zone. be.
CBC is not identifying Shadow, the noun he uses on the battlefield, out of concern that his family could be targeted if he is captured.
He was stationed for three months in Donetsk, a hotly contested region in eastern Ukraine that had seen heavy fighting throughout the summer as Russian forces slowly advanced.
CBC first met the 34-year-old from Sherbrooke, Kenya, more than two years ago when he arrived in Ukraine with some 20,000 other experienced foreign fighters to volunteer in the fight against Russia. It was right after. The numbers come from the Lieber Institute, part of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
the current14:11Canadians faced death on the front lines in Ukraine
A Canadian soldier fighting in Ukraine was recently seriously injured and nearly killed in a Russian attack. CBC’s David Common gives us a rare window into the war through the eyes of this Canadian fighter known as the Shadow.
It’s not clear how many Canadians took part, but some estimate around 550 people participated throughout this chapter of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Global Affairs Canada (GAC) does not track the number of front-line Canadian deaths in Ukraine, but says it has “known that 20 Canadians have died in Ukraine since February 24, 2022.” “I’m doing it,” he told CBC. GAC said these were not necessarily all combat deaths.
I’m seriously injured, but I’m still going to fight.
He is currently recovering after undergoing multiple surgeries in a Ukrainian hospital away from the front lines, and recalls the moments immediately after the attack.
“The pain was terrible,” he said. “But the medics were in another trench and they were all under mortar fire.”
Morphine, which is usually given immediately after a wound, did not arrive until more than an hour after Russian troops had finished shelling the forest, and the explosion shattered trees around the troops.
Despite all this, Shadow wants to return to the front as soon as he recovers.
“It was a big part of my life. And I like fighting. I like the people here. I like helping Ukraine.”
A former Canadian soldier identified only as “Shadow” says he was seriously injured while fighting with Ukraine in the hotly contested area of Donetsk. Two years after we first spoke, he reunited with CBC’s David Common to explain what happened and why he wants to return to the front lines.
It will be several months before he can return, but there are no guarantees.
“A shrapnel penetrated my lung. [and] It’s still in the liver. I don’t know if I should delete it or not [the shrapnel]This caused internal bleeding. I had a major concussion, brain damage, and a shrapnel stuck in my ear…I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to move my left hand again. ”
In an attempt to regenerate skin tissue, Ukrainian doctors sewed Shadow’s hand to his hip. It takes weeks, if not months, and only then are the stitches removed.
Russia is slowly advancing in a tough war
Russia’s advances on the battlefield are seen by some as a “survival to the last” strategy, with huge death tolls on both sides. But Russia, which is much larger in every way, is certainly making inroads inside Ukraine.
“Russia is making slow and hard advances in eastern Ukraine,” said Walter Dorn, a professor at the Royal Military College of Canada, noting that Ukraine still holds territory in Russia’s Kursk region.
“It is surprising that Russia is not putting more effort into removing Ukrainian forces from Russian territory. This suggests that Putin’s main goal is to occupy all of Ukraine’s Donbas.” “I’m doing it.” [region] before eventually negotiating away some of the other territories. ”
Both sides are awaiting the results of the US presidential election in November.
“If former President Trump were to win, it would be very disastrous for Ukraine in terms of all kinds of U.S. support: arms, money, diplomatic support,” Dorn said. “Therefore, Ukraine is preparing to become more independent, including increasing taxes on citizens and businesses.”
Visit to Canada on hold
Shadow said cell phones could not be brought to the front lines during the fighting because Russia could use them to pinpoint the location of Ukrainian troops. So a video recorded by the unit’s commander after he was shot shows Shadow asking his friends to make sure his cell phone is taken to the hospital.
He used it to text his parents in Canada.
“I think they missed me. I was going to go home and see them,” he said. In fact, the patrol that ended with his injury was supposed to be his last mission after three months of constant combat. He intended to return to Quebec to see his family, including his young daughter, who was born after he left for Ukraine.
“It’s hard, I miss your child’s entire childhood. But she has everything she needs, except my presence,” he said.
While recovering from his injury, he continues to be active with the group he founded, Doves of Freedom. The group is raising money to buy and modify drones for use on the front lines.
He said some of his drones have already been used against Russian targets, including armored vehicles. He claims that the drones, which cost about $500 each, destroyed more than $850,000 worth of Kremlin-controlled weapons systems.
He said some of these drones were used in Kursk, a border region inside Russia that was invaded by Ukrainian forces at the beginning of the summer.
When Shadow began fighting to defend the Ukrainian metropolitan area from rapidly advancing Russian forces in 2022, he fought alongside another Canadian, Wali. They worked together as a sniper squad, sent out to take down targets from afar.
Wali has since returned to Canada, but Shadow continues to believe he can make a difference in Ukraine. Although Shadow is still proud to be Canadian, he says he has no qualms about returning to his home country permanently.
“I really want to make a difference in this world,” he said. “I’m right in the middle of this conflict…This feels like the best job ever for me.”
