A New Path to Independence: The Story of Ilia Pozdniakov / A New Path to Independence: The Story of Ilia Pozdniakov

After being wounded twice, soldier Ilya Pozdnyakov returned to the front again and again. Doctors saved his jaw, arms and legs, but in August last year he was wounded for the third time: a mine exploded near the soldier. He regained consciousness on the fourth day in the hospital: one eye was missing, the other could only see with the 1-2%, and his entire body was covered with shrapnel.

Ilya spent several months in bed, with nurses leading him through the corridors by the hand.

"They sincerely wanted to help, but they didn't know how," says 43-year-old Ilya. "They rushed to me, took my hand, but no one could teach me how to walk with the cane that the volunteers gave me.

Everything changed when he entered a support and rehabilitation camp for veterans who lost their sight in the war and their families. This camp is organized by the National Assembly of People with Disabilities of Ukraine.

He first came to the camp in winter.

"The team of trainers at the camp stabilized me. Psychologically, I realized for the first time that I was no longer in a war zone. Physically: my body was asking for movement, but I didn't know how and where to move," says the veteran.

At the camp, Ilya learned to use a cane, to navigate the room and the building where it was located. He found the elevator, stairs, and dining room by himself. He wanted to run, but due to prolonged stagnation, his muscles went stiff. The trainer advised how to gradually restore mobility.

After graduation, Ilya returned to his village in Vinnytsia region, where he lived with his mother before the war.

"I was glad that I could already do simple things: take a shower, move around the house, climb stairs. I helped my mom wash the dishes and cook. But I couldn't go out into the yard on my own - I was afraid of running into obstacles," Ilya admits.

In May, he returned to the camp for rehabilitation. He was looking forward to it, because after the first trip he received a powerful boost of energy.

"The coaches treated us like family, I felt that they understood me. I wanted to develop in different directions and communicate with my comrades who had the same injuries as me," the veteran explains.

Ilya has always been friends with sports, which his father taught him: cycling, pulling up on the horizontal bars. Army service also required endurance.

"After my injury, I became physically weak, so I was very happy that there were a lot of activities in the camp. Both in the pool and in the gym. The trainer explained our tasks very clearly: from warming up the muscles to squats, push-ups and other exercises. In particular, with disks, dumbbells and elastic bands. After the second camp, I became faster and more independent," he says.

Ilya plans to continue doing the exercise program at home. He recently got married and now helps his wife carry heavy buckets of water to the garden to water the plants.

He met Iryna, 9 years younger, after the first camp. Before that, Ilya had never been married because he devoted himself to serving his country, but he succumbed to love. They got married during his second rehabilitation.

"Since I lost my sight, I have learned to feel people better, to understand them. And thanks to the support of the trainers, I became more confident. Now I'm not afraid of the future, I'm sure I can handle everything and support my loved one."

Ilya walks everywhere with Iryna. They dream of children, their eco-greenhouse, and Ukraine's victory. No wonder he has the call sign "Fan". A fan of Ukraine.

This event was held within the framework of the project "Crisis in Ukraine: Response and Recovery with the Needs of Persons with Disabilities, led and coordinated by organizations of persons with disabilities (Phase 2), implemented by the National Assembly of Persons with Disabilities of Ukraine with the support of the European Disability Forum (EDF) and the Christian Blind Mission (CBM).

*******

After being wounded twice, soldier Ilia Pozdniakov returned to the front again and again. Doctors patched up his jaw, arms, and legs. But in August last year, he was wounded for the third time: a mine exploded near the soldier. He regained consciousness on the fourth day in the hospital: one eye was missing, the other could see only 1-2%, and his entire body was cut by shrapnel.

He spent several months in bed, being led down the corridor by nurses.

"They sincerely wanted to help, but they didn't know how," says 43-year-old Ilia. "They would rush to me and take my hand. But no one could teach me how to walk with the mobility cane the volunteers had given me."

Everything changed when he came to the support and rehabilitation camp for veterans who lost their sight in the war and for their family members. It is organized by the National Assembly of Persons with Disabilities of Ukraine.

The first camp session took place in winter.

"The team of camp trainers stabilized me. Psychologically, as it was the first time I realized I was not in a combat zone. Physically, as my body was asking for movement, but I did not know how and where to move," says the veteran.

In the camp, he learned how to use a mobility cane and how to navigate the room and the building where it was located. He learned to find the elevator, stairs, and canteen by himself. He wanted to run, but his muscles, inactive for a long time, were stiff. The trainer showed him how to gradually regain his mobility.

After training, the man returned to his village in Vinnytsia region, where he had been living with his mother before the war.

"I was glad that I could already do simple things: take a shower, walk around the house, and climb stairs. I helped my mom wash the dishes and cook. But I couldn't go out into the yard alone. I was afraid I would run into obstacles," Ilia admits.

In May, he was accepted into the camp for additional rehabilitation. He was looking forward to it very much after the "recharge" he received from the first camp.

"The trainers were treating us like family members, and I felt they understood me. I wanted to develop in different areas and I wanted to communicate with my comrades who have the same injuries as me," explains the veteran.

All his life he was friends with sports-something his father had taught him: such as cycling and pulling up on horizontal bars. And the army service required endurance.

"After my injury, I became physically weaker, so I was very happy that the camp offered a lot of activities. Both in the swimming pool and the gym. The trainer explained our tasks very clearly: From warming up the muscles to squats, push-ups, and other types of physical load. For example, using disks, dumbbells, and elastic bands. Now, after the second camp, I am faster and more independent," he states.

Ilia is going to continue his exercises at home as well. He also recently got married and now helps his wife carry heavy buckets of water to the garden to water the vegetables.

He met his future wife Iryna, who is 9 years younger, after the first camp. Although he had never been married before, as he had devoted himself to serving his country, he fell in love. They got married during his second rehabilitation.

"Since I lost my sight, I have learned to feel people and read them. And thanks to the support of the trainers, I became more confident. I'm not afraid of the future - I am confident that I can manage it. I know that I will support my loved one."

Ilia walks everywhere with Iryna. They dream of children, their own eco-greenhouse, and Ukraine's victory. No wonder he has the call sign "Fan Man." That is, a fan of Ukraine.

as part of the project "Crisis in Ukraine: OPD-Led Disability Inclusive Response and Recovery (Phase 2)," implemented by the National Assembly of Persons with Disabilities of Ukraine with support from the European Disability Forum (EDF) and the Christian Blind Mission (CBM).