Daviti Souleymanishvili, 43, was born in Georgia but became a Ukrainian citizen. Invalid, all he wants is to be able to keep killing the Russians. Photo: AFP
Sitting at the table in Kieu’s small orthopedic clinic, Daviti Souleymanishvili Listen carefully to your doctor’s explanation of the various prostheses of the left leg that were amputated during the battle in Mariupol.
Born in Georgia 43 years ago and nationalized by the Ukrainians, he has been one of the many amputated soldiers since the beginning of the war. His name is “Scorpion”, That’s how all his companions on the front line know him. And his goal is only one. It is to get his prosthesis and keep fighting.
Members of Azov BattalionWas deployed in Mariupol, a port city in the southeast that was bombed for three months before the Russians finally occupied it last week.
Daviti Souleymanishvili, a member of the controversial Azov Battalion, was shot in Mariupol before it fell into the hands of Russia. Photo: AFP
During the battle, the “Scorpion” was seriously injured on March 20, when a Russian tank located about 900 meters fired in his direction. With a calm voice to the AFP agency. “When I wanted to get up I couldn’t feel my feet, my hands shattered, and my fingers were missing.“.
Carried inside by his companions Azovstal Ironworks, After an emergency amputation under his knee, he evacuated by helicopter to a hospital in Dnipro, Central Ukraine.
Daviti Souleymanishvili has lost half of his left foot and fingers in his right hand. This is the product of a shrapnel fired at him by a Russian tank. : Photo: AFP
Two months later, Davity can stand up, but he needs crutches to walk. He hopes that the Ukrainian government will soon be able to omit them, thanks to the installation of prosthetic limbs that must be funded. I want to go back to the battle“He’s” much sadder “to his fallen companions in Mariupol than his missing limbs, explains Davity.
“There are no legs. We are in the 21st century, Very good prosthetic limbs are made“, He guarantees.” I know many people wearing them on the front lines. “On Wednesday afternoon in Kieu, he was in charge of installing it and his doctor. I had the first consultation.
In the shabby building, twelve experts are making prostheses in the middle of a plaster-covered workshop. In the doctor’s office, doctors look for the model that best suits the patient.The case of Davity confuses them. One proposes a “depression” prosthesis in which the valve absorbs air between the socket and the rest of the limb. The other prefers a war-friendly structure that is “stable, flexible, and easy to clean.”
Daviti Souleymanishvili examines one of the temporary prostheses that a doctor at Kieu’s specialty center offers him for his mobility. Photo: AFP
In the morning, they treat another fighter from Azov and expect to accept more and more military amputees, not to mention civilians. These will heal, explains the director of the medical center. Oleksandr Stetsenko.
There are no official numbers for injuries. In mid-April, President Volodymyr Zelensky evoked several 10,000 injured soldiers The United Nations counts more than 4,600 civilians.
Amplitude, a specialist magazine, points out that treating amputees requires “equipped structures with plaster, thermoplastics, ovens, grinding machines, and more.” However, according to this amputee magazine,The number of such clinics is limited in Ukraine Incomplete supply chain.
Daviti Souleymanishvili is at Kieu’s friend’s house, waiting for his prosthesis to return to combat. Photo: AFP
According to Dr. Stetzenko, there are about 30 people in Ukraine A facility that manufactures artificial limbs. His clinic produces and deploys about 300 a year. Despite the vast needs, each prosthesis is “customized” to accommodate the client’s wounds and requirements, so his center cannot speed up.
In the case of the gunner Davity, the doctor wants to add 15 kg of weight for his future legs. Withstands the weight of the weapon to be loaded.
Daviti Souleymanishvili, also known as “Scorpion,” is waiting for a prosthesis that will allow it to perform all the necessary movements on the front lines. Photo: AFP
“I need a prosthesis It allows me to do all the operations“While he presents carbon and rubber feet, he insists. Within a week, return to get a temporary prosthesis that requires re-learning how to walk. You need. I don’t know how long the final prosthesis will take. It will arrive.
But “in a few weeks, he will be able to run,” Dr. Valeri Nebesni predicted. 90% of the army wantsLike Sergeant Scorpion, return as soon as possible to confront the Russians.
Source: Clarin
