A wounded Ukrainian soldier surrounded by bloodthirsty Russian troops while stranded in a Bakhmut trench incredibly called an artillery strike on his own position in the ultimate act of bravery.
Infantryman Serhii, 36, is left with irreparable shrapnel buried deep in his legs, but miraculously survived.
Just over a month after seemingly sacrificing himself for his country, the Ukrainian hero said CNN: 'I can't believe I'm in the hospital now, and not in the trench. I didn't think I would survive.'
Serhii's 80th Galician Air Assault Brigade had been tasked with protecting the trenches on the eastern front line on the outskirts of Bakhmut – a embattled Ukrainian city that was the epicenter of some of the war's bloodiest conflicts.
They were ordered to hold the trenches for three days, but faced heavy enemy fire for two weeks. For some of his comrades it was the last mission they flew.
Ukrainian soldier Serhii (pictured), 36, is left with irreparable shrapnel buried deep in his legs – but miraculously survived
Serhii, 36, was surrounded by Russian forces for weeks and even carried out artillery attacks on his own position
The unit had been under relentless shelling for several days when a mortar exploded nearby, cutting off Serhii and two other men just as they were about to change position.
Serhii, who left his life as a handyman in Finland to join the Ukrainian army when Russia launched its invasion in February 2022, revealed how they were all seriously injured – and that he even had to touch his legs to check if they were still there goods. .
The other two were left with broken legs and jaws, one of whom was so traumatized that he asked to commit suicide, so his gun was confiscated from him.
In another show of courage, Serhii told the evacuation team to take the other wounded soldiers first while he waited for more help.
Multiple rescue teams attempted to reach Serhii over the next two weeks, but heavy Russian shelling prevented them from reaching his position, killing some in their attempt.
Serhii was locked in his trench and carefully dropped off with supplies such as water, medicine, chocolate and even cigarettes using a drone.
At the same time, Putin's men used drones to drop grenades next to the Ukrainian soldier. It exploded next to another soldier's back and close to his own feet, but they were “lucky to survive.”
'It was possible to evacuate only one seriously injured soldier. So at that moment I realized I was alone,” he recalls.
In another show of courage, Serhii (pictured) told the evacuation team to take the other wounded soldiers first while he waited for more help.
The only thing Serhii could do was take cover in his dugout for as long as possible. For three days he hid while Russian troops approached his position. They were so close to him that he could hear them talking and knew their plan.
Serhii accepted that it was likely that he would be killed anyway and whispered the enemy's coordinates to his commander, effectively launching artillery strikes on his own position.
Kiev's forces made several accurate attacks thanks to Serhii's bravery, but the Russian soldiers continued to surround him.
“I was surrounded by enemies,” Serhii recalled. “When they couldn't hear me, I whispered the coordinates again on the radio and fired our artillery at them.”
Serhii thought he was in danger when a Russian soldier climbed into his dugout and asked where he came from.
The Ukrainian replied in Russian, saying he had a concussion and urgently needed water. The Russian chose not to give him water, but crawled back from the trench, apparently unaware that Serhii was part of the enemy.
Serhii is still confused about the fact that the Russian soldier did not know who he was fighting for, as he was dressed in his Ukrainian army uniform.
After days of desperate attempts to evacuate Serhii, his commander finally told him that the only way to survive was to crawl and pray.
Fleeing for his life, he crawled through the dugout where the Russians were occupying it. He came across a tripwire with a grenade on it and relied on instructions from his commander over a radio that was about to go dead.
Serhii finally reached the Ukrainian position and was now able to share his incredible story of survival.
As he recovers from the trauma of the trenches in a warm hospital ward, he still doesn't view his actions as anything heroic.
Pictured: Ukrainian soldiers pass a volunteer bus that is burning after a Russian drone struck it near Bakhmut on November 23
He said those on the front lines are “paying a very high price.” “They pay with their blood,” he added.
“All I want to do is go fishing with my guests, have a few beers and sit in silence.”
Months of World War II Single-style trench warfare resulted in Bakhmut killing thousands on both sides and Russia's eventual capture of the Ukrainian city in May.
Russian forces are now intensifying attacks on the eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka, with fighting reminiscent of the battle for Bakhmut.