Zakhar Biryukov was getting off a helicopter in July 2022 when enemy fire hit him.
The explosion was so brutal that it tore off both his arms and one leg. The blast also severely damaged his sight and hearing, leaving him with an unrecognizable body and a medical prognosis that almost no one dared to say aloud: his chances of survival were minimal.
But Zakhar did not fit that statistic. Against all medical odds, he endured, and over time his story began to circulate as something other than a tragedy of war. Today, he is mentioned as an example of a resilience that is not measured in limbs or senses, but in the decision to remain present after losing almost everything.
