Andriy sent his pregnant wife to flee: I am happy that I only lost a leg in the war.

It has been exactly four years since a war has ravaged Ukraine.

A war that has sent millions into exile and cost thousands of lives. The war has left its mark on large parts of the world, but most of all on Ukraine and its people.

One of the places where the war has left deep scars on both body and soul is with Andriy Smirnov and his family.

*"It’s hard when you suddenly can’t make a cup of coffee for yourself or play with your children. When I can’t give them what they need, it hurts,"* says Andriy Smirnov.

The family is originally from a city 100 kilometers west of Kyiv, but now lives in Haderslev. Though their daily life is far from the war, they still feel its impact every single day.

The war’s traces are especially clear on the 45-year-old Andriy Smirnov’s body. He lost his right leg and has had to learn how to walk with a prosthesis.

*"It’s been a long war, and we don’t know when it will end,"* says Andriy Smirnov.

At the war’s early stages, the Smirnov family made a choice. Andriy Smirnov’s pregnant wife, Alla, had to flee Ukraine with their 18-month-old daughter. Meanwhile, Andriy Smirnov would fight for his country.

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**Lost a leg in the war**

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In the summer of 2023, Ukraine launched a counteroffensive. One of the goals was to retake some of the cities occupied by the Russian military.

Andriy Smirnov was part of the counteroffensive. He was sent to the front, where his vehicle was hit by a missile, leaving him severely injured.

*"I’m glad I only lost a leg. So many worse things happened. Many of my friends are no longer with us,"* he says.

He spent a month in a Ukrainian hospital, where he underwent 11 surgeries. Because his family was in Denmark, he was invited by the health minister to come to Denmark and was admitted to Odense University Hospital.

*"When I had to go to Denmark, I didn’t think about leaving my country, just that I could finally be with my family again,"* says Andriy Smirnov.

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**Pregnant wife sent into exile**

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When Andriy Smirnov’s wife, Alla, fled Ukraine, she was five months pregnant with their son. She ended up in Haderslev with the couple’s young daughter and mother-in-law.

For Alla, it was a very difficult decision to leave her country and her husband.

*"For me, it was an easy decision. I just wanted them to be safe,"* says Andriy Smirnov.

Though Alla and Lisa were warmly welcomed in Denmark, it wasn’t easy for Alla to be five months pregnant and on the run with a little girl.

*"It was hard for her. But she’s luckily a very strong woman, and we managed,"* he says.

Andriy Smirnov sits with his two children. Lisa is five years old, and Zlatan, born in Denmark, is three years old. *(Photo: © Bo Bechsgaard)*

*"Now I’m just trying to repay her for everything she did,"* he adds.

Alla gave birth to a little boy in July 2022 at the hospital in Aabenraa, while Andriy was on the battlefield in Ukraine.

When their son was 10 months old, Andriy Smirnov was granted a week’s leave from his battalion so he could travel to Denmark and meet his son for the first time.

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**Hope for the future**

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The war in Ukraine has now lasted four years. Peace negotiations have been underway with the U.S. leading the effort, but there is still no prospect of an end.

*"I hope the world will wake up and continue the negotiations, because that’s a possible solution. But there’s a stronger one, and that’s giving Ukraine more weapons—and it must be done now,"* he says.

On a personal level, Andriy Smirnov is making good progress learning Danish and is training to become a teacher at UC Syd.

The children have settled into Danish daycare institutions, and his wife Alla works at a local business.

He doesn’t expect their future to lie in Ukraine—not even if peace comes.

*"I don’t believe the conflict is over, even if the invasion ends. I would never want my children to experience the fear of living in a country at war,"* he says and continues.

*"Now they’re used to the Danish way of life. They have their friends here and speak Danish, so now I hope we can stay here."*

Warning: This article was translated by a Large Language Model, in case of doubt, you can always visit the original source.