report
Hardly any ramps or elevators, many potholes and stairs – Ukrainians in wheelchairs can hardly move freely. The country has so far paid little attention to accessibility. Now disabled soldiers are also suffering from it.
Never before in its history has independent Ukraine had to deal with so many people with disabilities. Not only soldiers, but also civilians lose legs, arms or suffer paralyzing spinal cord injuries in the Russian war of aggression.
“The Russian war of aggression showed us that we were not prepared,” says Ulyana Ptscholkina from the Active Rehabilitation Group organization. As she says, she has been fighting for accessibility in a country full of obstacles for years.
There is no awareness in society of the needs of people in wheelchairs, says soldier Oleksandr Tschumak. Since the 33-year-old hit a mine during the recapture of Kherson about a year ago, he has been trapped in his apartment. The right leg had to be amputated, the left is so badly injured that he is currently unable to bear weight on it. After months in the hospital, he now drags himself on his hands from the kitchen through the narrow hallway to the living room.
No elevators, lots of stairs, uneven sidewalks
“The only connection to the outside world is the television or the Internet,” says Tschumak. There is no elevator in the old residential building. The doors and hallway are too narrow for a wheelchair. It is a typical picture in Ukraine that continues on the streets of the capital.
Only a few metro stations have elevators. Many public buildings are only accessible via stairs, and restaurants and bars are often located in the basement. In everyday life, paralyzed people or people with amputations repeatedly have to pass small steps, high curbs or pavements covered in potholes.
It is unclear how many people with disabilities there are in Ukraine since the Russian invasion.
Protective cellars are often not barrier-free
The company is now trying to respond to the problem, reports Tschumak. Some shops install ramps for wheelchair users, but they are often “junk,” criticizes the soldier. “It’s like you’re riding a roller coaster.” The ramps are so steep that he cannot make it up on his own. Since the injury, Tschumak’s social life has depended on a friend who carries him from the apartment to the ground floor and drives him to the supermarket or to the hospital. Thousands of people in Ukraine are like him.
According to the umbrella organization European Disability Forum, over 2.7 million people with disabilities were registered in Ukraine before the war began. It is not known how many people there have been since February 24, 2022. The organization criticizes that the war has disproportionately affected people with disabilities. Many shelters are also not barrier-free – and therefore a “life-threatening obstacle”.
Building regulations are ignored
Although the war continues, Ukraine is already trying to rebuild in some places. “Build Back Better” is often the motto – at least officially. But activist Ulyana Ptscholkina criticizes that building regulations are often ignored in practice. Because at least new buildings should actually be barrier-free. “But there are no sanctions for violations.”
After eight years of service in the war and several months in the hospital, Oleksandr Tschumak’s world now consists of a bedroom, living room and kitchen. At least here he can move independently. In the kitchen he sits on a small stool with wheels and moves back and forth between the table, refrigerator and stove. He orders groceries online.
Social Reintegration central
Tschumak tries to accept his injuries. “The most important thing is that I become mobile again and an effective member of society,” he says. Social participation plays a central role in the reintegration of soldiers. And Tschumak says other comrades were hit worse. Some soldiers in Ukraine have to have both arms and legs amputated.
But such serious injuries are not easy for the relatives either, says Tschumak. “Women marry a young, cool man and then suddenly he lies there and only takes up half the bed.”
In Ukraine, doctors are overwhelmed by the injuries to Tschumak’s left leg. An aid organization is helping him to receive treatment in the USA. The doctors there are now trying to save the leg. They currently estimate the chances of being able to receive it to be 60 percent.