Russians shot us, their doctors stitched us up: Ukrainian couple’s harrowing escape | Ground Report

Lesya and Vitya, a husband and wife who lived in a village in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Oblast, were wounded when Russian forces opened fire at them. They recount their harrowing ordeal in this exclusive report.

Russians troops in the woods. Tanks in their backyards. Festering bullet wounds on their bodies. The trauma of their terrifying escape bogs down Lesya and Vitya, a married couple who only until a couple of weeks ago lived in a quaint village in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Then the Russians came.

Now, the two are ensconced in a tiny room at a hospital somewhere in Zaporizhzhia. The exact location cannot be disclosed due to security concerns. India Today visited the hospital and heard the couple recount their harrowing ordeal.

Lesya says, "The Russians came to our village and settled in the forest. They didn't touch us at first. Our power was cut off. Then the bombings started. We were in the basement when a missile struck our house. My husband and I decided to run to our neighbours with our son. After a night with our neighbours, we decided to go back and grab our documents from the basement."

It was a decision that she now bitterly regrets. Russian forces were already lying in wait.

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"They started shooting us. We were shot," said Lesya, her eyes clouded with fear at the memories. What came next was darkness, excruciating pain, and blood. She sustained multiple gunshot wounds, while husband Vitya was shot in the back.

As they lay on the ground crying out for help, a Russian soldier came to them and said he could help them get treatment, but only from a Russian doctor. They had no choice but to agree.