At the UNBROKEN rehabilitation center in Lviv, orthopedic surgeons performed a high-precision nerve transplant surgery on 39-year-old Anatolii Zavytskyi, a unit commander from the 3rd Assault Brigade. After suffering a severe hand injury in Luhansk region, where a fragment severed his bone and radial nerve, he had completely lost hand function. The surgery offers hope for full recovery of movement.
Anatolii joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces in 2014 and re-enlisted after the full-scale invasion, serving in the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade. In October 2024, a drone strike wounded him during combat. “The pain was unbearable, but I didn’t lose consciousness. A chunk of my arm was torn off,” he recalled.
He was first stabilized at a military hospital and later transported to the UNBROKEN center in Lviv. There, Dr. Volodymyr Romanyshyn and his surgical team undertook the complex microsurgical procedure to reconstruct his radial nerve.
🔹 Operation details:
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The fragment had completely destroyed the radial nerve
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Surgeons transplanted a sural nerve from his leg
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The nerve was sutured with ultra-fine threads thinner than human hair
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A few days post-op, Anatolii began to feel tingling in his hand — an early sign of success
🔹 Rehabilitation ahead:
Recovery from radial nerve reconstruction is lengthy. Anatolii will undergo months of therapy, with full results expected in six months.
🔹 International collaboration:
This advanced surgical technique was made possible through cooperation with French trauma surgeon Stefano Romano and the humanitarian organization La Chaîne de l’Espoir.
🔹 About UNBROKEN Center:
Opened in April 2023, the UNBROKEN center provides comprehensive care for civilians and military personnel injured in the war. Services include:
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reconstructive surgery
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prosthetics and orthotics
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physical and psychological rehabilitation
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vocational training for prosthetists
In May 2024, an international prosthetics and orthotics center (1,000 m²) was launched at UNBROKEN with support from the German government.