A hero's story

The war in Ukraine may seem far away, but for Kiwis such as ALLA SHYMANSKA, it is still very close to home.

-  ALLA SHYMANSKA

Dmytro Lahoda lay on the battlefield under heavy, incessant shelling. His body was covered with earth mixed with blood, ash and the detritus of war. A fragment of a tank shell had entered his back, crumbled into many pieces in his abdomen, and hit his spine and internal organs. He couldn't move.

In the frosty winter air, through the fumes and soot, he could see glimpses of the sky and white clouds. Thoughts of his mother, loved ones and dead comrades filled his mind in a confused whirlwind. Soon, he lost his sense of reality.

Lahoda was born in the beautiful city of Chernihiv, in northern Ukraine, on the border with Russia and Belarus. It is my home town, too, although I have lived in Auckland now for many years.

Lahoda spent most of his life in a house that had belonged to his family for a century. After high school, he attended Chernihiv Radio Mechanical College, then served in the air force, then in intelligence. Everyone who has ever known him notes his cheerful and mischievous character.

After the air force, he was going to return to radio mechanics. However, the difficult economic situation caused by the annexation of Crimea and the occupation of Donbass by Russia forced him to seek more lucrative work overseas. He managed to find a suitable job in the Czech Republic, where he remained until Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 this year.

He could have remained there, but decided to return to Ukraine to defend his loved ones and country, volunteering for the frontline on the outskirts of his native Chernihiv. At 30, he took command of a military unit in a tank brigade.

When war broke out, the heaviest fighting occurred on the outskirts of the city. At that time, the Ukrainians did not have enough shells for their weapons. It was hard to predict where the Russians would fire, and sometimes the Ukrainians were unable to respond.