Ukrainian soldier arrives in New York City to undergo surgery on legs wounded in war
NEW YORK -- The war in Ukraine has been going on for nearly a year and has cost nearly 7,000 civilians their lives.
Thanks to help from a complete stranger, a Ukrainian soldier injured in battle landed in New York on Thursday to receive desperately needed treatment.
Vladyslav Orlov's arrival at Kennedy Airport is the latest chapter in a long story of bravery. He hopes to get the medical care he needs, but couldn't get in Ukraine.
"We have a lot of wounded guys who need help and they working hard and they really don't have enough space for everybody," said Orlov.
Just a few days ago, Orlov was in a hospital in war-torn Kyiv.
"It's very fast, very fast," he said.
Orlov spent the last few months in hospitals after his legs were severely wounded while he was fighting in the Donbas region in October.
"My bones is being broken," he said.
Orlov's girlfriend Ashley Matkowsky, a New Yorker, was in Ukraine working on a documentary on the war when they met.
After Orlov's injury, Matkowsky contacted people back home to try to get him the right treatment.
"We're really lucky that we saved the legs at all back in Ukraine," said Matkowsky.
Matkowsky wound up getting in touch with Gary Wasserson, a Pennsylvania man, who's been doing humanitarian work for Ukrainian people.
Wasserson helped connect the couple with doctors at the Hospital for Special Surgery who agreed to treat Orlov.
"What they're gonna do I think is completely reconstruct the left and the right foot, because right now they're not workable," said Matkowsky.
Wasserson also helped get the couple to the U.S.
"I have a very simple concept that I treat people exactly the way I would hope they would treat me. No better or worse," said Wasserson.
Orlov said he's hopeful for that comes next. He was taken straight to the hospital from JFK.