Ukrainian woman who lost leg in blast reveals how Putin's bombs inspired her to help others
Rusya Danilkina, 21, filmed the aftermath of the blast that changed her life and, incredibly, is now empowered by it.
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Rusya Danilkina who lost a leg on the front line hailed the surgeons who saved her — and inspired her to help others
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Rusya filmed the aftermath of the blast that changed her life and, incredibly, is now empowered by it
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She was hit by shrapnel from one of Vladimir Putin's glide bombs in Kherson
Credit: Chris Eades
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She said: 'I had my phone in my right hand as I looked down and saw that my left leg was gone'
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Rusya said in the weeks afterwards she would 'lie in my hospital bed staring at the ceiling thinking I did not want to live any more'
She was a radio operator in the
Two years on, she has become a social media star, documenting her recovery to 125,000 Instagram followers.
That includes the nine seconds of horrific footage from Kherson.
She said: 'I had my phone in my right hand as I looked down and saw that my left leg was gone.
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'I could smell explosives and flesh, there was blood everywhere and parts of my body, it was terrible and I thought I was going to die.
'I knew in an instant my life would never be the same again. I took the video and sent it to my brother as I wanted him to know that I had been badly hurt.
'I still watch the video and it might sound crazy but I like the moment of my injury because it changed my life and showed how strong I can be. If it was not for my injury, I would not have the life that I have now.'
Rusya said in the weeks afterwards she would 'lie in my hospital bed staring at the ceiling thinking I did not want to live any more'.
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But she saw others with 'worse injuries' before being taken to the
Since it opened in April 2023, it has fitted 1,100 patients with 1,500 prosthetic limbs.
One was Rusya, who said: 'This is not just a hospital, it is a place of power. It gives people a future.'
Putin's 'no expenses spared' parade lays bare frail Vlad's delusion & what he's really hiding
She now loves surfing and rock climbing and has been to Australia, France and the US.
She also works at Superhumans, helping other veterans adapt to civilian life.
Rusya said: 'People ask where I get my strength from. When you see someone learn to walk again at the hospital or hold a glass for the first time with a new hand, you can't not be inspired. Everything is in your head — if you decide to succeed then you will.'
Most patients at Superhumans are soldiers but civilians such as Olena Levytska, 38, are also treated.
She fell under a train and lost a leg as crowds fled a shell attack in Kryvyi Rih.
Her children now call her Terminator thanks to her new limb with 'Made in Ukraine' printed on it.
Olena, who ran a clothes business, said: 'I have had 19 operations but I'm fine and can do things better than some with two legs. I feel my future looks bright.'
Royal Navy warship HMS Tyne shadowed Russian Kilo-class submarine Krasnodar as it travelled home from the eastern Med through the
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The Irish Sun
21 hours ago
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"I want to connect the dots from my service to my illness, and because of the classification they say no." Dave estimates that a few thousand people are affected at least, and that number "continues to grow". The Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs were contacted for comment. 8 Dave Crete testifies before Congress Credit: The Invisible Enemy 8 TTR is operated by Sandia National Laboratories and the US Department of Energy Credit: Getty - Contributor 8 Unlike Area 51, Area 52 is visible via satellite Credit: Wikimedia
The Irish Sun
a day ago
- The Irish Sun
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The Irish Sun
a day ago
- The Irish Sun
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The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has insisted, however, that a "number of reviews" have established "no causal link" between doxycycline and psychiatric adverse reactions. Advertisement But Professor David Healy, the expert witness commissioned by the Coroner for Alana's inquest, said there are "hundreds of compelling case reports of doxycycline causing suicide". He told The Sun: "What we need to remember is that MHRA are a bureaucracy - like the aviation authorities. "They licence paperwork that Boeing or pharma companies send in to them but they aren't engineers or pharmacologists and don't fly planes or monitor what happens to patients on meds. "They have no training in working out how to establish a link between a drug and a problem. "It's pilots and doctors who keep us safe - or used to keep us safe. Advertisement "Pilots still do because they have an incentive to do so - if we don't make it to wherever alive, they don't either so if a door blows off a plane, they won't fly again till the problem - not just that door is fixed. "But doctors don't have the same incentive. "If you claim a problem has happened on a drug they gave you, they are now more likely to throw you out through the open door for spreading misinformation than take your side and insist drug labels mention this problem." Professor Healy said experts know "how and why" doxycycline causes suicide and epidemiological studies. He added: "Doctors who go by drug labels rather than what is happening to the person right in front of them kill patients like Tom Kingston recently and Alana Cutland and others." Advertisement Alana died on July 25, 2019, when she broke open the door of a small aircraft after fighting off the shocked pilot and researcher Ruth Johnson, who was escorting her back to the UK. 5 Alana was travelling home when she fell to her death Credit: Ian Whittaker - The Sun 5 The student was on a dream trip researching rare blue crabs in Madagascar The student had been taking doxycycline before her death – an antibiotic that kills bacteria in the body and is prescribed by a GP. Her devastated parents Neil and Alison previously said it was 'tragic' that their daughter's death was 'essentially caused by the side effects of doxycycline'. Advertisement They said: 'We realise that such drugs have an important role to play, but it shocked us to discover that such a severe side effect could be virtually undocumented.' Doxycycline, which is prescribed to treat bacterial infections, has been authorised as an anti-malaria drug for more than 50 years. It is taken orally every 12 hours, with prescriptions normally starting before somebody travels to a country exposed to high-risk of malaria. In a case report published in leading medical journal The BMJ in 2019, three young people with no history of mental illness were treated for skin conditions with doxycycline. All three developed 'suicidal ideation' with an outcome of suicide in two of the cases, the report says. Advertisement Emily Darlington, MP for Milton Keynes Central, told The Sun: 'My heart goes out to Alana's friends and family. "I am urging the Department of Health to read the coroner's report and consider what changes should be made as a consequence of their recommendations.' What is doxycyline? DOXYCYCLINE is prescribed by GPs to treat bacterial infections. It works by inhibiting protein synthesis in bacteria - meaning it stops bacteria from reproducing rather than killing them outright, giving the body's immune system a better chance to fight off the infection. The drug is prescribed for conditions including malaria, skin, dental and urinary tract infections, sexually transmitted infectins as well as lyme disease. It is also used to combat acne, rosacea and other conditions such as cholera, typhus and anthrax. Side effects include headaches, nausea and vomiting, and an increased sensitivity to sunlight. More serious and rare side effects include allergic reactions, increased pressure around the brain and permanent tooth discolouration in young children. The drug is usually taken by adults and children over 12 years old. Following multiple studies in the UK and globally, a comprehensive review of all reported psychiatric events linked to the drug doxycycline was conducted by the Commission on Human Medicines. No causal link between the drug nd psychiatric adverse reactions like acute psychosis, hallucinations, or suicidality was found, according to the review. Last year, an EMA study of real-world data also supported these findings. Advertisement In 2020, a scientific consensus report was published by the US National Academies that said: "Based on the available evidence, the committee concludes that there is insufficient or inadequate evidence of an association between the use of doxycycline for malaria prophylaxis and persistent or latent psychiatric events. "Current evidence does not suggest further study of such an association is warranted, given the lack of evidence regarding biologic plausibility." The MHRA has vowed to continue to "closely monitor reports", however, and said it is "considering if further additional studies into this area are required". Dr Alison Cave, MHRA Chief Safety Officer, told The Sun: 'Patient safety is our top priority. 'Our thoughts remain with Alana Cutland's family following her tragic death. Advertisement 'A number of reviews into the suspected association between doxycycline and psychiatric events have been conducted both in the UK and globally. "These reviews have consistently not been able to establish a causal link. "However, we continue to keep this issue under close review and will take regulatory action if new evidence emerges that changes the balance of benefits and risks.'
