19-year-old Rusya, a signal operator of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, lost a limb but not her spirit

The young woman in this photo is Rusya. On Feb. 24, 2022, when the full-scale invasion began, she was only 18 years old, and almost immediately, the girl volunteered to enlist in the Armed Forces of Ukraine because she could not stand aside. Rusya won the position of an operator —communications officer — this is, in fact, the ears of our armed forces. Her work schedule was almost 24/7; she had to work day and night. Despite the constant tension, Rusya did her job well until Feb. 10, 2023, when her car came under mortar fire during a combat mission — that’s how the girl lost her leg, though she avoided death. “There is no bullet, mine, projectile, bomb or missile that would kill her spirit,” the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine wrote about Rusya on Twitter.