and sharif was badly injured. had a tough night cause the anaesthesiologist wasn t in, so, yeah, that is my life at the moment. i have been in touch with sharif while he spent weeks recovering in a military hospital in the heavily bombarded city of 0desa. say hi to the doctor. i am off to another operation. wish me luck. now, a british charity is helping him get to the border and back to the uk. but the journey is far from straightforward. apparently, he does not have all the right military paperwork so he might not actually be able to get out. as a contracted soldier with the ukrainian military he has been told he needs permission to leave and his document still has not come through but with his health at stake, the team take the decision to just get across the border.
you made it! how are you doing? how are you? exhausted but i am good. i bet, i bet. should we get you in the warm? that would be amazing. helping sharif make thejourney, ewan and craig are medics who are usually evacuating ukrainian refugees but sharif is now the second british fighter they have helped return home. speak to the sergeant, the sergeant was very clear that had it been an ukrainian they d have just amputated. meeting sharif is a stark reminder of the realities of war and the cause he chose tojoin. i felt that if i did not step up to the plate then i would not be true to myself as a human being because i have skills and to sit at home on my laurels and just watch this war happen where i could actually do something that could make a difference, save one life, train one person to use a rifle, teach somebody how to put a tourniquet on their leg. but to begin with, he says, not all volunteers were welcomed. a lot of people were like, why are you here?
still gasping for air with two punctured lungs, and i saw my hand hanging off. the right shoulder was splat open, the top of the right arm was shot and the bone s been destroyed, the forearm has been blown apart, it has been ripped out and the wrist is been taken apart. my stomach was torn open and put back together. what was it like recovering in that hospital? you are awake for these surgeries most of the time. it is time to continue the journey. sharif s ukrainian fiance is coming as well and there is little time to lose. he s to be transferred to a safe hospital in bristol where surgeons are going to try and save hand. if he stays in ukraine he is going to lose his hand. fighters aren t the only ones risking their lives in this conflict. ewan and craig have been travelling to some of the worst hit areas.
we have been bringing people back across the border. i couldn t have sat at home and watched what was happening and not come in and actually take part. how do you fund this? a lot of personal money has gone into this and ultimately we rely on donations. the team have organized a medical repatriation flight back to bristol. despite life changing injuries, sharif is still holding on to a determination to return to the front line. i am going back. you still want to go back? there is nothing else in this world that i want more than to be there with my boys. you nearly died. if it means that much to you then you re not going to start something and not finish it. it is an honour. but there will be some road to recovery. this is the last leg of the journey and then he is nearly home. they are bringing aden and they re getting us back. you are going to be missing him? of course, but i see him very soon. i hope.
down and they have had to get another one so fingers crossed they will make it out. thousands of volunteers have made this journey into the conflict, and i am on a mission to find out what they have been up to. sharif from bristol travelled to ukraine a few weeks after the invasion. british volunteers who are ex military are seen as bringing valuable knowledge and experience. another successful day of training with our team. and with his nine years in the british army, sharif helped teach ordinary ukrainian civilians medical and weapon skills before joining a military unit himself on the front lines. some big stuff s coming up in the next few days. so, i m just making a video to say, hi, and i love everyone. but not long after he recorded this message, his unit came under attack