Israeli student Alex Lemp made Aliyah from Ukraine as a child. He later renewed his Ukrainian citizenship and returned to study in Kyiv in 2017, but then the Russian invasion began.
The 35-year-old is now unable to return to Israel due to a government directive prohibiting fighting-age men from leaving the country.
"I was supposed to graduate in March 2022 and return to Israel a month later, but the war broke out on February 24, and I volunteered for a regional defense unit," Lemp told Ynet.
The day after the invasion, Lemp arrived at the recruiting office and received military equipment, including a weapon.
"I thought I would receive a weapon and return to my wife and child to protect my neighborhood if necessary. But as soon as they gave me the weapon and the curfew went into effect, the commander told us we will spend the night in the recruiting office."
At around 3:30 in the morning, the commander came in and told everyone to wake up because of a report of Russian paratroopers infiltrating Kyiv through the Hostomel Airport.
"We were sent to the battlefield without any training, we didn't even shoot the weapon once," he said. "We were divided into squads of 5-7 soldiers, and in each squad, only two men had combat experience. The order we received was simple: 'Either they kill you, or you kill them.'"
About 10 minutes later, the soldiers arrived at Kyiv's Berestetsky Park when all of a sudden they came under heavy machine gun fire.
"We lay on the snowy ground and fired back at the source of the shooting. There was complete chaos, but I remember what I learned in the IDF: Stay cool and always be in control," Lemp said.
At one point during the battle, Lemp turned his back to a nearby building and spotted a Russian soldier aiming his weapon at the force.
"I noticed his uniform was darker than that of the Ukrainian army. I shouted several slogans in Ukrainian to see his response, but he didn't react. So I shouted to the force to take cover and we all jumped into a pit we found nearby, as we took him out." Lemp described.
The heavy shootout continued as Lemp was hiding inside the pit with his comrades. Several soldiers entered the building in which the Russian soldier was hiding, and killed several other Russians that were also there.
"When I tried to get out of the pit, I felt a very sharp pain in my leg, and it turned out I broke my ankle."
Alex Lemp was taken to a nearby hospital where his leg was placed in a cast. He was given two options: Stay in the hospital or return home.
Lemp decided to leave the hospital, but he couldn't return to his home, so he stayed in a local hotel. During this time, his wife fled to a town in southern Kyiv due to Russian shelling and later left for Bulgaria.
According to Lemp, his wife settled down with a new partner, and two months later arrived in Ukraine to officially divorce him.
"I have been undergoing several treatments in private clinics, but so far, eight months since the injury, my leg is functioning at only about 50%. I spent a fortune on hospital treatments and private clinics," he said.
"The doctors said at first that I had to have surgery, but it wasn't possible because all surgeons are busy with more serious injuries."
In the meantime, Lemp received his degree from the university and currently awaits to meet with the Israeli embassy staff in Kyiv. "I want to return to Israel to receive proper medical treatment. My whole family lives in Israel since 1995, and my whole life is there. The embassy staff returned to Kyiv back in May, but those who wish to make an appointment face a lot of difficulties."