Children of War and Fire: How Ukrainian Schoolchildren with Burns After an Oil Pipeline Explosion Are Treated in Germany
Ukrainian children suffer not only from explosions, shelling and losses at the front. In many cases, their lives are changed forever by events that seem incidental, but are directly related to the general state of insecurity in the country. Oil pipeline explosions, infrastructure collapses, fires due to technical wear and tear or human negligence are all, in one way or another, part of the larger picture of wartime. One of such tragic events was the explosion of an oil pipeline near the village of Strymba in the Ivano-Frankivsk region, where two children were injured. The story of nine-year-old Yuriy Dzebchuk and twelve-year-old Yevgeny Griga is a story of struggle, pain, adaptation and will to live in a foreign country, when childhood is broken into fragments and reassembled – already in the hospital wards of Cologne.
How it all happened: the explosion, panic and flames that covered the village
On September 30, 2023, the village of Strymba, located in the Nadvirnyan district of the Ivano-Frankivsk region, was at the epicenter of the explosion. Flames and black smoke erupted from the oil pipeline that passed near the river, covering everything around. According to eyewitnesses, there were two explosions. The roar was such that the sky was torn apart overhead, and the wave of fire rolled up the river, leaving no chance of escape for those who were nearby.
Ulyana Dzebchuk, Yury’s mother, remembers this moment in detail. Children were playing near the house – her son was riding a bicycle. When she went outside, she saw the fire flying straight to the house. Yurchyk and his friend Yevhen were running from the bottom of the street, their faces and clothes already engulfed in flames. Mothers who saw their children burned had only a few seconds to decide what to do. People around were running away, throwing everything in panic.
“The children were just asking for water. And fell asleep on the go. Where they went, they just fell asleep. They both stood and fell asleep. It cannot be expressed in words.” — remembers Ulyana
A local man carried the boys in his arms, put them in a car and took them to the hospital – without any protection, just burnt children who could not even be touched.
Burns covered more than 85% of both boys’ bodies. The doctors directly said: the chances of life are slim. In such cases, according to doctors, treatment is usually not even started, but only brought out of shock, because the body cannot withstand it. And yet, we decided to try. In one of the Lviv centers, the head doctor gathered the family and announced: “We will transfuse blood. If the child can stand it, we will transport it.”
A long way: from Strimba — through Lviv, Poland to Germany
First, the children were transported to Lviv, then to Poland. There were many options, even Switzerland was considered, but in the end they settled on Cologne. This city took over all the costs of the treatment. Without this, families would not be able to support surgical and resuscitation care of this level. Yury and Yevhen’s parents settled near the clinic, rented an apartment nearby, so as not to leave their children even overnight.
Yevgeny’s mother spent seven months in intensive care at her son’s bedside. At that time, her husband was at the front. Only after the death of his own brother was he commissioned from the army and allowed to come to Germany. The first thing Yevhen asked when he came to his senses: “Is my sister alive? Is mom alive? Are they all right?”
Both boys survived dozens of operations. Yevhen has almost half a hundred interventions. His eye was damaged, which was partially saved. His fingers do not extend, he cannot hold a glass or dress himself. But every day he works with physiotherapists, develops brushes, fights for mobility. He says: he wants not just to return to sports, but to “become a full-fledged child.”
Photo: Yevhen Hryga with his sister and father/suspilne.media
Yuriy underwent amputation of fingers, learned to walk again.
“I want to play football, run, study like before. I like everything – lessons, German, mathematics, because she is the best. And I also want to be in the police.” he says.
A school that heals the soul: studies, Ukrainian songs and prayers in German
Children attend German school four times a week. They are taught by Maria Kautz, a Ukrainian who has lived in Germany for a long time. She volunteered to work with the boys when she found out that there are children from Ukraine in the clinic who need education. Previously, she already had experience working with wounded Ukrainian soldiers and children who suffered as a result of the war.
According to her, the German teachers did not give up, but they could not stand it psychologically – they had nightmares. But Maria works with them comprehensively: they study German, mathematics, sing Ukrainian songs, pray together.
“These children are a miracle. The fact that they survived is bordering on sanctity. Their strength is not academic ability. Their strength is in the will to live. And in how they inspire others.” she says.
Despite good conditions, qualified medicine and a warm welcome, the boys think about Ukraine every day.
“It’s good to live in Germany. But in Ukraine, too. I miss the garage. For everything”, – says Yuriy.
“I missed my friends. I wish I could take them all here. I love them very much and those who prayed for me.” Yevhen admits.
