A 20-year-old Ukrainian soldier who lost all his limbs in combat was denied access to his government payments due to a technicality at a Kyiv branch of PrivatBank, located at 27-A Beresteiskyi Avenue.
The young man volunteered for the military at 18. During fierce fighting near Izium in Kharkiv region, he suffered severe injuries — losing both arms and legs. After a long recovery, his medical coordinator brought him to the bank to restore his card, which is required to receive state financial aid. The original card and phone were lost in combat.
According to the coordinator, the bank manager produced a new card and requested the soldier to hold it in his hands near his face for a photo. The soldier, however, has no hands. The response from the bank employee: if he cannot hold the card himself, he cannot receive it.
The only alternative offered was to issue the card to the coordinator via a power of attorney. The soldier remains without access to his own funds. No other solutions or signs of empathy were proposed by the bank staff.
The veteran now awaits prosthetics — a process that could take months or even a year. Until then, he is without access to money legally owed to him.
This incident reveals a serious systemic failure — where rigid procedures outweigh human dignity, even for those who fought for the country.
Civil society organizations have condemned the situation and are calling on government institutions and banks to face their responsibility to veterans.
“If a country cannot ensure basic access to funds for those who gave their arms and legs for it, this is not just bureaucracy — this is betrayal,” said the support organization.
