COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) – It’s been nearly three years since the war in Ukraine began hundreds of thousands of troops from both Ukraine and Russia were killed or wounded. Many of these injuries are life-altering and debilitating.

Jakob Kepka, 67, knows how many of the wounded feel.

Kepka became an amputee in 2016 after sustaining injuries while serving in both the US Navy and the Canadian Army. He used cycling as a way to cope with his new life at the time and says it not only saved him, but he hopes it saves others.

Kepka has just returned from a bike ride for a month from Poland to Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. Over 700 miles, meeting residents, wounded soldiers, doctors and more, Kepka hopes to share their stories and keep an eye on the country at war.

“A lot of these young men and women are multi-limb amputees, and then you have to deal with people with spinal cord injuries, head injuries,” he said. “Six weeks ago (in Ukraine alone) there were 100-200,000 new amputees. A lot of these are complicated amputations and multiple limbs and they just don’t have the people qualified to do it, they’re playing catch up. Such numbers have not been seen since the First World War. The United States could not handle so many amputees.”

Kepka says this trip to raise awareness was an idea born out of an interaction that didn’t happen. When traveling in the war-torn country of Ukraine, Kepka says he saw a soldier walking with his parents and noticed that the soldier had recently undergone an amputation similar to Kepka’s.

But, Kepka says he didn’t stop to talk to the soldier and that’s his only regret. Kepka said he saw defeat and sadness in the soldier’s eyes. That’s why Kepka says this trip was important to make, to keep an eye on the country at war and tell soldiers and civilians alike that we haven’t forgotten.

“The fatigue I understand, you hear about this and that, but when you see what war does not only to the bodies of these soldiers and civilians, some are ready to come back to life. And some are not,” he said.

During the trip, Kepka encountered some logistical problems entering Ukraine from Poland. Here he was able to connect Raise Ukrainethe Brazos Valley non-profit organization working on humanitarian aid for the area. Kepka says that without that connection and donations from Central Texas residents, this trip would not have been possible.

“With the help of Elevate Ukraine, everything went really well and one of the reasons I’m here is to thank you people who supported me through your donations to Elevate Ukraine, because without them I wouldn’t have reached the target,” he said. said.

Since the US presidential election ended, there has been talk of finding an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine, even reports of a conversation between President-elect Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin about the war. Those reports were denied by a Russian spokesman just before the deadliest day of the war since it began nearly three years ago.

Kepka says when headlines like these come out, people need to keep in mind that civilians and young soldiers are the most affected.

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