Mountainous character: how veterans of the Russian Military are preparing to conquer Elbrus on prosthetics

To test yourself, to try something new, and most importantly - to show that after amputation you can live an active life, no different from other people. With this motivation, the veterans of the Russian Military arrived in St. Petersburg to select them for participation in a unique project - a group ascent of Mount Elbrus on prosthetic legs. Based on the results of the diagnosis, ten veterans will be selected to continue preparing for the expedition dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

The mood of the participants

Preparation of a unique project has started in St. Petersburg - the first group ascent of Elbrus on prosthetic legs, in which veterans of a special military operation will take part. The summit with a height of 5,642 m above sea level will be reached in July this year. And now the selection process has begun.

The project was organized on the eve of the 80th anniversary of the Victory by the My Medical Center Group of companies and Bionics 2.0 with the support of the Defenders of the Fatherland State Foundation and KAVKAZ.RF JSC.

Dozens of veterans have arrived at the Beloostrov high-tech clinic in the Northern Capital. They will have to undergo comprehensive diagnostics and functional testing.

The project participants served in various areas of the special military operation. All of them are determined to conquer the top.

Roman Balyuk came from Krasnodar. He fought in the Donetsk direction. He is eager to test his strength.

— First of all, I love everything new. Secondly, I want to test myself. I don't consider myself a person with disabilities. I want to prove to my family and friends that everything is fine with me, I am the same person as I was," says Roman.

Sergey Zelman joined the project because he wants to show by his example that people who have experienced what he has experienced do not give up.

— I want all the same people who have suffered some kind of injury to see that everything in life can be overcome. There is an inner desire to somehow overcome all these fears, all emotions and go uphill, not to stumble, not to stop in life, but to achieve something," he shares his attitude.

25-year-old Sergei Kudrin fought in the Zaporozhye area, repelled the failed Ukrainian counteroffensive. I got injured when I was leading the group to the front line. I was returning along the same path, but they managed to mine it during that time. Stepped on a landmine.

— I'm expecting some new emotions, some kind of discovery for myself. And, of course, I want to overcome all my fears and understand for myself that I am living, I can, I am overcoming, and everything is ahead of me," says the veteran.

Alexander Malov is eager to visit the highest point of Russia and test himself in the highlands.

— It's a mountain, it doesn't shoot. Get up, get up. I know it's going to be hard. If it were easy, then everyone would go there. And at an altitude of 5,600 meters, there are difficulties. This is a lack of oxygen, pressure, and generally conditions in which people usually do not live. It will be stressful for the body," says Alexander. Like many other participants in the project, he admits that he does not feel like a person with disabilities.: He studies at two universities, works at the institute, and is engaged in other projects. "I have no restrictions," concluded the participant of the special operation.

Alexander is supported by his fiancee Elena Tsarukyan: "of course, it surprised me – how will he go to the mountains with his health? But he assured me that they would give him a reinforced prosthesis, and there would be no problems. Okay, good." She knows for sure that her fiance will make it, no matter how hard it is — such is the strength of his character. "He promised me to come back with him. He's back. So there is a core," Elena shared.

Selection of Elbrus climbing participants

In April, veterans will have their hearts, blood vessels, and respiratory systems checked, and radiation and clinical examinations will be conducted by highly specialized specialists. Cosmonauts and Olympians are being diagnosed on the equipment being tested. Doctors simulate the loads that the participants will experience during the ascent.

As Oksana Gutkina, head of the department of functional diagnostics at the Beloostrov clinic, noted, the task of doctors is to make sure that those who go are confident that they can reach the top, that the body will not let them down at the most unfortunate moment.

— We are looking for possible problems that can lead to disastrous results when they go. We carry out a fairly strict selection of those who are more likely to be able to complete such a task, because Elbrus is not for the weak, but only for the strong. And our subjects, our heroes, require increased attention, including medical attention," Oksana Gutkina said.

For example, if a person has breathing problems, then it will be even more difficult to breathe in conditions of low oxygen content and altered pressure. And providing medical care at altitude is a very difficult task, she stressed.

The participants' prosthetics are being adapted to the upcoming loads and upgraded. They will be specially configured to make it convenient to go up and down.

— Adjusting the prosthesis will give us less resistance on ascent and more resistance on descent. It will be much safer. This is one hundred percent," said Vitaly Degtyarev, prosthetician of the lower extremities at Bionics 2.0. According to him, prosthetics specialists face the task of achieving maximum safety for descending when a heavy load is placed on the limbs.

According to the results of the diagnosis, ten veterans will be selected — those whose bodies are more likely to withstand the load. They will proceed to the next stage of preparation. It will be held at the specialized sports medicine and rehabilitation center "SportMedKlinika" in the federal territory of Sirius. There, participants will undergo two-stage physical training in a hypoxic chamber, which allows them to simulate the atmosphere of high mountains, training on state-of-the-art equipment for athletes and other activities.