A New Zealander who was severely injured while fighting in Ukraine said he sang Aotearoa’s national anthem to keep himself going as he was rescued.

Twenty-five-year-old Khol Gillies had to wait days to be evacuated from the battlefield, with his foot all but blown off, because fierce fighting made it nearly impossible to reach him.

Gillies, who is originally from Hawke’s Bay, had been in Ukraine for six months fighting as a volunteer.

It’s been three months since he was shot multiple times during a drone and ground attack. He’s now recovering in a hospital in Europe after having his leg amputated.

Kiwi soldier speaks on losing leg after fighting in Ukraine

Gillies told Checkpoint he still hasn’t processed the day he was injured.

“We were manning our positions, and we came under a heavy attack. My comrades’ weapons were destroyed and we were running out of ammunition,” he said.

“Mine was the only functioning firearm, so I had to take point and obviously protect the group. Amongst all that, we started getting hit with drones, artillery bullet fire, small arms fire. My training and instincts really kicked in, and I wasn’t really thinking too much. I was just doing.”

During the attack, Gillies said his ankle was “blown off”, leaving his knee shattered and a 10-to-15-centimetre gash down his leg.

“I knew from then on, we had to really get out of there quick. [But] as we’re making our way out amongst what was happening, I sustained more injuries,” he said.

“My left eardrum had been blown out, so I couldn’t quite hear the drones coming. But I do remember looking down, seeing my injuries and thinking ‘shit, I want to live.’ So, I just started running.

“The adrenaline was pumping and as soon as I got to safety, I just dived in the hole. First thing I did, I reached down and checked my reproductive organs. Those were still intact and so I was very happy.”

He said he had to wait nearly five days in the bunker with his comrades, and waiting for the weather to turn.

“Fog is the only time that you can really manoeuvre around, so the drones can’t use their thermals and all their optics. It’s pretty much a no-fly zone when the fog is out, so that’s all we’re waiting for – some bad weather, which is good weather.”

Despite his injuries, he still did what he could to support his fellow comrades.

“I was still pulling radio and guard duty. I mean, it wasn’t too bad. I was just laying down, watching the door, manning the radio. My comrades were attending to my needs and pretty much being my medics for me.

“At one point, I did think about dying because of the pain. I can’t describe the pain. It was horrible.”

During one of the nights in the bunker, Gillies was woken up by the sound of nibbling.

“I looked down at my leg and I saw two bloody rats there. And I think ‘holy shit, they’re eating my leg,” he said.

Khol Gillies is recovering in a hospital in Europe after having his leg amputated. Photo: Supplied

After over four and a half days, Gillies was pulled out of the bunker during a foggy morning on a stretcher by three of his comrades.

“We had to navigate me through a minefield and that was tough,” he said.

He was then placed on a ground drone, a type of vehicle that is used to evacuate wounded soldiers.

“That lasted about four hours to get me out. These things go maybe 10… at the maximum 15km’s an hour. During that trip, I ended up getting hypothermia and it was really cold.”

He said the trip was agonising.

“The machine that I was on was a bit smaller than me, so my legs were hanging out the front, and I had to keep holding them up because they kept getting caught on the dirt and foliage.”

“There were also other enemy drones that would hover above me and I was just wondering, will I get hit and die here or something?”

Gillies sang the New Zealand National Anthem and ‘Stayin’ Alive’ by the Bee Gees to pass the time and take his mind off his wounds.

‘I have no regrets about going’

Gillies said he knew instantly from the first day after being hit and staying in the bunker that he was going to lose his leg.

“I had two tourniquets on for those five days, and I lost I think 50 percent of my blood. We couldn’t stop the bleeding.”

“From then on, I just knew that it had to come off, it didn’t look good. But my reproductive organs were good. I still had my hands so I can play the PlayStation. So, I was quite happy, but I was somewhat content with my injuries.”

“I mean it still sucks having no leg. Yeah, it’s not as bad as it could have been. I’m one of the lucky ones.”

But despite his injuries, he said he has no regrets about going to Ukraine.

“Maybe putting my wife through all of this. But no, I have no regrets. My comrades are saying if I didn’t do what I did, they most likely would have died and I would have still had my leg, but I’m very happy that wasn’t the outcome.”

Khol Gillies said one of the reasons why he wanted to serve in Ukraine is because of hearing stories during his childhood from one his grandfathers, the late Sir Robert Bob Gillies.

“That was very inspiring to me and I’ve always just felt good about helping out. I feel like it’s an honour to serve and help, no matter where it is, as long as you know the cause is righteous in some sort of sense.

“I felt like I had the capacity and the will to do something and me just being back at home, knowing that I had those things and was doing nothing about it was eating away at me and I probably wouldn’t be happy with myself, knowing that I could have helped do something.”

Gillies has since been awarded a Ukrainian military medal of valour.

‘This was something he felt strongly about.’

Jasmine Gillies, Khol’s wife, supported him when he decided to go to Ukraine. Khol left New Zealand for Ukraine at the end of June last year.

“Initially, when he first told me, I had mixed emotions about it, but I supported what he wanted to do. I knew this was something he felt strongly about.”

Jasmine said a few days after Gillies was injured, she had a feeling that something bad had happened.

“I reached out to one of his friends in his unit and he got back to me, and he confirmed my suspicions that something had happened to Khol,” she said.

“I think he didn’t want to worry me too much, but he did explain to me that it was quite serious and that Khol was in the middle of being evacuated and it had something to do with his leg.”

Although it worried Jasmine that Gillies was overseas fighting in a war, she always believed he would come out alive.

“I booked my tickets within two days of finding out that he had been injured. I just knew I just needed to get there to be with him and support him in any way that I could.”

Jasmine arrived in Europe two weeks ago with help from Kiwi K.A.R.E, a charity led by former NZ Army Colonel Tenby Powell that provides medical aid and evacuations to New Zealand soldiers.

“I was nervous to see him. I hadn’t seen him for six months and I was trying to stay strong for him. I didn’t want to cry when I saw him because I knew he would already be going through it,” she said.

“I [didn’t] want to put any more stress on him or put my emotions on him or anything like that. It was extremely hard.”

She said it has been difficult being away from home and her family.

“We would have been more comfortable; I guess if we were going through this process back at home so he could get visitors and familiar faces.

“It’s been hard just having each other, although I am grateful, we have at least that.”

The journey back home

It’s a long path forward for Khol Gillies.

Once he leaves the hospital, he will be going into rehabilitation to learn how to walk again and to have a prosthetic leg made.

“I’m starting to do as much as I can here now. I will start doing press-ups again just to gain some strength. I’m looking at maybe three months it’ll take me; I’m healing pretty quick.”

Gillies said he’s aiming to come to back to his home in Hawke’s Bay.

“I dearly miss home and everything we have at home; I have such a deeper appreciation for everything in our country.

“Just the way of life, like every little thing that I used to take for granted before, that’s completely vanished. I am thoroughly looking forward to a steak and cheese pie and some pavlova.”

He said he’s been grateful to receive support from the Weatherman Foundation and the Ukrainian military.

“The Weatherman Foundation has helped me a lot, they’ve organised my hospital care. Ukrainian military will be helping me out with the prosthetic because I am under contract with them.”

But he’s got a GiveaLittle page to help fundraise for travel back to New Zealand and things he’ll need to help his recovery back at home.

“Extensions for like [the] shower, bathroom, toilet, just ramps, just stuff I haven’t really thought about at the moment. But I know I’ll need it.”

~ RNZ