The Bishop Basil H. Losten Center for Ukrainian Church Studies at CUA held a special event titled: “Andrii Smolenskyi: A Ukrainian Wounded Warrior Speaks About Faith In the Midst of Russia’s War In Ukraine.”
This event took place April 29, 2025 at 5:15 PM at the Caldwell Hall Auditorium. Following Andrii’s remarks was a panel discussion and question-and-answer with a variety of distinguished guests.
Andrii Smolenskyi, a wounded veteran (blind with both hands amputated), is currently undergoing treatment at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and helping his Ukrainian comrades to develop military drones. Before Russia’s full-scale invasion, Andrii Smolenskyi was a young, successful, married twenty-six-year-old guy in Kyiv, Ukraine, working in finance and consulting.
When his country was attacked in 2022 he, like many others, volunteered to join the military. A year later, leading a Ukrainian aerial reconnaissance unit on the frontline, Andrii miraculously survived in an explosion. Upon waking up from a coma, he found that he lost both his arms, his vision, and hearing in one ear.
After spending months in medical hospitals and centers in Ukraine, benefactors and BBC journalists helped to get Andrii to the United States for treatment at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
Ever since the injury, Andrii’s wife Alina has stayed by his side helping him communicate with the outside world. Their case received media attention in Ukraine, across Europe, and in the United States and was covered by the BBC, ABC, NPR, and many other outlets.