NEW YORK (PIX11) — The number of casualties from the war in Ukraine, now in its second year, is staggering. Tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians, including children, have been killed and countless others wounded.

Many of the combat wounds have resulted in the loss of limbs. A New York-based humanitarian group is now giving some of those soldiers an opportunity to walk again by providing them with artificial legs and physical therapy.

They have traded in their weapons of war for machines of healing. Five wounded Ukrainian soldiers are currently engaged in a different battle on a different battleground—a physical therapy clinic in Brooklyn. They paid a price defending their country during the 14-month-old war. They lost limbs to Russian mines and rockets. But they don’t feel defeated.

These five warriors are being fitted with prostheses that will enable them to walk again, thanks to a New York-based non-profit humanitarian group, Kind Deeds. These soldiers are among 11 others who have been brought here so far. Kind Deeds has another 200 on a waiting list.

“When they got here, the fact that there’s no bombing, there’s no war going on here, it helped them not just physically to undergo therapy but also psychologically,” Dmitry Shevehenko of the Kind Deeds medical board told PIX11 News. “We have a lot of support from the community.”

Through a translator, 39-year-old Oleksi, who lost a leg in a mine explosion, confided that he’s more upset about being withdrawn from defending his country than losing his leg.

“It’s no big deal, some people lost their lives. It’s just a piece of meat that I lost and it doesn’t stop me,” said Oleski.

His reaction was swift when he was called a hero.

He shook his head left and right and declared, “I don’t consider myself one. I actually do what is needed. I haven’t completed my mission. My country is still occupied.”

Staten Island University Hospital Northwell added its support to the mission by providing its facilities and physical therapists for the rehabilitation process. The soldiers divide their time between the hospital and the Oceanview clinic in Brooklyn five days a week.

Yevhen, 48, who lost his leg in a shelling attack, conceded that the rehab is stressful but said he is motivated to give it his all.

“Yes, I have to make sure I’m fully rehabilitated because if I’m not healthy enough, I can’t go back,” Yevhen said. “In order to go back, I have to be strong.”

Roman, 32, agreed. He lost his left leg to a Russian mine shortly after the invasion began last year.  He said he’s grateful to the people who have provided his prosthesis and the difficult physical therapy.

“It’s a difficult battlefield. It’s a battle with myself to get over some of the hurdles we have here. I like it here a lot but I have to go back,” Roman insisted.

Their guide and medical advisor Dmitry Shevchenko expressed his pride.

“These guys are the bravest, strongest and most motivated individuals that I’ve personally met. They’re unbreakable,” Shevchenko said.

The artificial limbs have positively impacted the lives of these soldiers who will be in New York for five to six weeks. They serve as a symbol of resilience and determination to leave the battlefield of rehabilitation to rejoin their colleagues on the battlefield of Ukraine.

You can get more information about the humanitarian group at KindDeeds.com.