2024-08-28 17:06:29
Two years ago, the life of Oleksandr Budko has a tragic turn of events. He lost both legs in the Ukraine war. Now millions of viewers are rooting for him.
In August 2022, Oleksandr Budko was still fighting in the Ukraine war. He was seriously wounded and lost both legs. Now he is the new “Bachelor” in the Ukrainian version of the famous dating show.
Two years ago, Budko was stationed in Izyum, an occupied city on the front line of the Russian advance. It was captured in the first days of the war and used by Russia as an important military hub for supplying its forces from the east. There, he and his comrades were attacked by Russian troops two years ago. A grenade exploded next to him, wounding him so badly that both legs had to be amputated. A month later, Ukrainian troops recaptured the city.
“I felt the earth settle on me. I felt a terrible pain in my legs and I realised that this would mean the amputation of my legs,” he told the BBC. “I screamed in terrible pain and shouted so that people would hear me.” His comrades got off lightly in the attack; they were able to dig him out of the earth and give him first aid.
Just six months after the incident, he was able to walk again with prostheses. It was only when he was in a wheelchair that he realized how little the capital city of Kiev was accessible for people with disabilities.
He subsequently became a campaigner for the visibility of people with disabilities. He hosted a television show called “Legs Off”, which presented the challenges faced by people with disabilities in various Ukrainian cities.
He also wrote a book, won medals at the Invictus Games, a kind of Olympics for disabled war veterans, and performed with a ballet group in the USA. Because of his popularity, the producers have now chosen Budko as the new Bachelor.
“If television is about filming reality, who better to be the star of The Bachelor? Who else would be better suited to a country at war?” explained Natalia Franchuk from the broadcasting station STB. This is well received: The application portal for “The Bachelor” crashed shortly after it was announced that Budko would be taking on the lead role in the upcoming season.
He also wants to use the show to draw attention to the challenges faced by people with disabilities. But of course he also hopes to find true love – even if, in his view, it will be difficult to find a partner when “millions of people are watching”.