Canadian in Ukraine takes first steps to recovery and a return to the fight

Mackenzie Hughes, a 23-year-old from Calgary, was serving in southern Ukraine when the Russian military attacked his position with a Shahed drone, causing a van to pin him down and catch on fire.

From a hospital in Kyiv, about two months later, he recalled the tale of how he was stuck under the van as flames worked their way up his legs and how, fortunately, one of his comrades saved him. Doctors estimate 28 per cent of his body is covered in burns. But despite all he’s been through, he is choosing to stay in Kyiv and vows to return to the fight once he’s recovered.