A group of Ukrainian military veterans wounded in the war with Russia brought their stories from the front lines to San Diego County, this weekend. The veterans visited St. Mary Protectress, the only local Ukrainian Orthodox church where they were welcomed by the Spring Valley congregation before Sunday service. Among them were Mykola Melnyk, Oleh Bonchynskyi and Denys Haida, Ukrainian soldiers wounded by enemy weapons in the years since the February 2022 Russian invasion. Melnyk was leading troops in a fight at the Russian border in June 2023 when he suffered devastating injuries. (from left to right) Oleh Bonchynskyi, Denys Haida, Volodymyr Balbekin (in wheelchair), and Mykola Melnyk, all served in the Ukrainian Army and were wounded by Russian weapons, Spring Valley, Calif., October 4, 2026. “Unfortunately, I lost my legs in the battle,” Melnyk said. He told NBC 7 his right leg was shot off by machine gun fire. In his shock from that injury, he stepped on a Russian land mine, which blew off his left leg. Melnyk survived and has since taken his fight from the battlefield to helping children orphaned by the war. He founded the nonprofit organization Brave Children of Ukraine. He and his fellow veterans have traveled around the United States in recent weeks, sharing their experiences from the front lines and meeting with U.S. veterans who have served in Ukraine. Their purpose includes advocacy for Ukraine and spreading continued awareness about war. They are also fundraising for the orphaned children. Melnyk said he especially wants members of the military to learn from what Ukrainian troops have experienced. “For our mistakes we paid in blood, the blood of our soldiers. My brothers and sisters who never come back to home. That’s why take our experience without our mistakes,” he said. Bonchynskyi and Haida spoke through a translator about what they want Americans to understand about the war. “We want America to know that this war is true terrorism,” Bonchynskyi said. Haida added, “We’re also really counting on support of the United States of America because being alone in this fight is just not going to give us the victory.” If we lost, (the U.S.) is next. We can not separate war, Ukraine or Iran. It’s one war for freedom against dictators.Mykola Melnyk, Ukrainian War Veteran Ukrainian soldier, Volodymyr Balbekin, is here for the first time. From his wheelchair at the church, Balbekin prayed for the American doctors scheduled to provide him with prosthetic legs in the coming months. Balbekin was hit by Russian mortar fire in June of last year. He said through a translator that the prospect of receiving prosthetic legs has given him a new sense of hope and purpose. St. Mary Protectress is the only Ukrainian Orthodox church in San Diego County. At this Sunday service, the Spring Valley congregation welcomed war heroes from their home country, Spring Valley, Calif., October 4, 2026. For Melnyk, the visit is also an opportunity to deliver a broader warning about what he believes is at stake in Ukraine’s fight. “If we lost, (the U.S.) is next. We can not separate war, Ukraine or Iran. It’s one war for freedom against dictators.” This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC San Diego. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC San Diego journalist edited the article for publication. ...read more read less