British ex-soldier fighting in Ukraine saved by the body of his friend

Shareef Amin, 40, was shielded by the body of his comrade as Putin’s shells rained down on them

(Shareef Amin / SWNS)

A British ex-soldier has made it back to the UK after surviving a barrage of Russian shelling in Ukraine.

Shareef Amin, 40, nicknamed Rambo, suffered wounds to every limb when he was hit by Putin’s troops in October.

He was buried under the body of a fellow soldier in a trench, but managed to drag himself out before travelling abroad for treatment.

Now he is finally back in the UK after being airlifted out, and is awaiting reconstructive surgery.

The Afghan war veteran, who previously lived in Bristol, told the Sun: “The surgeons are going all out. I’ll go from Rambo to Robocop.

“They’re going to rebuild one of my thumbs out of one of my toes, and remove an artery from a leg to replace one under my forearm.”

Shareef, who served with 1st Batallion The Rifles, signed up to fight after Russia invaded Ukraine in February.

His partner Helen Vitvickaja, 33, is Ukrainian. She and her son Platon, 10, were still in the country when war broke out.

After being shot and blown up by a hail of shells, he was saved only by the body of his friend - known as Professor - who shielded him from the worst of the blast.

Professor died instantly but, with the help of his commander, Shareef was able to crawl out of a ditch.

His brave exploits later saw him dubbed Rambo, after the action hero portrayed by Sylvester Stallone.

(Shareef Amin / SWNS)

(Shareef Amin / SWNS)

Shareef said previously: “I shouldn’t be alive.

“I was in a shallow trench with my friend, a Ukrainian who we called Professor, helmet to helmet, hand in hand, as the artillery rounds just kept coming.

“The next thing I know I hear this almighty thud. It felt like someone had dragged me underground. I just saw red.

“Professor’s body just went limp like a rag doll. He landed on top of me. At that point I knew I’d been hit. I thought, ’I’m dead here. This is where I die’. So I accepted it.”

(Shareef Amin / SWNS)

Shareef miraculously survived but suffered punctures to both lungs and injuries to every limb.

He claims that he even heard doctors whispering to each other that “he wouldn’t make it” while abroad.

Now back in the UK, a crowdfunding campaign has now been launched to give the family a “new start”.