He lost his legs in the war, now he’s Ukraine’s most desirable man

When a shell exploded near Oleksandr Budko, the 26-year-old found himself buried alive and in "terrible pain" from injuries that would lead to the amputation of both his legs.

The Ukrainian soldier was helping to defend the north-eastern Kharkiv region from invading Russian forces in August 2022, when his unit was attacked.

Two years on, he’s the star of a reality TV show in which multiple women battle for his affection.

One advert for the Ukrainian version of hit US series The Bachelor shows a smartly-dressed Oleksandr staring wistfully at a flower. In another, he answers questions in military fatigues before performing a series of pull-ups in a gym.

Speaking to me in a rose garden in Kyiv, the veteran-turned-celebrity is in good spirits despite being tired after a busy week.

Oleksandr says he’s hoping to find love on the show after breaking up with his girlfriend last January - but thinks it will be difficult to choose a partner with “millions of people watching”.

His motivations aren’t just romantic. He also wants to use his appearance on the show to raise awareness of the challenges facing disabled Ukrainians.

“This show is watched by millions of people, and it presents a huge opportunity to positively influence their outlook,” he says.

He wants to show that injured veterans are not “outsiders, but full members of society who are living a good life.

“In my case, my life is now even better than before the war, better than before I got injured.”

Oleksandr now walks with two prosthetic legs

Oleksandr is always on the go, telling me he spent the previous night filming a music video.

His life wasn’t always like this. In the years before Russia's full-scale invasion, he was working as a barista in a Kyiv restaurant while studying graphic design.

He says his dreams were “down to earth”: travelling, discovering the world, and growing professionally. He wanted to start a family.

But Oleksandr’s life was turned upside down two years ago, when he became one of hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian men to join the army.

In August 2022, he was stationed near Izyum, an occupied city on the front lines of the Russian advance. It was invaded in the early days of the war and used by Russia as a key military hub to supply its forces from the east.

The city was liberated by Kyiv just a month after Oleksandr was seriously injured while defending the nearby Ukrainian position.

"I felt the earth shift onto me. I felt a terrible pain in my legs and realised that it would mean the amputation of my legs," he said.

"I screamed from horrific pain and shouted for people to hear me.”

He says he knew his comrades were alive, and they dug him out of the ground and provided first aid. But that’s when he knew his legs were badly hurt.

"I understood that I had lost my legs at the moment of injury, two or three seconds after I felt the pain.”

Oleksandr survived but much of Izyum was left in ruins. At the time, authorities said they had found more than 400 bodies in graves near the city.

Many buildings in Izyum were destroyed during the first months of the invasion

Despite a challenging recovery, Oleksandr was able to walk with prosthetic legs within six months.

“When I didn't have prostheses, I had to move around in a wheelchair. I discovered how inaccessible and unsuited Kyiv was for wheelchair users, even though it’s the capital city,” he says.

“In the historic old town you can’t go anywhere. You can’t cross the road on your own and you can’t go inside any building because there are stairs everywhere.”

War injuries mean Oleksandr’s experience is becoming increasingly common in Ukraine. While there’s no official data recording the number of people injured during the war, tens of thousands are estimated to have lost limbs.

This has resulted in the creation of a separate reality show, called Legs Off - which Oleksandr presented - capturing the difficulties faced by disabled people as they move around Ukrainian cities.

As well as presenting, the veteran has also written a book, won medals at the Invictus Games, and performed with a ballet troupe in the US – all while recovering from his injuries.

Oleksandr met Prince Harry during the Invictus Games

He’s so popular in Ukraine that The Bachelor’s application portal crashed shortly after it was announced Oleksandr would take on the main role in the upcoming season.

Producers of The Bachelor are casting the veteran as a symbol of hope.

“Despite his amputations, Oleksandr rides a bike, drives a car, and climbs mountains. He lives life to the fullest," says Natalia Franchuk, from STB, the network on which the show will air later this year.

“If television is about filming reality, then who better could be the star of The Bachelor now? Who else would be better suited in a country at war?”