Solutions from Ukraine: How clay helps wounded soldiers recover at Kharkiv military hospital

29.06.2026, 16:04 rubryka.com

For doctors and psychologists, this is not just a pastime. It is therapy. It restores balance, sharpens coordination, and rebuilds the fine motor skills of hands that only recently held weapons. For soldiers recovering from concussions and severe limb injuries, the steady spin of the pottery wheel brings real relief.

Dozens of unique pieces already fill the hospital shelves. They will later be auctioned off to support the hospital.

What is the problem?

A focused silence fills the small room. Artist and designer Serhii Fomichov lays out his tools. Containers of thick clay and a basin of water are put on a covered table. He is preparing to meet a new group of students who have recently begun rehabilitation.

"That's what happens during the first session. Right away, I can see what comes naturally to a person and what doesn't. Then we adjust the program. You have to work on the difficult things, but it shouldn't cause stress or exhaustion. Art should bring joy."

What's the solution?

Serhii says clay has a magnetic pull. People get absorbed, forget the pain, and their bodies start making the movements they need to heal.

"I see the results. The first session is always awkward and uneven. But people keep at it, and they eventually build real skills. Pottery is hard. To make your hands follow your mind, you need about 100 hours at the wheel," says the artist. "Patients get interested almost right away. The wheel is a powerful symbol. We deliberately kept it manual, not electric. We wanted the whole body engaged. The link between head, legs, and hands matters. It builds coordination and fine motor control. When you shape clay, your fingers keep working out how to make the form you want, instead of settling for whatever happens by accident."

Meanwhile, in a bright hospital ward on the same floor, two brothers-in-arms, Serhii and Oleksandr, gather for a session. Both survived devastating injuries. Both have spent months fighting their way back to normal life inside the hospital's walls.

Oleksandr recalls the day that divided his life into "before" and "after."

"It was a gunshot wound. I was hit on July 7 last year as we were pulling out of our position. We had gone about two kilometers when another vehicle flashed its lights at us. We thought it was an air threat or an FPV drone," the soldier recalls. "Then shots came from the side. I saw holes open in my leg, but I never heard the bullets hit. One was sticking out here, another went in here, and a third severed a vein below my knee."

How does it work?

Inside the art rehabilitation room, Oleksandr confidently sits down at the wooden pottery wheel. He places one foot on the lower disk and pushes, setting the structure in motion. His wet hands settle onto a lump of raw clay, centering it on the wheel. His movements become smooth and rhythmic.

A transformation begins — both of the material and of the person shaping it.

Neurologist Ivan Darii watches with professional fascination.

"In February 2026, we opened an art studio in our department. Today, it offers pottery, painting, and vocal therapy. Music therapy is next. We also take patients to rehabilitation mosaic workshops," Darii says. "Art therapy is a serious therapeutic tool and a psychological process. It is not just drawing or working with clay. It is real therapy. Psychologists often take part. Art therapy is widely used across Europe, including in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Germany, and the Nordic countries."

The doctor says clay and paint often accomplish what ordinary conversations cannot.

"The biggest thing we see is the psychological impact. Art therapy breaks the ice. When patients first arrive, many are numb and don't want to talk about their trauma or injuries. Art therapy often gives us a way in. Patients open up. They start talking about what they need," says Darii. "That makes it easier for us to set real rehab goals and map out the work ahead. Patients understand the process better. And the benefits go beyond the mind. It helps their emotional state, physical condition, and overall function."

As previously reported, Kharkiv veteran Oleksandr Honcharenko designs and builds suspension-based rehabilitation devices for severely wounded service members. His equipment is already being used in hospitals in Kharkiv and Zakarpattia, while his team prepares new models for medical facilities in other regions of Ukraine.