A grenade landed right on his chest — and didn’t explode. The 2nd International Legion of Defense of Ukraine has shared the incredible survival story of 31-year-old Argentine Marcus.
The International Legion for the Defense of Ukraine, established by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in 2022, is a military unit composed of foreign volunteers who joined Ukraine’s fight against the Russian invasion. It includes infantry and special operations roles such as reconnaissance, anti-tank warfare, and urban combat. Estimates of its size vary widely, from a few thousand active fighters to tens of thousands of applicants, with volunteers coming from over 100 countries.
A former soldier and medic, Marcus came to Ukraine after the death of his mother to fulfill his long-held desire — to be a soldier and help the country, the events of which he had been following since 2014, when Russia occupied Crimea.
In January 2025, while returning from positions near Pokrovsk, Marcus’s group, two Brazilian and a Scottish volunteer, and Marcus himself, came under a drone attack. The first grenades dropped wounded his knee and the Scotsman’s legs. His comrades dragged the wounded into cover and went for help.
“I kissed my cross and said, ‘God, if this is my day, let it be quick and painless.’ And in that moment, a grenade fell on my chest. And… it didn’t explode. I knew — this wasn’t my day,” he recalls.
Left with the Scottish volunteer, Marcus hid both of them from thermal vision, covered his comrade with a poncho, and went for help, limping on a stick with a broken knee.
On the way, a Russian drone dropped a black capsule on him — a marker for artillery. It also failed to explode, but a shell nearby detonated, resulting in broken ribs, bleeding, and a new injury.
To keep moving, Marcus had to loosen the tourniquet — there was so much blood that the Russians likely thought he was dead. He used this to his advantage.
“I did everything to survive. I wanted to see my kids. And that gave me strength,” he says.
Despite everything, he walked 600 meters to the Ukrainian positions. The Scottish volunteer was later evacuated — he survived but lost 8 fingers. Marcus underwent four surgeries and is now undergoing rehabilitation.