"Have to Go Home"... Ukrainian Soldier Who Lost Leg Kicked Off Plane

Kneeling and Pleading but Ultimately Denied Boarding
Airline States "Unavoidable Measure Considering Passenger Safety"

A video showing a Ukrainian soldier who lost his leg in the war being forced off a plane while returning to his hometown has gone viral, sparking controversy.

Recently, on social media platforms such as TikTok, a video has been spreading of a man wearing a prosthetic leg being eventually removed from a plane after being stopped by flight attendants.

A Ukrainian soldier who lost his leg is being escorted off the plane by the crew. [Image source=TikTok]

According to the Ukrainian media outlet 'Kyiv Independent,' the flight belonged to Wizz Air, a low-cost airline based in Hungary, and the man was identified as a Ukrainian soldier.

The man lost his leg in the war and was trying to board a flight from Tel Aviv, Israel, to Warsaw, Poland, to return home. However, the flight attendants prevented him from boarding. The man showed gifts he had bought for his family inside his backpack and tearfully knelt down, asking, "Then how am I supposed to get home?" but it was to no avail.

Despite the man's appeals, the flight attendants reportedly said, "You cannot board the plane with a health condition that could put you at risk during the flight."

The person who posted the video claimed, "The man stood in the corner of the plane for over an hour, and the flight attendants did not even give him a seat."

Following the controversy over the video, Wizz Air issued a statement saying, "Safety is the company's top priority, so it is the responsibility of the flight attendants to ensure that all passengers are fit to fly."

They added, "If a passenger shows signs that could put them at risk during the flight, the airline has the obligation to refuse boarding," and stated, "In this case, it was an unavoidable decision made with the passenger's safety in mind."