during battle on 23 september 1943 petrov replaced his regimental commander and led his unit in becoming the first part of their brigade to cross the dniepr. according to petrov's official nomination sheet for the title hero of the soviet union, he lost his hands on 1 october 1943 during the battle for the burkhin bridgehead on the right bank of the river, during which he helped two batteries direct counter-fire that resulted in the destruction of four enemy tanks and two mortars. he and an orderly went on to open fire on a self-propelled gun, but they were targeted with shelling. a german projectile hit petrov and inflicted irreparable damage to both of his hands, but he refused to be evacuated to a hospital until the counterattack ceased. postwar sources indicate that the injuries happened earlier under different circumstances and at different dates, such as in august. petrov described the incident to the press in his later years, saying that during the battle for a bridgehead in autumn he was hit by a shell around midnight; his colleagues had at one point believed him to be dead and ordered a search for his remains, but found him alive in the morning. his comrades ordered a surgeon to operate on him, who warned them that petrov would probably die. despite his low chances of survival he lived through the surgery and a few weeks later he was sent to the moscow institute of orthopedics and prosthetics. on 24 december 1943 he was awarded the title hero of the soviet union. while in moscow he became very depressed and contemplated suicide, but eventually came to terms with his condition and practiced writing, having received many letters of encouragement from other soldiers.