‘I work, then I cry’: Exhausted medics near Bakhmut fight for every life

Donetsk Oblast – At an abandoned building about 20 minutes drive from Bakhmut, wounded Ukrainian soldiers pour in from the front line to receive emergency medical care.  

One after another, the wounded are brought into a musty-smelling basement that is the 5th Separate Assault Brigade’s stabilization point for the soldiers fighting in the Battle for Bakhmut. Some soldiers can still walk on their own, while others are evacuated by their comrades from the battlefield.  

Some days are harder than others, the combat medics say. It all depends on whether Ukrainian or Russian forces launch an assault on the others’ positions. With the ever-changing battlefield situation, the medics are always on standby.  

“We sleep and work at the same place,” 59-year-old combat medic Serhiy, known by his callsign Kaplya (Drop), told the Kyiv Independent during a short break.

Anticipating a sudden influx of wounded soldiers at any time, Serhiy has taught his team to never let their guard down. Even when dealing with just a few light injuries, he emphasizes the importance of working quickly to be ready for all possible scenarios.

Once the wounded soldiers arrive at the stabilization point, the medics’ most important task is to stop their bleeding before transferring them to a hospital. But it gets especially difficult when dealing with serious cases like head injuries, which require more help and skill.

“The toughest moment is when you need to help many (soldiers with serious injuries) at once,” Serhiy said. He admitted that there were times when medics had to prioritize whom to help because they didn’t have enough hands. 

“There are laws of military medicine, and this is called triage,” said Serhiy, explaining situations when medics choose who to save first.

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Note from the author:

Hi, this is Asami Terajima, the author of this article.

Thank you for reading my story till the end. I have spent most of February and March in Donetsk Oblast, spending time with Ukrainian soldiers to get a better grasp of what is happening on the battlefield. Unfortunately, the fighting is extremely brutal. But no matter the danger, I saw how hard combat medics fought to save the wounded soldiers' lives and took care of each other. To help the Kyiv Independent tell more stories of Ukrainian soldiers and continue reporting on the ground, please consider supporting us by becoming our patron.