DONETSK, Ukraine
Wounded infantrymen in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region have been evacuated amid heavy clashes with Russian forces in the region, as well as near the town of Avdiivka.
Infantrymen wounded on the front line are being medically evacuated to “stabilisation points” far from where the fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces continues.
Medical teams immediately go to the front and stay in the trenches upon receiving news of injured soldiers in order to provide them with first aid.
They prefer to paint at night to avoid possible attacks with drones or artillery, while carrying out their tasks in dangerous environments during the day, when the injured are in serious condition.
“Our main task is to prevent bleeding of the wounded, put a tourniquet on them, bandage them and give them medicine to bring them to the stabilization point,” the commander of the Ukrainian medical team, code-named Velikiy, told Anadolu.
Velikiy said he and his team have provided first aid to wounded infantrymen from various regions and said that high-intensity clashes between Russian and Ukrainian forces have been taking place lately near Avdiivka, as well as in Kupiansk and Bakhmut.
“We are generally working in the direction of Donetsk. The intensity of the conflict has increased since Oct. 10. Sometimes it decreases, sometimes it increases again. We have many teams working in rotation, we are on duty 24 hours a day,” Velikiy further said.
Velikiy went on to state that no one died during his surveillance during the evacuation.
“We strive to do our homework successfully and quickly. I’ve been at the helm for over a year and a half. Our team is good, it’s coordinated, and everyone knows what to do,” he said, adding that the injuries we’ve faced in recent years are often due to drone strikes.
* Writing by Burc Eruygur in Istanbul