Battlefield medics and volunteers in Ukraine face challenging conditions, with off-road vans often only able to carry two seriously wounded at a time.
Michael, a 39-year-old paramedic from northern Germany, is one of those working near the front lines in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.
“We drive to the front, pick up the wounded and then go back,” Michael says. “We have to deal with them first. And then we have to move them to the sustainable level.”
A round trip like this can take about two to three hours. The patient does not always live – Michael, who does not want to reveal his surname, has already seen several soldiers die.
Ukraine has been defending itself against a Russian invasion with heavy Western support for nearly three years. After the war started, Michael sat at home in northern Germany and thought about how he could help, the paramedic tells dpa.
“Then I said to myself, 'This is what you've trained for half your life.'”
He went on his first mission to Ukraine in March 2023. In the past year, Michael has already completed four one-month missions, voluntarily taking unpaid leave, he says.
In the early hours of February 24, 2022, Russian forces attacked Ukraine on multiple fronts. Moscow has since annexed four territories in eastern and southern Ukraine, in violation of international law.
The fighting is still mostly centered around the east and south.
Michael says that not everyone around him supports his decision to get involved.
“Some people think it's stupid. They say, 'It's not our war,'” he says, shaking his head. However, others appreciate his commitment and recognize the courage it takes to make such a choice.
In 2023, Michael worked first with a German and then a US aid group near Kramatorsk and Pokrovsk in the Donetsk frontline area.
He then started working for the Polish medical group W Międzyczasie (In the meantime). It is a humanitarian organization that rescues wounded soldiers and civilians from the front line, often under fire, their website says.
When asked about the worst cases he's seen on the battlefield, Michael doesn't have a quick answer. “The worst thing for us is when we have to choose who to help and who not to help,” he says after hesitating for a while.
Triage – the classification and prioritization of patients – is the hardest part of the job. The ongoing conflict has left hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians injured since the war began.
Michael notes that most of the injuries he sees are caused by artillery and drones, often resulting in severe trauma and dismemberment.
The Ukrainian first lady, Olena Zelenska, recently estimated the number of Ukrainian war invalids, including amputees, at around 300,000 since the beginning of the Russian invasion.
At the end of November 2024, the Economist suggested that the total number of wounded Ukrainians could be as high as 400,000, with 60,000 to 100,000 soldiers killed.
These figures, however, are still difficult to verify.
For Michael and his team, nationality makes no difference in providing care. “We treat everyone equally,” he says. “It's not my job as a paralogist to decide otherwise.” This includes Russian prisoners of war – 10 or 12 of whom have already been treated under his care.
Despite the dangers, Michael says he manages to stay calm, even under fire.
“The experiences don't bother me when I'm at home,” he explains. However, he emphasizes the importance of talking about the trauma.
The Polish organization he works with offers a psychologist to help rescuers process their experiences. “That's a very important resource,” he says.
Despite all the dangers, he plans to return to Ukraine again this year. “I've made so many friends and connections,” he explains.
One day, he hopes to visit Odessa, a port city on the Black Sea in southern Ukraine, but he knows that will only be possible when the war ends.
The German paramedic Michael is standing next to the front ambulance. In the meantime/dpa
German paramedic Michael went on his first trip to Ukraine in March 2023. W Miedzyczasie/dpa
