Drone evacuations and frontline surgery: Inside the work of new Ukrainian medical battalion
Illustrative photo: a new medical battalion has started operating in the Armed Forces of Ukraine (Getty Images)
The Armed Forces of Ukraine have completed the formation of the First Separate Medical Battalion. It has already begun its operations at the front, according to a post by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, on Telegram.
"I reviewed the report on the creation of the First Separate Medical Battalion and the progress in fulfilling the tasks assigned to it. But the key mission of the unit is to save as many lives as possible of our servicemen, particularly infantry, within the battalion’s area of responsibility," Syrskyi wrote.
The battalion, as an integrated unit, has combined the following key directions:
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medical evacuation, including the use of ground-based drone systems;
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provision of emergency care (operation of stabilization points and forward surgical teams);
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training and preparation of fighters directly in the combat zone.
The battalion has already conducted a successful recruitment campaign, which is why practically the entire personnel consists of professional volunteer doctors. Currently, the new recruits are undergoing a mandatory combat lifesaver course, and the battalion is at the stage of coordination and preparation for combat deployments.
"Taking into account the realities of modern warfare, the battalion has formed a separate drone systems company for unmanned evacuation of wounded soldiers using ground platforms," Syrskyi said.
Earlier, we reported that Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi approved the creation of a separate medical unit in Ukraine. This will allow for organizational scaling of medical aid provision in the combat zone.
