So young, yet so brave: 23-year-old Ukrainian fighter saved hundreds of comrades
Age does not always matter in war (photo: 128th separate brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine)
Stories of some military personnel and paramedics compel us to reassess our own lives and teach us that age is not always the primary criterion for professionalism and resilience.
RBC-Ukraine tells the story of a young paramedic and instructor named Serhii from the 128th Separate Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who saves the lives of Ukrainian defenders and instructs others in doing so.
Materials used in preparation of this article: the Facebook page of the 128th Separate Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
About Serhii
23-year-old Serhii, an economist, decided to volunteer to defend his homeland after the start of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation.
Now the young man is a serviceman of the 128th Separate Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Initially, he worked as a driver of an evacuation vehicle, but later he underwent a series of courses for military medics and received a NATO instructor certificate.
This allows the fighter to train other specialists, including newcomers to the unit.
Paramedic Serhiy (photo: 128th separate brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine)
Main achievements
Currently, the young man is a paramedic and sanitary instructor, teaching fighters basic tactical medical skills.
Since the beginning of his service, Serhii has already saved hundreds of lives (in just a few days of intense battles, he managed to save over 80 comrades from various units).
Despite weighing only 60 kilograms himself, he pulls much larger and heavier fighters who are wounded and unable to move on their own out of the battlefield.
"Once, with a comrade, a sanitary driver, he came under enemy fire from small arms during an evacuation. The guys immediately took a circular defense and engaged the enemy in battle. This allowed the support group to approach, repel the enemy, and ultimately save the life of the wounded," someone from his brigade said.
Comrades' attitude
Despite the fact that most newcomers are twice his age, no one doubts the authority of the young instructor.
The fighters conduct their training during breaks between missions and intense battles.
An instructor instead of a dummy (photo: 128th separate brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine)
Both newcomers and experienced fighters come for medic training, as skills in providing first aid on the battlefield can save many lives.
"The instructor is the youngest of all. But the main criterion for respect here is not age but knowledge and skill," they believe in the brigade.
Experienced fighters say: "If you get wounded and hear Serhii's voice, you can relax because it means everything will be fine."
Paramedic's stance
The young man considers it important to teach people to work as a team and provide quality assistance immediately.
According to him, 80% of deaths are due to blood loss. 15% - pneumothorax (the presence of air in the pleural cavity that enters due to damage to the lungs or chest wall), and 5% - hypothermia.
"We are not a combat service. We do not fight. We deal with the consequences and perform our actions professionally," he says.
The young man admits that the hardest thing for a medic is to "realize that you can no longer save them... and you just have to accept it."
At the same time, motivation comes from the fact that "the work is obvious."
"If you save a person, you'll see them in three days," explains the young man.
