July 21st 2023.
Volodymyr Ventsel, a Ukrainian medic, spoke out about his experiences saving lives during the illegal and unprovoked full-scale invasion by Russia. At first, he felt anger at coming under fire while trying to help those in need. Now, however, this is a normal part of life in Ukraine's north-eastern Kharkiv region.
Ventsel is one of the first responders in the line of fire, as Moscow's troops have targeted healthcare facilities. The 27-year-old revealed that the tactics used by the invaders include waiting for emergency services to arrive on the scene before attacking. The UK Ministry of Defence has reported that since February 24, 2020, there have been more than 1,000 attacks on the healthcare sector in Ukraine.
Volodymyr's experiences prove the pattern of Russian attacks on medics is in violation of international law. The Centre for Emergency Assistance and Medicine of Catastrophe has been bolstered by 21 ‘Type C’ ambulances, donated by the official Ukrainian fundraising platform United24. Ventsel said, “From my experience, the Russian forces are intentionally targeting medics. In Kharkiv, they will even wait for about 15 minutes after a missile attack and then check with drones to see if the emergency services are arriving on the scene. Then they will carry out another attack in exactly the same place. There was a situation when the ambulance was stationary in the city and an attack began, which damaged the truck and destroyed medical equipment. It happens quite often.”
The intervention of the team with modern equipment and vehicles has made the difference between life and death in the city. Kharkiv has been in the eye of the fire for the past 18 months, with shelling, suicide drone and missile strikes continuing even after Moscow’s troops were pushed out of the region. Human Rights Watch also reported that the invaders have dropped cluster munitions on residential areas of the city.
In March 2023, Volodymyr's team arrived at the scene of an ambulance that had been hit by artillery fire. Mobile phone footage shows the medics starting to work on one of the casualties close to the gutted remains of the vehicle, which had been clearly marked with a cross. Ventsel said, “We could smell the explosives and see some craters in the ground nearby. The driver was injured, and some of the equipment in the truck was destroyed. Our team was in one of the ambulances provided by United24 and managed to help those who had been hurt. There were 11 casualties, with four having very serious injuries while others escaped with grazes. The ambulance and excellent equipment from United24 helped to save people’s lives in this incident.”
The state-run centre has a fleet of approximately 100 ambulances covering Kharkiv, and around 240 assigned to the wider oblast. According to the World Health Organization, there were 1,067 attacks on healthcare facilities between February 24 last year and the present day. The vast majority were caused by heavy weapons and resulted in 101 deaths and 139 injuries.
Attacking medics and healthcare facilities is a war crime according to the Rome Statue of the International Criminal Court. However, Ventsel feels a ‘great responsibility’ to continue saving lives - even if it means placing himself in danger. He said, “The main types of injuries we encounter are a result of Russian artillery and rocket fire, they include amputations and other traumas and injuries. We feel a great responsibility when we go out to use our specialist skills to save people’s lives. As for the future, all we want is for the war to finish with Ukraine’s victory.”
Ukraine's defense is being aided by the official Ukrainian fundraising platform, United24. The platform's ambassadors, such as Andriy Shevchenko and Oleksandr Zinchenko, are holding the Game4Ukraine event at Stamford Bridge on August 5th. The Russian forces have continued to target civilian objects, showing their disregard for international law.
Volodymyr Ventsel and his team of medics remain dedicated to their cause - saving lives - in the face of the Russian invasion. They understand the risks, but continue to place themselves in danger in order to help those in need. With the help of fundraising platforms like United24, they are making a difference and bringing Ukraine one step closer to victory.
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