Ukraine Loses Veteran Medic Who Evacuated Soldiers from Bakhmut and Toretsk

Olena Sharhovska has died, ending a dual career that spanned national media and frontline combat medicine.

The Hospitallers medical battalion announced the death of its veteran medic, who was also known professionally as a journalist, editor, and translator. Yana Zinkevych, the commander of the Hospitallers, confirmed the news, as did former colleagues at the news outlet Novynarnia. Sharhovska’s professional history shifted in 2015 when she moved from television and print media to volunteer work with the First Volunteer Mobile Hospital named after Mykola Pyrohov.

Her military service included deployments to Bakhmut, Toretsk, and Kharkiv Oblast as part of the International Legion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Zinkevych described Sharhovska’s role in tactical medicine, noting that she evacuated wounded soldiers from the most intense sections of the front line. In a statement, Zinkevych said Sharhovska was "snatching the lives of our soldiers from the jaws of death on the way to stabilisation points." Beyond direct rescue, Sharhovska trained other service members in medical protocols and advocated for women’s equal standing in the military. She co-organized the Invisible Battalion March in Kyiv in 2016, a protest demanding that authorities open military positions to women.

Sharhovska’s path to the front line was delayed by the full-scale invasion, which began while she was in Portugal. An injury prevented her immediate return, so she supported Ukraine as a volunteer from abroad until she formally joined the military on her birthday, September 10, 2022. She served until August 2024, when health reasons led to her discharge.

Colleagues remembered her as a dedicated figure in both media and medical circles. Novynarnia described her as a person of words and travel who maintained a deep interest in people. The outlet noted that she helped fellow soldiers through fundraising and by purchasing vehicles for the front. Her personal motto, according to the memorial, was: "Do what you believe needs to be done, and then come what may." Bohdan Lohvynenko, founder of Ukraїner, recalled their time living in neighboring buildings in Vynohradar. He described her as a driving force behind many processes and a harsh critic of the unknown, while serving as a major source of support for their editorial work.

The announcement of her death marks the loss of a veteran who bridged the gap between Ukraine’s information sector and its military medical corps. Her service in three regions, combined with her advocacy for female soldiers, defined her final decade.