Sanitätsbataillon Hospitaliter

Vorlage:EditingVorlage:Infobox military unit Hospitallers is a Ukrainian volunteer medical battalion, participating in the Russian-Ukrainian war in Donbas since 2014. They provide first aid and evacuate wounded Ukrainian soldiers from the hottest areas of the war zone. Their slogan is "For the sake of every life!".

During the Russian-Ukrainian war, MB Hospitallers saved almost 2500 Ukrainian soldiers.

History

July 6, 2014 – the official date of the Medical Battalion "Hospitallers" foundation. On this day, after fierce battles for Ukrainian villages, Karlivka and Pisky, a medical unit "Hospitallers" was created. Hospitallers became part of the Volunteer Ukrainian Corps "Right Sector".

Yana Zinkevych, who was an 18-year-old at the time, became the founder and head of the medical department. At the same time, the leadership appointed her head of the entire medical field service of the Right Sector. To this day, Yana Zinkevych is the chief of the Ukrainian Volunteer Army and the permanent commander of the Hospitallers Medical Battalion.

The demilitarized medical battalion provides assistance to all volunteers, military, and civilians in the war zone who need first aid, emergency medical intervention, or therapeutic treatment. Hospital crews evacuate, stabilize, and transport the wounded from the war zone to headquarters or frontline hospitals.

Doctors of the Medical Battalion together with Yana Zinkevych at the March of Defenders of Ukraine, August 24, 2019

Volunteers of the medical battalion provide constant support to the wounded in Dnipro city at the Mechnikov Hospital –  a place where the majority of severely wounded people are transported. Hospitallers also provide post-hospital support and rehabilitation for the wounded and their families.

The Hospitallers are operating in the hottest areas of the war zone in order to provide assistance to the Ukrainian military – volunteer units and the official Armed Forces, the Navy. Representatives of the Hospitallers are positioned on the battlefield along with the Ukrainian military. This allows for providing more efficient and immediate assistance during a battle and increases the chances of successful evacuation and recovery of the wounded. There are also permanent positions in frontline hospitals, such as in Avdiivka city. There, Hospitallers share responsibilities with doctors to strengthen 66 local hospitals.

Another important mission of the Hospitallers is medical and tactical training. They are conducted once a month during the period from early Spring to late Autumn. Training is held by experienced instructors who belong to the most qualified hospital staff and have been at the frontline multiple times. Training is popular with both military people and civilians since the knowledge and skills acquired at the training are extremely effective during emergencies in civilian life as well.

In 2015, one of the battalion's paramedics, Yevhen Titarenko, and Natalia Khazan filmed a movie "War for Peace" based on 120 hours of documentary footage shot at the front line. The footage was filmed by the director himself while working as a paramedic in the battalion.

In early 2016, the Hospitallers Battalion moved to the Ukrainian Volunteer Army under the leadership of Dmytro Yarosh.

On November 3, 2016, paramedic and driver, Oleh Padarovsky, died at the hospital.

Honors and awards

The battalion has earned great respect among the soldiers and huge moral support from all Ukrainian people. The activities of its members stir interest of contemporary artists, poets, writers, singers, and directors.

A permanent Combat of Hospitallers, Yana Zinkevych, was awarded with the state order "For Merits of the 3rd degree" and the non-state order "People's Hero of Ukraine".