Injured Kyiv Paramedic Keeps Treating Victims After Missile Strike Hits Ambulance Crew

Two members of an emergency medical crew came under fire in Kyiv on 26 October during a Russian missile attack on the city. Despite being wounded himself, one of them kept giving aid to other people hurt at the site, according to the Kyiv Centre of Emergency Medical Care and Disaster Medicine and the Kyiv City State Administration's Department of Health.

The crew had just finished responding to a call. As the medical workers returned to their vehicle, an explosion went off close by. The blast wave blew out the vehicle's windows and injured both men, who are 42 and 49 years old.

When they heard a second explosion from a missile strike, the two decided to take cover beneath the car. The emergency care centre said the ambulance, which they use every day to rescue others, ended up protecting them. "This time, the vehicle in which they go out every day to save people's lives became a shelter for them. And it saved them," the centre said.

Both men survived. The paramedic suffered a blunt chest injury, a laceration to his left hand and acoustic barotrauma. The emergency medical technician was also hurt, sustaining an explosive trauma.

Even with those injuries, the paramedic stayed on the scene and continued to treat other people wounded in the strike. Afterward, both crew members were taken to hospital.

The Kyiv City State Administration's Department of Health praised the medics for their professionalism, courage and dedication, and wished them a quick recovery. The department noted that emergency medical workers do their jobs in difficult and dangerous conditions every day. "Their safety and them getting to come home after every call remain extremely important," it said.

Russian forces struck Kyiv with missiles on the evening of 26 October and during the night of 26 to 27 October. A 46-year-old woman was killed and 15 other people were injured in the attacks.

Emergency workers also rescued two dogs at one of the attack sites. One of the animals was pulled from the rubble of a damaged building.