Ukraine Conflict: Former Journalist Sharhovska Dies After Service With International Legion
Olena Sharhovska, who worked as a journalist before serving in the International Legion and Hospitallers, has died at age 46.
By Riya Conti ·
Ukrainian media veteran and combat medic Olena Sharhovska has died at age 46 after serving with the Hospitallers medical battalion and the International Legion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Hospitallers commander, Yana Zinkevych, and colleagues at Novynarnia confirmed her death on October 24, 2026.
Sharhovska worked in television and print as a journalist, translator, editor, and social media specialist before shifting to medical work in 2015. She initially volunteered with the First Volunteer Mobile Hospital named after Mykola Pyrohov and later joined the Hospitallers, where Zinkevych said she evacuated wounded personnel from active combat zones to stabilization points.
In 2016, she co-organized the Invisible Battalion March in Kyiv to advocate for opening military positions previously reserved for men to female service members. She also served with the Women's Veteran Movement to push for proper equipment for women in the armed forces.
When Russia launched its full-scale invasion, Sharhovska was in Portugal and could not return immediately because of an injury, supporting Ukraine from abroad as a volunteer. She enlisted in the military on September 10, 2022, her birthday, and served with the International Legion in Bakhmut, Toretsk, and Kharkiv Oblast, conducting medical evacuations and training other personnel in tactical medicine. She was discharged in August 2024 for health reasons.
Novynarnia described her as someone who maintained her commitment to words and people through difficult periods, continued fundraising for fellow soldiers, and purchased vehicles for frontline units. Bohdan Lohvynenko, founder of Ukraїner, recalled discussing editorial work with her in their neighboring buildings in Vynohradar.
Her motto, as recorded by Novynarnia, was: "Do what you believe needs to be done, and then come what may." She is survived by her work with the Hospitallers and her prior journalism projects for Ukraїner and Osvitoria.
Source: Ukrainska Pravda
