by Andrew Potichnyj, Director of the UWC “Unite with Ukraine” Initiative
As the Armed Forces of Ukraine conduct intense counteroffensive operations, the burden on our medical service does not simply increase — it spikes. In these periods, requests for assistance surge, and the severity of injuries shifts toward complex blast trauma, shrapnel wounds, and severe bleeding. These are injuries where the difference between life and death is measured in the first few minutes.
To meet this challenge, the medical service of the Armed Forces of Ukraine must perform as a seamless chain, from the soldier trained in first aid to the stabilization points and evacuation teams. A single breakdown in this chain costs critical minutes. Today, that chain is evolving; we are increasingly relying on unmanned ground systems and robotic platforms to evacuate the wounded from zones too hazardous for human medics. This isn’t just a trend — it is a vital lifeline born of necessity.
Stability saves lives
The frontline medical system is a permanent infrastructure. It cannot function only in a crisis. It requires ongoing training, supply replenishment, and equipment repair. This is why the Fight Like a Ukrainian campaign, under the Unite with Ukraine initiative, focuses on a specific model of support.
People often ask why a stable ten-dollar monthly donation is more important than a single large donation during a crisis. The answer is simple: the battlefield operates every day. Consumables are used, equipment wears down, and new soldiers require training every single day. A large one-time gift addresses immediate needs, but predictable, recurring support builds a stable resource base. This stability allows medics to build structured, sustainable systems and long-term capacity.
Through the Ukrainian World Congress, we target support where it most helps wounded soldiers survive. Our work addresses four critical areas:
- Training: Teaching tactical medicine fundamentals and providing kits that simulate real injuries.
- Individual Readiness: Supplying IFAKs, medic backpacks, and trauma packs.
- Stabilization: Providing portable oxygen, ultrasound, and vital sign monitors to sustain life before evacuation.
- Evacuation: Ensuring stretchers and transport systems are ready to move the wounded safely.
Our work does not end with delivery. We provide the consumables, technical servicing, and ongoing training to ensure these tools remain effective in the harshest conditions.
From “Donate” to the frontline
It is natural for the international community to experience “war fatigue.” But while people may feel tired, the war itself has not slowed down. Ukraine stands on the frontline of a much larger struggle — one about the basic principles of the international system: that borders cannot be changed by force and that nations have the right to decide their own future.
Supporting Ukraine is not charity; it is an investment in global stability. If aggression on this scale succeeds, it sends a message to authoritarian regimes everywhere that violence works.
When someone clicks the “Donate” button, they activate a global system. We work directly with frontline units to define real daily needs, procure equipment from trusted suppliers, and move it through our logistics network directly into the hands of paramedics.
I often think of a story a medic shared with me. He called a wounded soldier’s survival a “second birthday.” It means someone who might have died is alive to see their family and rebuild their life. Often, that second birthday is made possible by something simple: a properly applied tourniquet, a medic who practiced a procedure hundreds of times, or the right equipment packed in a trauma kit.
On the battlefield, there are no small things. A bandage or a thermal blanket can save a life. You do not have to change the world with one donation, but by becoming a sustaining donor, you ensure that someone you will never meet gets the chance to live another day.
Fight for Life. Fight Like a Ukrainian.
Cover: DepositPhotos
