UWC funded armored ambulances evacuate wounded after deadly Russian attack on Kramatorsk

KRAMATORSK, Ukraine, Oct. 8, 2026. Armored medical evacuation vehicles funded by donors to the Ukrainian World Congress were used Thursday to evacuate wounded civilians after a deadly Russian attack on public transport in Kramatorsk, Donetsk Region.

Video from the National Police of Ukraine shows paramedics treating casualties amid the wreckage and carrying wounded civilians into an armored evacuation vehicle before transporting them from the scene.

The vehicles were provided to National Police paramedics in Donetsk Region by the Ukrainian World Congress through its Unite with Ukraine initiative, with support from the global Fight Like a Ukrainian fundraising campaign.

Thursday’s attack killed at least 33 people and wounded 18, according to Ukrainian authorities. The strike hit an area where passenger buses carrying civilians were travelling, leaving vehicles destroyed and debris scattered across the roadway.

The footage shows wounded civilians being treated on the ground, paramedics working among blast debris, a burned passenger vehicle and police responding at the scene.

It also shows donor funded equipment being used for the purpose for which it was provided, reaching casualties and moving them to safety in one of Ukraine’s most dangerous regions.

In April, the Ukrainian World Congress delivered three armored ambulances to National Police paramedic units operating in Donetsk Region. The vehicles included two armored Toyota Land Cruisers and one armored Mitsubishi L200. They were configured for frontline casualty and medical evacuation operations and equipped with B6 level ballistic protection, electronic warfare systems designed to counter FPV drone threats, communications equipment and medical systems for stabilizing patients during evacuation.

“Every minute near the front line is someone’s life,” Police Colonel Mykola Matviienko, head of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Donetsk Region, said when the vehicles were delivered.

“The new armoured vehicles will allow us to evacuate the wounded faster and more safely, even under the threat of enemy drones,” he said.

On Thursday, that capability was put into action.

National Police footage shows paramedics loading wounded civilians into protected transport as emergency crews respond to the consequences of the Russian attack.

Unite with Ukraine Director Andrew Potichnyj said when the vehicles were delivered that they were intended to allow paramedics to “reach, treat, and evacuate civilians and personnel in some of the most dangerous environments.”

The attack in Kramatorsk demonstrates why that protection matters.

First responders in Donetsk Region routinely work under the threat of artillery, aerial bombs and drones. Armored evacuation vehicles provide additional protection while allowing medical teams to enter high risk areas, stabilize casualties and transport them to care.

For supporters of the Fight Like a Ukrainian campaign around the world, Thursday’s evacuation is a direct example of how donations translate into lifesaving capability on the ground.

A contribution made thousands of kilometres from Ukraine can become an armored vehicle protecting a paramedic. That vehicle can reach a wounded civilian. In the minutes after an attack, that protection can help save a life.

“The Ukrainian World Congress stands with Ukraine’s first responders as they operate under constant threat,” UWC President Paul Grod said when the vehicles were delivered. “These vehicles provide critical protection and capability, helping save lives on the front lines.”

On Oct. 8 in Kramatorsk, those vehicles were doing exactly that.

Fight Like a Ukrainian, part of the Ukrainian World Congress Unite with Ukraine initiative, mobilizes the global Ukrainian community and friends of Ukraine to provide frontline defenders, medics and first responders with the equipment and resources they need to protect lives.