“I was afraid of only one thing — not having time to help” — Kryvyi Rih guard met the war in Donetsk region
Julia is only 21 years old. And it was her first rotation to the Joint Forces Operation area. In college, she completed her studies in the specialty “Paramedic Affairs” and immediately went to serve under contract with the National Guard of Ukraine. At the time of the full-scale invasion of the Russian occupation forces, she served at one of the checkpoints in the area of Vuhledar.
“On the morning of February 24, a car stopped near our checkpoint, and there was a wounded woman in it. Fleeing from Russian shelling, she was wounded in the leg,” Yulia recalls. After providing first aid, the victim was sent to the hospital.
“For a long time I told my mother that everything is fine: they feed deliciously, I play sports, I run, so I'm excited all the time. I didn't want my mother to worry about me,” Julia jokes.
Speaking about the first weeks during the shelling, she says that it was scary, but not for herself: she was afraid that she might not have time to help the injured.
In a few weeks, the girl began to help civilians and military, on duty at a district hospital in Donetsk region. That's what they are also guard medics: always ready to perform their duties at any time of the day and anywhere.
“Usually people arrived with shrapnel wounds to the legs, arms and torso. You get used to it: your actions are honed to automatism — and you know exactly what you need to do,” says Yulia.
The hardest thing was, the girl admits, when the wounded children were brought: “I remember how wounded children arrived from Vuhledar. I was carrying a boy who was not 10 years old. He had a wounded leg. I saw how he began to lose consciousness due to blood loss. There was nothing to put on the tourniquet, so I took off the scarf from my neck and pressed my leg above the wound with all my might to stop the blood.”
Julia constantly reminded, even demanded that the fighters hold the turnstiles so that if necessary, they could be quickly reached. And she worried about everyone, because she considers everyone the best. “I hope this is not my last rotation, I always want to be with my brothers and contribute to our victory,” she says.
Information and Communication Group of the Central TU of NGU
