Injured Ukrainian soldiers say public support is decreasing
Hospitals see less visitors than six months ago
After more than a year of fighting Russian-backed militants in the east of the country, Ukrainians appear to be growing weary of the conflict.
At this military hospital in Ukrainian capital Kyiv volunteers have appealed to the public to visit wounded soldiers. They say they whereas a year ago the troops could count on a steady stream of visitors and well-wishers, today the corridors are largely empty save for medical personnel and patients.
Volunteer Olena Nevzorova: “Unfortunately less people are coming now. It’s true there are less soldiers arriving at the hospital in comparison to autumn or winter but still we have a big hosptial here and many of the soldiers really do need our support but unfortunately not all of them are getting the attention they need.”
Vadim is one of the many Ukrainian soldiers in the hospital. He was wounded whilst defending the Donetsk airport. Shrapnel got into his legs and his body. He’s already been in the hospital for six months. He says when he was first transfered to Kyiv he was amazed by the amount of volunteers who were ready to help.
These days he says the only people around are a handful of the most dedicated.
Vadim Vidzhyb: “The war can be seen in terms of volunteers and people who aren’t indifferent. We aren’t complaining about our hospital treatment but on top of that, medicines, wheelchairs, clothes, even a clean change of shirt literally comes from volunteers.”
Elsewhere in the hospital this volunteer named Kateryna shows us a fridge which six months ago was filled to bursting but now lies empty because volunteer donations have dried up.
Kateryna says: “We don’t have enough of any of the things men need: meat, sausage, cheese, sugar, coffee, cigarettes, mobile phone top-ups, and everyday items like razor blades, toothbrushes, toilet paper”.
With summer approaching volunteers say they desperately need light clothes for the soldiers. But what they soldiers say they want most of all is to know that their sacrafices are worthwhile.
Vadim explained it like this: “For us its important to understand that we aren’t fighting in vain and that there are people who care. Kids come to us from schools, adults come, men and women. And we see that these people are happy that we’re fighting. If someone comes and this gives them cause to think, if it makes them remember that there’s a war going on then that’s already something good. That’s the main thing.”
The hosptial provides wounded soldiers with medical care but says that when it comes to moral support that’s down to the volunteers and the Ukrainian public.
But the number of people visiting soldiers has dropped significantly over the past year and even though fighting in east Ukraine has clamed, new casualties are still coming in every week.
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