Ukrainian Special Forces medics undergo intense first aid training

US and UK military instructors help doctors prepare for emergency scenarios

It’s a scenario Ukrainian Special Forces must prepare for – providing first aid after an explosion. Their reaction must be fast – treating the badly wounded and making the surroundings safe. Time is not on their side.

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The location for this exercise – a mock hospital clinic near Kyiv. Broken legs, abdominal trauma and shock are all being treated. But the medical units from Ukraine’s Internal Affairs Ministry are not alone. Among the instructors – members of the British and US militaries.

The victims are not just actors – some are former servicemen who sustained injures on Ukraine’s front line. 

Vasyl Melnyk, former fighter in ‘Kyiv-2’ battalion: “These guys deliver first aid after this mock operation perfectly. If they had applied the tourniquets in the wrong way and not delivered first aid properly, you wouldn’t have survived. The most important thing is to apply a splint and stop the blood flow.”

25 medics participated in these exercises. This is also one-of-a-kind course in Ukraine. But it’s intense. With the shouts, bangs, smoke and panic, even experienced nurses struggle.

During this drill, organizers saw one medic run away, despite victims still urgently needing treatment. But this type of reaction is not uncommon.

Ulana Suprun, director of humanitarian initiatives for the Ukrainian World Congress: “They are not used to working under such conditions, most work with the wounded being delivered to them. They do not deliver first aid immediately after injury. But this course tries to teach medics how to treat the injured whilst they’re being transported to the hospital.”

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It’s training which organizers hope can be rolled out to border guards and Ukraine’s SBU security services at a later date.