Volodymyr Ventsel initially experienced rage when coming under Russian fire while attempting to protect innocent lives.
The paramedic now sees being targeted by Russian forces as a regular occurrence in the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine.
He is one of the first responders caught in the crossfire of Vladimir Putin‘s massive invasion as hospitals are repeatedly attacked.
The 27-year-old described how Moscow’s operators’ strategies include waiting until first responders approach to the area of a bombardment before attacking them.
The UK Ministry of Defence said this week that ‘a war on healthcare is raging in Ukraine’ and highlighted a figure showing there have been more than 1,000 attacks on the sector since February 24 last year.
Volodymyr’s experiences bear out the pattern of Russian attacks on medics in contravention of international law. He also told how international assistance is aiding Kharkiv’s Centre for Emergency Assistance and Medicine of Catastrophe, which has a fleet bolstered by 21 ‘Type C’ ambulances donated by the official Ukrainian fundraising platform United24.
‘From my experience, the Russian forces are intentionally targeting medics,’ Volodymyr said. ‘In Kharkiv they will even wait for about 15 minutes after a missile attack and then check with drones to see if the emergency services are arriving on the scene.
‘Then they will carry out another attack in exactly the same place.
‘There was a situation when the ambulance was stationary in the city and an attack began, which damaged the truck and destroyed medical equipment. It happens quite often.
‘At first, I was angry, now I am used to the fact that these are people with no value for human life, that these types of attacks are just normal for them.
‘They do not care that it is forbidden to attack medical staff, especially when they are providing assistance to other people.’
Ukraine’s second city has been in the eye of Russian fire over the 18 months of war to date, with the shelling, suicide drone and missile strikes continuing after Moscow’s troops were beaten back from the region.
The invaders have also dropped cluster munitions on residential areas of Kharkiv, according to Human Rights Watch.
In March 2023, Volodymyr’s team arrived at the scene of an ambulance which had been hit by artillery fire. Mobile phone footage shows the medics starting to work on one of the casualties close to the gutted remains of the vehicle, which had been clearly marked with a cross.
Speaking to Metro.co.uk from the city, Volodymyr said: ‘One night, my team was on the way to a call when we heard bombing.
‘We stopped and some people told us our assistance would be needed.
‘Five minutes later we found an ambulance that had been damaged by artillery fire and had crashed into some concrete blocks on the Kharkiv city highway as the driver tried to escape an area under attack.
‘We could smell the explosives and see some craters in the ground nearby.
‘The driver was injured, and some of the equipment in the truck was destroyed. Our team was in one of the ambulances provided by United24 and managed to help those who had been hurt.
‘There were 11 casualties, with four having very serious injuries while others escaped with grazes. The ambulance and excellent equipment from United24 helped to save people’s lives in this incident.’
The state-run centre has a fleet of around 100 ambulances covering Kharkiv, with approximately another 240 assigned to the wider oblast.
In the city, each of the clearly marked vehicles is assigned to a ‘brigade’ of three responders, with the teams working around the clock in shifts.
Ukraine’s lifesavers face dangers starkly illustrated by WHO reports showing there were 1,067 attacks on healthcare facilities between February 24 last year and yesterday. They resulted in 101 deaths and 139 injuries, according to the agency’s surveillance system.
The vast majority were caused by heavy weapons.
In a tweet on Tuesday, the UK Ministry of Defence said the ‘war on healthcare’ involved Russian forces ‘deliberately targeting hospitals, healthcare facilities & healthcare workers’.
Intentionally attacking medics and healthcare facilities is a war crime according to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
Volodymyr feels a ‘great responsibility’ to continue saving lives — even if it means placing himself in danger.
‘The main types of injuries we encounter are a result of Russian artillery and rocket fire, they include amputations and other traumas and injuries,’ he said. ‘We feel a great responsibility when we go out to use our specialist skills to save people’s lives.
‘As for the future, all we want is for the war to finish with Ukraine’s victory.’
Russian forces have targeted civilian objects throughout the war, as evidenced by the work of the Tribunal4Putin coalition who spoke to Metro.co.uk earlier this month.
Three successive nights of missile and drone strikes have been launched against port and grain infrastructure in southern Ukraine following the Kremlin’s withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain deal, the US Institute for the Study of War said this morning.
On the battlefield, Ukraine was continuing counter-offensive operations, with likely advances on three areas of the eastern front, according to an update from the UK Ministry of Defence yesterday.
Launched by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, United24 is contributing to the defence through a ‘process that brings Ukraine’s victory closer’, which involves work with organisations and high-profile ambassadors across the world.
Former Chelsea ace Andriy Shevchenko and Arsenal star Oleksandr Zinchenko are supporting the platform through the Game4Ukraine due to take place Stamford Bridge on August 5.