In March 2022, Lesia Mokrousova stood in line at the military enlistment office together with her son: both wanted to defend the capital. "Sweetheart, go home and study," they told the young student. "But your mother — we're taking her."
The Chief Medical Officer of the 3rd Army Corps became the newest guest in the media project Leleka Foundation launched in partnership with the Prolonged Field Care Podcast — a platform created to let Ukrainian frontline medics share firsthand field trauma-care experience with their American counterparts.
Before the war, Oleksandr Skumin ran his own spinal treatment clinic in Kyiv. In the first days of the invasion, the 38-year-old didn't hesitate — he went to the territorial defense.
Ukrainian frontline medic Aryna, became the guest for the new media project Lelea launched in partnership with the Prolonged Field Care Podcast.
Viktoriia Kovach, call sign “Avicenna,” Chief of Medical Service of the Third Army Corps, once dreamed of becoming an obstetrician-gynecologist.
Field medic Olga Kharchenko on service and art
Petro is 28 years old. For nearly three years, he has been serving in the war as a field medic with the 36th Marine Brigade.
Before the full-scale invasion, Nataliya Artseva taught English, led fitness classes, raised three children, and ran a small handmade toy shop on Etsy. She is 43 years old and now serves as a senior field medic in the “Black Swarm” unit of the Ivan Bohun Territorial Defense Brigade.
“I’m not naive enough to think that after the war, I’ll just move from the trenches into a cozy apartment in Lviv with books and a cat,” says Tristram, a 31-year-old junior sergeant and field medic-instructor with the 2nd International Legion, a special purpose battalion of Ukraine’s Armed Forces.
The Kyiv office of Leleka Foundation is always glad to welcome medics from the frontlines — those whom we proudly support. Meeting in person, sharing conversations over coffee, and exchanging energy with "our own" is vital for both our military personnel and volunteers.
This soldier has been wounded six times, and twice had to stitch up his own leg by himself instead of a surgeon. In November 2024, he spoke with us of how his training at the headquarters helped him save a machine gunner with the call sign "Sober".
This story is about resilience, sacrifice, and unwavering commitment to saving lives. Zhanna Myrshevka's decision to become a volunteer frontline medic at 55 was deeply personal.
