Illustrative photo – A military medic in the Luhansk region on January 16, 2023.
Kyiv/Prague – A Czech volunteer who is helping as part of the Phoenix project was seriously injured in the Donbas in eastern Ukraine, treating soldiers at the front. He was hit by shrapnel, Phoenix officials said on social media. According to them, his condition is stable, but the injuries are serious. They are therefore handling his transportation to the Czech Republic. In the morning, the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, when asked by ČTK, that the current state of health of the injured does not allow him to be transported to his homeland.
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Photo gallery: Russian invasion of Ukraine
“One of our brave medics-volunteers was hit by shrapnel in Donbass. At the moment, his condition is stabilized, but the situation is serious and further developments cannot be anticipated. We are doing everything in our power so that he can return to his homeland soon,” the officials wrote project. Due to the sensitivity of the situation, they will not provide further information about his condition yet.
The Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs is in contact with the relatives of the injured volunteer. “His current state of health does not allow him to be transported to the Czech Republic. We will not disclose the details,” Daniel Drake, spokesman for the Černín Palace, told ČTK.
As part of the Phoenix project in eastern Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia last February, Czech medics teach soldiers health science and transport the wounded themselves to the front line, reported Seznam Zprávy. “With every mission, our volunteers risk injury or even life. We are fully aware of the risks, but also of how our help is needed,” noted Phoenix representatives on Facebook. They thanked for the support shown and asked for privacy to be respected.
The spokesman for the organization said on Czech television that the injured volunteer was helping to evacuate one of the injured. “As part of that, unfortunately, there was an artillery strike, after which he was hit by shrapnel,” he said, adding that the injuries were relatively serious. The injured man is one of the important members of the team, he saved 25 people in the last trip alone, the spokesman added.
Donbas has been fought for since 2014, when after the Russian annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, a war broke out in eastern Ukraine with pro-Russian separatists supported Moscow. Last February, the Russian army invaded Ukraine, separatist units are fighting alongside it.
