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.

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.

Prior to full-scale Russian invasion in Ukraine, the 43-year-old Olena Ryzh Ivanenko used to be a top manager in a restaurant business.

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".

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.