A Ukrainian paramedic who won praise for his bravery in the siege of Mariupol is now working to save soldiers on the front in the country’s east.
For 22 days, Serhiy Chornobryvets barely slept and rarely took off his red paramedic uniform as he rescued people wounded by Russian attacks in his hometown.
The port city in southeastern Ukraine suffered some of the worst horrors of the war and became a global symbol of Ukrainian resistance to Russian invasion.
When Mr. Chornobryvets finally escaped Mariupol, he joined an organization that sends doctors to the front in eastern Ukraine.
The 24-year-old told the AP that he now feels at home in the military and is determined to remain a battlefield rescuer during the war against Russia.
He was known as the “Medic of Mariupol” during the three-month attack on the city, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy giving him an award for his bravery.
Speaking about his time on the front line, Mr Chornobryvets said: “It was like going back to the Stone Age.
“There was looting, constant bombings, planes, aerial bombings.
“People around us were losing their minds, but we continued with our work.”
He added: “If I hadn’t survived Mariupol, I wouldn’t have gone to work as an (army) paramedic now. I wouldn’t have had enough courage.”
