Injured Ukrainian soldiers evacuated amid intense clashes in Donetsk region

By Davit Kachkachishvili

DONETSK, Ukraine (AA) - Injured soldiers in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region have been evacuated amid intense clashes with Russian forces in the area, especially near the city of Avdiivka.

Soldiers who are injured on the front line are evacuated by medical teams to "stabilization points" far from where the conflict between Russian and Ukrainian forces continues.

Medical teams immediately go to the front and stay in the trenches upon receiving news of injured soldiers in order to provide them with first aid.

They prefer to work in the night to avoid possible drone or artillery attacks, while also carrying out their duties in dangerous environments during the day in cases where those injured are in serious condition.

"Our main duty is to stop the bleeding of the wounded, apply a tourniquet, bandage them and give them medicine to bring them to the stabilization point," a Ukrainian medical team commander, codenamed Velikiy, told Anadolu in an interview.

Expressing that he and his team gave first aid to injured soldiers coming from multiple areas, Velikiy said the most intense clashes between Russian and Ukrainian forces currently take place near Avdiivka, as well as Kupiansk and Bakhmut.

"We are generally working in the direction of Donetsk. The intensity of the conflict has increased since Oct. 10. Sometimes it decreases, sometimes it increases again. We have many teams working in rotation, we are on duty 24 hours a day," Velikiy further said.

Velikiy went on to say that no one died under their watch while being evacuated.

"We try to do our job efficiently and quickly. I have been at the front for more than 1.5 years. Our team is good, coordinated and everyone knows what to do," he said, adding that the injuries they attend to lately are mostly caused by drone attacks.

* Writing by Burc Eruygur in Istanbul