Ukraine loses veteran medic

Olena Sharhovska, a paramedic who evacuated wounded soldiers from Ukraine's front lines, has died. Yana Zinkevych, commander of the Hospitallers medical battalion, and colleagues at Novynarnia confirmed the news on October 24, 2026. Sharhovska spent the final decade of her life shifting from the media industry to military medicine.

Before joining the army, Sharhovska worked as a journalist, translator, and editor. Her career included roles in television and print, as well as contributions to the Ukraїner and Osvitoria projects. She began her military service in 2015 as a volunteer with the First Volunteer Mobile Hospital named after Mykola Pyrohov. She later joined the Hospitallers, where Zinkevych described her as a key figure in tactical medicine.

Zinkevych noted that Sharhovska mastered evacuation techniques for the most dangerous sections of the front. The commander stated that Sharhovska snatched lives from death while moving soldiers to stabilisation points. Sharhovska also campaigned for gender equality in the armed forces. In 2016, she co-organised the Invisible Battalion March in Kyiv, a protest urging authorities to open male-only military positions to women.

Russia launched its full-scale invasion while Sharhovska was in Portugal. An injury delayed her return to Ukraine, but she continued to volunteer from abroad. On September 10, 2022, her birthday, she officially joined the military. She served with the International Legion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Her deployments took her to Bakhmut, Toretsk, and Kharkiv Oblast. In these regions, she performed medical evacuations and trained other service members in tactical medicine. As a member of the Women's Veteran Movement, she pushed for better equipment for female defenders. Health issues led to her discharge in August 2024.

Novynarnia described Sharhovska as a person interested in travel and the world. The outlet noted that she raised funds for the front and purchased vehicles for soldiers. Her personal motto was to do what she believed needed to be done, regardless of the consequences. Bohdan Lohvynenko, founder of Ukraїner, recalled living in neighbouring buildings in Vynohradar. He remembered long discussions in their kitchens and described her as a driving force behind many projects, despite her harshness toward the unknown.

She maintained a love for words and people throughout her career. Her legacy includes both the lives saved on the front line and the advocacy for women in Ukrainian military ranks.