Razom Recommends: What to See, Watch, and Experience This October

Published: October 6, 2026

Recent weeks have brought another wave of devastating Russian attacks across Ukraine, reminding us that supporting Ukraine also means showing up for its culture and the people creating it.
This October, Ukrainian stories, artists, filmmakers, and musicians are taking the stage across New York. Go see them, bring a friend, share their work, and help make sure Ukrainian voices continue to be seen and heard.
Here’s what Razom recommends this month.

Solitude at New York City Ballet

October 7, 10, 11, 15 & 16 | Lincoln Center

Alexei Ratmansky’s Solitude returns to New York City Ballet as part of Eclectic NYCB I.

Set to music by Gustav Mahler, the ballet is a meditation on grief inspired by Russia’s war against Ukraine. At its center is a father mourning the loss of his child, transforming the reality of war into a deeply personal work about loss, memory, and solitude.

It is also a powerful example of how Ukraine’s story continues to reach audiences on some of the world’s most prominent cultural stages.

Where: David H. Koch Theater, Lincoln Center
When: October 7, 10, 11, 15 & 16

A Well for the Thirsty at the New York Film Festival

October 8 & 9 | Film at Lincoln Center

A landmark of Ukrainian poetic cinema returns to the big screen.

Yuri Ilyenko’s A Well for the Thirsty (Криниця для спраглих) will screen at the 64th New York Film Festival in the North American premiere of its new 4K restoration.

Completed in 1965, Ilyenko’s debut feature was suppressed by Soviet authorities and remained unreleased until 1987. Nearly without dialogue, the film follows an elderly man living alone while memories and visions of his family surround him.

The restoration was created from the original 35mm camera negative preserved by the Oleksandr Dovzhenko National Centre in Kyiv, making these screenings an opportunity to experience an essential work of Ukrainian cinema as it was meant to be seen.

Where: Film at Lincoln Center
When: October 8 at 6:30 PM and October 9 at 12:45 PM

Oleksandr Dovzhenko: Earth and Empire at Metrograph

October 10–18 | Metrograph

October offers another chance to dive deeper into Ukrainian film history with Oleksandr Dovzhenko: Earth and Empire, a retrospective celebrating one of Ukraine’s most influential filmmakers.

The program brings films including Earth, Arsenal, Zvenygora, Aerograd, Ivan, and Shchors back to the big screen alongside works by filmmaker Yulia Solntseva. Several titles will be presented on 35mm, with select screenings accompanied by live music.

Beyond rediscovering Dovzhenko’s extraordinary visual language, the retrospective offers audiences an opportunity to see these films through a Ukrainian lens, beyond the Soviet framework through which Ukrainian cinema has so often been presented internationally.

Where: Metrograph, 7 Ludlow Street, New York
When: October 10–18

Kommuna Lux: Benefit Concerts for Ukrainian Children

October 11 | Philadelphia & October 13 | New York City

Odesa-based ensemble Kommuna Lux brings its energetic mix of klezmer and Ukrainian folk music to Philadelphia and New York City for two special benefit concerts.

The concerts support Common Man for Ukraine’s humanitarian assistance and trauma-recovery retreats for Ukrainian children who have lost a parent in the war — an opportunity to experience music from Odesa while supporting children and families affected by Russia’s war.

Philadelphia: October 11 at 3:00 PM | KleinLife, Northeast Philadelphia
Get tickets for Philadelphia

New York City: October 13 at 7:30 PM | Hudson Yards Synagogue
Get tickets for New York City

People Power: Ukraine’s “Unreasonable” Women

October 15 | New York City

Join Razom for a special live taping of Gaslit Nation celebrating Ukrainian women and their power to lead, create, organize, and bring communities together.

Journalist, author, filmmaker, and Gaslit Nation host Andrea Chalupa joins Razom CEO Dora Chomiak for a conversation about Ukrainian women, resilience, leadership, and the power of collective action.

The evening will also include an advance preview of Chalupa’s forthcoming book, A Reasonable Guide for Unreasonable Women: 20 Steps to Find Your Purpose and Power in a World on Fire, live jazz by French singer Marine Futin, refreshments, a silent auction, and a book signing.

When: October 15, 6:30–9:00 PM
Where: New York City

Razom’s Ukrainian Cultural Festival

October 18–November 6 | Across New York City

One of our biggest recommendations this month is also one of our biggest celebrations of Ukrainian culture.

Razom’s Ukrainian Cultural Festival returns for its fourth year, bringing Ukrainian cinema, music, theater, literature, and visual arts to venues across New York City.

The festival opens at Carnegie Hall on October 18 with the U.S. premiere of Ukrainian composer Oleh Bezborodko’s Steel, Violet, Rage. Inspired by a poem by Ukrainian soldier and poet Maksym Kryvtsov, who was killed while defending Ukraine, the work will be performed by the Shelest Piano Duo with the Brandywine Valley Symphony Chamber Orchestra.

From there, the festival moves across the city with Ukrainian films including Sanatorium, Nice Ladies, Scream of My Blood: A Gogol Bordello Story, Silent Flood, Honeymoon, To the Victory! and Cuba & Alaska, alongside documentary and animated shorts.

The program also includes The Reckoning, developed from verified witness testimony gathered by The Reckoning Project; Poet as Witness at Poets House; programming dedicated to Lesia Ukrainka at the New York Public Library; and much more.

The festival continues into November and concludes at Carnegie Hall on November 6 with Unbreakable Harmony, featuring the Kyiv Lysenko State Music Lyceum Chamber Girls Choir and the Westchester Children’s Chorus.

There is a lot to choose from, so pick an event, invite someone who may not know much about Ukrainian culture, and experience it together.

When: October 18–November 6
Where: Venues across New York City

Coming next: Oksana Lyniv conducts Tosca at the Met

Beginning November 1 | Metropolitan Opera

And one final recommendation to put on your calendar now.

Ukrainian conductor Oksana Lyniv returns to the Metropolitan Opera this November to conduct Puccini’s Tosca.

Lyniv, who made her Met debut conducting Turandot in 2024, will lead six performances beginning November 1. Her return to one of the world’s most important opera stages is another moment to celebrate Ukrainian talent at the highest level of international culture.

Where: Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center
When: November 1, 6, 9, 14, 17 & 20

Show up for Ukraine

Ukraine needs continued international support as Russia continues its war and attacks on Ukrainian communities. But supporting Ukraine also means knowing what Ukrainians are fighting to protect.

Culture is part of that story.

This month, watch a Ukrainian film. Hear Ukrainian music. Support Ukrainian artists. Bring a friend. Share what you discover.

Every audience matters. Every conversation helps keep Ukraine seen, heard, and understood.

First on the Scene of a Strike: Strengthening the National Police of Ukraine’s Medical Response Capabilities

Published: September 16, 2026

In Ukraine’s frontline regions, police officers are often the first on the scene after missile strikes and mass-casualty attacks, arriving before ambulances can reach the site. Their actions in those first minutes often determine whether someone survives.

In these moments, it’s practice under expert guidance, repeated until the response becomes instinctive, paired with the right equipment, that determines the outcome.

With support from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, Razom for Ukraine launched a project to strengthen the medical response capability of the National Police of Ukraine in the Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions, which are frequently targeted by Russian attacks.

Police officers completed training based on Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) protocols, at levels ranging from Combat Lifesaver to Combat Medic/Corpsman depending on the student, alongside training in Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS). Training was paired with equipment, so officers left with the tools they need to apply these skills directly in the field.

Participants practiced interventions that are critical in the first minutes after injury: controlling massive bleeding, maintaining a patient’s airway, identifying signs of shock, stabilizing casualties, conducting triage, and preparing patients for evacuation.

Maksym Zhurba

Since the start of the full-scale invasion, the nature of our work has changed drastically. Patrol officers are often among the first to arrive at the scenes of ballistic missile and drone strikes, where seconds decide everything. Having first aid skills in these moments is critical.

Oleh Danilov

Our responsibilities have transformed completely: police are now the first line of response at strike locations and during evacuations. The risks are higher, and the time to save a life is measured in minutes.

The CLS (Combat Lifesaver) course gave me the confidence to act quickly under pressure and follow the MARCH protocol step by step.

Serhiy Pavliv

The skills I gained during training have already proven vital during missions in the Zaporizhzhia region.

During wartime, our job looks completely different: we arrive first at shelling sites, evacuate civilians, and provide trauma care. This knowledge allows us to buy time and preserve lives until medical teams arrive.

Darya Arbuzova

With the onset of the war, the National Police in Zaporizhzhia formed a mobile medical response group to reach strike locations first, with a mission to save lives.

I regularly deploy to combat missions and train others to save themselves and their loved ones. Completing the CMC and ‘CLS Instructor’ courses has been invaluable.

Kostyantyn Zavgorodniy

War changed everything. Today, police officers don’t just maintain public order—we are the first to arrive at strike sites, rescue people, and evacuate the wounded. In many cases, a person’s survival depends entirely on our actions.

Courses like these allow us to sharpen our skills to the point of instinct and apply them directly in the field.

Volodymyr Shcherbakov

As first responders, we must all be prepared to act as professional rescuers.

The Combat Medic (CMC) course provided an in-depth mastery of the MARCH protocol—from controlling massive bleeding, chest decompression, and IV therapy to pain management and evacuation planning. Realistic training equipped us to make quick decisions under stress.

Yevhen Bohun

The role of the police has expanded significantly: beyond maintaining order, we conduct combat missions, evacuate people from hot spots, staff checkpoints, and document war crimes.

This course taught me to act systematically, and the skills I gained have become a core foundation for my work. Tactical medicine is no longer an ‘extra option’ — today, it is a basic requirement for every police officer. Now, I can pass this knowledge on.

A key focus was training police instructors, so these skills carry forward internally and build long-term capability within the departments.

Implemented by Razom for Ukraine, with support from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation.

A saved life begins with preparation.

We are grateful to The Howard G. Buffett Foundation for their support, which enables us to continuously strengthen those who protect and save lives in Ukraine every day.

Razom and the Third Army Corps Hold “Combat Medic Doctrine” Workshop in Kyiv

Published: September 15, 2026

KYIV, August 2026 — The Third Army Corps, together with the Razom Foundation, held a working session in Kyiv titled “Combat Medic Doctrine.” The workshop marked the first practical step in a long-term effort to develop unified standards for frontline medical personnel. It was the second joint initiative between the Corps and Razom, following the previously held Tourniquet Forum.

The workshop brought together combat medics from the Third Army Corps, representatives of other army corps, and experts from the Department of Health of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense and the Medical Forces Command.

The workshop was organized in response to a critical gap in existing military regulations. The positions of “platoon combat medic” and “senior combat medic” were introduced in the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2017. However, neither position has clearly defined official responsibilities or a unified standard of practice. Without established guidelines, units take different approaches to how medics are deployed, where they are positioned, and how their responsibilities are assigned.

The workshop focused on real-world data rather than theoretical assumptions. Participants were presented with an analytical overview of how medics are currently deployed across various units within the Corps. They then worked in four groups, using a Function Matrix to examine 25 key areas of responsibility for combat medics at different levels — from direct medical care and casualty evacuation to administrative and non-medical duties.

The organizers emphasized that developing a comprehensive doctrine is a complex, long-term process that requires careful analysis of a substantial body of practical experience.

“Today, a combat medic’s responsibilities extend far beyond providing care under fire. Combat medics are also responsible for documentation, telemedicine, training service members, and administrative work. That is why we see a need to introduce the position of junior squad medic — a frontline specialist with more advanced skills than a Combat Lifesaver, but without an unnecessarily overloaded training program. Their role is to remain close to their unit and provide immediate care on the ground, where and when it is needed,” said Lemonade and Hedgehog, representatives of the Third Army Corps Tactical Medicine Group.

“We have already identified the required set of skills, and in September we will launch a pilot training course together with the Yevhen Konovalets Military School. This vision is already beginning to reshape training approaches both within our Corps and among our partner organizations.”

For Razom, initiatives like this are part of a broader strategy focused on saving lives and strengthening systemic approaches to military medicine.

“Our previous joint initiative, the Tourniquet Forum, demonstrated that Ukraine’s experience can do more than address local challenges — it can also influence practices worldwide,” said Taras Hataliak, Program Director at Razom. “The Forum proved to be an exceptionally successful platform. It helped drive changes in tactical medicine training in Ukraine while also setting new directions for international organizations and instructors around the world.

“The Combat Medic Doctrine is the next major step. We see how the unique operational experience of the Third Army Corps can serve as a foundation for standardizing the entire system. Razom is proud to support this process because its ultimate goal is to save lives.”

Following the workshop, organizers began systematizing the proposals and recommendations collected from participants. The immediate objective is to develop a unified standard for units within the Third Army Corps and introduce corresponding changes to combat medic training programs. The broader goal is to submit the validated practices to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to help eliminate regulatory ambiguity at the national level.

The Fight to Save a Leg: How Ukrainian and American Surgeons Helped One Soldier Walk Again

Published: July 28, 2026

An FPV drone attack left 23-year-old Ukrainian servicemember Oleksii with a devastating leg injury. One of his fellow soldiers was killed, and others were seriously wounded. For Oleksii, the question was not only whether he would survive, but whether he would ever walk again.

What followed was months of treatment across three hospitals and an extraordinary collaboration between Ukrainian and American surgeons working side by side through Razom’s Co-Pilot Project. Together, they fought to save his leg, giving him the chance to return to the life he had been planning before the attack.

DNIPRO, Ukraine — “My future mother-in-law was supposed to visit on Sunday,” Oleksii says with a smile, his tone as relaxed as if we were sitting in a sunlit kitchen sipping tea, rather than in the intensive care unit of Mechnikov Hospital.

In a few moments, he will describe open fractures, serious infections, dozens of operations, and months of rehabilitation. But first, he wants to talk about his wedding.

Oleksii was born in Cherkasy and lost his father when he was young. His mother raised three children in a small apartment in Kryvyi Rih. After trade school, he planned to work as an electrician at the local water utility. But a bureaucracy issue with his official residence registration brought him to a military enlistment office instead.

“Well, what else was I going to do?” he says with a shrug.

He entered compulsory military service at 19 and became a signalman—the person his fellow soldiers relied on when communications failed or battlefield maps needed updating.

By early 2024, Oleksii had been deployed to a combat brigade on the Lyman front. He later served in the Donbas and Sumy regions.

It was between rotations that he met his fiancée. The parents of one of his squad mates often brought homemade meals to the unit, and during one of those visits, Oleksii met their daughter. Ask when the friendship became something more, and he grins: “Now, everything is heading straight toward a wedding.”

He talks about it as though the celebration is just around the corner—even as artillery rumbles outside the hospital and metal fixation pins extend from his injured leg.

The Day Everything Changed

Oleksii and his unit were returning from an assignment. The road was familiar, and they thought the most dangerous part of the journey was behind them.

“Two FPV drones were waiting for us on the road,” Oleksii recalls. “An ambush.”

One drone hovered ahead while another chased their vehicle from behind. His teammate opened fire as they moved. Then came the explosion.

The vehicle slammed to a halt, and the men scrambled out onto the road. Oleksii tried to jump clear, but his right leg collapsed beneath him. “I thought I’d just taken a piece of shrapnel.” He tried to stand up again, but nothing worked. The blast had shattered a large section of bone.

Despite the shock, Oleksii managed to apply a tourniquet himself. Doctors later told him that the fragments had narrowly missed his main artery. That small margin made it possible to consider saving the leg.

Oleksii quickly turns the conversation away from himself. Instead, he lists the rest of his crew: one teammate died at the scene, another lost three fingers, and a third suffered a severe concussion.

“One guy is already back on active duty,” Oleksii says briefly. “The others are still recovering.”

What followed was a blur of evacuation points soaked in pain and high-dose painkillers: a frontline stabilization point in the Zaporizhzhia region, then a military hospital, external fixators, and finally, the intensive care unit at Mechnikov Hospital in Dnipro, one of Ukraine’s leading trauma centers for critically wounded soldiers.

Choosing to Fight for the Leg

“I remember Oleksii very clearly,” says orthopedic trauma surgeon Dr. Maksym Makarenko. Thousands of patients with blast injuries have passed through his operating room, but Oleksii’s case stood out.

“Patients with this level of damage often also have serious polytrauma—head injuries, collapsed lungs, or abdominal damage,” Dr. Makarenko explains. “In Oleksii’s case, the destruction was concentrated in his leg. The rest of his body was stable enough that we could fight to save the limb, rather than amputating it to save his life.”

Around this time, an American medical delegation arrived at Mechnikov through Razom’s Co-Pilot Project. Dr. Makarenko was joined in the operating room by Dr. Craig Silverton, an American orthopedic surgeon experienced in treating combat injuries.

The Ukrainian and American surgeons worked together through several procedures. They removed dead and infected tissue and placed an antibiotic cement spacer into the gap left by the missing bone. The spacer helped control infection while preparing the leg for future reconstruction.

Once Oleksii’s was stable, he was transferred to a hospital in Vinnytsia,freeing an intensive care bed at Mechnikov for newly wounded patients arriving hourly from the front.

Before he left, Oleksii and Dr. Makarenko exchanged phone numbers. Each week, Oleksii sent the surgeon X-rays, lab results, and photographs of his wound dressings through VIber. When doctors in Vinnytsia began discussing the possibility of sending him abroad for treatment, Oleksii contacted Dr. Makarenko.

“If you trust us, come back, the surgeon told him “We’ll be working with the American team again soon.”

“I’m coming to you,” Oleksii replied.

A Transatlantic Surgical Team

A few weeks later, Oleksii was back in Dnipro. This time, Dr. Makarenko was joined by Dr. Roman Hayda, an American orthopedic surgeon and U.S. Army veteran of Ukrainian descent. Dr. Hayda’s parents migrated to the U.S. after World War II and raised him with a strong connection to his Ukrainian heritage. He went on to treat combat injuries during decades of military service, including in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Given my heritage, military background, and experience with battle injuries, I simply couldn’t stay away,” says Dr. Hayda. Yet, he shies away from the word “mission,” careful not to describe his work in Ukraine as one-directional assistance

“I come to work alongside them, not to lecture,” he says. “Ukrainian doctors today possess a unique level of trauma experience found nowhere else in the world. We learn from each other.”

The night before Oleksii’s surgery, Dr. Makarenko and Dr. Hayda spent hours studying his x-rays and discussing possible approaches. There were no visiting experts on one side and local doctors on the other—only one surgical team trying to solve an extraordinarily difficult problem.

“Surgeries like this always carry immense uncertainty,” Dr. Hayda says. “Our job is to exhaust every option so the patient gets a real shot at returning to a normal life.”

Oleksii’s bone loss was severe. He had already endured infection, and further complications remained possible. No one could promise that the reconstruction would succeed.

“We worked toward this day for months,” Dr. Makarenko says. “More than anything, we wanted to give Oleksii the chance to stand on his own feet again.”

Photos of Everyone Else

Several months after the surgery, Oleksii’s leg has been saved. His recovery is not over, but he is making steady progress and now walks with one crutch.

“A surgeon’s greatest joy isn’t when the operation ends,” Dr. Makarenko smiles. “It’s when the patient takes their very first steps. That’s the moment you realize what all the work was for.”

For Dr. Hayda, Oleksii’s story reflects what the Co-Pilot Project is meant to be: not charity flowing in one direction, but a genuine partnership. American surgeons contribute techniques developed through decades of military medicine, while Ukrainian doctors bring unmatched experience treating large numbers of complex wartime injuries . Together, they are finding better ways to care for patients in Ukraine and beyond.

As we prepared to leave, we asked Oleksii whether he could share a few photos for this story. Without hesitation, he replied: “I have photos with my unit mates. I’ll send those.”

Not photos of himself. Photos of people who served beside him.

Throughout hours of conversation, Oleksii never complained about his pain or his circumstances. He spoke about his unit, his mother, his fiancée, the doctors who treated him in three different cities, and Nastya—a nurse who once surprised him in the ward with a homemade apple strudel.

Then his thoughts returned to his future mother-in-law and the wedding ahead. The months of intense effort by surgeons from two continents were never only about repairing bone and muscle. They were about helping a 23-year-old man reclaim the life the war nearly took from him – and giving him the chance to stand on his own two feet on his wedding day.

“Between Minutes and Eternity”: How a Stabilization Point Functions in War

Published: July 9, 2026

Our team visited a stabilization point near the front line — less than 20 kilometers from active combat zones. This is where wounded soldiers are brought after evacuation, and where medics work in a reality where only minutes often stand between life and death. We spoke with a surgeon, an anesthesiologist, and the medical team working there every day about what a stabilization point really looks like from the inside, why time remains the greatest challenge of this war, how telemedicine is saving lives under fire, and what the phrase “the golden hour” truly means on the modern battlefield.

Time That Does Not Exist: Evacuation and the Limits of Medicine

A stabilization point in war is not a hospital in the usual sense, nor simply an intermediate link between the battlefield and a hospital. It is a place where medicine functions under conditions in which time has already been lost — or nearly lost — and decisions must be made faster than normal human psychology allows. It is here that a wounded soldier who has been evacuated from the battlefield first reaches a team capable not only of stopping critical bleeding or relieving pain, but of stabilizing the patient enough to survive the next stage — transport, surgery, hospitalization, rehabilitation.

Anesthesiologist Dmytro, who works at a stabilization point, speaks about his work without romanticizing it. There is no pathos in his words, although the reality he describes is stronger than any pathos. What troubles him most is not the complexity of injuries or the exhaustion of the team, but the fact that sometimes wounded soldiers cannot be evacuated from the battlefield in time. “The thing that upsets me the most is the inability to evacuate a wounded person from the battlefield in time,” he explains. “We know the person is wounded, we are ready, we have the conditions necessary to provide care, but sometimes evacuation from the battlefield either takes a very long time or does not happen at all.”

Military medicine often speaks about the “golden hour” — the critical period after injury during which the chance of survival is highest. But in this war, especially on certain sections of the front line, that formula does not always work. The doctor describes it almost bitterly: “As they say — the golden hour. For us, it’s a golden week.” There were cases when wounded soldiers remained in positions for too long, while medics could support them only remotely: dropping antibiotics by drone, consulting on what medications to administer, how to dilute them, what to do until evacuation became possible.

This is where one of the key realities of modern frontline medicine becomes visible: the problem is not always the absence of specialists, medications, or skills. Very often, the problem is that between the wounded soldier and the doctor lies the battlefield itself — drones, artillery, destroyed roads, weather, the absence of safe evacuation routes, and constant danger for evacuation teams. That is why a stabilization point works not only with the wounded body, but also with the consequences of delays that medicine itself cannot control.

Under these conditions, telemedicine stops being a modern buzzword from presentations and becomes a practical survival tool. Doctors consult combat medics and soldiers remotely, sometimes effectively directing care in real time. “We called and explained what to do: how to bandage, where to apply pressure, where to pack the wound,” recalls surgeon Yevhen. In one case, according to him, remote guidance made it possible to remove tourniquets, control bleeding, and save a limb. This does not replace evacuation and does not eliminate the need for surgery, but sometimes such remote support gives a person a chance to survive until help arrives.

Working at the Edge: Stabilization, Decisions, and Responsibility

When the wounded finally arrive at the stabilization point, the team must act quickly, but not mechanically. Stabilization is not a chaotic set of actions, nor an automatic process of “stitching someone up and sending them onward.” It is a complex process in which every step depends on the patient’s condition: whether the person is in shock, hypothermic, suffering from massive blood loss, whether blood pressure is stable, whether the body can tolerate intervention. “A soldier arrives soaked, cold, without pain management. He has to be undressed, laid down, dried off, warmed up, provided with anesthesiology support, stabilized in terms of blood pressure and other indicators. Only then can the surgical team work safely,” explains surgeon Yevhen.

That is why the amount of time spent at a stabilization point cannot fit into a single chart. If the patient is relatively stable, treatment may take 15–20 minutes. If the condition is severe, doctors may work for two or three hours. To civilians, that may sound like a long time, but for frontline medicine it is sometimes the only opportunity not to lose the patient before reaching the hospital. “Medicine is not always two plus two,” says the surgeon. “Everything depends on the patient’s condition, the extent of the injury, the amount of care required, and the stabilization measures needed.”

A particularly difficult topic is amputations and severe limb injuries. According to the doctor, stabilization points are not places for “planned” amputations in the hospital sense. If a limb is nonviable, the team does not attempt to make a final decision in conditions where not all capabilities are available. Their task is to stabilize the patient, avoid worsening the condition, preserve whatever may matter for future surgical work and prosthetics, and transfer the patient to the next level of care. “The hospital shapes the residual limb in a way that is more adapted for prosthetics,” explains Yevhen. “If we see that the limb is nonviable, we do not remove the tourniquet, we perform surgical debridement, stabilize the patient, and prepare them for transport.”

This is important to understand: a stabilization point is not a place of “final treatment.” It is a place where a wounded person must be moved from a state of catastrophe into a condition in which transport becomes possible. The patient’s story is not completed there — they are given a chance for it to continue. In this sense, the anesthesiologist’s role is one of the central ones: not simply “administering anesthesia,” but guiding the patient through the most dangerous interval — between uncontrolled post-traumatic condition and the possibility of surgical intervention.

War constantly destroys any sterile image of medicine. Patients may arrive on ATVs, improvised stretchers, covered in mud, soaked, freezing, after prolonged periods in frontline positions. The doctor recalls cases when a wounded soldier essentially “flew into” the stabilization point in a condition where only the eyes were visible, while everything else — mud, clothing, blood, exhaustion — blended together. The team cuts away clothing, pulls the person out, evaluates the condition, and starts working. This is the daily reality in which stabilization points exist: not under ideal protocols, but under the conditions of war, where every case brings a different scenario.

Impact and Systemic Change: From Experience to Standards

Despite this, medics speak not only about survival, but also about development. One of the recurring requests in these conversations is for more opportunities for training, professional exchange, conferences, workshops, and courses. This is not a “bonus” or abstract self-education. For people who work every day with the harshest consequences of war, development means better decisions, fewer mistakes, faster responses, and a greater chance of survival for patients. The conversation directly mentions the need for funding conferences, courses, visiting workshops, and exchanges with specialists.

Already in Ukraine, several educational initiatives are being launched or discussed: the ASET course, the future implementation of ATLS, work related to infection control, and educational initiatives connected to Razom Health. It is separately emphasized that infections in hospitals have become such a serious problem that they require an entire direction of work on their own. This is another indication that frontline medicine does not end at stabilization. A wounded person moves through a long chain, and the quality of every stage affects the outcome: from first aid at the position to evacuation, stabilization points, hospitals, infection control, rehabilitation, and return to life.

In this context, the Razom Heroes program plays a key role, working not with isolated cases but with the system as a whole. This includes the training of combat medics and instructors, equipping units, developing educational programs, and creating conditions in which frontline experience does not remain at the level of isolated stories, but is transformed into standards. It is through programs like these that a connection is formed between the reality of stabilization points and long-term systemic change: implementation of training courses, development of telemedicine, support for instructor programs, systematization of knowledge, and transfer of that knowledge to other units.

A stabilization point is a place where medicine looks least like a beautiful story and most like a struggle against time. Not everyone can always be saved there. It is not always possible to do what the doctor knows and is capable of doing, because sometimes the patient simply cannot arrive in time. Here, the “golden hour” can turn into days of waiting, while telemedicine becomes a temporary bridge between the battlefield and the physician. But it is here that the most important thing becomes visible: Ukrainian military medicine is not simply reacting to war — it is learning, adapting, creating new practices, and trying to turn the experience of every injury into knowledge that will help save the next patient.

And perhaps the most accurate way to describe the work of a stabilization point is not through heroic language, but in very practical terms: it is a place where people are given a chance to reach the next opportunity. To the hospital. To surgery. To a prosthetic. To rehabilitation. To life after injury.

That is why the main question for this system is not only how many medics work at stabilization points or what equipment they have. The main question is how to ensure that wounded soldiers reach them sooner, how to give doctors more time, how to make telemedicine systematic, how to make training continuous, and how to ensure that frontline experience is not lost in isolated stories, but transformed into standards.

Because in war, medicine often begins not when the patient reaches the operating table. It begins much earlier — at the moment when someone manages to bring them out alive.

When Culture, Medicine, and Daily Life Come Under Fire

Published: July 2, 2026

In Ukraine, war does not only come through the front line. It shows in the stairwells blackened by fire, children carried to shelters at night, medics saving neighbors even when their own emergency stations are damaged, artists returning to homes that no longer exist.

On the night of July 2, Kyiv once again woke up to explosions. People rushed into metro stations, basements, and hallways. They hid their children, called loved ones, and waited for news from neighborhoods where buildings were burning and rescuers were already at work.

It was one of the largest combined attacks on the capital: missiles and drones struck the city in waves. Nearly 20 people were killed and dozens were injured. Among those hurt were children, residents of apartment buildings, and emergency medical workers. Homes, cars, medical infrastructure, historic buildings, and places connected to Ukrainian culture were damaged.

In Kyiv’s Shevchenkivskyi district, the apartment of cultural manager Iryna Plekhova, director of the Lira cinema, and filmmaker and screenwriter Oleh Chornyi burned down. Their building is historic, long connected to workers of the Oleksandr Dovzhenko Film Studio and their families. Two sections of the building burned completely. During the evacuation, Iryna and Oleh helped two elderly neighbors get out.

The home of filmmaker Iryna Tsilyk was damaged for the sixth time. The courtyard of Vadym Miskyi, program director at Detector Media, was also hit. These were not only damaged walls. They were places where people lived, created, preserved memories, and built Ukraine’s cultural life.

On this same day, the attack destroyed the central storage facility of the BookChef publishing house that held nearly 800 thousand books.

Civilian emergency medicine also came under attack. In Kyiv, an emergency medical station was damaged. Ambulance workers — medics and drivers — were injured, and ambulances were damaged. The people who are first to rush toward danger to save others became victims of the attack themselves.

Kyiv was not alone. Communities in the Zaporizhzhia region endured hundreds of strikes in a single day, including FPV drone attacks. In Kharkiv and the surrounding region, civilians were killed, including a 15-year-old boy, and dozens of people were injured. In the Dnipro region, drones damaged homes, cars, gas stations, and other civilian infrastructure.

On nights like this, the work of those who arrive first becomes especially visible: the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, police, medics, volunteer teams, and rapid response groups.

That night, Matviy Suslov, Razom’s Tactical Medicine Project Manager, worked in Kyiv alongside these response teams. They helped move people rescued from the rubble to safer areas and provided first aid to civilians.

“The shelling was so dense and massive that we had to move in small leaps, hide in underpasses, or quickly leave dangerous areas by car,” Matviy said. Near Lukianivka, after one of the explosions, the car doors jammed. “We were lucky the door issue was resolved quickly”.

What stayed with him most was a couple who approached and asked what had happened to their home. Their building was burning. In their eyes, he saw confusion, grief, and the disbelief of people trying to understand how life could change in a single moment.

Matvii also emphasized the work of the State Emergency Service and the police at the strike sites. For the Razom team, it was another reminder of why it is so important to strengthen the institutions that are first to stand beside people after an attack: through prehospital care training, essential medical supplies, and the ability to respond in the first critical minutes.

In moments like these, this work is not abstract. It is about real skills, real people, and real lives — Ukrainians and visitors to the country — that can be saved when help arrives in time.

Russia continues to strike civilians, children, medics, cultural workers, and families in their own homes. Ukraine continues to endure because people keep showing up for one another, even after the darkest nights.

Ukraine’s Future Is Growing Up During War

Published: June 17, 2026

“Ukrainian kids are creative and talented.
They’re camping out down in the metro, drawing, playing
and believing in a happy, peaceful life. So we have to provide them with that life.”
— Serhiy Zhadan

“Freedom is generational work. For children to grow up free,
the necessary institutions and policies must already be in place.”
— Timothy Snyder

Ukraine’s future is not waiting for the war to end.

It is growing up right now – in classrooms interrupted by air raid sirens, in frontline towns where schools are closed, in summer camps where children can laugh with friends again, in STEM labs where students are building robots, and in youth programs where young people are learning how to lead, work, create, and stay connected to their communities.

For children and young people in Ukraine, the war has taken too much: safety, routine, school years, friendships, homes, and plans for the future.

But it has not taken away their curiosity. Their talent. Their courage. Their need for joy. Or their right to imagine a life in Ukraine.

This summer, when you support Razom, you support work that helps Ukrainian children and young people keep learning, building skills, finding community, and experiencing moments of childhood even during war.

Make a gift today to help Ukraine’s next generation grow, lead, and thrive.

A Summer That Gives More Than a Break

For a child in Ukraine, summer camp can mean more than games, songs, and time outside.

It can mean sleeping in a safe place for a few days. It can mean laughing without feeling guilty.

It can mean meeting other kids who understand. It can mean remembering that they are more than what war has taken from them.

For teenagers, summer can be a chance to try something new, build confidence, discover a career path, join a team, or take part in a project that helps their own community.

These moments matter. Because Ukraine does not only need its young people to survive the war. Ukraine needs them to see a future worth staying for.

Why This Matters

Across Ukraine, young people are growing up under extraordinary pressure. Schools have been damaged or forced online. Families have been displaced. Parents are serving, working, grieving, or rebuilding. Many young Ukrainians are asking themselves whether they can build a life at home at all.

That question matters for Ukraine’s future.

Razom’s youth work is built around a simple belief: young Ukrainians need real opportunities now — not someday after victory, not someday after recovery, but now.

They need safe places to gather. They need hands-on learning. They need mentors. They need practical skills. They need joy, friendship, and a break. They need to know that their country still has room for their dreams.

Your gift helps make that possible.

What Your Gift Makes Possible

1. Help young Ukrainians keep learning

War has disrupted education across Ukraine, especially in frontline and underserved communities. Many students have limited access to hands-on learning, equipment, or safe spaces where they can gather with peers.

Razom supports STEM labs, mobile learning hubs, teacher training, advanced academic camps, robotics programs, and opportunities for Ukrainian students to compete and excel at olympiads internationally.

In 2025, Razom-supported STEM initiatives reached approximately 9,500 students across over 25 local learning centers, helping young people explore robotics, engineering, physics, astronomy, and applied science.

Your gift helps students keep learning in a country where education itself has become an act of resilience.

War should not determine a child’s potential.

Razom supports programs that help students continue learning, developing new skills, and pursuing their interests despite disruptions caused by war.

In 2025 alone:

9,500 students participated in STEM education programs
760 students attended advanced mathematics and physics camps
25+ STEM clubs and learning spaces received support
250+ teachers received training

Today, students supported through these programs are competing in international Olympiads, participating in robotics competitions, and preparing for careers that will help shape Ukraine’s future.

2. Help children experience joy, safety, and belonging

For children living through war, joy is not extra. It is part of recovery.

A summer camp, a youth center, a sports field, a creative workshop, or a weekend with peers can give children something they badly need: a chance to breathe.

Razom supports programs that create spaces where children and teenagers can gather safely, build friendships, discover new interests, explore who they are, and feel connected to others.

These programs do not erase the war. But they give young people moments of normalcy, confidence, and care.

Your gift helps Ukrainian children experience childhood, even when war is trying to steal it.

3. Help young people lead in their own communities

Young Ukrainians are not only recipients of help. They are already rebuilding.

Razom supports youth leadership programs that help young people organize local projects, volunteer, restore community spaces, participate in school governance, and take active roles in civic life.

Through one Razom-supported partnership with Building Ukraine Together (BUR), young leaders helped mobilize hundreds of volunteers and restore community spaces in frontline and high-need regions, including youth centers and rehabilitation spaces.

Your gift helps young Ukrainians become the people their communities can count on.

This work helps young Ukrainians build confidence, direction, and a reason to stay connected to their country’s future.

Your gift helps young people turn possibility into a plan.

This is the future Ukraine is fighting for. Help protect it.

4. Help young Ukrainians build a future at home

One of the biggest threats to Ukraine’s future is that young people may feel they have no future there.

That is why Razom supports programs that connect young people to mentorship, career exploration, entrepreneurship, internships, and practical skills they can use in real life.

Through Razom-supported programs, thousands of young people have accessed career training, mentorship, business development, and professional networks. In one program, young people from small towns and frontline areas developed career and business ideas, received mentorship, and presented youth-led startups for seed funding.

We Also Fight for the Children Russia Tried to Erase

As Razom helps young Ukrainians learn, lead, and grow, we also continue to advocate for the return of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia.

More than 20,000 cases have been officially documented, with many more children still at risk. Razom has worked to keep this issue visible in U.S. policy conversations, public advocacy, media, and community action — including through the Bring Kids Back campaign and the teddy bear installation on the National Mall.

Because every Ukrainian child deserves to come home.
And every Ukrainian child deserves a future.

Russia’s war has also targeted Ukraine’s children directly. While the world often hears the figure of 20,000 documented deported children, the reality is much broader. Millions of Ukrainian children remain under Russian occupation, where they face forced assimilation, militarization, and efforts to erase their Ukrainian identity.

Razom continues to advocate for Ukraine’s children, support efforts to bring them home, and keep this issue at the center of public and policy conversations.

Every Ukrainian child deserves the right to grow up with their family, in their community, and in a free Ukraine.

Here is How You Can Help

50 USD

enables a child from the frontline community to take part in a national science competition

125 USD

covers the cost of one volunteer’s participation in a BUR camp, where they help rebuild communities in Ukraine

250 USD

provides training in entrepreneurship in a 5 month program for one teenager from a small Ukrainian community

Stand with Ukraine’s next generation.

Together, we can help ensure that Ukraine’s future has every opportunity to succeed.

Investing in Ukraine’s Future: How Math Olympiads Help Children Learn, Dream, and Stay Connected

Published: June 17, 2026

Despite the war, air raid sirens, and constant challenges, Ukrainian children continue to learn, explore the world, and achieve remarkable success. That is why Razom has long supported educational initiatives that help students develop their talents and discover new opportunities for growth and learning.

Over the past several months, Razom has supported several mathematics-focused projects for children across Ukraine, including the “Cyfryata” Olympiad, the Yulia Zdanovska All-Ukrainian Mathematics Olympiad for Grades 5–7, and the family competition “Mathematical Nest.” These events brought together hundreds of participants from different regions of the country, giving children the opportunity not only to demonstrate their knowledge but also to feel part of a larger community of like-minded peers.

First Steps into the World of Mathematics

For many students, the “Cyfryata” Olympiad is their first introduction to the world of mathematical competitions. It helps children discover that mathematics is not only about formulas learned in school, but also about creativity, logic, and finding innovative solutions.

Such initiatives are especially important during wartime, when many children study remotely and have fewer opportunities for in-person interaction and extracurricular activities.

An Olympiad That Continues Yulia Zdanovska’s Legacy

Among the projects supported by Razom, a special place belongs to the Yulia Zdanovska All-Ukrainian Mathematics Olympiad, named in honor of the talented Ukrainian mathematician and volunteer whose life was tragically taken by a Russian missile strike in 2022.

Today, her name inspires a new generation of Ukrainian children to learn, set ambitious goals, and believe in their own potential. This year, the Olympiad brought together 93 young mathematicians from across Ukraine.

Among them was Karolina Petrushova from Kramatorsk, the only participant representing Donetsk Oblast. For children from frontline regions, where education often takes place remotely, such a trip means much more than simply participating in a competition.

“Before traveling to Kyiv, I was very nervous, but at the same time excited about the opportunity to attend such an Olympiad. What I remember most was the atmosphere, because children from different cities across Ukraine gathered there, all sharing a love for mathematics. It was exciting to talk with them and solve problems together,” Karolina recalls.

Like many children in Kramatorsk, Karolina studies remotely. Her trip to Kyiv gave her not only the chance to participate in the Olympiad, but also to visit the capital, explore the Museum of Mathematics, and meet peers who share her passion.

“I enjoyed both the Olympiad and Kyiv. I came home with many new impressions and even more motivation to continue studying mathematics. I sincerely thank the organizers, partners, and everyone who supports talented children in Ukraine and creates opportunities like these for us,” Karolina wrote after returning home.

Another participant was Bohdan Zavhorodskyi from Kherson. For children living in a city that endures daily Russian attacks, even the journey to Kyiv can be challenging.

Yet Bohdan remembers the trip with the resilience and optimism that characterize so many Ukrainian children:

“We got there just fine. The Shahed drones didn’t stop us.”

For him, the most valuable part of the experience was meeting children from different parts of Ukraine and feeling connected to a broader mathematical community. He already plans to participate again next year.

His mother also emphasized that events like these are important not only for education but also for building connections among children from different regions of the country.

“We are deeply grateful to all the donors and supporters who contributed to this wonderful Olympiad and made it possible for children from across Ukraine to come together. We learned so much, gained valuable experience, and are returning home with a large circle of new friends.”

When Mathematics Becomes a Family Affair

Another project supported by Razom was the “Mathematical Nest” competition. For more than ten years, it has brought together children, parents, and entire families through a shared love of mathematics.

Unlike traditional Olympiads, “Mathematical Nest” is built around collaboration and collective problem-solving. This format helps foster a culture of learning not only among children but also within families and local communities.

Education as an Investment in Ukraine’s Recovery

Each of these initiatives serves a different audience and follows a unique format, but they all share a common goal: helping children realize their potential regardless of where they live or the challenges they face.

For participants, these experiences provide new friendships, inspiration, confidence, and the understanding that even during wartime, knowledge, talent, and perseverance remain powerful assets.

By investing in education today, we are investing in the future scientists, engineers, teachers, entrepreneurs, and leaders who will rebuild Ukraine tomorrow.

Russia Is Not Only Attacking People. It Is Attacking Ukraine’s Memory, Culture, and Identity.

Published: June 16, 2026

On the night of June 15, Russia launched one of its largest attacks in recent months.

More than 70 missiles and 611 Russian-Iranian drones were fired across Ukraine, with over 60 missiles targeting Kyiv.

The attack once again claimed civilian lives and caused extensive damage to residential neighborhoods and civilian infrastructure. But its consequences extend far beyond physical destruction.

An Attack on the Heart of Ukraine’s Faith, Culture, and History

That same night, Russia struck something that cannot be quickly rebuilt or replaced.

Ukraine’s cultural heritage came under attack.

One of the most painful symbols of this assault was the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.

Founded in 1051, the Lavra is one of Europe’s oldest monastic complexes and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For nearly a thousand years, it has remained a spiritual, historical, and cultural center of Ukraine.

For millions of Ukrainians, the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra is far more than an architectural landmark. Generations have come here to pray, seek comfort, celebrate life’s milestones, and preserve a connection to their history. The site houses sacred relics, manuscripts, religious artworks, and centuries of cultural memory.

As a result of Russia’s attack, parts of the Lavra complex were damaged, and a fire broke out in the Dormition Cathedral.

“Once again, we see these barbaric acts committed by Russians, for whom nothing is sacred. It is horrifying that while calling themselves Christians, they strike at the very heart of our people. Once again, this reveals exactly who we are dealing with,” said the Vicar of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra following the attack.

The damage to the Lavra serves as another reminder that this war is not only directed against Ukrainian cities and communities.

It is directed against Ukrainian identity itself.

Culture Under Fire

During the same attack, Russia damaged Mystetskyi Arsenal, one of Ukraine’s most important cultural institutions. The Arsenal hosts international exhibitions, educational programs, major artistic initiatives, and the country’s largest annual book festival.

Reflecting on the attack, Mystetskyi Arsenal Director General Olesia Ostrovska-Liuta drew a striking historical parallel:

“It is remarkable that the Russian drone struck the exact same location that was hit by a Nazi bomb during World War II. It is some kind of mystical coincidence — perhaps the souls of aggressors united?”

Russian strikes also damaged the Oleksandr Dovzhenko National Film Studio, the birthplace of Ukrainian cinema.

According to the studio’s officials, its primary costume archive was destroyed. Approximately 100,000 costumes and priceless archival materials documenting decades of Ukrainian film history were lost.

“Costumes from such iconic films as Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors, The Lost Letter, and Bohdan Khmelnytsky were stored here. Now this building has been completely destroyed — there is practically nothing left,” said studio director Andriy Donchyk.

Other cultural institutions damaged during the attack include the Kharkiv Art Museum and the House of Organ and Chamber Music in Dnipro.

And all of this happened in a single night.

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russia has systematically targeted Ukraine’s cultural heritage. According to Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture, as of May 2026, 1,783 cultural heritage sites and 2,540 cultural infrastructure facilities have been damaged or destroyed across the country.

UNESCO has independently verified damage to at least 534 cultural sites, including museums, libraries, historic landmarks, archaeological sites, and more than 150 religious buildings.

These figures reveal a disturbing reality: Russia is waging war not only against Ukraine’s cities and communities, but also against its historical memory, culture, and identity.

They Came to the Rescue

That same night, Russia once again demonstrated its complete disregard for human life.

In Kharkiv, five emergency responders from Ukraine’s State Emergency Service (DSNS) were killed.

After an initial strike on a civilian industrial facility, emergency crews arrived to assist victims and assess the damage.

They were doing what they have done every day since the start of the full-scale invasion: searching for survivors, helping the wounded, extinguishing fires, and protecting communities.

After receiving warnings of a possible second strike, the rescuers left the facility and moved to another location, following safety protocols.

Moments later, a second missile struck near where they had gathered.

Five emergency responders were killed instantly.

Several others were injured.

“One of the missiles struck approximately 30 meters from the rescuers, who had managed to leave the facility and were standing in a wooded area near the fence. Unfortunately, the missile struck directly at those who save lives,” said Bohdan Hladkykh, Director of Kharkiv’s Department of Emergency Situations.

These men were not soldiers. They were not engaged in combat. They had come to save civilian lives.

Russia’s double-tap strikes have become one of the most dangerous and deliberate tactics of this war. After an initial attack, emergency responders, medics, and rescue crews arrive at the scene. A second strike then follows.

The targets are the people helping others.

Since the first day of the full-scale invasion, Razom has supported emergency responders, firefighters, medics, and rescue teams across Ukraine. They are often the first to arrive after an attack and the last to leave once the rescue operation is complete.

Their service is a service to life itself.

That is why the deaths of these five rescuers in Kharkiv represent a tragedy not only for their families and colleagues, but for all of Ukraine.

The Goal Is Not Only Destruction

When emergency responders are killed while trying to save others, it is an attack on humaneness.

When the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra is damaged, it is an attack on spiritual heritage.

When film archives are destroyed and museums are struck, it is an attack on cultural memory.

All of these acts are part of a larger pattern.

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russia has damaged or destroyed hundreds of religious and cultural sites across Ukraine. Churches, museums, theaters, libraries, archives, and historic landmarks have all come under attack.

These are not accidental losses.

They are not unavoidable consequences of war.

They are systematic attacks on the foundations of Ukrainian identity and resilience.

When humaneness, culture and faith are targeted, the goal is not simply destruction.

The goal is erasure.

Why This Matters to All of Us

Cultural heritage does not belong to one nation alone.

When a UNESCO World Heritage Site is damaged, when museum collections are destroyed, or when irreplaceable archives are lost, humanity loses a part of its shared history.

That is why protecting Ukrainian culture is not solely a Ukrainian issue.

It is a matter of preserving memory, history, and values that transcend borders.

At Razom, we work every day to ensure that Ukrainian stories continue to be seen, heard, and understood around the world. We document attacks on Ukrainian culture, amplify the voices of those defending their communities, and ensure that the world does not look away from efforts to erase an entire nation’s heritage.

Today, we honor the memory of the five DSNS rescuers who lost their lives while serving others.

We also remind the world of the churches, museums, archives, and cultural institutions that Russia continues to attack.

Ukraine continues to resist.
And as long as there are people saving lives, preserving culture, and telling the truth, Ukraine can never be erased.

Razom for Ukraine Joined Ukraine’s Premier Annual Emergency Medicine Championship

Published: June 11, 2026

The Razom Health team participated in the 12th Ukrainian Emergency Medical Care Championship, Vinnytsia Medical Rally 2026 — the largest competition for emergency medical professionals.

This year, 29 teams from across Ukraine, along with international participants from Poland and Lithuania, took part in the championship. Over the course of two days, medics worked through more than 50 simulation scenarios in highly realistic conditions, ranging from mass casualty incidents to cardiopulmonary resuscitation in smoke-filled environments.

For the Razom Health team, the championship provided an opportunity to engage directly with emergency medical leaders and practitioners from seven frontline regions of Ukraine. A key focus of these conversations was the urgent need for alternative communication systems for emergency medical teams operating under the constant threat of losing connectivity. The next step will be the signing of cooperation memorandums to support these efforts.

The team also had the opportunity to assess the impact of Razom’s POCUS initiative, which trains healthcare providers to use portable ultrasound devices in pre-hospital settings. Razom representatives spoke with medics, instructors, and service leadership about how the program is being implemented in practice.

“We sincerely thank Razom for providing equipment that enables ultrasound examinations in ambulances. Our teams use it regularly, and it greatly helps us determine the most effective treatment strategy for patients. These tools save lives. The training organized by Razom has been incredibly valuable, and we continue to pass this knowledge on to our colleagues,” said Eduard Kika, Medical Director of the Odesa Regional Center for Emergency Medical Care and Disaster Medicine.

During the opening ceremony, representatives of Razom for Ukraine welcomed participants and recognized the critical role of emergency medical professionals across the country.

“It is incredibly important for Razom for Ukraine to stand alongside you — the people who make life-saving decisions every day. We are here not only as partners, but also to better understand the realities you face and the support you need. We wish every team success, but above all, we hope this championship strengthens collaboration, creates opportunities for learning, and reinforces the pride we all share in Ukraine’s emergency medical service,” said Olena Teryaieva, Program Manager at Razom Health.

Event participation helped us better understand how emergency medical service teams operate in wartime conditions. We had our first conversation with the medical director of the relocated Emergency Medical Care Center of Luhansk region and learned from his experience in evacuating injured civilians. We also discussed the issue of retaining medical staff with the head of the HR department at the Zaporizhzhia Emergency Medical Care Center.

The championship winners were the Emergency Medical Care Centers of Odesa Oblast, Kirovohrad Oblast, and Vinnytsia Oblast. The national team of the Republic of Poland was recognized as the best international team. The total prize fund exceeded €350,000, and the winners received certificates granting them participation in the international Rallye Rejviz championship in the Czech Republic in 2027.