More than half of required armored vehicles available for medical evacuations – AFU Medical Command
Anatolii Kazmirchuk, Commander of the Medical Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine mentioned this in an interview with Ukrinform.
“Given the current conditions, we cannot rely on air medical evacuations. Since 2022, we have organized and implemented rail transport for evacuations, a project we are executing with Ukrzaliznytsia [Ukrainian Railways]. We now have specialized railcars equipped for intensive care, transport for bedridden patients, and for the lightly wounded, enabling evacuation from all operational directions... Currently, air evacuations only account for 2%, while more than 50% are handled by ground transport.”
Kazmirchuk highlighted the need for more armored vehicles to evacuate the Ukrainian defenders, noting that the current supply is only slightly above half of what is required. Ukraine produces some domestic armored vehicles, like the Kazak-5MED, but not on a mass scale. Support from international partners has provided additional armored vehicles, which Kazmirchuk described as helping Ukraine “stay afloat.”
When asked about establishing a “medical coalition” to support armored vehicle supplies from international partners, Kazmirchuk mentioned an existing system that communicates Ukraine’s needs, including medical and military necessities. This system has helped Ukraine secure over 100 units of such equipment this year, including M-113 evacuation vehicles, which are crucial for medical evacuations.
Kazmirchuk also mentioned the problem of “tourniquet syndrome” due to delayed evacuations. Extended use of a tourniquet can lead to limb amputation.
"Unfortunately, due to delays in evacuating the wounded, we often encounter tourniquet syndromes. This is, of course, not the fault of the medic for not providing timely aid but rather a result of the inability to quickly transport the wounded out of the danger zone. Therefore, we are emphasizing the constant need for armored medical transport and are considering options for evacuating the wounded using various ground platforms, such as drones or other systems," Kazmirchuk explained.
According to him, it was the Ukrainian Armed Forces that initiated changes to the principles of tourniquet conversion, and these proposed changes are now also being adopted in NATO countries. The updates allow a properly trained soldier or combat medic to perform the conversion, not just medical personnel at later stages of evacuation.
As reported by Ukrinform, on March 14, 2024, Ukrzaliznytsia, in collaboration with the Ministry of Community Development, Territories and Infrastructure, the Ministry of Defense, and the Medical Forces Command, presented a medical evacuation train.
