Ukrainian Combat Medic: Olena Sharhovska dies at 46
The former journalist served 25 months on the front line before health issues forced her discharge in 2024.
By Lina Lewis ·
Olena Sharhovska, a former journalist and combat medic, has died at the age of 46. Yana Zinkevych, commander of the Hospitallers medical battalion, confirmed the news alongside colleagues from the media outlet Novynarnia.
Sharhovska spent 25 months serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. She joined the military on September 10, 2022, her birthday, after being unable to return from Portugal immediately due to an injury. She served with the International Legion and was deployed to Bakhmut, Toretsk, and Kharkiv Oblast.
Her military service focused on tactical medicine and evacuating wounded soldiers from active combat zones. Zinkevych stated that Sharhovska went to the hottest sections of the front line to snatch lives from soldiers on the way to stabilization points. She also trained other service members in tactical medicine.
Before her military career, Sharhovska worked in media for more than a decade. She served as a journalist, translator, editor, and social media specialist for television and print outlets. She also contributed to projects for Ukraїner and Osvitoria. Her experience in communication informed her later advocacy for women in the military.
Sharhovska co-organized the Invisible Battalion March in Kyiv in 2016. The event demanded that the authorities open military positions to women that had previously been reserved for men. As a member of the Women's Veteran Movement, she continued to push for better equipment for female defenders during her service.
Health reasons led to her discharge in August 2024. Novynarnia described her as a person of words and travel with a deep interest in people. The outlet noted that she helped fellow soldiers through fundraising and bought vehicles for the front. Her motto, according to the outlet, was to do what she believed needed to be done and then accept whatever followed.
Bohdan Lohvynenko, founder of Ukraїner, recalled their time living in neighboring buildings in Vynohradar. He described her as a driving force behind many processes and a source of support, while noting she remained harsh toward the unknown.
