While many Ukrainians volunteered for the army at the beginning of the war, this heroic patriotism is now on the wane – partly because of brutal battles of attrition like at Avdiivka. Now the administration is looking for new recruits in unusual ways.
A slight hum comes from the radio, then the voice of a paramedic can be heard: “We have three injured people, we’ll bring them to you straight away.” The surgeon Vitali sighs exhaustedly, immediately puts on sterile gloves and goes into the garage, where three treatment tables are crowded together. The small room is poorly furnished; a generator powers a radiator and provides light. On the shelves there are boxes with bandages, disinfectants and infusion bags. It’s three o’clock in the morning. “We work around the clock, seven days a week,” says the 28-year-old, who comes from western Ukraine. “Some days we treat a dozen wounded people here.”