"When people think of Ukraine's defence, they picture soldiers in trenches, drone operators hunched over screens, or artillery crews working through the night. What they rarely see are the unarmed men and women who run towards danger long after the shooting has stopped. I was present during The Sun's interview with members of Ukraine's Home Guard, volunteers whose job is not to fight, but to save lives in the aftermath of Russian attacks."
"These are the people who arrive first at bombed apartment blocks, shattered schools, and burning hospitals. They dig through rubble with their hands, pull survivors from collapsed stairwells, and coordinate evacuations under the constant threat of secondary strikes. They do all of this unarmed, often with minimal protective equipment, and increasingly while being deliberately targeted by Russia. Ukraine's Home Guard and emergency volunteer units are not frontline combat troops. Many are ordinary civilians: builders, electricians, teachers, mechanics."
"Their role is deceptively simple: save who can be saved. In practice, it is brutal. Russian attacks rarely end with a single strike. "Double taps", a second missile or drone launched minutes after the first, are a well-documented Russian tactic. The purpose is clear: hit rescuers. During the interview, volunteers described working against the clock, knowing that every minute spent searching rubble increases the risk of another explosion."
A total of 111 firefighters have been killed and more than 400 injured since Russia launched its illegal invasion in February 2022. Unarmed Home Guard volunteers and emergency units act as first responders to bombed apartment blocks, schools, and hospitals, digging through rubble, pulling survivors from collapsed stairwells, and coordinating evacuations. Many volunteers are ordinary civilians who trained to respond to missile and drone strikes, structural collapses, fires, and mass-casualty events. Russian tactics such as "double taps" deliberately target rescuers, increasing risk while volunteers work against the clock with minimal protective equipment.
Read at London Business News | Londonlovesbusiness.com
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