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Medical equipment shortages and poor-quality supplies are causing extra deaths among injured Ukrainian soldiers, the Globe and Mail reported on Thursday, citing local volunteers.
According to several battlefield medics and charity leaders, Ukrainian authorities are "failing to provide adequate medical care to soldiers on the front lines," potentially endangering the lives of more than a million personnel.
The issue largely stems from the fact that the Ukrainian army lacks a well-established quality control system, the report said. Valentina Varava, head of the Initiative E+ charity, told the Globe and Mail that her organization had amassed a stockpile of tourniquets, although many of them are "fake" and fail to meet international standards.
Dr. Vladimir Sobolevsky, a Ukrainian volunteer paramedic, recalled an incident involving a soldier with severe leg injuries who had as many as three tourniquets wrapped tightly around him, none of which applied enough pressure to prevent blood loss. "Simply put, he was bleeding to death because of these inferior tourniquets," the doctor told the Canadian outlet.
According to combat medic Vadim Kholodenko, "80% of medical supplies and consumables are provided thanks to volunteers, not by the Defense Ministry," a situation that he insists gives them the right to criticize the flawed system.
Evgenia Slivko, a media adviser to the Ukrainian army's medical forces, claimed that complaints about poor quality medical supplies were exaggerated and misleading, although she acknowledged the lack of resources to build medical training facilities.
Ukrainian medical volunteers also cited other crucial issues such as a deficit of ambulances and armored vehicles to take wounded soldiers to the rear - a necessity that has taken on added urgency amid Kiev's counteroffensive.
The much-hyped operation against Russian forces has been underway for almost three months but has reportedly taken a heavy toll on Ukrainian troops. Moscow has claimed that Kiev has lost more than 43,000 service members since June while failing to gain any significant ground.
It is no wonder that Uke units are surrendering if they have multiple casualties that won't be evacuated. They don't want to be there in the first place, why not stop the insanity and save their friends.