"Thank you for making me run": a volunteer from Tatarstan prepared a medical platoon to participate in the NWO

- How has your life changed after the start of the NWO?

– Until February 2022, my work was somehow related to human lives – I was a senior emergency coordinator. When the NWO began, I immediately decided that I would volunteer. In March, he resigned, became a medical instructor in various volunteer units behind the tape. He explained to the children the basics of prehospital care: how to apply a tourniquet, a bandage, how to do other manipulations. They had to learn from scratch, many did not even know how to use the harnesses, they were not unpacked. He told why the loss of one person affects the whole group, and through this they realized how important this knowledge is and why it needs to be worked out to automatism.

I also studied myself, read what has changed since past campaigns, what needs to be taken into account. On a short vacation, I met a military surgeon Yuri Yevich, who since 2014 has been an active doctor in the militia. He and his colleagues spoke about the most relevant methods of tactical medicine, shared new standards.

At the same time, he began to collect medicines, help other groups with humanitarian aid. I analyzed some positions, proposed to adjust the lists. Through this, for example, it was possible to reduce the cost of purchasing medicines from 12 million to 7 million rubles without loss of quality. Some drugs were replaced with Russian analogues, discounts were agreed with suppliers. This experience was also taken note of by other organizers of the training camp.

At the beginning of September, after the first long trip for the tape, I returned to Kazan. Before that, I learned about the project "Golden Hands of an Angel", directly from the fields I phoned the organizer Lyudmila Sushetskaya. She said that there are six volunteers in Kazan who are trying to arrange sewing a stretcher, and as a result, I headed the Tatarstan branch. Now we have about 350 volunteers who sew not only stretchers, but also the Marusya second-tier first-aid kit developed by us, dressing bags and several other positions.

• © Photos from the personal archive

We send products to fighters - of course, free of charge. Everything is done at the expense of philanthropists. Someone transfers money, but I always say that if you want to help, it's better to buy fabrics and threads right away. We report for every ruble, but this way people immediately see how the materials are used.

We are also now sending a medical platoon of guys whom I personally trained. They were also helped to fully compose.

- Tell us more about the medical platoon.

- Last year, 86 people, both men and women, volunteered to take the training. There was a strict selection, physical data, psychology, the patriotic component, and marital status were taken into account. Only five people reached the end of their studies. Age - 30-35 years, no one has family obligations. True, during the lessons, one student and a student still began to meet secretly.

I treat them like children. For their part, they are ready, they want to help our guys. But I'm still worried, because I've been there where they have yet to go.

- How often do volunteers have adesire to go to the NWO zone?

- I always tell the guys: whoever wants to go must first undergo training, which takes several months. It includes medicine, psychology, communications, skills, how to behave during shelling, if ambushed, and so on. No one will just go on my behalf, this is my personal responsibility.

From time to time, I take volunteer guys with me on working trips so that they understand what tasks they will have to perform. After the first time, the worldview changes. Recently, several women went - and already with burning eyes: "We should be there." And they have families, children. I had to settle down, calm down. Another volunteer still achieved his goal, they agreed that he would go to the hospital for a few weeks.

• © Photos from the personal archive

— What do you focus on when preparing?

- I just have a lot of conversations. I explain all the nuances, up to the fact that you need to smoke secretly, and not with a company, as everyone is used to. Do not leave the bulls, because it is easy to understand who smoked, where they bought cigarettes by marking the filter.

I tell you how to communicate with the local population, how to behave in the unit. Because you will be in a small group, you will have to find a common language. Do not forget about hygiene, self-care. It is impossible to bring it to a state where serious help is needed, and there may be no drugs.

I must say that the first arrivals are the most terrible. But everyone has a moment when you get used to them, and it is with him that the countdown to death begins. To relax until you finish your service and cross the threshold of your house is to make a fatal mistake. This also includes the use of alcohol - this is generally strictly prohibited.

- In addition to training your own medical platoon, you trained many medical instructors in other units, worked with the mobilized. Doyou maintain a relationship with someone?

- I remember all the medical instructors by name, we correspond with many, we are in touch. In turn, they themselves have already trained a lot of specialists from the mobilized. Most also maintain a relationship with their students, it's like a big family.

When I trained the mobilized in Kazan, I also paid attention to physical activity. They were surprised: it seems that he should teach medicine, what are you doing? But then the guys who participated in the evacuation group realized how much effort it takes. It is necessary not only to run from point A to point B, but also to carry the wounded. And it's all under fire, and copters on top. Now the guys are texting: "Thank you for making me run." It makes my heart very warm. If I save someone's life with my work, this is the most important thing.

— What other projects are you doing?

- Organized a group of psychologists "Signs of Light" to help fighters and their families. They have already prepared two training manuals. One is for fighters (we immediately put it in our first-aid kits), and the second is for wives (how not to panic themselves, how to communicate with husbands correctly). We also work with families right away.

Another project is Linguists. Often at combat points, the enemy threw literature. Mainly in English, German, French and Ukrainian. The guys from intelligence throw up such findings, ask to translate. Our first book was in French, Experience in Africa, published by the Foreign Legion. A total of 300 pages. In Uzbekistan, we managed to find a translator who quickly and free of charge made a translation. I sent the translation to the guys. They gleaned new information that they brought to the work, said: "This is a bomb!"

Of course, we are very cautious about this literature: it may also be a fake that was deliberately planted. We check everything. Only a small part that can be laid out in the public domain. And most of it is just passed back. We work directly at the level of fighters, commanders.

— What are your future plans?

— From the very beginning of my work as a volunteer leader in Kazan, the goal was to become a serious company. And now I am happy to say that the Autonomous Non-Profit Charitable Organization "We Value Life" has been registered, which will include all these projects, as well as several other groups of volunteers. The main goal is to help the returning guys. It is clear that it will not be easy for them to change their worldview from military to civilian. And we will help you integrate into a peaceful life - we will psychologically support, teach you a new profession.