Blood, bandages and lost friends: Life as a Ukrainian front line medic I Ukraine: The Latest

Day 762. Today, David Knowles interviews three Ukrainian front line medics. They speak about their experiences helping the wounded and transferring injured colleagues back to safety. It's a searing listen and brings the realities of Russia's invasion of Ukraine home.
Contributors:
David Knowles (Head of Audio Development). @djknowles22 on X.
With thanks to:
Yuriy Soroka
Brandon Mitchell
Iryna Knyzhnyk
Subscribe to The Telegraph: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatest
Email: [e-mail]

[@jensjustesen333]

Yuriy, Brandon and Iryna humble us with their courage and valor. Over 2 years on and I still tune in every day.

[@sherrillwhately7586]

Brandon Mitchell! Been following him for at least a year and a half.

[@ukraine_tbic]

Thank you for having us on the show David! Look forward to working with you again!!

[@cz2055]

Brandon Mitchell is epic in every way! I have been following and supporting Brandon since the summer of 2022! His footage is some of the most vivid, raw, and real footage available from the front lines! Brandon's enormous work for Ukraine, his tremendous bravery, his immense dedication, and unrelenting perseverance are beyond words. After Ukraine wins this war, Brandon and his legendary work will be written about in the history books!🙏💙💛

[@roverboat2503]

Nice to hear Brandon on here! Unusual to hear him not swearing like a trooper - clearly on best behaviour for the Telegraph. Slava Ukraini!

[@FuuzBeeen]

It was real nice to hear him on here, it was a nice surprise. Just like he says though, give them the tools, I know we gotta not give too much otherwise we are considered in the war, but man we are holding back a bit too much.

[@user-qj3zm2fp8n]

​@@FuuzBeeenвы и есть соучастники...мы заберём все что у вас есть, а потом поставим вас на колени 😂

[@roverboat2503]

​@@user-qj3zm2fp8n ха-ха-ха !Вы не сможете победить нацию, размер которой составляет одну сотую вашего размера. НАТО уничтожит вас.

[@clalmeida67]

🤭 Indeed!! 💙💛☮

[@alinharagus]

Brandon Mitchell ❤ ! Following him from the beginning and suporting him always ❤🇷🇴🇺🇦

[@annetteroennow9694]

Thank you to all the volunteers (and of course the brave Ukranians) from the bottom of my heart, you have my deepest respect and admiration! Thanks to Ukraine the Latest, I miss no pods!

[@user-se2rz5cf3z]

Brandon, thank you for taking the time to do the interview and thanks to The Telegraph for having Brandon Mitchell, Yuri and Iryna on as guests. I really appreciate hearing from people who have first hand experience in Ukraine.

[@palemedes965]

Great show. Listening from Orlando, Florida.

[@jamesrussell1979]

Interesting and very informative conversation 👍 👏 👌

[@kk666a]

Brandon and team! Go Hospitalers!!!

[@DarkCriimes]

We stand united with Ukraine always 🇺🇦🇬🇧🫡

[@christinemartin4276]

Thank you all for the great help by letting the world know the bitter truth of what is happening to the brave people and volunteers in Ukraine SLAVA Ukrayini 🇺🇦 Heróyam Slava 🇦🇺❤️🇦🇺🇦🇺🇺🇦🇺🇦🦘❤❤❤

[@thebirdlady4304]

I listened to this walking into town. Bad idea. I'm fighting back tears

[@collintrytsman3353]

very brave people I hope they survive best of luck

[@MsGrandcoquin]

Thanks for the excellent podcast

[@vidgrip8622]

Heroes, all. Thank you for letting them tell us their story.

[@richardmarsden5610]

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with The Washington Post published on Friday that his country's forces would have to begin to retreat in its war against Russia unless the United States provides Kiev with more weapons and other military aid. "If there is no US support, it means that we have no air defense, no Patriot missiles, no jammers for electronic warfare, no 155-milimeter artillery rounds," Zelensky claimed. "It means we will go back, retreat, step by step, in small steps," he added. The Ukrainian president insisted his country's troops are "trying to find some way not to retreat" and that the military's "smart steps" after Russia's takeover of Avdiivka helped stabilize the situation for the time being. Still he insisted Ukraine must take steps to launch a counteroffensive because if it doesn't, "Russia will do it."

[@darrencorrigan8505]

Thanks, Telegraph. Beltsville, MD.

[@user-zv2nk4tw1q]

Thank you for your perspective from Ottawa Canada

[@blaw3143]

Awesome 👏❤️🇬🇧🙏🇺🇦

[@user-ut6ji8my2h]

It is so hard to believe that one evil man is responsible for so much pain and suffering. As a Vietnam Veteran, I foolishly thought we as humans would be past this kind of barbarism by now.

[@Beatles68]

Unfortunately, it’s not one evil man. Tens of millions of people worldwide have allowed this one man to control Russia for over 20 years. All of us need to look in the mirror, accept our responsibility for the past and decide to do something about the future.

[@timothykatende8484]

What about that man who sabotaged the peace talks and promised arms to the Ukrainians to defeat the Russians ...where is he ?

[@mattsapero1896]

Thanks for your service. Sadly, every generation back to the Anunnaki have prayed for the same, but none of the 6,000 mutually contradictory religions/cults have the right answer. What we need is for everyone to deeply meditate and to connect directly ourselves to Universal Cosmic Consciousness directly without any sort of guilt-spewing deity involved whatsoever. When enough of us visualize peace, there will be a chance to reach the visiting civilizations and they can help us put an end to our obsession with wars & domination. They don’t want us eventually threatening their home worlds and we can seek guidance to move beyond our warlike tendencies, racism, bigotry, religions, etc. so that we can join with the other advanced species in this galaxy & get on with our next level of experience as conscious beings.

[@user-ut6ji8my2h]

@@mattsapero1896 Very well said, Matt. Anyone with half a brain that looks at the images coming back from the Hubble and James Webb scopes has to realize that we are surely not alone in the cosmos.

[@dimas3829]

yeah, if not for Obama wrecking Ukraine nothing of this would happen. But US being US it crushes any hope for better tomorrow for every other nation in the world.

[@kevinhughes8749]

A fascinating podcast for sure.

[@Travellingisagift]

They are all heroes who are offering their lives to help Ukraine win. I have been following Brandon since he was helping the villagers to fleed Avdivka and in Bakhmut.

[@patromo]

Great content

[@user-zv2nk4tw1q]

We could dig deeper

[@richardmarsden5610]

Russia’s aerospace forces struck a base of terrorists from the al-Tanf area in Syria, Yury Popov, deputy chief of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Opposing Parties in Syria (a division of the Russian defense ministry), said on Friday. "The Russian aerospace forces destroyed a place of the deployment of militants who left the al-Tanf area and were hiding in hard-to-reach areas of the Jebel al-Satih ridge in the Homs governorate," he said. He also said that seven violations of the deconfliction protocols of December 9, 2019 linked with the flights by the US-led coalition unmanned aerial vehicles were reported in Syria in the past 24 hours. Apart from that, in his words, during the day, three shelling attacks on the positions of government forces were reported in the Idlid de-escalation zone from positions of the Jabhat al-Nusra and Islamic Party of Turkestan (both outlawed in Russia). One Syrian soldier was killed as a result of sniper fire by terrorists inn the Latakia governorate, and another one was wounded after a terrorists’ drone dropped an explosive device on government army positions in the Idlib governorate.

[@wesley135]

Slava ukraini

[@mike4480]

..Glory to All of the Heroes of Ukraine…💙💛💙

[@simarjitkaur3411]

Slava Ukraini. Beautiful medical supporters. We must help the Sikhs nation honour your stand❤

[@MaximilienNoal]

Ruzzia is losing. Support Ukraine !

[@S-tank_]

Well I think it's important to be real about what's happening. Russia has already lost its broader goals in the war. They have an extra thousand kilometer border with nato, NATO has been given new purpose and Putin single-handedly convince them to up their defense spending, the ruble is worthless, the world has rallied behind zielinski etc. But also Russia is inching forward every single day. Every single day taking Ukrainian land. We must give them the ammo they need to stop the Russian advance.

[@mitchyoung93]

​@@S-tank_Finland and Sweden were already de facto in NATO, including participating in exercises and ops. It remains to be seen if NATOs newfound 'unity' will last...cracks are already emerging. Russian is indeed advancing steadily.

[@S-tank_]

@@mitchyoung93 Finland and Sweden were never joining NATO before Russias invasion. They severely underestimated the back lash it would cause. Putin has managed to unite NATO and remind them why it exists in the first place. There are no cracks in NATO

[@micaiahm1]

If Russia is losing, why does Ukraine need support? 🤔

[@mitchyoung93]

@@S-tank_ Turkey? Hungary? Slovakia? Tensions between Macron and the German guy?

[@Gayzenon]

❤Ukrainian ❤

[@joeschmoe21]

😂

[@lawngaiyi]

Grow blue hydrangea and blue spruce in eastern Ukraine.

[@cherylrbnsn]

In Vietnam American soldiers were trained to “Stop the Bleeding Start the Breathing Cover the Wound and Prepare for Shock!”

[@pburgvenom]

Puck footin

[@DarkCriimes]

Puck Futin 🇬🇧🇺🇦🫡

[@simarjitkaur3411]

Get them tyres trucks aid ..pl pin the group's details

[@Jazzisa311]

Man... what a scary thing to hear... it pisses me off how ppl in the safe West sometimes scream that Ukraine is corrupt, when the people are using their own money to help the military. I will keep donating what I can to the Ukrainian army, and I hope any decent person will do the same.

[@nowthenzen]

Brandon is beginning to speak English with a Ukrainian accent. He's been in country for a very long time.

[@jimmifrandsen4740]

❤️❤️❤️🇺🇦🇩🇰🇺🇦🇩🇰🇺🇦❤️❤️❤️

[@BigTxGravy]

Brandon with Hospitallers is like Jack Black w/ Tenacious D 🫡

[@terryross2388]

I would have had more respect for these people if they had worked to treat wounded civilians in East Ukraine between 2014 and 2022 as they were being bombed by Ukrainian regime aircraft and shelled by artillery. Local militia drawn from the civilian population who tried to resist also suffered major injury and death and were not able to get aid from Western charities.

[@savaisakovic3857]

I like this "full-scale invasion" term, being repeated regularly. Maybe we'll see it soon...

[@mitchyoung93]

Pity this could have ended in April 2022.

[@timothykatende8484]

Meanwhile the fool who sabotaged is busy enjoying a holiday somewhere in Hawaii

[@Eurydice870]

When I was much younger, before Prof. Snyder was even born, I though Poland was the most unlucky country in Europe, with Russians moving in and pushed out. I've watched, from the US, the Russian brutality durning the Cold War. But Ukraine was never on my radar until 2014, i never heard the word Holodamor. Simce 2020 I've been playing catch up. And I believe the Russian invavion is an existential threat to Ukraine as a country and to Ukrainians. It morally wrong and globally important. For all the stupid wars the US has fought during my lifetime, this is the one that really counts. I think Biden's legacy will be one of failure, just like LBJ, if we don't supply the necessary equipment immediately. The results will be catastrophic for Europe and democracy.

[@dimas3829]

sumpathiser of Hyena of Europe hating on Russia? Who oculd have guessed. Millions of Ukrainians are safe and happy inside of Russia as the rest of them will be.

[@Beatles68]

Female voices with Eastern European voices are difficult for me and my friends in California to understand when the individual speaks quickly. I don’t have a problem understanding British accents, but interesting, my girlfriend, and her friends, do. Considering the universal appeal of this program, some listeners may appreciate a somewhat slower rate of speech. All members of this podcast appear to be sensitive to this issue. Perhaps you should consider giving guests on the podcast a little heads up.

[@user-yc4xf8cv5y]

The political system in UK is rotten 😂😂😂😂😂

[@TeeganDuckworth-ko6vs]

KiloMikeRomeo, KiloTangoAlfa

[@kk666a]

KTA!!!

[@APW554]

We need strong leaders in the free world ,unfortunately they are mostly gone. We have lots of dithering weak leaders which is obvious since this invasion . Russia is laughing at us ,that’s why they say nukes every five seconds…… what is achieved by delaying everything ???

[@odoylerules1435]

This war is brutal and horrific. Ive seen too many get blown up and get grenades dropped on them from above. Limbs blown off and left to bleed out in a field. What other animals on the planet do this to each other? This planet is so messed up. Pretty much looks like WW1 but with way better and more accurate weapons. Trench warfare is so crazy. Ukraine should defend their lands but both sides are getting hit by 1-2 million shells per year? Russia has always been imperialists so this should have been foreseeable.

[@mitchyoung93]

When was Odessa 'Ukrainian'? Mariupol? Kharkov? Look into who founded these cities? Look into how Lvov ended up in the Ukraine.

[@timothykatende8484]

Those guests are legitimate military targets in the SMO. 😂😂😂

[@hannekezijlmans6578]

++

[@user-yc4xf8cv5y]

🇷🇺 Z 💪 V 🇷🇺 💪

[@hrvojesvetec3058]

Russia "2nd most powerfull army in the world"😂😂😂

[@roverboat2503]

2nd most powerful army in Ukraine.

[@terryross2388]

@@roverboat2503 If that is true why have they managed to defeat Ukraine's NATO backed army in Bakhmut and Avdeyevka - the two most heavily fortified positions in entire Ukraine? Current reports are that the Ukraine military is suffering manpower shortages due to extreme attrition by Russians , who hold a 6 fold artillery fire advantage

[@timothykatende8484]

​@@terryross2388they delivered Marinka on 25th December

[@vonries]

What ever happened to the idea of giving Ukraine a loan backed up by the deposits in Western banks, payments made by Russia at the end of the war? Thanks. Glory to Ukraine. God Bless Ukraine and her people. 🇺🇦🇺🇸

[@mattsapero1896]

$350 billion is waiting to be leveraged. The interest alone that’s accumulated over the last few years measures many Billions of dollars.

[@Beatles68]

Many of the above comments confirm how insidious Russian propaganda is.

[@ConnorJane]

Small MSM payed by the Rand corp in billions are scared of the Russian 'propaganda' (aka the thruth). Oh noes.

[@zoransavio5110]

I dont want to ruin a party. Good bye

[@micaiahm1]

Coping Festival 😅

[@Mman.]

Isn’t it pathetic?😃

[@johng8082]

keeps the military buffoons in a job. A few at the top telling the many at the bottom what to do and when to do it.

[@cherylbulleid7091]

There cant be any true ukranians left in ukraine .didnt they all leave the country early on? its all nato ..

[@DarkCriimes]

Ok comrade. Too much RT.

[@user-vy5fx4hk6h]

Millions have fled to Canada 😂

[@DarkCriimes]

@@user-vy5fx4hk6h they have no choice.

[@sebastianforbes1]

Are we begging for sympathy now ?

[@Hexiad]

Sympathy and more $$$ and more cannon fodder.

[@hrvojesvetec3058]

So tell me..what would you do if your country was unprovoked attacked,invaded on this scale??you wouldnt do what ever it takes to defend your famly,country??why is asking for help something bad?..dont get you people

[@dimas3829]

That's rich, considering that Russian medics are constantly targeted by Ukrainian forces.

[@nathanhoffman20000]

Got paid finally? Rubbles?

[@darinmeritt3790]

​@@nathanhoffman20000No, potatoes and vodka!

[@dimas3829]

@@nathanhoffman20000 paid in exposure