The chances of survival are directly proportional to the speed of reaction. An ambulance from the battalion arrives at the frontline medical post of the brigade, bringing two wounded soldiers. It is after 9:00 p.m., and one of them is injured in the leg with a broken bone, while the other is wounded in the lung.

They were injured by grenade splinters during a Russian attack on Ukrainian positions at the Soledar front. The Russians were attempting to encircle Bakhmut from the north.

These soldiers had been wounded earlier that morning, but due to the ongoing intense fighting, they were only able to be rescued now. It seems that you need to add strength and the will to survive to the speed of reaction. Maybe the blue rosary that one of the wounded has around his neck helped.

This frontline medical post of the 10th Mountain Assault Brigade is a small and outdated cottage. The constant sounds and vibrations of explosions and gunfire can be heard and felt all around. It primarily serves as a transit point. Alternatively, provide stabilization treatment to those in need before transferring them to another ambulance for further medical assistance.

The Ukrainian army has a well-planned and organized system in place to improve the survival chances of wounded soldiers. They are rescued from the front line and transported to safety. Each battalion has its own medical team that retrieves the wounded from the front zone and takes them to the brigade medical post. From there, they are transferred back to their respective battalions for further treatment.

The brigade medical post has its own ambulances that transport wounded soldiers from the front zone to the next medical point on the second line. From there, the ambulance continues its journey to the hospital. This efficient system allows the ambulance to return to the brigade medical post within a few minutes. The hospital is located 40 kilometers away from the brigade medical post, and the journey takes approximately 2 to 3 hours due to the poor road conditions near the front.

These medics have been serving at the front for several months, just like the rest of the soldiers. In war, periods of boredom are punctuated by intense moments. Starlink and the Internet on your phone help you kill boredom interrupted with preparing a meal or chopping firewood.

That is until they hear the faint sound of an ambulance arriving from outside. They quickly abandon their tasks and rush out to attend to the wounded soldiers. Those who do not even have time to be stabilized, or are in good enough condition, are repacked to the next ambulance and leave immediately. Those who need to be changed or stabilized are led to the hut first; then they go on their way.

There is a doctor and ambulance crews at the point – the driver, paramedic and security. Ambulances are regularly shelled, some are armored, but not all. Working at the front is not only a threat of gunfire.

Artur, one of the drivers, recalls an incident that occurred in June when they were working near Lysyczansk. An ambulance from another battalion was on its way to retrieve a wounded man when they were stopped by a group of soldiers wearing Ukrainian uniforms who shouted, "Ours! Ours!" But they were not 'ours', but a disguised Russian sabotage group. They killed the medics, dragged the bodies out, boarded the ambulance and continued down the line.

There are no rules for Russians. The fighting on the front near Soledar is so intense that, as medics say, the Russians attack over the corpses of their colleagues. Nobody collects them. They saw how a herd of tits ate the corpse of a Russian soldier until only a skeleton was left. And herds of pigs from the village that feasted on the corpses of the Russians. Some time later a local farmer came to them, asking if they wanted to buy a pig for provisions. They did not want to.

Although more shocking for them is that on the Russian side no one collects the seriously wounded either. They can scream for hours until it becomes unbearable and you start repeating in your head: just die already and shut up.