Relatives of a military nurse killed in eastern Ukraine gathered in kyiv on Friday for a final tribute, joined by colleagues who consider that the Russian army is “hunting” them in the combat zone.
Friends and family members of Maria-Khrystyna Dvoinik paraded, in tears, in front of her coffin, opened according to Orthodox tradition and surrounded by candles, under the golden domes of Saint-Michel Cathedral.
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She was evacuating wounded soldiers
The 32-year-old caregiver was killed while evacuating wounded soldiers in the Donetsk region, where most of the fighting with the Russian army in eastern Ukraine is concentrated. She was supposed to return to kyiv a few days later.
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In the congregation were many military medics, wearing their uniforms and first aid kits.
“She was a wonderful girl,” volunteer caregiver Tetiana told AFP after the funeral. She was “full of energy, filled with the desire to do something for Ukraine,” added this 55-year-old woman.
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The work of frontline caregivers, by definition on the front line, has become increasingly dangerous as Russian drones have become more numerous in the Ukrainian skies.
According to Tetiana, Russian forces are “hunting” Ukrainian caregivers in the combat zone.
She was nicknamed Alpaca
The Russian invasion of Ukraine, launched almost three years ago, devastated medical infrastructure in areas near the front and killed dozens of healthcare workers.
“It’s very painful to see that these are the young people who are supposed to build our country, and that we are losing them,” said Tetiana, her eyes wet with tears.
Tributes to Maria-Khrystyna Dvoinik abounded on social networks.
“She knew no fear and never hesitated to risk her life to save other soldiers and help them return home alive,” wrote Iana Zinkevitch, an elected official who participated in the founding of the Hospitallers group, for which the deceased caregiver worked.
“The Russians killed her. Heroes die saving other heroes,” she added.
Maria-Khrystyna Dvoinik, known under the war name “Alpaca,” was killed near Pokrovsk, an area where the Russians have been advancing in recent months.
