Female Doctor Single-Handedly Fights Off Russian Attack, Saves Entire Unit

The war in Ukraine has brought out countless stories of resilience. Many are about soldiers holding the line.

Others are about medics saving lives. But sometimes, one person does both.

That was the case recently in the southern part of the country, where a Ukrainian military doctor made a split-second decision that likely saved her entire unit.

Svitlana serves with the 128th Brigade of Ukraine’s Territorial Defense Forces, writes Ziare.

She was in Zaporozhye during an intense Russian assault involving armored vehicles and infantry.

Her unit was under heavy pressure. Russian soldiers had pushed past the front and were now dangerously close—just two houses away.

At that moment, the unit had no commanding officer on site. But Svitlana had an open radio link to a superior.

She didn’t wait for orders. She took charge. With calm urgency, she ordered her comrades to hold their positions.

Then she grabbed a single-use grenade launcher. She stepped outside and aimed at the window of the house where the enemy was hiding. She fired. No one came out.

She later told her team, “I told the guys not to back down. Then I went out to meet them. They were already too close.”

Svitlana is a trained combat medic. Before the war, she worked as an ICU nurse in Dnipro.

When Russia invaded in 2022, she volunteered for the army. Her reason was deeply personal. Her son, also a soldier, died fighting near Bakhmut.

She trained with the 230th Battalion, known as “Wild Field.” She learned how to handle weapons, but she admits nothing could have prepared her for that moment.

After her action, her unit held long enough to safely rotate out of the position.

Now, she’s back on the front lines. She keeps saving lives. Svitlana is one of 5,000 women currently serving in active combat zones in Ukraine.

In total, nearly 68,000 women are part of the country’s armed forces.