Kenneth Glad
Serving as a senior nurse with the 47th Magura Brigade, she provides critical care in the thick of battle, where every second counts. Her journey from a civilian nurse to a frontline medic reflects the resilience and determination that have defined many of Ukraine’s defenders.
Zoia Kovalets, a 55-year-old grandmother and former motorcycle enthusiast, has become an unlikely hero on the frontlines of the war in Ukraine.
Kovalets’ road to the battlefield wasn’t a straightforward one. Before joining the military, she worked in a hospital repurposed for wartime care in Kryvyi Rih.
Despite being far from the frontlines, the memories of life under occupation in her hometown of Vysokopillia and the call to contribute more directly to the war effort led her to enlist, Ukrainska Pravda reports.
In 2023, after completing basic military training and tactical medicine courses, she joined the 47th Magura Brigade. Now, at stabilization points near active combat, her job is clear but often grueling: Assist surgeons, prepare medical supplies, and care for the constant flow of injured soldiers.
The work is physically and emotionally demanding, and the pressure is relentless. “When I closed my eyes, I saw arms, legs, arms, legs… It’s really tough,” Kovalets admitted.
Her callsign, “Cyborg,” is a reminder of her own past, marked by a severe motorcycle accident that left her with metal implants in her body. Today, she continues to ride a bike even in combat zones, always carrying medical supplies to wherever they’re most needed.
Escaping Occupation
Kovalets’ path to becoming a frontline medic began under much different circumstances.
In 2022, her village in Kherson Oblast was occupied by Russian forces. After providing crucial intelligence to Ukrainian troops, she became a target.
“I ran around the village, trying to find somewhere to hide,” she recalls. Her narrow escape from a basement hideout marked the beginning of a harrowing journey that would take her from occupied territory to the front lines.
During her escape, she carried a motley group of animals – dogs, parrots, and small mammals – across dangerous terrain, avoiding Russian soldiers who were searching for her.
At one checkpoint, a broken phone that once belonged to her late mother allowed her to slip past the Russian guards. “It didn’t work, but I convinced them I hadn’t had a chance to charge it,” Kovalets explained.
Once she reached Ukrainian-controlled territory, Kovalets took a brief respite, working in a hospital. But the scars of occupation haunted her.
“I needed to fill that void,” she said, which eventually drove her to enlist in the military.
The Emotional Toll of War
At the front, Kovalets faces constant danger. The stories she hears from the wounded soldiers stay with her. Some soldiers, young and terrified, call her “Mum.” “That word is like a knife to the heart,” she confessed, reflecting on the emotional weight of the war.
Kovalets also finds solace in the camaraderie of the 47th Brigade. The medical team has become a close-knit unit, each member supporting the other through the most difficult moments.
Whether it’s a light-hearted exchange or a soldier pleading her not to throw away his lucky underpants, moments of humor punctuate the intensity of their work.
Kovalets dreams of returning home once the war ends, to a life that includes her grandchildren and a quieter existence.
“They say, ‘Grandma’s a hero,'” she smiled, determined to live up to their expectations. “I don’t want to let them down.”
Sources: Ukrainska Pravda
