Good morning, folks.
Today, I want to talk about why tactical medicine is so important in this war against the russian aggression, and why I am so concerned with the issue of medical supplies for Ukraine's army. #ProtectUkrainianDefenders
Individual first-aid kits (IFAKs) of russians are a perfect reflection of this country's complete contempt of human life, even their own soldiers. This russian IFAK consists of little more than an outdated Esmarch bandage that may be worthless w/ wear&tear
Ukraine, however, massively invested in combat medicine over past 8 years. Military training was revamped in line with Nato standards. Hundreds of civilian volunteers equip of our soldiers with good gear.
Photo: @sector_m14 trains soldiers to use a tourniquet & tamponade a wound
These medical situations produce different outcomes: while wounded Ukrainian soldiers stand a far greater chance of surviving critical bleeding, russians bear higher preventable losses. It also affects morale: knowing that you will get proper medical care is a reassuring factor.
Tellingly, russians are shocked when they see Ukrainian medical gear. One russ'n military blogger ranted about how well-equipped Ukr soldiers are; russian soldiers often loot Ukr IFAKs.
But here's a catch: it's not enough to steal a tourniquet, you need to be trained to use it
Ukraine's Pres'l Office says tht 100-200 Ukr soldiers die in combat every day.
That is a high toll. Multiply by 3 & you get a probable number of wounded.
That's why medical supplies are needed all the time during these high-intensity battles: one should not use a tourniquet twice
Ukrainian servicemen on the frontlines are the biggest treasure of our nation. An example of courage and professionalism for generations to come.
Their lives and health have to be preserved so they can come back to their families and friends one day.
3/ ❗️I discussed these needs with servicemen from legendary 93rd Brigade of 🇺🇦 Armed Forces.
Here's what they wrote to me:
➕Commander of the artillery unit: “Thank you for help! Together to the victory”.
➕A combat medic: “Everything is right on that list”.
How has Europe responded to #ArmUkraineNow? Short data analysis [THREAD].
Alas, some EU countries, inc. France🇫🇷 and Germany🇩🇪, have armed russia *more* over the past 8 years than Ukraine now.
Yes, despite EU sanctions slapped in 2014 after russia invaded UA for the first time
1/ France sent 10 times more weapons to russia (>1bn euro) in 2014-2020 than it has to Ukraine since large-scale war began.
Sources:
- France’s national reports on arms exports in 2014-20 (sipri.org/databases/nati…)
- gov’t statement on UA aid: lefigaro.fr/conjoncture/la…
2/ Germany appears to have sent far less weapons to Ukraine (since Feb'22) than it has exported to russia in 2014-20.
Sources: Germany’s gov't reports on arms exports in 2014-20 (sipri.org/databases/nati…), own calculations of military aid value to UA based on open sources.
There is one issue that I've been putting off discussing here on Twitter, but it's better late than never.
The issue is the level and breath of expertise on Ukraine in the EU. 1/4
2/4 For the past 8 years, since Russia started a "smaller-scale" war on Ukraine, most EU countries have failed to grow institutional expertise on Ukraine's economy, politics and military. Such experts at academic institutions & think-tanks were rare and marginalized from policy.
Poland is an obvious exception: it has excellent expertise at think-tanks and universities. But it is not enough for an EU-wide policy development, esp'ly given the magnitude of challenges we are facing: Ukraine's economic reconstruction, EU integration and strengthening defence.
One thing that very few people have pointed out about Ukraine is how its state has continued to provide essential services even under severe disruptions created by Russia's invasion — and even more, how quickly it has adapted to this new reality. A couple of examples.
(1) Ukrainian Railways have not only continued to transport passengers across the country but also launched quick evacuation routes from the areas most affected by Russia's aggression.
(2) Ukraine's healthcare system, which has undergone a major reform since 2014, continues to reimburse critical medicines to patients via an innovative e-ordering system. Many pharmacies in cities have closed but electronic lists of working ones started to circulate online fast.