One victim was torn to pieces with bodyparts blown into the branches, says brave Brit volunteer saving lives in Ukraine
THE incredible courage of three British volunteer medics saving lives on Ukraine’s front line amid Russian bombs and terrible injuries was revealed yesterday.
The health worker, ambulanceman and ex-soldier have been quietly working for weeks, treating mutilated war casualties as fighting raged in Donbas.
The trio found themselves in the midst of battle after turning their backs on day jobs at home to rally to Ukraine’s call to arms.
They told The Sun how they ran towards artillery strikes to deliver life-saving care — as defenders were blown to pieces in front of them.
Ben, 22, Tim, 33, and Connor, 23, all ditched their jobs after watching TV footage of refugees fleeing west from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s senseless slaughter.
All three were on their way back to the front line last night after their leave in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv — and asked not to be fully identified fearing Russian reprisals.
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Ben, a health care assistant at London’s Whipps Cross Hospital, said: “I saw what was happening on TV and decided I had to do something. I was a dogsbody, working as a care assistant, doing all the jobs no one else wanted to do, but I had medical training and a military family background.
“My family backed me, even though all my mates thought I was mental when I could be safe at home watching it all unfold on TV. But I don’t regret what I’ve done for a moment.
“I’m British and proud to be supporting the people of Ukraine in a war of good against evil.”
Pictures show Ben, from Walthamstow, East London and his pals running towards casualties amid an artillery strike.
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He said: “It was our first big mass casualty situation. The Russians had fired shells which tore into both military and civilians.
“I realised as we ran towards the explosions that one victim was beyond hope. He had been torn to pieces with body parts thrown into the branches.
“But we pressed on to do all we could, while still under fire. I’ll never forget the sound of the Russian artillery — totally terrifying, like a dozen freight trains surging towards us.
“The explosions were deafening but we had to try to focus on saving casualties. A wounded Ukrainian soldier had lost his left leg and was bleeding out from the wound, so I put a tourniquet around it — but he was so shocked he tore it off.
“As the shells flew in, I had to hold him down and put another tourniquet on his leg and another around his hands to stop him ripping it off again. There was so much carnage, I ran out of tourniquets.”
Ben headed for the Ukrainian capital Kyiv at the start of the war in February with a humanitarian convoy — and came across fellow Brits Tim and Connor. Soldier’s son Connor was working as an ambulanceman in South London before flying to Ukraine to volunteer
He said: “We’ve been in many situations where we thought we were going to die.
“There was a time where me and Ben were having a cigarette outside when we got caught by artillery and ran for our lives.
It was our first big mass casualty situation. The Russians had fired shells which tore into both military and civilians. I realised as we ran towards the explosions that one victim was beyond hope. He had been torn to pieces with body parts thrown into the branches.
Health care assistant Ben
“I haven’t always been so lucky. We came under sustained rocket attack and a chunk of concrete fell on to my back. I’m in a lot of pain — but I’m heading back because a hell of a lot of people are suffering more than me.”
The hero medics even saved a dog injured in an artillery barrage, phoning a vet in Kyiv to talk them through how to amputate his paw.
Now on the mend, he has become their mascot and has been named Javelin — after an anti-tank missile.
Tim, from Leeds, had medical training during eight years with the British Army’s The Rifles regiment including a tour of Iraq and two in Afghanistan.
He told The Sun: “We’ve been living like hunted animals, never staying in one place for more than two of three days. Everywhere we hide gets blown up soon after we leave.
“At one point I spent 36 hours hugging the floor praying for a bombardment to stop.
“I have been on tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan but I’ve seen more carnage in three weeks here than the whole of that put together.
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“This is a seriously violent conflict but I have never seen anyone fight like the Ukrainians.
“They have no thought for their own safety and just want to take the fight to the enemy.”
