KYIV — Ukrainian paramedic and National Guard officer Yuliia Paievska, known by her callsign “Taira,” continues to treat the wounded on all sides of the conflict as Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine enters its third year. Paievska, 56, has provided medical assistance on the front lines for more than a decade, earning recognition for upholding humanitarian principles during wartime.
Her career began during Ukraine’s 2013–14 pro-democracy Euromaidan protests, where she volunteered to help injured demonstrators. She later trained and led a volunteer medical group, “Taira’s Angels,” during fighting in eastern Ukraine. The group treated not only Ukrainian civilians and soldiers but also injured pro-Russian separatists and captured Russian troops, in line with international humanitarian law.
Following the 2022 Russian siege of Mariupol, Paievska was captured while evacuating civilians. Before her detention, she recorded her medical work with a body-worn camera. According to Associated Press, that footage, smuggled out of Mariupol by AP journalists, became one of the earliest visual records of the conflict’s impact on civilians, showing her care for both Ukrainian and Russian wounded, as well as children caught in the siege.
Paievska was held for three months in Russian captivity, enduring overcrowded conditions, physical abuse, and psychological pressure. She was released in a prisoner exchange in June 2022. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described her return as a morale boost for the country.
In 2023, she received the U.S. Department of State’s International Women of Courage Award. Then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken praised her service under extreme conditions and countered disinformation campaigns about her. Russian officials dismissed the award, using derogatory terms.
Today, Paievska is an officer in the Khartia Brigade of Ukraine’s National Guard, focusing on moral and psychological support for troops. She told EUobserver that she still provides medical aid based solely on need. “We do not fight the wounded,” she said, underscoring her commitment to medical ethics.
Beyond her military duties, Paievska is active in international veteran communities and has competed in the Invictus Games for wounded veterans, representing Ukraine.
While neutral on the battlefield, Paievska doubts there will be reconciliation between Ukrainian and Russian societies. She cited ongoing Russian public support for the war. “They will never be trusted,” she said.
She also expressed solidarity with medics working in other war zones, including Gaza and Sudan. “I fully support with all my heart the humanitarian mission of medics, wherever they are,” she said.
Her body cam footage from Mariupol remains both a record of the war’s human cost and a testament to the ethical responsibilities of combat medics.
