Ukraine combat medic and former journalist Olena Sharhovska dies at 46

Olena Sharhovska, a combat medic who also worked as a journalist and translator, has died at age 46. Yana Zinkevych, commander of the Hospitallers medical battalion, announced the news, as did former colleagues from the outlet Novynarnia. Sharhovska, known by the nickname Jane, had spent the last two years of her life serving in Ukraine’s Armed Forces.

Before her military service, Sharhovska built a career in media, working as an editor, social media specialist, and contributor to projects for Ukraїner and Osvitoria. Her path shifted in 2015 when she began volunteering with the First Volunteer Mobile Hospital named after Mykola Pyrohov. She later joined the Hospitallers, where she mastered tactical medicine and evacuated wounded soldiers from some of the most dangerous sections of the front line.

Zinkevych described Sharhovska’s work as a race against time to stabilize injured troops. The commander noted that Sharhovska went to the hottest parts of the front to snatch lives from death, transporting soldiers to stabilization points. Beyond her medical duties, Sharhovska was an advocate for gender equality in the military. She co-organized the Invisible Battalion March in Kyiv in 2016, a protest demanding that women be allowed to serve in combat roles previously reserved for men.

When Russia launched its full-scale invasion, Sharhovska was living in Portugal. An injury delayed her return to Ukraine, but she continued to volunteer from abroad. She officially joined the International Legion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on September 10, 2022, which was her 46th birthday. During her 25 months of service, she was deployed in Bakhmut, Toretsk, and Kharkiv Oblast.

While serving, Sharhovska performed medical evacuations and trained other service members in tactical medicine. As a member of the Women's Veteran Movement, she pushed for better equipment for female defenders. She was discharged in August 2024 due to health reasons. Her former colleagues at Novynarnia remembered her as a person who maintained a deep interest in the world and in people, continuing to help soldiers through fundraising and vehicle purchases for the front.

Bohdan Lohvynenko, founder of Ukraїner and a fellow journalist, recalled their shared time living in neighboring buildings in Vynohradar. He described her as a driving force in editorial matters and a source of support, while noting she was harsh toward the unknown. Novynarnia cited her personal motto: “Do what you believe needs to be done, and then come what may.”