January 2025 Update
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January 15
All three of our ambulances have arrived in Kyiv! <Bianca>, the Italian T4, has been fully equipped, stocked, and placed in serviced.
She is now immediately heading out with a crew of four on a MEDEVAC rotation in Ukraine’s East.
A special introduction: This is Devi, an experienced Ukrainian paramedic who has just joined our team and will be joining us on this rotation. We are so grateful to have her expertise as we head into our first mission since getting back on the ground.
Here are Ben, Devi, Yasya, and Ray, standing in the snow in front of the Kyiv sign on the Brovary Highway, preparing to drive to Poltava and pick up our second REB system. Big thanks to Hunter for crowdfunding some of the money that made this possible.
We’ll keep you updated regularly while we’re on the road. Stay tuned for more soon
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January 12
Shipment on January 11: 6 boxes of hospital supplies sent to Odesa (Vezha), 1 to Lviv, 1 to Kharkiv
Total cost: $839.68 Total weight: 276 lbs.
Contents: hospital supplies, medical gloves, enteral feeding, BVMs, gauzes and bandages.
Special Thanks: Our gratitude goes to Irina Kalaida, Vadik Soldatov and Alexandra Obraztsova, Mrs. Jennifer Michelle, Mrs. Nettie Engrassia and Mrs. Susanne Smith for donating the medical supplies.
Also, today we did two pickups of medical supplies for the next shipment.
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January 9
If you’d told me five years ago that I’d be stocking an Italian ambulance on the streets of Kyiv, with babushkas peeking through the back doors to see what I’m up to, I’d have said you were out of your mind.
And yet, here we are. For the past two days, this has been our reality as we prepare for our first deployment since getting back on the ground. On January 15th, we’ll begin a MEDEVAC rotation out East.
Stocking Bianca has been an intense process—sorting through a mountain of supplies and ensuring we’re ready for anything, from caring for newborns to adults. As I figure out Bianca’s quirks (like a suction machine that seems to have a mind of its own), I catch myself muttering, “Damn it, Italy.” Why do they have to have different electrical sockets than the rest of Europe?!
Meanwhile, our training team has been hard at work in western Ukraine, teaching the THOR blood transfusion course at a training center we previously instructed at over 2 months ago. Thanks to new changes in Ukrainian law, combat medics can now legally administer whole blood transfusions in the field - a life-saving skill that will make a significant difference on the front lines.
Tomorrow, we’ll travel to Poltava to pick up our drone jammer (and maybe enjoy some delicious galushki while we’re there) and have equipment organizers installed to reign in the mayhem of supplies. We’ll also collect a large shipment of medical supplies outside Kyiv on Sunday.
There’s so much more to come, friends. Thank you for standing with us on this journey. Stay tuned
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January 8
Yesterday, Julia Orlova picked up a lot of medical supplies from Pawtucket and Attleboro and scheduled additional pickups in Pepperell and Attleboro. We also received a shipment of tactical medical supplies from Sasha Obraztsova and Vadik Soldatov. The next shipment is planned for this Saturday, pending the arrival of other supplies we’re currently awaiting.
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January 4
Friends, the moment is here.
For the first time in over a year, our MONKEY JUMP crew is preparing to deploy on a MEDEVAC (medical evacuation) rotation starting January 15th, followed by two more crews on February 15th — one for MEDEVAC and one for CASEVAC (casualty evacuation).
CASEVAC operations bring unique challenges and high risks, often taking us dangerously close to the front lines to rescue the wounded. To do this safely, our drone jammer is essential. Next week, we’ll travel to Poltava to pick it up and deliver surgical supplies to our partners in Kharkiv. It’s a big investment—our current budget is heavily stretched to buy one jammer - but without it, getting closer to the front simply isn’t safe.
Our training mission is in full swing. One team will head out next week to provide tactical medicine training at a unit we first worked with two months ago. On top of this, we just wrapped up teaching over 30 students in ultrasound and airway management with the Valkyrie Dorset school in Kyiv. We’re also finalizing plans to launch our Combat Medic/Corpsman (CMC) course, in partnership with Valkyrie, in early February.
We’re building a strong partnership with our partner battalion, with many of our team members now officially "on the books." Others are still waiting on paperwork.
On the vehicle logistics side, our teams have been hard at work.
<<Bianca>> is almost ready to roll after repairs. Over the next 10 days, we’ll pack her with critical supplies for her maiden mission.
<<Olenka>> will make her way from Lviv to Kyiv next week to join the fleet.
And what makes my paramedic heart truly happy? A shipment of 10 intraosseous (IO) needles just arrived from our stock in the States. For patients in severe shock, when veins collapse, these needles allow us to access the bone marrow directly to administer blood, fluids, and drugs. They are expensive, but priceless when lives are on the line.
This shipment also included hypothermia prevention wraps, another lifesaving tool. When a trauma patient is cold, their blood can't clot effectively—a dangerous combination in these freezing temperatures. As I write this, it is very cold.
Thank you for being part of this journey. Your support makes all of this possible. Together, we’re saving lives, one step at a time.
