Ukrainian Medic Olena Sharhovska Dies at 46 After 25 Months of Service

Ukrainian military units have lost a veteran medical officer who spent the final years of her life on the front lines. Olena "Jane" Sharhovska, a 46-year-old paramedic and former media professional, has died.

Yana Zinkevych, the commander of the Hospitallers medical battalion, announced the news alongside colleagues from the media outlet Novynarnia. Sharhovska had transitioned from a career in journalism and translation to frontline medical service starting in 2015. Her early work involved volunteering with the First Volunteer Mobile Hospital named after Mykola Pyrohov before she joined the Hospitallers.

Zinkevych described Sharhovska’s role in evacuating wounded soldiers from the most intense combat zones. "Having mastered tactical medicine, Jane went to evacuate the wounded from the hottest sections of the front line, snatching the lives of our soldiers from the jaws of death on the way to stabilisation points," Zinkevych said.

Sharhovska’s service extended beyond medical evacuations. As a member of the International Legion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, she was deployed to Bakhmut, Toretsk, and Kharkiv Oblast. In these locations, she trained other service members in tactical medicine. She served from September 2022 until her discharge in August 2024 for health reasons, a period totaling roughly 25 months.

Her advocacy work focused on expanding opportunities for women in the Ukrainian military. In 2016, she co-organized the Invisible Battalion March in Kyiv. The event urged authorities to open military positions to women that had previously been restricted to men. As part of the Women's Veteran Movement, she continued to push for better equipment for female defenders.

Sharhovska’s background included work as a journalist, editor, and social media specialist for television and print outlets. She contributed to projects for Ukraїner and Osvitoria. When Russia launched its full-scale invasion, she was in Portugal. An injury delayed her return, but she supported Ukraine as a volunteer from abroad before enlisting on her 46th birthday in September 2022.

Bohdan Lohvynenko, founder of Ukraїner, recalled their shared professional history. They lived in neighboring buildings in Vynohradar and frequently discussed editorial matters in their kitchens. Lohvynenko described her as a driving force behind many processes and a source of support. Novynarnia noted that she purchased vehicles for the front through fundraising and maintained her motto: "Do what you believe needs to be done, and then come what may."