Two medics injured in Chernihiv Oblast after Russian strike hits ambulance

Ukraine’s National Police reported that two medics were injured as a result of Russian military shelling in the Chernihiv Oblast. 

The severely damaged vehicle of the Chernihiv medical team

The shelling occurred the previous day in the Semenivka “hromada,” a local government area that includes one or more nearby settlements, of the Novhorod-Siverskyi District. The center of the hromada, Semenivka, is one of the northernmost cities in Ukraine, and as such, it has suffered from enemy shelling almost from the first day of the full-scale invasion.

In Semenivka, the Russian military has repeatedly shelled those who help border residents survive; for instance, they have struck bread delivery trucks several times.

At the moment of the strike on January 11, the medics were returning from a call. As a result, they sustained injuries, the nature of which has not been specified.

Criminal proceedings have been opened regarding the violation of the laws and customs of war.

Emergency services — such as rescuers, police, and medics — constantly become targets for the Russian military. The tactic of conducting repeated shelling once service members have arrived at the scene is known as “double-tap strikes.”

According to Ukraine’s Ministry of Health, since the start of the full-scale invasion, Russian forces have destroyed, damaged, or captured nearly 500 ambulances and killed almost 58 emergency medical workers.

As a reminder, Pope Francis has allocated funds for the purchase of ambulances for Ukraine.