United to win: Poland donates medical helicopter for evacuation of wounded soldiers to Ukraine

The people of Poland have handed over another Mi-2 AM-1 helicopter to the Ukrainian military.

The rotorcraft will be used for medical evacuation, Rubryka reports, citing the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine's Ministry of Defense.

What is the problem?

In saving lives, time is of the essence, and helicopters can quickly reach the scene and evacuate the injured.

Helicopters can also go to even the most remote and hard-to-reach locations, making them indispensable for rescue operations.

Unfortunately, in hard-to-reach areas, in territories with constant shelling, people often die not from incompatible-with-life injuries but from the lack of timely qualified medical assistance, and aeromedical evacuation gives these people a chance.

What is the solution?

The Ukrainian military has received another Mi-2 AM-1 helicopter for medical evacuation as part of the Zbroimy Ukrainę volunteer initiative — a charity campaign organized by concerned citizens of Poland after the start of a full-scale Russian invasion.

"Another expression of friendly support from Poland will help save the lives of our soldiers and civilians from the barbarism of Moscow terrorists," said the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence.

How does it work?

It is equipped with modern medical equipment, which assists evacuees directly in the air from the front-line territories. It can transport three lightly wounded or one severely wounded person.

"We express our gratitude to all citizens of Poland, whose donations were used to purchase an important medical evacuation helicopter, as well as to the organizers of the "Arm Ukraine" charity initiative journalist Bożynar Pajonko, lawyer Khrystyna Potapenko, head of the "Mass Phenomena Fund" Nadiia Moroz-Olshanska, and all ambassadors who supported the project," the intelligence said.

Background

The Mi-2 AM-1 is a Soviet multi-purpose helicopter developed by the M.L. Mile Design Bureau in the early 1960s; widely used for various civilian and military tasks.

It was reported that the Defense Intelligence received a medical helicopter MI-2 MSB-1 for evacuation from the front-line regions, which was modernized and equipped with the necessary medical equipment. The Olena Zelenska Foundation provided the funds for the project. To implement this project as part of the Donate to Evacuate initiative from the charity funds KSE Foundation and DefDev, the Olena Zelenska Foundation allocated $500,000 of accumulated international funds.

It was also reported that Czech and Slovak citizens from the Dárek pro Putina initiative raised over €400,000 for the Ukrainian military intelligence helicopter.

It was reported that Ukrainian intelligence received a Black Hawk helicopter and is already using it in combat operations.